The first host was a sweet 19 year-old girl named Amelie who had 3 flat mates. Her apartment was nestled in the heart of the city and she graciously took us around and shared all she knew. That night, after cooking an amazing meal together in her tiny kitchen, we ended up hanging out by the local theatre & park area, which seemed to be a pretty popular spot for high school & college-aged kids. The vibe was chill… I was enjoying chatting with a couple of Bulgarians and sharing a bit of what brought me to the country. Then the place really got going when a few girls started a little fire throwing routine. No joke, they just busted out their balls of fire on chains and began impressively twirling them around – major skills! It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, certainly not what I’d see on a typical night back in California. By the end of the night, one of the girls had me trying it out too (well, minus the fire!) It was awesome. Maybe fire throwing will be something to include in my future ministry?
The second night was quite a different setting – but an equally unique experience. We moved on to stay with a couple, Ivan and Terry, at their vacation house, about 20 minutes outside of Sofia. After quite the trek, we pulled up to their cabin – amidst gorgeous, massive mountains. The scenery was unbelievable and I never expected Bulgaria to be so serene and diverse. We spent the evening getting to know Ivan and Terry, who turned out to be couch surfing veterans. Terry recently returned from 10 months of straight couch surfing around the world! They were very interested about our trip too; it was an open window to share about how God is truly leading our lives throughout this journey.
Then yesterday turned out to be the biggest wild goose chase I’ve experienced so far on the World Race. All said and done though, it turned out to be well worth the craziness. I’ll explain… I found out a friend, Mara, whom I’d grown up with at my home church way back when, is actually now a long term missionary here in Bulgaria. She lives right in Sofia with her husband, David, and their 2 year-old daughter. I’d been in touch with her through email and she invited my team over for a traditional dinner last night. This all sounds simple enough – except for the mere fact that we had no idea how to get to her neighborhood. It was completely on the other side of the city from where we were staying. After many minutes of deciphering maps, about 5 different tram and bus rides, probably miles of walking, desperate questions to random Bulgarians for help with directions, and a confusing taxi trip, we landed at Mara’s apartment. We all caught our breath and regained our sanity, and were blessed by the American company, Christian fellowship, cultural insight and exceptionally delicious Bulgarian food!
We realized the day turned out to be a somewhat intense team builder. I think we rocked it together – a couple of us took charge leading the way, and the others willingly followed without asking questions or making unnecessary comments – and not one of us really complained. At one point, we pretty much cried out for help from the Lord and he answered by getting us to our destination. I am confident these “super fun” days will occur, probably often, on this trip. I hope we will respond in a manner of first asking God for the help and then working together as a strong team to get through it – whatever it may be.
