Author: mtwbulgaria

The picture above is of Vasil Levskl, a Bulgarian national hero. 35 years before Bulgaria won freedom from the Ottoman empire, Levski was sentenced to death for his role in seeking to free the Bulgarians from Ottoman rule. Ordained as a monk in the Orthodox church, Levski left his church role to become a revolutionary. He was a master of disguise and there are many stories of his daring, his courage, and his sacrifice. He is even referred to as the Apostle of Freedom. Many Bulgarians revere Levski and there’s even a soccer team that has taken his name for their team. The anniversary of his death on February 18, 1873, has become a national holiday.

This year the 18th fell on our penultimate Bible Study. One of the participants brought a poem about Levski written by one of Levski’s contemporaries (another Bulgarian hero, a writer named Ivan Vasov) that had been translated into English. The participant asked to read it out loud to celebrate the holiday. The poem compares Levski to Jesus, dying for the freedom of his people. That statement gives me pause as I consider how I view Jesus. Is he merely a martyr to me? I value having good theology, so of course, I would say, “No! He didn’t stay dead. He’s not a martyr; He is God!”

Gospel oriented conversations often end up here. The question of who Jesus actually is–is he a legend like Robinhood? Was he a Jewish freedom fighter? Was he a martyr? As we talk with people who have heard and believed these things, the gospel becomes more and more beautiful. We get to tell people that Jesus was a better hero because He is God AND He wants a relationship with us now. The invitation is not merely to adhere to a set of rules or to follow a teaching. The invitation is to know and love and be known and loved by the Creator of the Universe.

andin order to; used instead of “to”, especially after try, come, goMore (Definitions, Synonyms, Translation)

My Bulgarian teacher sighed when I pulled out the colorful children’s Bible. She seemed to agree that reading would be useful for me, but envisioned boring hours of listening to horrendous pronunciation and stories that she already knew.
Two days later I was back with the same book and the same grin of excitement. As we started the first story in The Jesus Storybook Bible, something changed… “This isn’t just a book for children!”
My Bulgarian teacher flipped through several pages, skimming them while a slow smile began to appear on her face. She asked me where it came from and wondered how such a colorful and clearly childish book should make her want to read the whole thing RIGHT NOW! And actually, how can I get one of these!?

I recently attended an event in which young people from Plovdiv could gather and practice different languages they spoke.  It was a great opportunity to meet new people!  I shared with a new acquaintance that I am an American and am working with the Protestant church.  This always comes with a bit of hesitation on my part, since I never know what the person’s reaction will be when they hear “Protestant” – will they think I’m in a cult?  However, I was surprised when this woman said, “Oh, I think churches are wonderful!” She went on to tell me how she knew several Bulgarian families who moved to the US, and how evangelical churches there had been the ones to help the families get settled and even gave them toys for their children!  Her enthusiasm was such an encouragement.  Church, do not grow weary in doing good!

One of our goals for our English as a Foreign Language ministry is to form friendships with the people God brings to our English Clubs. While we have seen a lot of chances to have one-on-one friendships, I’ve also seen God using English Clubs to give people a place to belong. Many of our students enjoy getting dinner together after English club, and with our new location, we are able to cook and serve dinner once a month! Pray for our team as we seek to show our friends the love of Jesus. There have been many opportunities to talk about God, the difference between trying really hard to be good and receiving grace from God, and how God is not just looking for good people, but for people who want to know Him.

At our English Club Thanksgiving Meal we asked if anyone wanted to share what they were thankful for this year. Every single person shared! And multiple times our club members said that they were thankful for English Club, and the community that they have found in it.

“I’m so thankful for all of you Americans who give your time to make this club for us. I don’t know where I would be without it.”

On Christmas day, a miscommunication with one of our newer English Club students, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, meant that he showed up for a breakfast we organized at our church space for the ladies in the Daughters of Bulgaria program, who had cancelled at the last minute! Our student thought he was coming to our church service (the morning before) but we invited him to share breakfast with us. It was a small and amusing mishap, but it was wonderful to be able to include him, and we had the opportunity to invite him to future church services. Even though he is learning both Bulgarian and English (his first language is French!), he’s faithfully attended many of our events and has brought friends with him as well, and we hope to continue to build our relationship with him and other English students in the coming year.

We recently witnessed two baptisms on the same day in the Evangelical church in Plovdiv. What an exciting thing to see! A young man and an older gentleman, representing two different generations with two very different stories, but both professing faith in the same God who does not change. We rejoice with these men as they have professed faith in Jesus Christ and have joined the church. What an encouragement to see a tangible reminder that God is indeed growing His church in Europe and throughout the world.

There is a Bulgarian song of the Lord’s Prayer that our team thought would be nice for the church to learn. “We would learn it, but we don’t have any piano music” was the response we received from the church. Being the only one on the team who had piano knowledge I went home and tried to find a solution. I spent a few hours on a music composition website and was able to create sheet music for the song. Now the church has music for this song that the choir will use to teach the congregation and in the future be able to sing as one body. Though I have never transcribed music before, I was able to use my God given talents to bring Him glory through the church in Bulgaria.

For two years I had asked my landlord for his pickle recipe, and for two years he had told me we would make them together. The season finally arrived – it is an end of summer activity – and he came by to tell me that it was time and the next day we would be making pickles. The next day, however, he was not able to make them after all and so sent his brother in his stead. For 5 hours that Saturday morning we worked on putting up pickles together and, with my limited Bulgarian, talked about work, the weather, and all sorts of things. I began to feel like I should share the Gospel with him, but I had no clue how. I prayed that God would open the door and not two minutes later he asked about the church we work with and told me that he thought all faiths were pretty much the same. I shared what I could and was able to give him a Bible before he left. I am not sure what has or will come of this conversation, but it was a great example of how God can use anything for His glory!

“It’s too easy to become a Christian . . . so it can’t be true!”  This was Alex’s response to the Gospel when he and Brett met for coffee last week.  “So you don’t have to do anything, just believe in what Jesus has already done?  I think this was made up because it’s what people want to hear; it’s the easy way.”  Alex continued, “The teachings of Buddhism are much more difficult; it’s so deep that no one can understand everything.  Christianity can be explained in only a few minutes so it can’t be right!”

This season in Bulgaria truly confirmed the calling God put on my heart 5 years ago to work with women trapped in sexual exploitation. My time with Daughters of Bulgaria gave me the opportunity to work with women in an aftercare setting, to weekly see God’s pursuing love on the streets in outreach, and to learn more about the power of prayer and power of community. I saw prevention in action among children in tiny villages, and expanded my knowledge and experience through intensive training. This year has empowered me and motivated me even more to follow God’s dreams for my life in serving and loving women trapped in darkness.

English camp in the Rhodope Mountains was exhausting but great. Each morning we taught the Bulgarians some English concepts and told stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally-Lloyd Jones. In the evenings we taught fun classes like art, CrossFit, Myers-Briggs, Poetry, and Veganism. Then the games began, which included some intense matches of Volleyball, Dodgeball (played with balls from a ball pit haha), and a home video competition. At night, our team leaders expounded on the stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible and we had group discussions on it afterward. Finally, we wrapped up the evening with different events like dancing, karaoke, games, a movie, and a bonfire. It was a fun week of bonding for us all, and a good introduction to what the Bible is about for the Bulgarians.

Being in Sofia where I am surrounded by new friends, culture, language, food, geography, and teaching has caused me to do a lot more thinking, or introspection. Already I feel that God is revealing idols like comfort and success that inspire the choices I make in my daily life. He has shown me how broken my theology is, and how much I need Him and my community of faith. Before I left this summer, I knew that I had fallen into complacency in my relationships with my family and God. But God is good, and has been waking me up from this spiritual slumber. Sanctification can be a slow, repetitive, and painful process that isn’t always linear, but I rest in the assurance that God loves and delights in me even when I don’t have it together. Thanks be to Christ!

Looking back, it’s hard to pick a favorite memory or event from this summer. It was awesome meeting Bulgarians and learning about their lives, history, and culture. As an introvert, I really appreciated and related to the quiet nature of the Bulgarians I befriended. I also enjoyed the opportunity to lead and teach English clubs throughout the summer and at English camp. I enjoyed talking about life and what made people tick, and I’m sad that I won’t be around to continue these conversations in person.

The teaching in the morning throughout the internship profoundly shaped the way I understand the world and my place in it. In addition to what we learned about the Gospel, missionary life, calling, and evangelism, I also learned a lot about Biblical leaders in my research project. In fact, I may have gone a little overboard and typed up a 24-page document for said project… if any future Well interns are reading this, I don’t recommend doing this!

Finally, the team dynamic of the Well was an incredible mix of love, fun, and encouragement that feels incredibly rare. Whether we were making a meal together, watching a movie, or losing ourselves on the dance floor/ karaoke mike, hanging out with them was always a joy. We shared each other’s joys and burdens, and I wouldn’t want to go “there and back again” with anyone else.