Treasure Hunting at the Black Sea

Moni (blindfolded) is led up the street by his team

Today, we put on an epic adventure for the kids at the Black Sea camp where we are serving. We organized a treasure hunt that sent four teams out of the camp and across the town of Chernomorets to take part in various challenges in order to obtain clues. Each clue led to another challenge and finally led them back to camp.

The challenges were based on the topics of the camp from the week and included:

A team runs to their next challenge

• ...a reenactment of Saul being led into Damascus while blind. Our kids had to take turns leading one blindfolded team member up two streets marked as Way to Damascus and Straight Street to a location labeled House of Judas. Along the way, they had to collect colored markers and turn them in at the end for the next clue.
• ...a lesson in the Great Commission. Children were reminded that they need to be able to share Christ and teach His word at any time, in any place. To demonstrate, each group was asked to find three strangers and teach them a traditional Bulgarian dance on video, then share the love of Jesus.
• ...an opportunity to serve (ministry). The oldest or biggest members of the team had to carry their teammates up a flight of stairs from the beach, one at a time. Then, they had to find a store, buy water, and serve everyone a cupful.
• ...spiritual warfare and God's armor. The team had to rescue Roy, who was oppressed (tied up). While helping him, they came under attack from water gun-wielding enemies and had to use their shields to fend off the assault.

The winners with their prize

Finally, they returned to camp where they had to solve a riddle to gain access to an area with a hidden key. The team that found the key, used it to unlock a door and discovered a large box decorated as a bible and filled with chocolates. 

Samuil enjoys his chicken and potatoes

Afterward, we had an amazing dinner (by camp standards) of пиле със картофе (chicken with potatoes) and then worshiped with a few songs before listening to Joey speak on spiritual warfare. He pointed the kids toward the reality of an enemy in our lives and the challenges we face through his attacks.

Joey shares on Spiritual Warfare

Tonight, we adults will be sharing in a seaside meal of grilled fish and vegetables. We will be sitting on the rocks overlooking the Black Sea as we enjoy a friendly evening of fellowship and food. Two more full days of camp before we return to Sofia on Monday. Keep praying for us and God's perfect plan here! Лека нощ (Good night!)

Update from Brijon

Visiting an orphanage in Sofia

Hello everybody, it's Brijon. First off I would just like to say that Bulgaria is AMAZING and I hope it's not wrong of me to say that I really don't miss America at all.Whenever I travel I miss home, but Bulgaria feels like home.This trip I have done things that are way out of my box, but I pray all the time for God to calm my heart and I feel much better.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia

 So Monday we arrived at camp and let me just say it feels like I have been here forever. I am not complaining or anything! I have had a great time so far! The Black Sea is great, but I do not like the crabs. They are in love with my feet and I am scared of them.The food here at camp is good. Sometimes I do not eat everything, but the one thing I do eat a lot of is the bread. If I can, I try to eat 3 to 4 pieces at lunch and dinner. The teachings are also amazing and each of them really spoke to me. I also taught on Wednesday and I was so nervous. I had all my notes down and I went over my teaching in my mind and with a couple people of what I was going to say, but as soon as I sat down I forgot everything that I was going to say. It did not come out the way I planned it, but I think I got my point across. One girl came up to me and told me how she thought that it was great that I came here to do what God called me to do. That made me feel much better.

Making a friend in Elin Pelin

 Before we got to camp we went to a church in Elin Pelin. I got to talk to a lady about what I am doing here and about many different subjects in life. The one question that she asked me that I will never forget is "Why?" I had told here how I was nervous about doing some things here because it was out of my box, but when it came time to do it I felt totally fine. All my nervousness went away. I told her that I would pray before I had to do it and after I had prayed I felt a calmness about it because I knew this is what God has called me to do this summer.

On the airplane traveling to Bulgaria

 All in all this trip so far has been amazing and I have seen God work in many ways through many people and I am very blessed to be here. I am happy that God has called me here this summer because I feel like I have grown more and I know that God is with me all the time. Everything here is great! The food is good, the people are great, and the kids are amazing. They love on you like they have known you their entire lives. I ask that you would continue praying for the team and everything else for the remainder of the trip and I ask that even when we come back that you would continue praying. :)

Update from Roy

Roy talking about worship music in Elin Pelin

My name is Roy, and today is the 4th day of camp. Very early this morning I got to spend time with one of the teenagers here. He has been going to church his whole life, and in the middle of the conversation he accepted Jesus in his heart. I also got to share with him the things I struggled with, and the past sins I was apart of. I used them to help him learn from my mistakes, so that he might not do them also. I also encouraged him to continue seeking God, to read His word, and to talk with Him. There is so much that God has done, and that he will continue to do. Please pray for the team that we may continue surrendering to God and His will. God bless you.

Black Sea Camp in Photos

Less talk, more pics... That's the theme for this update. Here are a bunch of pics from the camp this week in the town of Chernomorets on the Black Sea. Enjoy!

Teaching the Word

Mike teaches Monday night on Coming to Christ

Niki Draganov explains the armor of God

Brijon shares with teens today

Vernon teaches tonight on Sharing Christ

Games with the Kids

Kids tangled in a human knot

The knot begins to untangle

The "Minefield" game

Trying to grab a water bottle without touching a mine

Vernon watches out for a blindfolded kid

Food

Megan tries some tsatsa (fried fish)

Fish dinner at the camp

Kebapche dinner at the camp

Camp Creatures

Emi with a live crab from the Black Sea

Camp spider... Yes, its really that big!

Scenery

The Black Sea from a Chernomorets street

Storefront in town... Coffee, ice cream & a payphone: what more do you need?

Moon over a chicken yard behind the camp... our daily wakeup call!

Miscellaneous

Joey playing games in the evening

The girls at the beach

Kids making a team flag for camp

Hanging out in the boat at camp... Why its there? No one knows!

Linzi hangs out with some of the Bulgarian leaders

Megan with Emi

Young man from Gabrovo paints camp shirt

Brijon gets her first tattoo (not real... henna!)

Bri sports her tattoo... "YaYa" in BG (her new nickname)

Update From Brittany

Hi everybody, this is Brittany.

Let me just say Bulgaria is awesome! And all the people here are such an amazing blessing. God has done so much in such a sort period of time. In the first day we were in Stolnik, us girls and our translator Simona taught Sunday school. Those kids melted my heart. They were so sweet and just could not stop loving on all of us. Even though I could not understand them at all, i could fell how much they loved me. 

The next morning we went to an orphanage in Sofia, i have never been to one before in my life. It was very different then what i know in America. It was very sad to be honest, because all those boys and girls were so cute and loving i dont know why their parents would ever want to give them up. But all i could do in the moment in pray for all of them. I now appreciate my  parents a lot more and everything i have. 

That next day we held a youth conference. Megan and i were teaching and i was sorta nervous. But i now know that God used me in a way i never thought i could be used. I might not know who's life i touched by what i said, but i know what God said through me touched someone deep down. 

Now we are at camp, Mike taught the first night, and he helped me a lot with my teaching i am doing on Saturday. I am so nervous to be teaching but i know that in Matthew 10:20 it says "for it will not be you who speaks, but the Spirit of the Father speaking through you." that verse means a lot to me. It has giving me the strength in to know that i am going to be used to speak to all these teenagers. That God is using me to teach the topic "The Second coming of Jesus" for a reason. I truly am blessed to be here, God has already done so many amazing things in my life and he is going to do many more. Thank you for all your prayers for our team, it means a lot to know you all are praying. 

Слава на Бога!

Love Brittany

First Day at the Black Sea Camp

Our car getting repaired on the way to camp

We got up early and drove across Bulgaria today to the town of Chernomorets on the coast of the Black Sea. Most of our team rode on the charter bus with all of the kids from Sofia, while Joey, Vernon and I drove across with Niki Draganov, a good friend from the Blaga Vest church. We had quite the adventure! Along the way, we began to smell a burning odor and stopped to investigate. We found our muffler with a huge hole in it and the hot gases escaping from it had burned a bunch of plastic inside the bumper. We ended up in a small muffler shop in Stara Zagora (about halfway across Bulgaria) waiting for a new (to us) muffler to be welded in. In the meantime, Niki found himself in deep conversation with a man who claimed to have spiritual healing powers who was deeply involved in New Age religion. Niki had plenty of time to share Christ and point the man to the word of God while we waited on our repairs. Definitely a God-ordained detour!

Mina waves to the camera

We are attending and helping with a kids camp with about 50 children from several churches in Bulgaria (and a few from Macedonia). We will be helping with teaching, crafts and games, and watching and playing with kids every day at the beach. Tonight, I got the opportunity to share the word in the evening service. I taught from Acts 9, Saul's Damascus Road experience, on the subject of conversion.

We're getting settled into our bungalows which are, who shall we put it... rustic. We're gonna put together a little video tour in the next day or two to share with you all so you can see for yourself. In the meantime, keep praying. The schedule is pretty tiring here, so we need the Lord's strength and encouragement as the week gets longer. God is so good though, and has always been faithful to sustain us. We look forward to seeing what He has planned for us this week.

Following Christ

Joey teaching at the youth conference

Sorry for the delay in updates... Yesterday, was a long day and we had church this morning, so this is my first chance to post in a bit.

Yesterday, we held a youth conference here at the new Blaga Vest church building in Sofia. In addition to the teenagers from the local church, a group of kids rode in on the train from Gabrovo, a town about 120 miles away. Also, several kids from Macedonia, a  nearby country came to the conference and will attend camp with us next week. There were almost 30 kids total. We gave a number of messages and workshops on the theme of following Christ.

Afterward, Joey and I took a few kids home and spent a few hours with Pastor Niki Vassilev and his wife Tsveta of Elin Pelin. This couple and their church is where our ministry in Bulgaria began many years ago and our relationship with them is deep. We enjoyed an evening of great conversation, sharing stories and discussing our ministries. These folks have such a love for God and His people and are dedicated to furthering God's kingdom in their area. We are blessed to have them in our lives.

The worship team at Blaga Vest Church

Today, we attended church with the Blaga Vest congregation. This is my fourth year coming to Bulgaria but the first time I have attended one of their services! What a joy it was to share a service with brothers and sisters I've known for so long. I brought greetings from our church and thanked them for praying for us and our pastor this last year, then I got to join the elders of their church in breaking bread and passing out communion. The message was given by a visiting pastor from Stara Zagora (another Bulgarian city) and dealt with living in righteousness and anointing (we were given headsets to hear translation).

Our group outside the pizza place

Afterward, we joined several friends at a local pizza restaurant for lunch. Bulgarian pizza is always a favorite meal for us as they are incredibly tasty, using a variety of ingredients not traditionally found on pizza at home. For instance, we had one today with grilled chicken and smoked cheese, and another with corn and ham. My favorite, though, was the bacon, mushrooms, and Roquefort cheese.

After lunch, we spent a few hours wandering downtown Sofia to share some of the sites with our first-timers, Brittany and Brijon. We took them to the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, home of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Also, we visited the Presidential Palace and took pictures with the guards. We stopped by our favorite swap meet and some underground ruins as well.

This evening we are resting, doing laundry, and packing for the weeklong camp at the Black Sea. We will be getting up early tomorrow to make the drive across Bulgaria to the seaside town of Chernomorets where the camp will be held. Pray for a safe trip and a fruitful week of ministry.

Слава на Бога! (Glory to God)