Pics and Videos - 1st two days

DAY ONE
Fakulteta - The "Revelation" Church

Wednesday Service - "Blaga Vest"

Pastor Mike teaches in Blaga Vest

Worship in Blaga Vest Church

DAY TWO
Stolnik

Our First Day

Greetings to our family and friends back in America! We are wrapping up our first day here in the beautiful land of Bulgaria and there is so much to share.

We had a few hiccups getting here. We were delayed over an hour in boarding our flight in Chicago because of an instrument malfunction. Once we got on, we taxied to the runway, then rode back to the gate because of an engine problem. We had to leave the plane and wait two more hours for a replacement! Of course, that made us late arriving in Frankfurt, Germany so we had to catch an alternate flight to Vienna, Austria and from there into Sofia. For all that, we were only about 5 hours later than originally planned!

After a good night's rest, we woke this morning and ventured into Fakulteta. This area is the country's second largest mahala or Romani (gypsy) community. Over 40,000 people live in a couple of square miles. We returned to a church that we visited last year... the Revelation Church pastored by Naiden Borisov. The church building was damaged by heavy snow 2 winters ago and, in the process of repairing, the Lord spoke to them about expanding. They have added a courtyard to the front of the church and are building a kitchen and dining area for their food ministry in which they feed approximately 50 kids daily. Today, we invested in some supplies for the construction and spent the afternoon digging footers for the two walls of the new kitchen.

In the meantime, the ladies on our team spent the day ministering to the children of the church. They acted out bible stories, did crafts and games, and painted faces. Morgan Crampton, the only new member of our team, felt right at home surrounded by loving children! Everyone on the team pitched in and worked hard today and the Roma congregation was truly blessed by our visit.

However, I'd have to say we were just as ministered to as they were. We were warmly embraced and accepted, and the people of the church went out of their way to help us and get to know us in spite of the language barrier. English-speaking Romani are somewhat rare and none were present today. I want to give a shout-out to our girl Simona, one of the Bulgarian young people we have known for years who came along today to serve with us and translate. Her language skills really helped to break down barriers and establish meaningful relationship.

The last hour of the day was spent in fellowship with the church members and their leaders. Pastor Borisov discussed his vision for reaching the Romani people in Bulgaria. He has divided the nation into twelve regions and has begun sending out teams to minister in each region and work with other churches. In the past couple of years, he has planted six of these works and continues to raise up others to send. We were blown away by their heart for their people and their vision for sharing God's word and discipling followers of Christ. For many of us, the highlight of the experience was spending time in prayer with these brothers and sisters in the Lord who were so passionate about Him. We prayed for them and they laid hands on each of our team and lifted us up. Several people ministered with various gifts of the Spirit to the edification of all in a beautiful way.

In the evening, we joined the Blaga Vest congregation downstairs in their new sanctuary for the evening service. What a joy for us to be a part of our first service ever in the new space! Its always a blessing to sing along with songs that we know well, even if the words are completely different. I was given the privilege of teaching the message and shared with the body from Luke 15 (the parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin). Afterwards, we listened and prayed along as members of the congregation voiced their requests to the Lord in a time of prayer.

Finally, we capped off the evening with a sweet time of fellowship with another group of young people from America. A missions group of teens from the Dove Church in Pennsylvania stayed here tonight before flying home tomorrow after a week of ministry here in the country. We shared stories and prayer into the wee hours before kicking everybody off to bed!

Today was an incredible and Spirit-led day of fellowship and ministry and its only the first day. I can't wait to see what else God has in store! Tomorrow, we're going to spend some time in the word as the various team members finish up the lessons they'll be teaching at the Black Sea camp next week. Then we're off to Stolnik, a Roma village, for their evening church service.

Keep us in prayer and stay tuned for more! Слава на Бога (Glory to God)!

The Final Countdown!

Its been a busy week for everyone on the team as most of us were involved in Vacation Bible School at our church all week... but VBS wrapped up last night and now we turn our full attention to our impending departure!

Tomorrow, the team will meet after church to pack all of the supplies and other stuff we're bringing. We've got food for a BBQ at the Black Sea camp, Sunday School supplies for one of the churches, crafts and games, gifts for some of the people we know, and much more. Everybody gives up half a suitcase for the group stuff, then we go home and pack our own clothes and personal items in whatever room is left.

Our flight details

Our flight leaves at 6 am on Monday morning from Las Vegas, so we'll meet up around 1:30 am to load up and pray as a team, then head out by 2 to get to the airport by 4. If all goes well, we should be landing in Sofia at 1 pm on Tuesday afternoon (which will 3 am Tuesday morning here in Bullhead City).

Keep us in prayer and follow this blog for continuous updates with photos and video. Слава на Бога!

Three Weeks and Counting...

21 days to go, but who's counting? Oh wait, all of us! Excitement is building among the entire team as time winds down to our departure. This will be my fifth visit to Bulgaria, but I'm as expectant as the first time. Not a day goes by throughout the year that I don't think about and pray for the nation and its people... my friends and family there.

We are still putting the final pieces into place, but our general schedule is going to look something like this:


Monday, June 24........... Depart & travel all day
Tuesday, June 25.......... Arrive in afternoon. Rest and fellowship in evening.
Wednesday, June 26.... Work day at Revelation Church in Fakulteta / Blaga Vest service
Thursday, June 27........ ??? / Stolnik Service
Friday, June 28.............. ??? / Elin Pelin Service
Saturday, June 29........ Drive to Macedonia / Youth Event in evening
Sunday, June 30.......... Macedonia / Dobra Vest service
Monday, July 1............. Drive to Sofia
Tues-Tues, July 2-9....  Black Sea Camp
Wednesday, July 10... Visit historical/cultural location. Blaga Vest service
Thursday, July 11....... Depart and travel all day

The question marks on Thursday and Friday indicate space we haven't yet filled. We're trying to work out an opportunity to minister in a Sofia orphanage or to the homeless downtown on one of those days.

Worshipping in Fakulteta 

On Wednesday, June 26, we'll be spending a day with the Revelation Church in Fakulteta. This area of Sofia is a separate community of Roma (gypsy) people known as a mahala. The mahalas are literally ghettos where the Romani live segregated from the surrounding Bulgarian communities. Fakulteta is the second largest mahala in Bulgaria, with about 40,000 Roma living within a few square miles... all within the borders of the nation's capital city, Sofia.

Linzi befriends a Roma child

The ladies on our team will be ministering to a group of Roma children for the day. They are planning a day camp with a circus theme and sharing God's word through crafts, dramas, games and activities. At the same time, the men will be helping the congregation with construction work they are doing on their church building. They are in the process of expanding their facility to provide a regular food ministry and to accommodate other ministry to their community as well. We will be pouring concrete, laying brick, and whatever else is needed.

Continue to pray for us as the time draws closer. There are still many organizational details and preparations to be made. Pray for time to accomplish everything and for our hearts and minds to be fixed on God's work, not our own. Above all, pray for the direction and power of the Holy Spirit to soak everything that we do!

Слава на Бога! (Glory to God)

Pastor Chuck and Lynda Return

After an amazing three weeks in Bulgaria, and a long 30-hour journey back home, Pastor Chuck and Lynda have finally returned home to Bullhead City. They arrived in Las Vegas Friday evening, where they were met and driven home by their children, CJ and Johnna.

Pastor Ludmil translates for Pastor Chuck

They ended their time in Bulgaria by celebrating Easter for their second time this year. The religious calendar in Eastern Europe is defined by the Orthodox Church, which places the celebration of Christ's resurrection later than the western Church. As a result, the Kellys were able to enjoy the Easter celebration with the Blaga Vest congregation in their new building in Sofia. Pastor Chuck was given the opportunity to share in the service, which took place this past Sunday, May 5.

That evening, Sunday morning for us, they joined with our local congregation at Calvary Chapel Bullhead City in a Skype video chat. They made the call while celebrating the resurrection at dinner with the Ludmil Yatanski (pastor of Blaga Vest) and his family. Our body got to meet the Yatanskis and received a praise report from the Kellys on their trip.

Chuck with Pastor Niki at Veliko Turnovo

During their last week in Bulgaria, they also got to spend some quality time with the Vasilevs. Pastor Niki and his wife Tsveta lead the Bozhia Sila ("Power of God") church in Elin Pelin along with gyspy churches in Elin Pelin and nearby Stolnik. The Vasilevs and Kellys enjoyed a trip to an historic castle in the town of Veliko Turnovo. Fellowship with the church leadership in Bulgaria is an important part of the ministry the Lord has called our pastor to. The relationships he and Lynda have formed over the years are a real source of strength and encouragement for many there.

Kellys catch up with friends in Elin Pelin

Of course, that fellowship goes beyond just the pastors and their families. The relationships we have formed with all of the believers over there are at the core of our church's ministry in that nation. We understood many years ago that the Lord was sending us, not to evangelize the lost, but to serve and encourage the Church that He is building there. While we do not neglect opportunities to share Christ with unbelievers, we recognize that God has called the Church in Bulgaria to reach their nation with the gospel and God has sent us to come alongside and help them.

We are thankful to have our pastor and his wife back home with us, but even more grateful for all that the Lord did through them in Bulgaria. What a joy to be able to send them and see the work God does with them there!

TEAM... Check! TICKETS... Check!

The team for this year's trip is finally set and the airline tickets have been purchased. We're now locked in with only 61 days to go!

After praying and discussing together, we decided on two last minute additions before buying tickets. Roy Garrett, who has been with us for the last two years, has recommitted to coming this year. Also, Morgan Crampton, a teenage girl in our church, has asked to be a part of this year's team. Soooo.....
The full team is:

• Morgan Crampton
• Linzi Drew
• Roy Garrett
• Vernon Garrett
• Brittany Hogle
• Mike Kern
• Joey Leslie
• Brijon Ortiz
• Barbi Robnett

Be praying for this year's team as we spend the next two months planning and preparing. God bless!

Pastor Chuck and Lynda in BG

Its been almost a week since Pastor Chuck and Lynda returned to Bulgaria after almost two years absence. If you have either, or both, of them on Facebook make sure to follow along as they share almost daily of what the Lord is doing there.

Pastor Chuck wasn't able to make the trip last year because of the accident that took him out of commission for several months and over a year to heal. The return this year is especially sweet as they will be celebrating the Orthodox Easter holiday with the Blaga Vest church in Sofia.

They were greeted at the airport by Pastor Ludmil Yatanski of Blaga Vest in a heartfelt reunion. Pastor Ludmil has been a key part of the work we do in Bulgaria, providing opportunities for ministry both in Sofia and at the Black Sea children's camp every year, and also providing housing while we are in Sofia. Our two congregations are connected by the ties of fellowship between many of our members who have formed strong relationships over the years.

We have watched for about seven years now as the Blaga Vest church has been constructing a new church facility. They have been meeting in a rented theater in downtown Sofia, while their new facility is being built in Lyulin, a densely populated neighborhood on the northwest side of the city. With apartments for visiting missionaries others traveling through for ministry, along with classrooms and church offices, the new building has been in use for several years but had not yet begun to hold regular services in the main sanctuary. While they had been holding the Wednesday evening service in a smaller room upstairs, they are planning to use the main sanctuary for their Easter service although there is still work remaining to be completed. We were blessed to send an offering to help with the construction and look forward to its completion.

Another congregation that is dear to our hearts in Bulgaria is the Boje Cila church in nearby Elin Pelin. The small town is about 30 minutes away from Sofia and the church is led by Pastor Niki Vasilev. The town and the church are small, but their hearts are not! We have been blessed by this congregation and their love for us every time we visit. Pastor Chuck and Lynda visited for service several days ago and the pastor's wife, Tsveta, translated as Chuck shared the word of God with the congregation.

Last year, the church assembled a full worship team with several church members, including some of their youth. This was the first time for Chuck and Lynda to hear them sing and they were blessed! The congregation always demonstrates a real heart for the Lord in their worship and its always a pleasure to sing along with them as best as we can. Fortunately, many of the songs they sing are songs we know as well, just translated into their own language. The sound of a church full of people singing a worship song together in two languages is beautiful!!

Lynda took the opportunity to love on some of the girls in the church. Many of those who attend are Romani (gypsies), who usually do not find a welcome anywhere else in the Bulgarian culture. What a joy it is to know that the Body of Christ has room for everyone!

Speaking of the Roma people, Pastor Niki not only pastors the church in Elin Pelin, but also travels to the nearby gypsy village of Stolnik to minister to a congregation there. Pastor Chuck and Lynda went along and shared the Lord with them. Chuck noted that God gave him a completely different message than the one he'd prepared but it was truly the leading of the Holy Spirit and ministered to the body. He was also given a word to share with a woman there who had walked away from the Lord for several years.

The church building in Stolnik is a recent addition, and a major improvement over the small trailer they used to meet in. Last year, the team had the opportunity to paint a beautiful mural on one wall of the church depicting four of the miracles that Jesus performed, along with scripture references in Bulgarian. The Stolnik church is truly reaching out to a community that desperately needs the love of Jesus and its a blessing to be even a small part of the work God is doing there.

Continue to pray for Pastor Chuck and Lynda as they still have two more weeks in Bulgaria. Lynda is getting several opportunities to share with the woman there and Chuck is teaching 3 to 5 times a week in various churches and bible studies. We can't wait to hear all that God is doing on this trip!