Our Goal As MissionariesOur goal as missionaries has always been to partner with nationals and help and support them in any way needed with discipleship, training, mentorship, etc. We decided from the beginning of our journey of faith that we were not there to build “our kingdom”, but God’s. Our philosophy has always been that nationals can reach their own people much better than we ever could. When we arrived so many years ago, We built close connections with both Bulgarians and Roma/Gypsies. We began to build strong relationships and deep friendships with them by doing life together. God formed such trust and love between certain ones of us over the years and we were all the better for it. We began to hear their heart on their vision and what God had put on their hearts. They had such a burden for their people and the great needs they saw in their communities daily. God had given them vision and ideas of how to meet the needs of the people…spiritually, physically, mentally, socially, financially, etc.
Feeding programPastor Lubcho also has a big heart to feed the hungry in his own neighborhood of 12,000 where there were many families going hungry. Many women having to rely on prostitution just to feed their children.
We are also in process of building a kitchen to begin the feeding program. Loving BulgariaTeens, Working With Kids And Baptisms |
Saint John's HomeHome for At-Risk Girls
Many years ago a missionary that works closely with a day school/orphanage for very poor children and has worked here in Bulgaria for over 20 years, brought the issue to me of girls going missing from this school and the fact that the school ended at 5th grade for the girls. She asked me to help to find a safe place for these girls to go after the 5th grade, which is the worst time to not have accountability and safety for these girls. The age of 11 when they are just beginning to develop and when the marrying age, stealing of brides age, and selling of daughters is most prevalent. This comment began my involvement in the issue of trafficking in Bulgaria. I began gathering information, networking with other anti-trafficking organizations in Bulgaria, and most importantly…praying.
We walked the steps each day that God put before us. We created an NGO or foundation to operate legally in Bulgaria, we began to talk with the Set Free Movement in the US, and we began speaking with leadership about how we could implement this prevention/safe home for girls. Somewhere deep inside, there was a great fear and insecurity in me. I knew that this project was too big for me alone. As we went back to the US in 2015, God began to put on the hearts of several people to come along side and help. We now have a single lady in her 20’s and a family with 3 girls packing up and moving everything to Bulgaria to help with this project. I am confirmed every day that this is the heart of God. God was beginning to build a team. I knew that this home was a God thing and the pieces of the puzzle He was putting together. I now knew that I was not doing this alone, and God was sending helpers…. but still something was amiss in my heart. It became clear in a recent conversation with a colleague that has the same motto as we do, of empowering nationals, that I began to see that in every project we have been involved in, it was a vision/heart of a national. The girl’s home was me. This was going against everything we stand for. This left me unsettled and confused. I prayed and asked God for wisdom. Later, I talked with my very wise 18-year-old daughter about my thoughts and she replied, “You’re going at this alone, Mom, gather the women to come together with you.” This was such simple wisdom on one hand, but not an easy task on the other. |
Agriculture Project
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The vision and heart of the agricultural project was a Bulgarian, Stanimir Zahariev. He believed that if people had a way to grow food for themselves, and learn how to work the land, we could provide many opportunities for people. A church in England loved the idea, and then began the process to implement. We now have chosen the land, purchased the land, and will begin working the land and training Bulgarians and Roma on how to farm the land.
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Discipleship Training/Church Plant Project
God connected us with a church in England that also had a heart of church planting and they came in to interview and implement the church plant program. It was a win, win, win situation. A national with a heart and vision for church plant, a church with the support, training, and resources, and us just to be the go between, the on-the-ground help to oversee the daily operations, trouble shoot, and communicate between the cultures which requires such trust and relationship to make sure all understand one another clearly and stay focused on the larger goal…. the people. Pastor Lyubcho has a big heart to form healthy leaders and create healthy churches. The Church Plant project consists of taking mature leaders from existing churches with their pastor's love and blessing and sending them to cities or villages and empowering them to take the gospel to where they know God is leading them (where they have a heart for a certain people group). Renewal Global and Renewal Christian Centre have provided structure and leadership from Adam Loughrey and committed to support and train for a two year period ending in 2016. Renewal will continue to come into Bulgaria every other month to impart, teach, and train these pastors. Chance and Dee Dee Galloway oversee leadership training and administration of the project. This training involves traveling to different areas on the other months to impart, teach, and train.
