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You see, the women in the Roma village culturally aren’t really empowered to have vision, hear from God, and be empowered to implement such things…especially on this scale. However, I knew the relationship and trust I had built over the years in the community would at least give me a platform to share my heart and ask them to come along for the ride. We are so much more powerful together.
I set up a meeting on a Saturday night…I had only 4 show up, but I wanted fewer and serious rather than many and not. The pastor, his wife, and two young ladies we’d been working with for the last four years in a Bible study and English classes were there. I shared my heart which was everything that I’ve written down here. I said, “I cannot do this alone. I need you. These are your sisters, your neighbors, your friends, your community.” It was such a powerful response afterward that I received. The pastor assured me that they were 100% with me, and would help in any way they could. We put together a meeting for the next week in Sofia where they would ride with me to a seminar put together just for them to learn all they could about the trafficking issue in Bulgaria. First, I wanted to educate them on the issues, and have them fully understand what is happening across the country in Bulgaria, then speak about what the organizations are doing in Bulgaria to help, and show them that these organizations are run by and championed by almost all women. I wanted them to see how they can join together to do their part in their communities. They are empowered by: *educating others by sharing what they had learned, *showing them that the microenterprise program they are a part of (knitting scarves and hats) gives 20% of all of the proceeds toward funding the girl’s home, and *by them praying and standing together for this prevention home for girls in our area. What a powerful moment it was for me to see the Roma women understanding the big picture, joining in the fight, and feeling so needed and valued that their voice, opinion and agreement counts! We were changing a long standing tradition that their voice doesn’t matter and they don’t have anything to contribute. I am so much more content with this project now…. now that I have the nationals on board. I look forward to showing them (in my great humility of inadequacy) to depend on the Lord as we see this project through together. Empowering them to see other women getting vision from the Lord, trusting Him for big things, and implementing projects in a Godly, righteous, and professional manner. What an honor to partner with these great women of God! Please help us pray. Pray for these women as we partner together for big things. Pray for me please as I trust God whole-heartedly through this process. Pray for these young girls that are so vulnerable. Where there is great need, big trust, a big leap of faith, there is a big God there to show Himself able!
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 It is always such a joy to get to be around this Pastor Ivan and his wife, Vera. He is ALWAYS smiling, no matter WHAT is going on in his life. He is ALWAYS full of joy, ALWAYS so overjoyed to learn (you can just see him soaking up the information almost physically) and he loves to fellowship with the other pastors.
Watching him at the conference in November, so many pastors from Spain, Africa, and other places were just drawn to his tender heart for the Lord and a heart to know and fellowship with others that love Jesus like he does. He is an inspiration! He's almost always first to the training even though he has to travel the farthest. He is just a blessing.... Praise: *his heart for the Lord and his heart to shepherd the people in his region *favor he has received from the mayor in his village and them giving them a place to meet together Prayer needs: *for the mixed cultural village that he is in and to continue the great relationship between the believers there as they dig deeper and trust more *for Ivan's heart as God is stretching him into nearby villages to spread the gospel Thank you for your support, no matter how big or small, be it in prayer, friendship or finances. We truly understand that in each case your support is part of your worship sacrifice before God and we honor and appreciate you. Together we are building His Kingdom! God Bless, Chance, Dee Dee, Mitch, Catherine, Jessie, and Alan Many thanks to those that love and pray for us. We value your partnership and support. Being on the frontline of ministry requires a definite group of people willing to pray and uplift us, and we know we would/could not be here without you all. You are loved much!Contact information:To help us meet our budget for this year you can send a check to: Christ Community Church at 4078 Milgen Rd. Columbus, Ga 31907 with Galloway in the memo, or give securely online at the following sites: https://secure.accessacs.com/access/oglogin.aspx?sn=97076 https://give.fmcusa.org/galloway http://www.gallowayministries.org/donate-now.html  Alex Sashov is an absolutely wonderful man that loves God and loves people. He is determined to teach and train up others to make them strong in sound teaching. Alex is the church plant pastor in Bobov Dol, Bulgaria. Alex holds a special place in our heart as one of the church planters. He was part of a group we began teaching 3-4 years ago, and he has grown and matured so much in the church. He has such a heart of integrity and is such an example to others. He also works as a pig farmer, goes to university, and is one of my best english students.
His girlfriend of many years, Rumyana and he will be married in 2016, and we are so very happy for them. Please pray for Alex as his church begins to grow more and more. His church is in a town with a very large prison and many of the people there are family members who's father is in the prison. There are many people there that need healing and proper teaching in the Word.Praise: *for the great growth in Alex, his church, and his heart or the Lord. *for the great reception he has had among the people of Bobov Dol Prayer needs: *for a new location that is larger and can hold the number of people that come weekly *for the broken and hurting children and families of Bobov Dol. The town is known for drugs and prostitution *for Alex and Rumyana as they begin their life together as a married couple and pastors Thank you for your support, no matter how big or small, be it in prayer, friendship or finances. We truly understand that in each case your support is part of your worship sacrifice before God and we honor and appreciate you. Together we are building His Kingdom! God Bless, Chance, Dee Dee, Mitch, Catherine, Jessie, and Alan Many thanks to those that love and pray for us. We value your partnership and support. Being on the frontline of ministry requires a definite group of people willing to pray and uplift us, and we know we would/could not be here without you all. You are loved much!Contact information:To help us meet our budget for this year you can send a check to: Christ Community Church at 4078 Milgen Rd. Columbus, Ga 31907 with Galloway in the memo, or give securely online at the following sites: https://secure.accessacs.com/access/oglogin.aspx?sn=97076 https://give.fmcusa.org/galloway http://www.gallowayministries.org/donate-now.html  Over the next few weeks I would love to introduce you to some of our church plant pastors, who they are, the work they are doing, how you can pray specifically for each of them and their towns.
This is Dennis Dimitrov. He has stepped in to take over for the church in a very poor village called Kocherinovo. He is a young, energetic man with such a great testimony of how he came to know the Lord. He is very gifted in evangelism and loves to praise the Lord in music. The people from this village are excited to have a place to come together to worship and a lady from the town recently gave them a room to meet together. They took up enough money to pay for paint and worked together to spruce up the room. There are many children in this area, and they love to come to church and sing! We are looking forward to possibly having a camp for the kids there this summer. Praise: *for the new room to meet in and the paint *for a pastor that loves and ministers to the people *for receptive people that are coming together in the church Prayer needs: *for the people of Kocherinovo that live with many struggles and hardships *for Dennis as he shares the gospel from family to family *for unity among the believers *for the children Thank you for your support, no matter how big or small, be it in prayer, friendship or finances. We truly understand that in each case your support is part of your worship sacrifice before God and we honor and appreciate you. Together we are building His Kingdom! God Bless, Chance, Dee Dee, Mitch, Catherine, Jessie, and Alan Many thanks to those that love and pray for us. We value your partnership and support. Being on the frontline of ministry requires a definite group of people willing to pray and uplift us, and we know we would/could not be here without you all. You are loved much!  Have you ever been starving, standing in below freezing temperatures with just summer clothes on your body and your only option is to cry out to God for help? Have you ever been kicked out of your house at age 14 and you were expected to make your own living separate from your family, because the culture surrounding you cannot help or support you? Then I need to tell you about my friend, Pastor Lubcho. He grew up under difficult situations, but by God’s grace, he is now on a mission to help others, his people, the Gypsy (Roma) people. Pastor Lubcho’s heart is to impact the broken and hurting in his community and surrounding communities in our area in order that their lives will be transformed by Jesus. Normally when you see me, Chance, traveling in Bulgaria or Macedonia, I am in the company of Pastor Lubcho. You will see us laughing about the adventures we get ourselves into like: *taking me to a large Muslim community during Ramadan, or *us sliding on black ice into a ditch after a weekend in a village high in the mountains, or *him wondering how in the world I can eat fried pork skins. One thing I know, the work in Bulgaria is about relationships…Our relationship with Jesus and our relationship with each other. Lives being transformed, including mine. It’s an honor to call Pastor Lubcho a friend. Prayer needs:
*A national meeting will be hosted here in Bulgaria in 1 week. There is much planning to be done, and people travelling from all over the world to get here. Thank you for your support, no matter how big or small, be it in prayer, friendship or finances. We truly understand that in each case your support is part of your worship sacrifice before God and we honor and appreciate you. Together we are building His Kingdom! God Bless, Chance, Dee Dee, Mitch, Catherine, Jessie, and Alan Many thanks to those that love and pray for us. We value your partnership and support. Being on the frontline of ministry requires a definite group of people willing to pray and uplift us, and we know we would/could not be here without you all. You are loved much!  This week as we unpacked and settled in, I had a very sweet thing happen that I wanted to share with you all.
Last March, Chance and I were able to help a kind Roma lady sell a piece of her artwork that took her 7 years to make. It was a beautiful picture done with very small needlework. She and her family were very grateful and needed the finances very much. As I was at a meeting with some ladies this week, this lady's daughter (the one pictured above) called to see if I was there, and if she could come by to see me. She came by and explained that her mother wanted to make me something for helping their family. She began to crochet something for me. Her daughter explained that her mother ended up passing away in July while we were away, but had a neighbor friend finish the piece for me. She came that day to present me with the piece her mother wanted me to have. I was overwhelmed by their love and generosity. I accepted with tears in my eyes. The choices, decisions, and little things we do every day impact others in a magnitude that sometimes we don't realize. We are so blessed to be able to see results that greatly effect others in a very tangible way. Thank you for being a part of the impact! Praise: *We have arrived safely in Bulgaria with smooth travels and success with Jessie's visa. *We are loved beyond measure with all of the people we met for the first time while in the states, getting to see all of our friends, and spending some good quality time with family. Prayer needs: *A national meeting will be hosted here in Bulgaria in 2 weeks. There is much planning to be done, and people travelling from all over the world to get here. *Jumping in with both feet and hitting the ground running....there is much work to be done. Thank you for your support, no matter how big or small, be it in prayer, friendship or finances. We truly understand that in each case your support is part of your worship sacrifice before God and we honor and appreciate you. Together we are building His Kingdom! God Bless, Chance, Dee Dee, Mitch, Catherine, Jessie, and Alan Many thanks to those that love and pray for us. We value your partnership and support. Being on the frontline of ministry requires a definite group of people willing to pray and uplift us, and we know we would/could not be here without you all. You are loved much!
Praise report:
*The success of the service, dinner, and training over the last 2 weeks! Prayer needs: *God has us very busy with Bible colleges and other individuals visiting to minister over the next 4 months. We NEED YOUR PRAYERS for these events as well as moving forward with the home for girls, the land project, and the new micro-enterprise project. These projects take much prayer because we are taking the enemy's ground and we are pushing back darkness and bringing in His marvelous light. Spiritual pushing is hard work! *We believe God month to month to meet budget, and this is no different as we enter 2015. Pray for partners that can commit to consistent monthly giving, so we have a better understanding of how to plan our year. God Bless, Chance, Dee Dee, Mitch, Catherine, Jessie, and Alan Many thanks to those that love and pray for us. We value your partnership and support. Being on the frontline of ministry requires a definite group of people willing to pray and uplift us, and we know we would/could not be here without you all. You are loved much! Contact information:To help us meet our budget for this year you can send a check to: Christ Community Church at 4078 Milgen Rd. Columbus, Ga 31907 with Galloway in the memo, or give securely online at: https://give.fmcusa.org/galloway Giving information also available at: http://www.gallowayministries.org/donate.htmlCopyright © 2015 FMWM, All rights reserved. Friends & Family Our mailing address is: FMWM PO Box 954 Blairsville, GA 30514
Praise report:
*We praise God for this project and allowing us to be a part. God is bringing in great leaders that are building on top of the "on the ground" work we do each and every day. It takes all of our gifts and resources to advance the kingdom, and it's great to see when the body comes together with those gifts for His glory! *We thank God for all of you that use your gifts and resources to be a part of this work with us. YOU are a HUGE part of what we do, a very important puzzle piece in the working of advancing His kingdom here. Without your prayers and financial support we COULD NOT be here doing our part. It sure takes a unified front working together to advance His kingdom!
We had 3 days of sitting and getting to hear the word (hallelujah) as well as meet and network with new pastors. We also met with some of our good friends David and Lesley Illingsworth (picture on the top right). We had such a wonderful lunch at their house and they are very excited about coming to help with the work here in Bulgaria. God is building a team of people to love and invest of themselves into the hurting people here and we are amazed at what He is unfolding. It is a connection God told us several years ago that He would build. We did not see in the natural how at the time, because we did not know many people in England. It is quite inexpensive (around $136) to fly round trip between the two countries and we knew minister's could come and pour into and minister here in Bulgaria for a small price. We know the need is so great here and we cannot do it alone. He is connecting and working, and we are just following His lead. We know the attacks that have come against us this year are because of the great things ahead! We have had (and still because it is an every day thing) to stand, believe, trust, and push forward for the HIGH calling that is in CHRIST JESUS. He is victorious, and only IN HIM can HIS work be done. Praise report:
*Lawyers are working very hard and paperwork will be finished shortly for the land project, girl's home, and micro-enterprise projects. *We thank God for all of you that have given to support us and the spreading of the gospel here in Bulgaria. May God, who is rich in mercy, bless your seed and supply abundantly for your every need, whatever it may be. We LOVE you so very much and thank God for you. We pray for you and appreciate you more than words and we hope you know that! Prayer needs: *We are resting in Him because He has done and will continue to do great and mighty things! *Prayers are needed for the projects still in the beginning and middle stages as we form foundations here to operate them through- agricultural, church plant, and girl's home. God Bless, Chance, Dee Dee, Mitch, Catherine, Jessie, and Alan Many thanks to those that love and pray for us. We value your partnership and support. Being on the frontline of ministry requires a definite group of people willing to pray and uplift us, and we know we would/could not be here without you all. You are loved much! Contact information:To help us meet our budget for this year you can send a check to: Christ Community Church 4078 Milgen Rd. Columbus, Ga 31907 with Galloway in the memo, or give securely online at: https://give.fmcusa.org/galloway Giving information also available at: http://www.gallowayministries.org/donate.html Our mailing address is: Chance and Dee Dee Galloway PO Box 954 Blairsville, GA 30514 |
AuthorChance and Dee Dee Galloway Archives
June 2016
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