Official Name: Republic of Bulgaria
Population: Over 7 million
Capital: Sofia
Official Language: Bulgarian
Official Religion: Orthodox Church
Possible Ministry Opportunities:
Manual labor, working in an orphanage, working with kids and teens in the community, street evangelism, working with local churches, gypsy outreach
Famous Landmark: St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, plenty of old churches, ruins, and tombs
Strange Foods I May Eat:
-Chicken hearts
-Shkembe Chorba (tripe soup)
-Sujuk and Lukanka, two types of local salami
-Lots of yogurt and cheese
-Lots of salads (with no lettuce, just cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and cheese, with a variety of other vegetables)
-Lots of soups and stews
-Meatballs
FUN FACTS:
-Bulgaria is known for its rose oil…mmm I love that scent!
-Bulgaria is in a negative population growth, with many young adults leaving the country to emigrate elsewhere. A third of all households consist of only one person and 75% of families do not have children under the age of 16
-The Bulgarian army has never lost a single flag in battle
-Sofia, the capital, was founded 7000 years ago, making it the second oldest city in Europe
-The first digital wristwatch was invented by a Bulgarian, Peter Petrov
-The Bulgarian government was one of only two countries (the other was Denmark) that saved their Jewish population from being sent to the Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust
-Bulgaria ranks 3rd in Europe (after Greece and Italy) for its number of archaeological treasures
-The only nations in the world that use a bagpipe as an instrument are Scotland, Ireland, and Bulgaria
-A third of Bulgaria is forested
-There are around four thousand mapped caves in Bulgaria
-Education is free and compulsory for children ages 6 to 16. Because of this, Bulgaria has a high literacy rate
Prayer Opportunities:
-Pray for our teams and our squad as we are over halfway done with the Race at this point! This can be a tough time as we are missing home a lot! Please pray that we would continue to be focused on our ministry and what God is teaching us, rather than be caught up with what is happening at home
-Pray for continued unity on our squad and teams
-Pray for the people of Bulgaria, that God would open their hearts to what we have to tell them. Pray also for U Squad as we minister to a poor country
-Pray for our bodies, that we would continue to have good health as we experience the winter and the coming of spring
