It is What it is (some random thoughts)

We have been living in Bulgaria for some time and the Galloway family has a saying… “It Is What It Is”.  I cannot remember when we originally began saying it or how it became a part of our everyday lives, but it is now what we say when things happen here in Bulgaria that are the way they are.  It is how we cope with the different way of doing things.

My son says it is an Alabama saying, but I have heard it here in Bulgaria and from other Americans also, so who knows.  We realize that when you encounter a different culture it will not be the same as the culture that you are used to.  We have to embrace the differences and realize that it is not better or worse, it is just different.  Here are some differences:

       

 Driving and Roads:

     Every two-lane road is actually a three-lane road (pass at your own risk). There are pot holes in the road that will damage your car.  There are some big potholes!  We call them pot graves because some you could bury a person in. The Police are constantly pulling people over to the side of road for “inspection”. You park your car wherever there is some space (middle of road, sidewalk, etc.) There is no warning about workers ahead…pay attention.

           

·      Beaches

  The sand is very different from Gulf Coast beaches….coarser.

   Some topless and completely nude people…ages 2 to 80.

           

·      Food

   You cannot find a rib eye steak or any other steak for that matter!

   All the restaurant menus are the same.

   Best vegetable and fruits I’ve ever had in my life.

·      People

   Eastern Europeans are very family oriented.

   Public urination is not against the law.
  Women will clean the urinal next to you while you are doing your business.

   Some bathrooms are equipped with a hole in the ground only.
   Eastern Europeans will use a tool until it is absolutely broken and will use anything to       get the job done.

We have enjoyed getting to experience life from a different perspective.  Eastern Europe is a fascinating place; it has a lot of beauty and history.  Growing up in America we heard a lot about Greece and Italy, but because the Ottoman and Communist governments hid Bulgaria from us, we did not realize all the history and beauty here.  We enjoy getting to unfold and learn all about this hidden treasure of a country and learning all of the differences of how things are done and of course we continue to say, “It is what it is”.

Unique

We just spent a week with the Christ Community Church mission team in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. I think it would be impossible to describe all that happened in such a short period of time.  I could start with the two Sunday services we attended or the 160 Roma children that learned Bible lessons, sports and songs for five days.  I could describe working with the orphans, elderly or street evangelism, but I want to talk about is the uniqueness of our God.  I am reminded of the scripture:

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NCV)

22 The Lord's love never ends;

       His mercies never stop.

 23 They are new every morning;

       Lord, Your loyalty is great.

Definition of New

1.   Having been made or come into being only a short time ago; recent: 2. Still fresh 3. Not previously experienced or encountered; novel or unfamiliar:

I wanted to share about how God surprised us this week, which was new or not previously experienced.  We laughed about how these surprises brought us encouragement and even joked how we (Chance and Dee Dee) had arranged all these strange consequences.  I thought of the movie “Funny Farm” when Andy (Chevy Chase) and Elizabeth Farmer had compensated the town in order to sell their house.  As a prospective buyer looked out the window of Andy’s house he said, “Que the deer!” and the deer ran across the yard in order to impress the buyers.  We, as a team, could never have arranged all the unique experiences God had in store for our group.  I know by now you want to know what happened, so here we go:

1.    One member of the group was baptized in a cold river on Mt. Osogovo during our end of the week picnic.

2.    A shepherd walked up with his sheep during this picnic and explained about his sheep and goats.

3.    A missionary from South Africa came and gave his testimony about his daughter and their work with orphans in Bulgaria.

4.    The Pastors of a church in Kyustendil came by and delivered ice cream for the mission team.

5.    A local pastor’s wife gave a testimony about Bulgarian churches during Communist times.

6.    A former Bulgarian solider testified about Communist times and how the church was tested.

7.    We got to experience the Roman baths.

8.    How God moved on the hearts of the Roma people while we were praying during street evangelism.

9.    Americans singing “How He Loves” to the Roma during street evangelism.

10. While in Sofiia on our last day, a Bulgarian always showed up right on time to show us around town which was not scheduled AT ALL.

11.Washing the feet of the Roma that served us lunch all week was more than words can express.

We as a grouped cried…. And… cried during all the happenings during this week.  We are thankful for God’s love and grace during this trip and we know that without organization you cannot have the power of the Holy Spirit.  Even if the same group came next year and we planned things exactly the same, because of God’s uniqueness or new mercies it would be completely different.  I am reminded as a member of the Body of Jesus Christ we desire the same, but we need to embrace His unique new mercies everyday and experience His love and grace.