David grew up in Georgia and Alabama, and attended Auburn University where he received his B.S in chemical engineering. He also received a CELTA certification for teaching English as a second language. David worked in the chemical processing industry for thirteen years, during which he served in the singles ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Augusta, Georgia. Erin was raised in Augusta, Georgia, and graduated from Duke University with a Middle East studies emphasis. In 1984 she joined Arab World Ministries and worked among Arab-speaking Muslims until 1995. She served a term in England, France, and Jordan. David and Erin were married in June 1996. They and their two children, Clara (9/9/97) and Josiah(1/26/99), joined the MTW team in 1999. David serves as the director of the Teaching English Ministry in Bulgaria.

David and Erin Pervis

Dave grew up in Tampa, Florida, and attended Emory University, where he became a Christian through the ministry of a believing friend.  Two years later, he transferred to Covenant College and finished his undergraduate in biology with a premedical emphasis.  Subsequently, he earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia and spent seven years in residency and part-time family medicine practice in Greenwood, South Carolina.  Dave has enjoyed the privilege of both discipling and being discipled during his college and medical school careers and beyond. The Lord has combined his gifts and training, and a long-recognized call to the mission field, to take him to Sofia, Bulgaria.  In Bulgaria, Dave uses his medical and discipleship gifts for mercy ministry and developing leaders as part of the MTW team’s church-planting work.

Dave Culmer

Gary and Tammy Elliott

Greg and Susan Johnston

Pete and Renee Roman

Dal, raised in south Florida, was saved by the Lord when he was 18, and was called into ministry soon after that.  Beth, a covenant child, was raised in Mexico, the daughter of a PCA missionary and pastor.  Dal and Beth graduated from Covenant College in 1978 and Reformed Theological Seminary in 1982.  Dal and Beth were married in 1977 and have 5 children, three of which are out of the nest.  Dal pastored two churches before responding to the call to serve with Mission to the World in 1993.

After serving in Ukraine for several years with MTW, the Stantons served in Spain where God used their church-planting and leadership experience to establish the Madrid Church Planting Team. 

In coming to Bulgaria, their focus was the development of EuroScope in Europe. After 1 1/2 years in Bulgaria, the Lord has led their ministry into another direction as Dal currently serves as the team leader for the Church Planting Team in Bulgaria.

Josiah (11/20/90) and Johanna (9/27/93)

Dal and Beth Stanton

Gary and Tammy met and married in Houston, Texas.  Gary’s background is in sales and management while Tammy’s is in education.  They have one daughter and one granddaughter.

For over 20 years they have been actively involved in missions through the churches where they have served.  But in 2003 the Elliotts began to pray how God might use them on a full-time basis.  They realized God had given them a heart for Eastern Europe and were invited to minister as part of the MTW church-planting team in Bulgaria.  Because most of the team is located in the capital city of Sofia, Gary is developing a sub-team in the city of Plovdiv.  There they will work alongside national pastors helping to plant and revitalize churches.  Gary particularly desires to reach out to the business community with business training, mentoring and Bible study.  Tammy will use her experience in elementary education to help establish children’s ministries in the national churches.

Short Term (3 years or less)

Pete and Renee both grew up in the Charleston, SC area.  They each received Christ at a young age and grew up active in their local churches.  Renee attended Appalachian Bible College and received a certificate in Biblical Studies in 2000.  Shortly after returning home from school, she and Pete met at Metro North Church.  They were married in January 2003.  In 2004, Pete graduated from Charleston Southern University with a BS in Business Administration.

In 2005, Pete and Renee accompanied a team from their church to Bulgaria.  The Lord opened their hearts and eyes to the needs of the Bulgarian people and their desire to serve again.  The following year they returned for a one-month internship and began to sense a call to serve longer term.  In 2007, Pete and Renee were approved to serve with MTW as 2 year missionaries. 

Pete and Renee are a part of the MTW sub-team in Plovdiv where they are  involved in youth ministry, community outreach and leadership training.  They have two daughters, Leora (11/20/07) and Sofia (9/9/11).

Greg and Susan met at Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA in 1992.  They both transferred to the Medical College of Georgia, where Greg received his degree in occupational therapy in 1995 and Susan received her degree in 1996.  They were married one week following Susan's graduation and moved to Columbus, GA.  Greg is a native of Columbus and has worked primarily in the public school system.  He also holds a master's in educational leadership.  Susan is originally from Glennville, GA and has worked primarily with children also.  She currently home schools all three of their sons.

In 2006, following a persistent plea from a missionary friend, Greg and Susan traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria and worked there for a week in the Lomidol Resource Center.  During this time, God called them to come back long term.  Greg and Susan were able to see how their skills as therapists could open doors for sharing the gospel with the Bulgarian therapists, parents, and disabled children.  Their hope is to see the church grow through the relationships they build while serving and living among the Bulgarians.

Joshua (07/31/98), Eli (2/12/03), Paul (08/16/04)

Katherine Long was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and grew up in the PCA as the daughter of a youth pastor. Katherine participated in several youth mission trips, during which time she began to sense her calling for overseas missions. She attended the University of Alabama and studied history and English. During her summers Katherine interned at churches, MTW, and other non-profits to determine where the Lord might call her after graduation. As she saw God at work among people of different cultures and began to grasp His love for all nations, she felt called to go overseas to show the love of Christ to the loveless. After a vision trip to Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2009, she saw the work there and felt she had found her missions “family.” She will serve with the team there and will be working with women and children, many of whom are overlooked in Bulgarian society.  Katherine will also be serving to reach out to the Daughters of Bulgaria.

Katherine Long

Stats:

NAME:  MTW Team Bulgaria

LOCATION:  Sofia and Plovdiv, Bulgaria 

NUMBERS: 4 Families including 9 children, 2 couples, 4 singles. 

Lydia Goeglein is the oldest child of missionary parents.  She became a Christian at a young age and (at first probably because her parents were missionaries) she knew that she was going to be a teacher for missionary kids when she grew up. All through school, teaching and ministry remained passions. Lydia attended Belhaven College in Jackson, MS, and graduated with an English degree and a teaching license, and then she began teaching high school English. The three years at Murrah High School were a great experience, but she began to feel God's push to look for an opportunity to serve teaching MK's. Needless to say, Lydia is thrilled to be teaching at SCA this year.

Lydia Goeglein

Bethany was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, just a short distance from Washtington, DC.  She grew up attending PCA churches in a family with a heart for supporting missionaries.  After going on a couple of short term mission trips and attending InterVarsity’s Urbana mission conference in college, the thought of missions or teaching abroad became planted.  Upon graduating from James Madison University, she was hired as the Science Specialist for grades 1 - 5 at Trinity Christian School.  She taught there for 5 years, but felt God calling her to something different.  At the time, she had no idea she would end up in Bulgaria, but she is so thankful for this amazing opportunity for God to use and grow her.

Bethany Saunders

Vlado and Poli were both born and live in Sofia, Bulgaria.  Poli grew up in a Christian family and committed herself to following Christ at an early age.  She studied Law and now works at a consulting firm.  Vlado became a believer in 2004 through relationships at a Christian center called “Reto-Hope”, where he continued to serve until the end of 2006.  He has been serving as part of the MTW team since the end of 2007, seeking to minister the Gospel to non-believers and encouraging fellow believers.  He is also currently studying economics, and uses these skills to help serve the team.  Poli and Vlado met through the Young Adults ministry at the First Evangelical Church of Sofia, with whom MTW is partnered, and were married on August 7th, 2010.  They continue to serve together, ministering to the Young Adults at the church.

Vlado and Poli Hristovi