Slava na Boga!
Slava na Boga! (”Praise the Lord” in Bulgarian) Greetings to you from Christians in Petrich and Parvomai, Bulgaria (located on the southwest corner of Bulgaria, near the borders of Greece and Macedonia). It is my honor and pleasure to report to you on Kim and my mission trip to Bulgaria. We are especially thankful for your gifts and prayers. As Paul said to the Philippians regarding their gifts, “They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God,” (Phil 4:18). On account of your support and prayers, the Gospel was advanced in Bulgaria, and His people were strengthened and encouraged.
As you might have already guessed, our mission trip, which was originally supposed to occur in Macedonia, became a mission trip to Bulgaria. You can certainly imagine our surprise when we landed in Thessaloniki, Greece and our Macedonian contact, Slave, informed us (Jeramie and Jennifer Rinne, and Kim and me) that our group would be splitting in the morning. While Jeramie would teach and preach in Macedonia as originally planned, Kim and I would be spending the next week in Bulgaria.
When we embarked on this adventure, the assumed plan was that Jeramie and I would be teaching a group of pastors in Macedonia, with perhaps a day of teaching in Bulgaria. But the prospect of spending the entire week in Bulgaria (and separated from the Rinnes) had not entered our minds. With hindsight, I can clearly see the hand of the Lord at work in this, but in that moment we were anxious. Also, one of our suitcases had not arrived, and that contributed to our unease.
From the airport, the four of us rode with Slave to Strumica, Macedonia, where we spent our first night. We determined to walk in faith in this and wait to see what came with the morning, when Kim and I would depart for Bulgaria.
The morning brought Pastor Ivan Dimitrov. Immediately upon his arrival we began to be at peace. Though at the time I had no idea even what town in Bulgaria we would be in, and though no one back home knew of this change in plans, I was at peace instantly upon meeting Ivan. Ivan’s face and demeanor convey a gentle but strong spirit. We had just a moment to say our good-byes and then Kim and I were off for Bulgaria. As we drove further away from the Rinnes, we became acutely aware that we were wholly trusting in God and His protection and provision. It also began to press upon me that proclaiming the Gospel can bring real difficulties and distress, something that perhaps we are unaccustomed to here in America. But, the good news is that Christ welcomes our prayers and petitions, and promises to provide for us the peace of God which transcends all understanding
(Phil 4:7).
Any lingering concerns were fully satisfied upon meeting Ivan’s family. His wife, Dani, and their two boys, Benjamin (12 yrs.) and Christian (5 yrs.) were a continual delight. Their family made our hearts smile at every moment. They graciously offered us a one-bedroom flat, which they had converted out of the storage space in their attic. Its windows opened up to beautiful views of the Bulgarian mountains, and the penetrating melodies of two roosters (who Kim dubbed Crazy Joe and Francis - if you heard them you’d agree these are very appropriate names). Needless to say, these two roosters carried on quite a conversation throughout the early morning hours each day! After unpacking and eating a wonderful lunch (which occurs around 2:00 PM in Bulgaria), it came time to begin the primary task at hand, teaching the Word of God.
I began teaching that very first night in Bulgaria, and taught three hour sessions each night until the following Monday. I also preached at Ivan’s church on Sunday morning. As a testament to the Lord’s planning, though I was unaware at the time, the Lord had begun preparing me for this unexpected change in plans days before we left Wheaton. While Jeramie and I had originally planned to bring about five one-hour lessons
each, which would have been ample for our teaching in Macedonia, a few days before the trip I felt compelled to prepare many more lessons on Paul’s letters to the Philippians. It is now clear to me that this compulsion was of the Lord, as of course He knew He was going to have me teach alone in Bulgaria all week.
Ivan’s church is located in the outskirts of a small village called Parvomai (pop. 4000), approximately 5 kilometers from Petrich, which is the more urban town of Ivan’s residence. Parvomai is the village that Dani grew up in. It was not uncommon for my lessons to be briefly interrupted by pigs, horses, or goats entering into the church courtyard - and even coming up to the classroom door. The students (comically) took turns chasing the livestock out the gate. The small church, like all the countryside we saw in Bulgaria, was both beautiful and economically distressed. The church had clear signs of need, including a roof to be repaired once funding is secured for materials. But, in the midst of these needs, the church walks in faith as it is clearly being used to advance the Gospel. Ivan continually displays his pastoral heart. When he discusses the vision the Lord has given him for the church, it is always with the thought of how he can equip the church to reach and share the Gospel. He is especially committed to reaching the young people of Bulgaria and from neighboring countries.
The church facility is a small, fenced-in area surrounded by farmland. It has two buildings. Ivan and his church have been working to complete an addition to the main building, the sanctuary. The addition will be used to provide medical and dental care. A cozy series of small rooms above the medical offices will house family members accompanying their sick relatives (in Bulgaria, you provide your own “nursing” care when you are sick). Quality medical and dental care are strongly lacking in this area of Bulgaria. Ivan wants to provide medical care that people can come to without fear of harm or corruption, so that as his church cares for the sick, they can also share the good news of the Gospel.
I taught in the second building, in a small classroom next to the church kitchen and youth room, which Ivan built from nothing…literally. For these two buildings, they mixed and poured their own concrete, constructed the roof by hand with beams, installed a heating system sourced by a found broken wood stove that Ivan repaired. This is the running story of all we saw in the physical elements of Ivan’s ministry - the Lord greatly blessed him with an eye for creativity and a razor-sharp mind for plumbing, construction, auto repair, roofing, and so much more. Ivan and his volunteers, sometimes only teenagers, have done almost all of the building work for his church. You can tell that though their means were meager, they put a lot of care into the work.
My class was comprised of mostly young people (ages 16-25) and a few adults from the church. The format was primarily lecture for the first few nights and as the students became more comfortable, I incorporated more dialogue with them about the message of Paul (”Ah-postal Pavel” in Bulgarian). Each night I taught for about 90 minutes, and then we took a break for coffee. Following the break, I taught for another 75-90 minutes. Thankfully, the weather was mild for Bulgaria - August evenings are usually very hot. Ivan, with the help of Dani, translated as I taught. During these evenings, the penetrating power of the Word of God was certainly manifested. Here I was, with a text that was written in Ancient Greek almost 2,000 years ago, teaching it using English words that were being translated into Bulgarian - and yet the message remained unchanged. In these moments I can begin to more fully understand Paul’s confidence in the Gospel, for the Gospel is “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
These evenings became quite special. The beauty of having to wait for one’s teaching to be translated - sentence by sentence, clause by clause - is that it removes any confidence in one’s rhetoric or style. Such a process allows the very words themselves to be the carrier of the message. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers those words for His purpose. As we worked through Philippians, especially its emphasis on conduct worthy of the Gospel, the class began to see the overarching themes of the epistle. We discussed the importance of unity in the Holy Spirit, steadfastness in the face of suffering, the importance of love abounding more and more in knowledge, the necessity of an exclusive focus of the Gospel, Christ’s example for serving in humility, and being lights in the middle of a crooked and wicked generation, all for the purpose of the glory of God. As we worked through this text, you could see the power of the Word deepening in their hearts (and ours). There were many very powerful moments of the Holy Spirit’s touch and of an understanding of the Gospel that transcended all language and cultural barriers.
These evenings also included levity. Translation is not a perfect science. On one occasion, I was telling a story about my son Avery and his bedtime. Ivan thought I was telling a story about “everyone” - having misunderstood the word “Avery.” By the time I was saying, “Avery, it is time to go to bed. Avery, you had better stay in bed,” - the story had become quite bizarre for the Bulgarian students and it was wonderful to laugh together when Dani (who had been chuckling throughout) finally pointed out what had happened. One word that gave Ivan trouble was the word “conduct” - which, given Paul’s message to the Philippians, I probably said more than any other word. By the time we had come to the end of our lessons, even those who knew no English would together translate “conduct” for Ivan’s benefit. Kim’s coffee-making was also legendary. After drinking some of Kim’s coffee, one young man, Kyrio, confessed the next evening that he had been awake most of the night. He told Kim that it was OK because it “gave him a lot of time to think.” The next day another young man, Radi, asked Kim if she could show him how to make this coffee because he had heard about its effects and he had to work nights.
There are many other wonderful moments, too numerous to mention. Kim and I were moved to hear the same songs we sing in America being sung in Bulgarian. I was moved by the commitment of these students and adults - who not only spent every night for a week doing an intensive study, but also agreed to take a final exam on the last night (That’s right - I may be overseas, but I’m still a professor at heart). I asked the students to choose a passage, discuss its message, its context, its thematic relevance to the rest of the epistle, and then apply it to the life of their church and to their own life personally. They wrote for almost 40 minutes without stop - receiving no grade, no degree, no advancement - simply for the desire to know the Word.
We were also blessed to behold the Holy Spirit work among the class on the last evening. In the final moments on the last day, the students became quite emotional as they reflected upon the teaching of Philippians and the need for their commitment to the Gospel. One of Kim’s most special memories is listening to each of the students and Ivan and Dani praying aloud in Bulgarian, beseeching the Lord and speaking to their God in quiet and tender tones. It was beautiful.
The trip was deeply satisfying to us in so many ways. And yes, our luggage did finally arrive and receiving it gave us the added blessing of meeting Mike, an American missionary serving in Thessaloniki, who brought our bag from Greece to us in Bulgaria. And we did get to see the Rinnes briefly during our stay when Slave brought them to visit us at a hot spring in a volcano. Our trip also ended on a particularly
high note, with two days of laughter and sharing
stories with the Rinnes in Greece.
It was a wonderful experience for me personally to visit Ancient Philippi, since it is the actual site of the subject of my studies and thoughts. The four of us also swam in the Aegean Sea, and spent a day wandering the ruins of Thessaloniki.
Perhaps most satisfying from this entire experience is that Kim and I were unexpectedly and especially blessed to meet and live with a wonderful family who loves the Lord and desires to spread the Gospel. We came to minister to Ivan and his church, yet he and Dani and the students ministered to us. It was as Paul said to the Romans regarding his pending arrival: we were “mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,”
(Rom 1:12). Kim and I pray specifically for Ivan and Dani and their ministry and ask you to do the same when you think of them. Ivan is always in need of help - he especially needs teachers and workmen.
He also needs youth workers, for the church purchased land some years ago, where he and Dani have been rehabbing ruins of farm buildings to create a youth camp. Every summer, Ivan holds a week-long youth camp where he himself teaches the Bible intensively, plans sports and activities, and cooks every meal. It is exhausting, as you can imagine. The demand to attend the camp is high and once Ivan can build more dormitory rooms, they will have more capacity for students. Between the church, medical facility, and camp, Ivan has substantial facility needs. But, we were continually humbled by him and Dani and their constant walk in faith. If you would be interested in serving in Bulgaria, please do not hesitate to contact me.
What we thought would be a trip to teach pastors in Macedonia became a moving experience in Bulgaria, teaching young people and adults Paul’s message and helping them to think through how they, too, might advance the Gospel. Upon reflection of these events, I can truly say - to God be the glory. Great things He has done. Thank you again for your support and prayers - I’m especially thankful for the three couples (the Bennets, Graces, and Karrs) who agreed to serve as our prayer team. To those of you who gave financially, thank you - your generosity served to advance the Gospel in the Balkans, where the need for Christ is great. And to all those who encouraged us - we are most grateful for your love and compassion.
Slava na Boga!
