Almost twenty years ago Dee Dee and I started
dreaming about travels we would be doing as a couple during our marriage. We would share with each other different
places from all around the world and most of the places were different except
for one place, Scotland. Being a
Galloway whose family came to the United States in the late 1700’s from Scotland,
we have documented history of a Galloway dying in Scotland around 1100 in
Edinburgh. We also discovered early in
our marriage that the Dee River ran through the region of Galloway in Scotland.
Dee Dee started making the statement
that one day she would stand on the Dee River in Galloway and take a picture. After many children and lots of financial
losses through the years it seemed we would never see this event ever happen in
our lifetime. This did not stop Dee Dee
from saying that one day she was going to take a picture on the Dee River in
Galloway. After becoming missionaries in
Bulgaria I never imagined that Dee Dee’s dream would ever come true. Then by a miracle, from a grant to attend a
minister’s conference in Birmingham, England, Dee Dee got to experience her
dream. I now recall that she keep saying
I’m going to have my picture taken on the Dee river in Galloway and I started
picturing her standing beside the river taking a picture. When I snapped the picture this week of her at
the river, God did it better than I had imagined, Dee Dee was standing the Dee
bridge on top of the Dee River in Galloway. So what is this simple lesson, Hebrews
11:1 now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I want to focus on the word hope, without hope,
faith could not be the substance. Hope
is the ability to imagine or visualize something in your mind, like the picture
of Dee Dee standing by the Dee River. After
years of confessing and believing, with hope, this dream finally came true. It did not just happen, it was first hoped
for, then a picture was formed in her mind twenty years ago, and then God did
more than we could have imagined. “Delight
yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4
The Galloway family are selling all they own (or giving away) and packing 2 suitcases apiece to follow God's calling to Bulgaria. The two parents, 3 teenagers, and one young one are leaving Oct. 7, 2011 on an adventure of a life time. Follow as we leave American culture and comforts and travel over 5,000 miles to a country full of tradition and beauty. May God be glorified as others follow our "Adventures of Faith!"
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
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.
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.
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”.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
For
years I have been trying to understand a certain passage in the Bible. The
verse is:
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love.
But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with
punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
I
have listened to many pastors, teachers, evangelist, and instructors. I have read
many opinions on this subject, also studied the Bible, and meditated the verses
dealing with love. But in my life I have had doubts, unbelief and placed myself
under condemnation in some way, which opens the door to fear. We all know that
fear does have punishment that comes with it, in the form of torment. I am not
unfamiliar with love; I know God loved us so much He sent His Son. God
introduce me to my wife (the love of my life) and we have four kids that I love
with all my heart. God saved my wife from cancer by His love. Also God has saved me
hundreds of times in my lifetime. I was a “chance” in a million to even be born
(hence the name Chance) and I am alive and well today doing missionary work in
Bulgaria. I still struggled with this verse in understanding the full meaning
of “no fear in love”, that is, until yesterday.
I
am the type person that God has to occasionally hit over the head with a 2x4 to
get my attention. Yesterday God showed me what love is about in His unique way
concerning me (no 2X4 this time). Dee Dee and I took a friend and his family to
visit his mother. When we arrived at the home for women in the mountains,
several women came running to the front gate to greet my friend. One of the
caretakers came to the gate and was informed he wanted to see his mother. We
were going to take her and have a picnic under the apple tree beside the home.
While this is going on Dee Dee and I were sitting in the car waiting and then I
noticed the caretaker escorting an elderly lady. All of a sudden the elderly
lady stopped, the caretaker starting pulling the elderly lady. The elderly lady
sat on the ground, the caretaker started dragging her, and then the elderly
lady pulled away from the caretaker in absolute fear, hiding in some bushes.
The caretaker walked up to the gate and let my friend in the front gate, at the
same time the elderly lady crawled out from under the bushes and was sprinting
away in the opposite direction of the caretaker. Then my friend starting
calling, “Momma, momma!” At this point
the elderly lady saw her son and came running….all of her doubts, unbelief and
fears were gone…she was running to her son. After kissing and hugging her son
in an unbelievable embrace, Dee Dee and I wiped the tears from our eyes and
looked at each other and said, “Love casts out fear”!
When
we start learning how much God loves us and realize that He cares for us, we
can start to walk in that love. We have to start by getting to know God, and knowing
that He is the God of love. To run to
His perfect, loving embrace and let it cast all of our fears away.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Love is the only way
Over the past few weeks we have been busy with an
amazing teen conference, several women’s conferences, church services, and
visiting a summer camp for orphans. We
try to share insights that we get during the month in our blog, and with everything
that has happened, we have come away with many insights.
A group from Kyustendil (our home town and the church
we work very closely with) was able to attend the large teen conference called
Love Bulgaria that we were privileged to help with this year. The group was led by Roddy, who was
responsible for five other people from his church. Roddy participated in the sports
group for street evangelism. This is
when we go to a village and play soccer (football) involving the community with
the purpose of sharing the Gospel. Roddy
was always quick to volunteer and anything he could do to help, he came with a
heart of humility and love. As we did
the evangelism, Roddy was always obeying the leaders in charge of the groups
and as a member of his team he also participated in playing. Roddy made a point to pass to open teammates
and play any position on the field that would help his team win. Roddy showed no prejudice to any race and
always made a point to praise any good play on the field. Roddy was the first to volunteer to give his
testimony, and he shared his testimony on the last day of evangelism in the
city of Razlog. While Roddy was involved
with sports, he looked after his group from Kyustendil like a father looks
after his children. He made sure they
attended all events , he protected them, and made sure every need within his
group was taken care of with a heart of humility and love. As I watched Roddy, I was very impressed with
his behavior and the attitude he displayed all week. The week ended a great success!
One of the last things we did this month was to visit a
camp held each year near our town for orphans. We got to see the Bible dramas being told to
the young children and listen to them sing praise songs to God. The staff was made up of teens and young
adults from all over the world, coming together in love to share the Gospel of
Jesus. All the children in this camp
were very poor Roma children. They were
getting to experience the Love of God for the first time. The staff is from different countries, races
and denominations to share their love with children who have never experienced
love of any kind. You may be asking what
does this camp have to do with Roddy? Well,
Roddy is an orphan. Roddy is Roma. And Roddy’s testimony is that as a child he
attended this camp when he was a young boy and experienced the Love of Christ
for the first time.
The Love of God is the greatest evangelistic tool. “By this all men will KNOW that you are my
disciples, if you have LOVE one for another.”
Friday, June 29, 2012
Idols
I have been reading from the beginning of the Bible since I arrived in Bulgaria 8 months ago and I am in Isaiah now. After reading through the Old Testament and how they would turn to idols and other gods so easily, I began to pray about the word "idol" and make it relevant to me. I wanted to understand in my easy 3rd grade teacher mind, how this word would apply to my life. I prayed and asked God to reveal this to me.
The other day as we were driving through the Thracian valley in the middle of Bulgaria in the most furtile parts of the country, I was talking and the answer just came out of my mouth. I was talking about how we as humans put value on things. Earthly things only are valuable in regards to how much value we place on it. If we pay alot for something, we deem it valuable. If it is a family heirloom, we may value it. This is why we love to watch shows like "Antique Roadshow", because we see value in things we may not have valued before.
We, as humans, have this power of value that we can place onto things and also onto other people (or lack of value, however).
It causes me to think about the things and people that I value in my life. As far as people go, of course, my faith, my family (my husband and our four AMAZING kids) and friends are the most valuable to me. People I would die for...
As far as things/possessions, well, I've already let go of most things I valued already (like the Keiurig coffee maker and the Dyson vacuum cleaner). You might say my laptop or some other thing of monetary value might rank at the top, but I really would say my Bible. I know, how cliche, a missionary loves her Bible....but I really do. It is the most valuable thing to me...I really like it. I lost it (or left it at the mission house we were staying at in the hussle and bussle of moving) and had to begin in a new Bible. I like it ok, but the team brought mine back to me last week. I liked the Dukes and the hot sauce, even the M & Ms, and the beef jerky they brought to us, but my Bible was back home with me.
Anyway, back to idols and the value we put on things.
This was just my assessment of the things I value. We should all ask ourselves, what we value most...
I believe an idol becomes anything that we OVERvalue. The idols of the Old Testament were old skulls put on a mantle and worshipped. Graven images that became as gods. They took ordinary things and overvalued them. Made them worth more than they really were.
What have you overvalued? If everyone else says, that's not really worth much, but in your eyes it's worth more than money could buy, has it become an idol to you?
Can you not sell your house because you have overvalued it? Can you not let go of something because it is worth too much to you? Has it then become an idol? This, for me, is now my "idol test". Have I OVERvalued an object, a person, or even a tradition?
The other day as we were driving through the Thracian valley in the middle of Bulgaria in the most furtile parts of the country, I was talking and the answer just came out of my mouth. I was talking about how we as humans put value on things. Earthly things only are valuable in regards to how much value we place on it. If we pay alot for something, we deem it valuable. If it is a family heirloom, we may value it. This is why we love to watch shows like "Antique Roadshow", because we see value in things we may not have valued before.
We, as humans, have this power of value that we can place onto things and also onto other people (or lack of value, however).
It causes me to think about the things and people that I value in my life. As far as people go, of course, my faith, my family (my husband and our four AMAZING kids) and friends are the most valuable to me. People I would die for...
As far as things/possessions, well, I've already let go of most things I valued already (like the Keiurig coffee maker and the Dyson vacuum cleaner). You might say my laptop or some other thing of monetary value might rank at the top, but I really would say my Bible. I know, how cliche, a missionary loves her Bible....but I really do. It is the most valuable thing to me...I really like it. I lost it (or left it at the mission house we were staying at in the hussle and bussle of moving) and had to begin in a new Bible. I like it ok, but the team brought mine back to me last week. I liked the Dukes and the hot sauce, even the M & Ms, and the beef jerky they brought to us, but my Bible was back home with me.
Anyway, back to idols and the value we put on things.
This was just my assessment of the things I value. We should all ask ourselves, what we value most...
I believe an idol becomes anything that we OVERvalue. The idols of the Old Testament were old skulls put on a mantle and worshipped. Graven images that became as gods. They took ordinary things and overvalued them. Made them worth more than they really were.
What have you overvalued? If everyone else says, that's not really worth much, but in your eyes it's worth more than money could buy, has it become an idol to you?
Can you not sell your house because you have overvalued it? Can you not let go of something because it is worth too much to you? Has it then become an idol? This, for me, is now my "idol test". Have I OVERvalued an object, a person, or even a tradition?
Sunday, June 17, 2012
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.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Rila Monastery
Monday we picked up our first summer guest, Gantt Bone. He is a 17 years old that decided to forgo his summer and come spend the entire 9 weeks in Bulgaria with us. We are so excited to have him here to join us with all God has in store for this summer. We will definitely be keeping him busy with all the activities we have planned this summer and we will keep everyone posted as we go.
We decided to introduce him to Bulgaria this week as his sleep patterns get "adjusted". Plus the fact that I've wanted to visit the Rila Monastery for 5 years and have just not been able to get there yet. When we arrived in November it was too cold, and when the snow finally melted last month, the rain started in. So, needless to say, when I saw the slightest ray of sunshine today, I said, "Today is the day!"
It was so beautiful and entirely worth the wait. If you would like to learn more about the monastery, you should look it up! A monk came to these mountains and lived in a cave up here in the 10 century. It is one of Bulgaria's most famous and important landmarks. The colors in the church and in the paintings are amazing!
The Rila is also the tallest mountain in the Balkan region. I can't wait until it gets a little bit warmer and we will be hiking up to the Seven Lakes even higher in elevation than the monastery.
There is also a beautiful river up there and you might even get to see some pigs along side the road on your way back down the mountain!
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