God is good!

Friday, Al and Diane Mellinger came up to Kyustendil with a new member of our team named Mark that just came to Bulgaria Dec. 29th from Michigan.  He plans to be here for 7 to 8 months.
Saturday, Al and Chance went to Samokov to have a meeting with many of the Roma pastors from all around the region to set the teen conferences and pastor trainings schedule for this year.
Sunday, Peggy and her husband and son came up to help us translate and Al took us to a Bulgarian church (which we found out is a stone's throw from our house) and introduced us to the church members there.  Our three teenagers and Mark went back to the Bulgarian church for their teen activity that afternoon at 3.  I have explained before how the two (Bulgarian and Roma) don't usually do many things together.  While the teens were there, they explained how they had to leave at 4:30 to be able to go to the Roma service that evening and Jessie explained how to her, "God loves everyone the same."
So we get a text from Catherine telling us that several of the teens would like to go to the Roma service that evening and asked if they could go with us.  We said, "Certainly!"  So our group of 12 met them on the street corner and they (being 8 of them!) followed us to the church.  So our group of 20 joined the Roma service last night and we all (Roma, Bulgarian, and American) worshipped the Lord of Lords and King of Kings together last night.  It was powerful and amazing!  Sometimes all it takes is for an outsider to come in and bridge the gap...and praise the Lord for teenagers to come in and show God's love.  His love is cross cultural and breaks barriers!
Monday (today) was Diane's birthday and we went to brunch together to celebrate.  We are now home and our company has gone back.  We are going to rest after having company and cooking 3 meals a day for 9-12 people for 3 days.  Whew!  It was so good to have them here...it is good to have a feeling of family here while we are separated from ours back in the states.
We are basking in His goodness and thanking the many others that have gone before us to pave the road that we are walking.  Many seeds have been planted in Bulgaria over the many years before us, and we are seeing God's growth due to those that have gone before us!  Thank you to all of those who pray for us and keep us lifted up...it means so much!

Great day!

I was very privileged to get to speak today to two classes at a local high school.  Their high school goes from 8th-12th grade.  The first was a class of older students, and they understood English very well.  Their high school is a language high school, so that is what they concentrate on mostly.  The second class was of 8th grade, so they have only begun studying English the last few months.  They both did very well in listening and asking questions in English.
Some background information in how this came about was that our translator and friend introduced me/us to one of her students and she helped me by taking me to get my first haircut in Bulgaria.
The lady that cut my hair is also an English teacher at the high school.  She teaches English in the morning and cuts hair in the afternoon.  She asked if I would come to her classes to speak English and let them hear and also to tell them why we are here in Kyustendil.
I told them that we were here to serve and help the poor.  That seemed to open a door to why we would even think of helping the gypsies because in their words, "they are dirty and nasty and thieves and they want to be that way."  I had obviously opened a can of worms.  I explained that in my faith I believe that God is no respecter of persons and that we all bleed the same.  We all have a spirit, soul and body.  That if we love God with all of our heart, soul, and strength, then we cannot help but to love our neighbor.  To help those that are less fortunate.  This became quite the discussion and I truly pray that I gave glory to God and tried to open their minds a little bit.  This new generation yearns for change and all that is American and western. They know the other countries in Europe look down upon Bulgaria as being less than they are, so why then in human nature do we turn around and do it to others, when we know how painful it is to ourselves?  I believe it's that ugly thing called pride.  We put others down to bring ourselves up...it becomes a vicious cycle.
I ended with this statement...  the definition of insanity is to doing something over and over but expect a different result.  If you want a new Bulgaria and want a different future for yourselves, begin with yourselves.  Put the past behind and think fresh and new.  To change the world (or country) we must begin only with ourselves.  We are only as mighty as our weakest link.
I also shared some of our testimony on how we were led by the Lord to Bulgaria (which is very strange for them to understand why anyone would want to come here).  We talked about perpective and choice.  I said, "Look at that tree.  What a beautiful tree!"  You may say, "What an ugly insignificant tree...I see it every day."  I said the only difference is perspective and perspective is a choice.  We choose every day how we choose to see or perceive things, life, and people.  They said that we as Bulgarians are very negative...it's the way we are.  I again said,  "That is a choice."
So needless to say we got into more than I can type, but that is the logisics of it.  I came home and read Acts chapter 4.  Peter and John said something that was very cool...they were told to be quiet about Jesus and not to speak in His name.  They replied, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard."  It is easier to conform and not to make waves...but God did not call us to be easier and conform.  He told us to, "Go your way, stand and continue to speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life." Acts 5:20
This Life is a choice...are you willing to live THIS LIFE? :D