My team has now spent one week in our ministry town of Vidin, Bulgaria. This quaint little town lies on the Danube River just across the border from Romania. As we walk to our church’s new facility every day, we get to see a large portion of the town. Everywhere we look we see monuments and buildings that reflect the Communism that affected this country years ago, but we also pass beautiful sights of the freedom the Jews experienced here during World War II and the antique architecture which is a signature of many European communities.
Our team has even been blessed with our own apartment complete with a washing machine, a kitchen, heaters, and beds. We have come to learn that these things are not necessities, but luxuries in most places. It is nice to have a place to call our own with these amenities for a change.
Before we came to Vidin however, our squad took a quick pit stop in the nation’s capital, Sofia. This city could be my favorite I have visited on the Race thus far. Everywhere you go you see giant Orthodox churches that are hundreds of years old. Sofia is also very friendly to the local industries. We spent much of our time perusing local art and gift shops and hole-in-the-wall restaurants. I definitely want to go back to this city at some point either on the Race or on my next European adventure!
One of our main projects this month is cleaning an underground storage facility so our church can use it to hold their services and other events. Now this is no ordinary basement. This 400 year old stone structure was originally built as a sort of warehouse, but who knows what else has occurred here over the past few hundred years. It is rumored that it even contains tunnels leading to the castle next door! (Yes, the neighboring building is a legitimate castle built over time by the Romans, Bulgarians, and Turks.)
Our time is split between cleaning the new (but old) facility and building relationships with various people in the community. We get to attend our church’s weekly services and youth activities. We will also be making visits to various churches and communities in the area where the pastor is already partnered. Our first experience of one such visit was this past weekend walking to a Roma community on the edge of town. (By the way, a reasonable distance for walking has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Walking three kilometers along a highway? No big deal.) This little neighborhood is the poorest in the whole city. When we got there, excited children and a few curious parents came out to see why we were there. We ended up sharing a bit about America with them as well as giving a testimony of why one should trust in God. We handed out Bibles and then played games with the kids. Overall, it was a fun first outreach experience here, and I can’t wait to see what we do next!
