Our Busy Schedule

With 19 days until our departure, we're still putting the final pieces of our schedule together, but here's a quick overview of our itinerary:

Timeline

Monday, June 29 Depart and travel all day

Tuesday, June 30 Arrive in afternoon. Rest and fellowship in evening

Wednesday, July 1 Macedonia

Thursday, July 2 Macedonia / Stolnik (7 pm)

Friday, July 3 Sightseeing in Sofia / Bozhia Sila service (Elin Pelin - 7 pm)

Sat-Sat, July 4-11 Black Sea Camp (Chernomoretz)

Sunday, July 12 Hein-Ivanova wedding / Dinner with NM team

Monday, July 13 Fakulteta

Tuesday, July 14 Svishtov

Wednesday, July 15 Svishtov / Blaga Vest evening service (Sofia)

Thursday, July 16 Depart and travel all day

After 24 hours of travel, we should arrive in the early afternoon in Sofia. Of course, that's barring any unforeseen circumstances (such as missed, delayed or canceled flights), which we have come to expect as the norm on such a long trip. We plan to settle in, grab dinner, and get some rest that night before heading off on a 4-hour road trip to Skopje, Macedonia the next day. We're going to be meeting with Pastor Mite Goshev and his wife Krasi and family and joining with the church there for a service Wednesday evening. We'll spend the night in Skopje (a beautiful city, by the way), and we'll spend some time on Thursday in fellowship before heading back to Bulgaria after lunch.

The next two days we will visit churches near Sofia. On Thursday, we visit a Roma (gypsy) church in Stolnik and on Friday, we drive to nearby Elin Pelin for a service there. We have a long-standing relationship with both churches and are excited to see our family there.

We'll also spend some time on Friday sightseeing in the city. We have several new team members that have never experienced the culture, and we will also be joined by our friends from New Mexico. We are excited to share the city we love so much with our newest co-laborers!

Saturday, we will embark on a 6-7 hour journey across Bulgaria to the Black Sea town of Chernomorets for the youth camp. On the way, we plan to stop in the town of Koprivshtitsa, an "old world" Bulgarian village that beautifully represents the nation's rich past. There's even a sculpture that looks just like our very own Pastor Chuck Kelly!

I've already shared about camp in my last post. However, I also have a side trip planned to the town of Chirpan to visit a Roma pastor there. Mihail Kirov pastors the Salvation Christian Center and runs a ministry that distributes shoes, clothing, food, etc. to the needy in his area. A few of us are going to visit him for a day and spend time working with his ministry to see how we can help in the future.

We return from camp the following Saturday and have a very special day planned on Sunday. Thomas Hein, from our church here in Bullhead City, will be marrying Simona Ivanova, a dear friend from the Blaga Vest church in Sofia! The two met last year on our trip and have been in communication ever since. We will get to share in their wedding experience and are so excited about our two congregations growing even closer together!

The next day, we have an evangelistic event planned in Fakulteta. This Roma neighborhood in Sofia is home to the Resurrection Church, pastored by Nayden Borisov. We have been working with this church for the past several years and are excited to see what God has planned this year.

On Tuesday, we will drive for several hours to the town of Svishtov The town is situated on the banks of the Danube River on Bulgaria's northern border with Romania. We will visit the Blaga Vest church there, pastored by Ivan Motchkov and spend a day in fellowship with them. We return to Sofia on Wednesday in time for the evening service at the Blaga Vest church pastored by Ludmil Yatanski. Then, we pack up, get some sleep, and wake up early for a long flight back home!

And that's our busy schedule! Keep us in prayer, especially for health and energy. We look forward to all of these amazing opportunities to serve! God bless

Camp Equipped

With the month of May wrapping up today, we are now only 29 days away from our departure. Tickets have been purchased, passports have been ordered, and the team's membership finalized. The one new member of our team that I haven't mentioned is young Nehemiah. He will be traveling with his mommy, Linzi, this year! This is a new experience for our team, as we've never traveled with anyone younger than teenagers. Be praying for Linzi, Nehemiah, and the team as we try this experiment and see how it goes!
Our theme at the Black Sea camp this year will be the equipping of God. We are looking at the various tools that God gives us in our spiritual walk in order to carry out His will. We will demonstrate that theme with a different real world tool each day that the teams will have to use in various activities and challenges. For instance, one tool will be the flashlight and we will discuss how God's word is a light that brings us guidance and direction. We will be using shovels, backpacks, canteens, ropes and more to give the kids a fun and challenging camp experience with a scouting feel, while also demonstrating spiritual tools that God has equipped us with to serve Him.
Let me take you through a typical day at camp... The leadership wakes up early for a 7 AM meeting each day to go over the previous day and prepare for the next one. At 7:30, the children are awakened and assemble fifteen minutes later for a quick team challenge to wake them up and introduce their tool for the day. Breakfast is at 8, followed by a time of small group prayer. Then, its off to the beach for the next 3 hours. The camp is only a short distance away, so the entire group walks there and back. We return from the beach just in time for showers and lunch, then its nap time for the younger kids. In the afternoon, there will be an activity involving that day's tool, followed by a drama to present the spiritual lesson of the day. Then, the kids are broken up by age groups and taught from the Word, followed by a craft or game. Dinner starts at 7 PM, followed by the evening service... a time of worship and teaching. The kids then enjoy some free time before going to bed at 10:30. We usually stay up afterward to prepare for the next day and go online to communicate with our families back home. A long day!!
In my next post, I'll share our itinerary for the entire trip so you can see what we're up to besides the camp. God bless!

New Year, Same Vision

Summer is rapidly approaching, which means the team is eagerly planning our next visit to Bulgaria and Macedonia. We're losing a few team members this year as Vernon Garrett and Megan Kern will not be joining us. However, Linzi Drew is planning to return after taking last year off. We've also added a few new teenagers to the team. Leeah Gadd, Haley Jones, and Sara Kerrigan are all new to the team this year and excited about taking this adventure with us!

In addition to our team, we will be working together with another team of Americans from a church in New Mexico. We got to spend some time with the couple that will be leading them and we're really looking forward to sharing the ministry together this year.

We will be leaving on Monday, June 29 and returning on Thursday, July 16. We've got a busy 2 1/2 weeks planned, with a full week spent at the Black Sea as usual for a youth camp with about 60 kids from Bulgaria and Macedonia. The rest of the time will be spent visiting churches in both countries and, oh yeah, we've also got a wedding to attend between a dear Bulgarian friend, Simona Ivanova, and one of our own from Bullhead, Tommy Hein!

I'll try to post something new here each week as we prepare for our journey, and then more often while we're there. Keep us in prayer!

Life at the Black Sea

On Saturday, we drove across Bulgaria to the small town of Chernomorets on the Black Sea coast. We'll be here until next Saturday helping with a camp for over 60 kids from around Bulgaria and Macedonia. Our team is helping watch over and interact with the kids, along with the teaching, games, and crafts.

Our morning begins early here, with a 6:45 meeting for all the adult leaders to discuss and pray about the upcoming day. We wake the kids at 7:30 and eat a hearty breakfast at 8. Then, its off to the beach for 3 hours of fun in the sun. We play in the water with the kids... throwing them in the air, splashing them, and carrying the smaller ones around. When the younger kids go in to the shore for a spell, we play a game called "Ring of Fire" with the older teens that involves a circle of players, a volleyball, and the occasional spike to the head... all in good fun!

By the time we head back to camp, everyone has worked up an appetite so its time for lunch. Meals are plentiful here so nobody leaves the table hungry unless its by choice. After a little free time, the younger kids are sent back to their bungalows for a time of rest and relaxation (aka, nap) and the team usually uses this time to go into town or to prepare for the afternoon's ministry.

At 4, the kids are split up into three groups by age for the afternoon lessons. The camp is using the Chronicles of Narnia book, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" as its theme and the lessons explore a different aspect of the book each day (living in two worlds, friendship, betrayal, sacrifice and redemption, choices, etc.). A number of the lessons will be taught by our team members who will work through a translator to share the message God has given them. After the lessons, there are different activities each day such as, a photo scavenger hunt, a craft, and more. Our team comes alongside the Bulgarian leaders to help out wherever we're needed.

Dinner kicks off at 7, followed by our evening service at 8 pm.  Most of the men on our team will be teaching an evening slot. I shared on Saturday night about Living in Two Worlds and Vernon will be teaching on Temptation and Betrayal this evening. After the service, there are additional activities planned and often some free time to go into town. The little kids get put to bed at 10 pm and the teens follow at 11.

Once everyone is in bed, our team still has ministry work to do. We hide small toys all over the camp for the kids to find in the morning. We also hide a special toy in a difficult to find spot and the one who finds it gets to choose a prize from our goodie bag. Then, there are ministry responsibilities that come up throughout the week.

Last night, we were up to 1 am making bottling root beer. You can't find root beer over here and we want to do root beer floats on Friday night, which is American night.It would have been ridiculous to try and bring the amount of root beer we needed in our suitcases, so we brought yeast (for the carbonation) and root beer extract with us. We got sugar and water here and ran a little assembly line to bottle 18 liters of the stuff last night. The concoction takes a few days for the yeast to do its thing and carbonate the drink, so we'll know more Thursday or Friday and I'll let you know how it turned out.

We get to bed around 12 or 1 am most nights and back up shortly after 6 the following morning to do it all over again! Keep us in your prayer for wisdom and direction, anointing and boldness, and strength to continue ministering in spite of the physical weakness we are all experiencing at one point or another. God is good and we're having a blast!

The ministry here is centered around relationship and example. We have an opportunity to develop real friendships with young people and the adults here, set an example with our love and service, and encourage our church family here in their walks with the Lord. What a privilege it is to be sent by God for such a valuable ministry! I can't wait to share more with you as the week progresses... God bless!

A Belated Update

Sorry for the delay in posting this. We have been BUSY! Let me bring you up to speed on what we've been doing...

We arrived on a Tuesday and got a good night's sleep after a long day of traveling. Wednesday, we took the team into Sofia's city center to allow them to unwind and get to know the city we veterans have come to love. That night, we enjoyed listening to pastor Mite Goshev of Macedonia as he taught the word at the Blaga Vest church in Sofia.

Thursday was a completely new experience for our team. We partnered with the Resurrection Church in Fakulteta, a Roma community. The pastor, Nayden Borisov, rented a school's courtyard and brought in a well-known Roma singing group to lead in praise. We were amazed to see about 500 people show up for the event and I had the opportunity to preach a message on following Jesus Christ. Afterward, about 20 people came forward to accept Christ and then we prayed for the sick to be healed. We saw God move in supernatural ways and were truly blessed by the excitement of the Roma people.

On Friday, we took the team to the streets of Sofia and performed a short drama set to music that portrayed the gospel message in a powerful way. We performed the drama several times and plan to do so again at the Black Sea.

That night, we traveled to the village of Elin Pelin and met with the Bozhia Sila church there. Pastor Niki and his wife, Sveta, were away but we enjoyed a great church service with our family in that town. Afterward, we enjoyed several more hours of fellowship at a nearby restaurant before heading home.

Finally, on Saturday, we drove across the country to the Black Sea town of Chernomorets for a weeklong childrens camp. I'll bring you more on that in my next post. Keep us in prayer and God bless!

До скоро виждане! (See you soon!)
-Pastor Mike

We're Here!

24 hours after leaving Bullhead City, the team has arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria and is now getting some much needed rest. We flew out of Las Vegas early Monday morning with stops in Newark, New Jersey and Munich, Germany before landing at the airport here in Bulgaria's capital city.

We just got back from a great pizza dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and now everyone is grabbing some sleep. It's 9:30 and, even though the sun hasn't fully set yet, eyelids are drooping (or downright sealed shut). I'll have more to share tomorrow but, for now, I just want to make sure everyone knows we got here ok so I can hit the hay as well.

Leka Nosht (Good Night)!

Sharing the Gospel in Fakulteta

Two years ago, we had the opportunity to visit Fakulteta for the first time. I had learned about the area on the Internet and we decided to pay an exploratory visit to learn more. We spent an afternoon walking through the area, played some music, shared Jesus and prayed with people on the streets, and visited two churches in the community. One of those churches was the Revelation Church pastored by Nayden Borisov. We returned the following year and helped the congregation with some construction and spent a day in fellowship. We're planning to return this year and partner with them in an evangelistic event to share the hope of Christ with the Romani.

I've written on this blog before about the plight of the Roma people (or, gypsies) in Bulgaria. Facing heavy discrimination, they deal with high illiteracy and unemployment rates, as well as poor living conditions in segregated areas. Most of the Roma people in Bulgaria either live in villages that are almost exclusively Romani, or in segregated areas of the larger cities referred to as "mahalas." The mahala is essentially a ghetto, which is defined as, "a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure."

The second-largest mahala in Bulgaria is Fakulteta, located in the capital city of Sofia. About 30,000 people live in an area of only a few square miles. The neighborhood has limited utilities and other resources but is a thriving community of people who are ripe for the gospel. The Revelation Church has a small building in the heart of the mahala from which the gospel is going forth, not only into Fakulteta, but to Roma communities throughout Bulgaria. In addition to raising up and sending out pastors, the church also feeds 30-40 children each day.

We are partnering with the church this year to hold a one-night evangelistic event in order to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. Borisov has secured a stage with lighting and sound and has begun advertising the event. We will be gathering together on Thursday, July 3 at 7:00 pm (that's 9 am, Thursday morning, for those of you in Arizona who want to be praying for us). The program will include an hour of praise, followed by a drama presentation and then I (Pastor Mike) will preach. Afterward, we will provide an opportunity for people to come to Christ and we will pray for the sick.

The event will be a little outside of our comfort zone for most of us from Calvary Bullhead as it is unlike anything we've done here. The church we are working with is definitely of a more Pentecostal nature than we are but I have been struck by the godliness and character of the Roma men that I have met from the congregation and am blessed by their vision for their nation. I am proud to come alongside them as they preach Christ Jesus, and Him crucified. Their gospel is our gospel, which is, ultimately, Jesus' gospel. It is an honor to have this opportunity to preach that gospel to a people who are hungry for it and I pray for the Lord to bring forth remarkable fruit. Please be praying with me!

Last Year's Trip - The Movie

I finally got the movie uploaded from last year's trip. We shared the 30 minute epic with the church a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday night, but I had a couple failed attempts getting it up on YouTube before finally powering through yesterday.

By the way, I don't normally post more than one update a day, but our remaining time is getting compressed, so the posts may start piling up. Make sure you read down and see what else has been added to the blog that you may have missed. For instance, I just posted a "Let's Hear From the Team" update featuring our very own Ashley Kerrigan. She's a newcomer to the team this year, so drop down and read her thoughts on the trip ahead.

Anyway, back to the movie. I usually take a still camera with me and take several thousand pictures each year. Over the years, these pics have really piled up on my hard drive! Last year, I realized we have tons of pics, since everybody brings a camera, but not much video. So, I ditched the Canon Rebel and brought along a tiny little palmcorder that could shoot HD video on SD cards. Instead of thousands of pictures, I shot about 8 hours of video everywhere we went and brought it all home. As God's wonderful timing would have it, I started this past school year as a Media Production teacher at the charter school where I work, which included a course in Digital Video Editing. I got to use my video as a year-long tutorial for my students as I assembled the bits and pieces together.

Throughout the process, my goal was not to create a beautiful cinematic experience, although the countries lend themselves well to that end. Rather, I wanted to really bring home to our church body and extended followers the nature of our ministry there. When I first ventured out with the team, I really had no idea what our purpose was or what we were going to be doing and I know many that are sending us and praying for us year after year feel the same. I hope this short overview can make our mission a little clearer for everyone... God bless and I hope you enjoy watching!

Let's Hear From the Team: Ashley Kerrigan

I've never really been out of the country before, especially overseas. This will be my first time traveling to Bulgaria with the team, and I think it's something God has been putting on my heart for a long time. I first heard about the team in about seventh grade, and I've desired to go since, but I didn't think it was something that was actually going to happen. Reality struck over the past few months that I'm going to be halfway across the world! I think it's going to be a whole new experience for me... I'm still not quite sure what I'm expecting. I know there will be a lot of culture shock happening the first moments I get there. I am just looking forward to reaching out to others, and letting God use me in ways I didn't know was possible. I am looking forward to getting rid of a few of my fears while I'm down there, but I know it's going to be hard to do. I can't wait to get there and see what God has in store for me!

-Ashley Kerrigan

The Black Sea Camp

The biggest part of our schedule every year is the weeklong children's camp at the Black Sea. After beginning our adventure in Sofia, Bulgaria's capital, we drive eastward, clear across the country, to the small seaside town of Chernomoretz on the coast of the Black Sea. There, we are assist a team from the Blaga Vest church in Sofia as they put on a camp for children from across Bulgaria and Macedonia.

This year, we are expecting a little more than 50 children from ages 4 or 5 up to 18. The theme of the camp will be C.S. Lewis' famous book for children, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." Each day of the camp will address a different topic from the book, including:

1. Living in Two Worlds
2. Being a Faithful Friend
3. Temptation and Betrayal
4. Sacrifice and Redemption
5. Repentance and Forgiveness
6. Choices and Consequences

The topics will be addressed through daily lessons and activities, and also through the message given during the evening services each night. We will be decorating the camp in a Narnian theme with a wardrobe entrance and a lamppost, and the kids will be split into four teams for the week, each identified by a character from the book.

In addition, we spend several hours each day with the children enjoying some time at the beach. Our team forms a protective barrier between the younger kids and the deep water, while enjoying play time with them as well. We also venture into town regularly for an afternoon snack or just a nice walk with friends. Here is the schedule for a typical day at camp:



6:00 am   Wake up
6:30 am   Meet with camp leaders (morning devotions, discuss day ahead)
7:30 am   Wake up the kids
8:00 am   Breakfast
8:30 am   Group prayer with kids
8:45 am   Prepare for beach
9:00 am   Beach time (3 1/2 hours)
1:00 pm   Lunch
2:00 pm   Naptime (for the kids... we use this time to visit town or prepare for ministry)
3:00 pm   Daily lessons (some of our younger people will teach some of these)
5:30 pm   Daily activities (we will help with arts & crafts)
7:00 pm   Dinner
7:45 pm   Evening service (worship, prayer, & message from God's word)
8:30 pm   Evening activity (something different each night... movie, games, party)
10:30 pm Bed time for the kids

After the kids go to bed, the team has some time alone to Skype home to family and friends. We also take this time to hide small toys all over the camp for kids to find when they wake up in the morning. The week is a long one, with the team turning in late each night, long after the kids have gone to bed, and rising early in the morning to meet and pray together with the camp leadership. The work is hard but joyful and the kids are a genuine blessing to serve.

The camp this year runs from Saturday, July 5 to Saturday, July 12. Pray for the kids at camp to genuinely hear from the Lord during this week. Also, pray for our team and the leaders from the Blaga Vest church to be able to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit and out of a genuine love for His children. And, of course, check back here often for pictures and videos from the week as we share what God is doing at the Black Sea!

Our Itinerary

12 more days! Most of us are busy helping with Vacation Bible School at Calvary Bullhead this week, but in the back of our minds, we're all thinking about the adventure we're about to embark on. We've only got two and a half weeks in Bulgaria, so we plan to make the most of it with a very busy schedule. We've added one more stop this year, with a visit to the Blaga Vest church in Svishtov, so every day is accounted for.  Here's a look at our schedule for our time in-country:

Monday, June 30 Depart and travel all day

Tuesday, July 1 Arrive in afternoon. Rest and fellowship in evening

Wednesday, July 2 Recreational time in Sofia / Blaga Vest church evening service (Sofia)

Thursday, July 3 Fakulteta evangelistic event

Friday, July 4 Street evangelism in Sofia / Bozhia Sila church evening service (Elin Pelin)

Sat-Sat, July 5-12 Black Sea Camp (Chernomoretz)

Sunday, July 13 Drive to Skopje, Macedonia / Dobra Vest evening service

Monday, July 14 Fellowship or ministry in Macedonia / Drive to Sofia in evening

Tuesday, July 15 Drive to Svishtov in morning / Blaga Vest church evening service (Svishtov)

Wednesday, July 16 Drive home in afternoon / Blaga Vest evening service (Sofia)

Thursday, July 17 Depart and travel all day

So, that's the schedule... and its a busy one! Over the next week, I'll take some time to write about the specific areas of ministry we are planning, including more on the Black Sea camp. Keep us in prayer as we work out all the details before leaving!

Let's Hear From the Team: Alisha Martin

My name is Alisha Martin and I am going to Bulgaria for the first time this year. God had put it on my heart a year ago to go to Bulgaria and I prayed about it and he told me it was my year to go. I am very excited to go and help with the children over there. Also I am very excited to help out with the camp we do there because I am very involved in the VBS we do here. I am currently 14 but will be turning 15 in Bulgaria. I can't wait to see what God does in my life while I am in Bulgaria.

Let's Hear From the Team: Dock Hoilman

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” – Psalm 32:8

In August 2010, the Lord started guiding me down an unexpected path. Taking my experiences and passions to allow opportunities I would have never expected. Over the past two summers, I've been blessed to work in His ministry to Bulgaria through The Hanna Project. God has moved in me, drawing me to this land so far away as I have seen Him work in peoples lives. Now, he has opened a new door.

This year, I'll be joining the Bulgarian Servant Team from Bullhead City, AZ as we support and encourage the Church in Bulgaria and Macedonia. We will be visiting brothers and sisters in several parts of Bulgaria and Macedonia. In an area where the protestant church only accounts for 1% of the nation, God is at work in the hearts of His people. Yet, all around them, people have no hope at all, or put their hope in ritual and superstition. Real believers are feared and often ridiculed. A special treat for me on this trip will be camp! We will be working at a Christian youth camp on the Black Sea. This will be our chance to serve children and teens in Narnian fashion.

We greatly appreciate your prayers for our brothers and sisters overseas and for our team. The Bulgarian Servant Team is not setting out to evangelize the nation, but rather to encourage our brothers and sisters as they share Jesus with their neighbors. We are only here to serve. (July 1 - 17)

-Dock Hoilman

Read more on my own blog.

Let's Hear From the Team: Barbi Robnett

I first went to Bulgaria 12 years ago with the team from CCBHC. I have seen over the years how God has opened up doors for us to serve with our brothers and sisters through outreach, discipleship, testimony, marriage ministry and childrenʼs ministry to name just a few. We go to help with ministry that God is already doing there. God has placed a deep love in my heart for these people and their country. Most especially their children.

About 4 years ago my family was forced to move away from BHC and I was heartbroken. Not only to leave my church family in AZ but also because I thought I would never return to BG with the CCBHC again. Last year I was invited to return with the team and sought the Lordʼs will. I wanted to be sure it was Him sending me and not my own desire to return. To my joy, He sent me back, and again this year. He has recently opened the door for us to go into Macedonia as well.

It is always a joy to serve along side the family of God there. We go to be helping hands for the body of Christ who are serving the Lord there faithfully everyday. Truth be told - I come away changed every time from being with them. While I go hoping to be a blessing to them, I come away with them being a blessing to me. I am so thankful each time the Lord sends me, so thankful to Him, and so thankful for them. It is my hope to be an encouragement to them as they labor for the Lord and to bring glory and honor to Him together with them.

-Barbi Robnett

Now Introducing... The 2014 Team!

Tickets have been purchased and the team for this year is set. We've got a couple people joining us from elsewhere, and a whole group of new teenagers from our church here in Bullhead City, Arizona. So, without further ado, here are this year's team members:

Adults

Mike Kern - Assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Bullhead City. This will be his 6th year with the team.

Joey Leslie - Vacation Bible School director at CCBHC. This will be his 12th year with the team.

Vernon Garrett - Teaches 5th & 6th grade youth group at CCBHC. This will be his 4th year with the team.

Thomas Hein - Assists with all youth group ministries at CCBHC. This will be his first year with us.

Megan Kern - Will travel to Bulgaria a month ahead of the team. This will be her 4th year.

Barbi Robnett - Joining us from Washington state. Barbi used to attend CCBHC and has been with the team for many years.

Dock Hoilman - Has been involved in various ministries over the years, including the directing of youth camps. Dock joins us from Virginia and connected with the team through mutual friends in Bulgaria. He has been to the country twice before with The Hannah Project.

Teens

All of these teens are members of Calvary Chapel Bullhead City, and this is their first year on the team.

Reyna Hartman

Ashley Kerrigan

Alisha Martin

Chelsea Rush

Back Home But Still Much To Do

The team has now been home for a week and as everyone's jet lag winds down, the question is often asked... "What now?" Good question. I'm glad you asked!

We have always approached our ministry to Bulgaria, and now Macedonia, as a relationship-based ministry of encouragement and support to the Body of Christ there. Furthermore, we view that ministry as a 52-week ministry, not two weeks. We do a lot of work while we are in Bulgaria. We get our hands dirty in construction, we help with a kids' camp, we teach in churches, we share Christ out in public... but let's be honest, the work that we do is minor in the big scheme of things. We are not going to impact a nation in only two weeks a year. And we don't need to. That's why God has raised up His Church there. We have Christian brothers and sisters in Bulgaria and Macedonia who God is working through to establish His kingdom in those countries. Unless the Lord sends me to live and serve there full-time, I will never be able to serve the way that my family there does.

However, God has called us to serve those who are building the Kingdom there. The most important thing we do in our time overseas is to build and strengthen the relationships that we have with our Church family there. We meet people, we pray together, we share our lives, and we serve side-by-side for the short time that we have together. Then, we go back home and spend the rest of the year building on those relationships. Much has been said about the negative impact of Facebook and other social networking media on this generation's ability to build real relationships. However, I want to note that when a real relationship has already been established, the internet can be a powerful tool to maintain that relationship over long distances. I am able to stay in regular contact with the Body of Christ overseas, praying for the needs that arise, offering support when needed, even sharing God's word and wise counsel for situations that a brother may be facing.

I can genuinely say that not a day goes by all year when I am not thinking and praying about Bulgaria and my friends and family there. The heart God has given to me and others on the team is a genuine burden that cannot be laid down when I desire. It weighs upon me and demands my constant attention. Even if I were unable to travel to Bulgaria every summer, my heart and service to that country would remain untouched.

I am blessed that the Lord has expanded our reach this year. Our time spent in Fakulteta was not about construction or kids ministry, but about beginning to build a new relationship with a part of the Body that was previously unknown to us. Our visit to Macedonia opened our eyes to a great need in the Body of Christ for encouragement in a nation where the Church is small and struggling, but filled with the Lord's grace and love. We look forward to building on these new relationships in the coming years and seeing how the Lord will use us to support His work in these places.

And, of course, we are already looking ahead to next summer. If anyone is interested in traveling with us next year as a part of our team, please get ahold of me soon. I don't need a commitment at this stage, I just want to know who's interested so I can begin to pray for direction. We'll also start fundraising soon for next year. We'll hold our first yard sale in September with four more every two months after. Anyone that wants to donate or has ideas for fundraising should contact me as well.

Above all else, we will be praying... praying... and praying! God is doing a good thing in Bulgaria and Macedonia and the prayers of the saints around the world are needed to come alongside what He is doing. God is good!

The Camp Experience

Now that we are here at the Black Sea for a weeklong kids camp, I thought I'd take just a minute to share with you what our daily schedule looks like. :-)
 6:30am Wake up and grab a quick cup of coffee
6:45am Meet with Bulgarian leaders to discuss the day
7:30am Wake up all the kids
7:45am Physical fitness with Brittany and Raya
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Small group prayer
9:15am Beach time (3 hours)... We watch out for the children's safety and play with them.
1:00pm Lunch
2:00pm Naptime (1 hr & 45 min!) But... not for us. We take this time to plan our afternoon and visit town for supplies.
4:00pm Daily bible lessons... Our group is responsible for 2 days of teaching.
4:45pm Group projects
5:30pm Game / craft rotation (30 min. each and switch)... Our group is responsible for this.
6:30pm Daily recap... using dramas and group discussion to go over bible lesson of the day. I lead this discussion.
7:30pm Dinner
8:15pm Evening service... Our group is responsible for 3 nights of teaching.

 After 9:00pm, we stay up for a few hours with the teenagers, then put everyone to bed. Afterward, we hide toys all over the camp for the morning and handle any last minute crafts, etc. We usually get to bed after midnight, sometimes much later! So that's our schedule. Its exhausting but fulfilling... God is doing mighty things! Keep us in prayer...

Pictures from Macedonia

Back at the Black Sea

After a 6 hour drive across the country today, the team has arrived at the Black Sea for a week long kids camp. We are working with the Blaga Vest church from Sofia to hold the camp for about 60 kids from ages 5 to 18 in the town of Chernomoretz near Burgas.

The theme of the camp is "Go Tell It On The Mountain," and uses five mountaintop experiences to relate spiritual truths.

1. Mount Sinai - God is with his people.
2. Mount Carmel - The Lord shows that He is the One True God.
3. Mount of Transfiguration - Jesus is God's Son.
4. Golgotha - Jesus Saves Us All.
5. (Unnamed Mountain) - Jesus says, "Go to all!"

We will be relating these spiritual truths through teaching lessons, games and crafts, activities and nightly messages. We spend several hours a day with the kids in the Black sea in addition to plenty of other opportunities to hang out and fellowship. Each of the team members will have ministry responsibilities throughout the week so keep us all in prayer.

Also, we're running a little low on energy right now and a few have been fighting off colds. Please pray for our strength and health. We know that when we are weak, He is strong! God is good and we look forward to sharing the amazing things He is going to do this week at camp. In the meantime, here's a link to some pictures of our time in Macedonia over the weekend.


Pictures of Macedonia

Answering the Macedonian Call

Mite & Krasimira Goshevi

Greetings to our family and friends from Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. We arrived here yesterday afternoon after driving across the border from Sofia, Bulgaria. We are here as guests of Pastor Mite Goshev and his family. His daughters, Lydia and Ani, have attended summer camps at the Black Sea with us for years and, through them, we began to develop an interest to visit the Church here. The Goshevi family have been gracious hosts and Mite's wife, Krasimira, prepared a wonderful Macedonian meal for us yesterday evening!

The Body of Christ here needs our prayers. The Orthodox Church is the dominant presence in this country but, while it offers a strong moral and cultural presence, it lacks spiritual force among the people. National identity is closely linked to Orthodox membership so many are Orthodox Christians simply because they are Macedonians and that's what Macedonians do. At the same time, the other ethnic groups have led to a strong Islamic presence. Mosques are everywhere! As we drove down into Skopje, the first thing that caught our eye was a HUGE mosque with a gold dome and towering minarets. We viewed the scene with a heaviness on our hearts until we lifted up our eyes and looked across the city. There, high on a mountain, was a giant cross overlooking the valley. We learned later that the Millennium Cross was placed there to celebrate two thousand years of Christianity in the region and stands over 200 feet high!

The non-Orthodox evangelical church here, though, is quite small. In a nation of about 2 million people, the Protestant church is estimated to be around 2,000 people. Pastor Mite shared with me that in Skopje, a city of over 700,000, when all the churches get together for an event, there are about 500 people. Small does not mean weak, however. We spent yesterday evening with a group of young people from several churches in the city and were touched by their love for the Lord and genuine desire to live for Him. As God continues to raise up believers like them, the Church has a bright future. Relationship and discipleship will be the key to building the Kingdom in Macedonia. People's hearts are hardened toward the Lord in this post-Communist culture, and they do not respond well to traditional evangelism. The walls must be torn down through personal relationship in order to pave the way for the gospel to do its work.

Please be praying for God's work here. The body of Christ in Macedonia faces numerous obstacles, but with God all things are possible! We can offer our love and support, and they can offer us an example of how to serve the Lord with grace and persistence. God bless!