I gave the sermon at the church here in Vidin last sunday. The church is relatively small – it consists of about 15-20 people on a good day. The services are held in the youth club which is like the headquarters of all of our ministry this month. The night before I had skyped my dad and brother. It had been 3 weeks since I'd seen my dad (the last time being in the airport as I left). Seeing my family keeps me alive. I know its only been a month, but everytime I get an opportunity to talk to them – hear their voice and if possible see their faces – it renews my strength. I'm not just saying this as a cliche. When I see them, it relaxes me and gives me energy. After hanging up with them, I feel like nothing in the world is wrong. That everything's going to be alright.
That is what I spoke about on Sunday. Family. I told the church about my family – showing them pictures and telling them a little bit about each person – including my "brown brother" and "devil dog". The truth of the matter is, they are thousands of miles away. But I have found a Bulgarian family that comforts me when they are unable to. I'd like to share a little with you about my Bulgarian brethren.
Pastor Yavor Kostov
Pastor Yavor is not the typical pastor. He has long untidy hair and a hoop earing – giving the impression more of a pirate than a pastor. Pastor Yavor always speaks what is on his mind. He will not shy away from telling you he wholeheartedly disagrees, but he does it in an almost childlike non threatening way. There is a peace about him which I cannot really find words to describe. When you are in the process of asking a question or making a statement, he often says "Yeah, yeah, yeah" after you finish to show he understood while slightly chuckling, and then giving his response. He is a very easy going man and doesn't concern or worry himself about strict time. We get together every day around 12 for "briefing" which is basically a time for us to discuss anything thats on our mind and pray. Pastor Yavor has a distince way in which he guides where he'd like the conversation to go – for instance, after a long awkward silence (there are many of them during these briefings) he will exclaim, "Is there anything you would like to say?" or "Is there anything God would like you to share today?" or "Would you like to now pray?".
Pastor Yavor is a very passionate man. He wages war against hypocrisy and "phonies" – often when we visit gypsy churches, he sternly tells the crowd to stop their "hallelujahs" and "Amiiins" to quiet their hearts and just listen in peace. The guitar serves as his instrument of worship (worship is a very crucial aspect of the church here – many times Yavor will translate American worship songs and have the congregation sing along during service). You can truly see the passion for worship and connecting with God through music while he plays.
Overall, Pastor Yavor represents the balance between being stern and responsible in love with being compassionate and caring. This plays out rather odd at times – such as when he evangelizes to gypsys and brings up the alternative of hell (a very "scare tactic" approach in my opinion, but as hes explained, the gypsy culture is in an alternate reality where every once in a while they need a kick in the butt to bring them back to the consequences of their actions). But through it all, you can see and feel the love of the message that he wholeheartedly believes in.
Sarah
Sarah just recently turned 16 years old. She serves as our main interpreter – with the best grasp on the English language out of any of our contacts here. Sarah is a very sweet and fun loving young woman. She is strong and independent – holding and sharing her opinions with excitement (she and her brother HATE Justin Bieber – this is one view of hers I refuse to respect). Sarah has been persecuted in school because of her beliefs. Because her church is not Orthodox and does will not register with the government, her classmates think she is strange and keep their distance.
Sarah wishes to be a missionary someday. A group of Welsh missionaries come to Vidin every year and after 2 weeks here, she left to visit them. Sarah exhibits a maturity well beyond her years. She doesn't concern herself much with what other teens get caught up in. Instead she focuses on her faith and bringing hope to others. Sarah has been such a wonderful help and is a true example of a daughter of God.
Phillip "Fiff"
Phillip is 12 years old. He loves playing video games – Xbox when his cousins are in Bulgaria and computer games in solitude. He is an avid futbol fan – Liverpool being his favorite team. He constantly is telling me about all his favorite players and which teams are better than others and showing me his favorite matches on YouTube.
Phillip loves America. Its his favorite country. He asks many questions about arbitrary things in America – such as "Do you know, in America, you can buy a Coke for $1 and keep refilling it?". Anything American puts a light in his eyes. We bond over movies and video games (for his age, hes seen an awful lot of my favorite action movies – Braveheart is his favorite). Coke is his favorite drink followed closely by 3-in-1, an instant coffee drink made by Nestle.
"Fiff" is the nickname his family gave him which i have adopted calling him. We play Ninja a lot and just talk about futbol, video games, and the Discovery Channel – another of his favorite things is Bear Grills. He's seen almost every episode and can quote Grills like a true fanboy. One day, we went to the "Grand Canyon" of Bulgaria where we adventured through the rocks in true Bear Grills fashion. Fiff also loves to fish – as do most Bulgarians. He wishes someday to catch a "shark" from the black sea and send me one of its teeth. When telling me about the best Bulgarian foods, Fiff calls things "very nice" if he likes them. Fiff, unlike the rest of the team, enjoys the Tripe Soup and ate the rest of ours with his father. His favorite dish is "bean soup" which I agree is very tasty.
After Sarah left, Fiff became a very valuable translator. He is very good at English – especially for his age. He gets frustrated sometimes when talking to me and being unable to know the word in English he wants to say. Often he turns to his father and says "Kokti blah blah blah" which means "how do you say" in English.
This is the core of the Bulgarian family I've found here. I will Post an extended family Blog at a later time, but as we speak, it is time for Briefing. Ciao!
