Sunday
On Sunday I wore my crocheted vest to church, and it was a great conversation starter. A few people commented on it, and I told them I made it. Many people admired it! A couple of my friends asked me how long it took me to make it, and I said “three ….” (and paused because I couldn’t remember the proper way to form the plural word for “days”). My friends finished for me “weeks?” I said, “no, days!” Their response? “What!!!!! You are so fast! That’s amazing! I couldn’t do that!” It was kinda funny, and it made me laugh.
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| Me on Sunday |
Baba Stryanka came up to me when I was talking with Joanna, and asked her if she liked the vest I made. Joanna was impressed I’d made it, and like it. Baba Stryanka then proceeded to ask Joanna if she wanted me to make a vest for her, and she would pay for it. So, now I am making something for Joanna! It will be more like a sweater than a vest, because Joanna wants sleeves. I am glad crocheting is helping me build relationships with people!
Sunday afternoon we did not have enough time to go home and make lunch before we had to leave for Ossenets, so Pastor Nikolay and Yanita invited us to their home for lunch. Usually we leave for Ossenets around 3:45, but this time we had to be in Ossenets at 2:30. So, we went to the Kolev’s house after church. I had fun playing a game with Joanna before we ate lunch, and then I enjoyed the meal with the family. Pastor Nikolay’s friend Iliya (Elijah) was a guest at their home, too. We enjoyed the conversation around the table so much that we paid no attention to the time. At one point, Pastor Nikolay looked at the time, saw it said 3:30, so he and jumped up and said it was time to go! Once we were in the car, Pastor Nikolay looked at the clock and said, “Oh, we were supposed to be there an hour ago! But no matter, it’s Bulgaria. There’s no problem.” I found this statement be funny, it made me laugh. Here’s an example of what the culture is like!
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| Hand-written Bulgarian |
We had a good time in Ossenets. Singing, talking, eating. We were there for about five or six hours! After some people had left, I was able to ask the few people remaining some questions about Bulgarian history. I got to learn more about history from their viewpoint, as well as hear about their visions for the future. I am glad for the opportunity to learn from people older than me.
Monday
During language lessons on Monday, we learned about relatives. There are many more words than what we have in English. The word for uncle is different depending on if he’s your mom’s brother, your dad’s brother, or your aunt (mom or dad’s sister)’s husband. That’s just one example! The variety of words makes it so that one always knows precisely about whom one is speaking. Monday evening I was able to go to English Club, and spend time talking with the one girl who came. It was nice to be able to help her with her English lesson, and get to know her more.
Tuesday
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| The "soldier cookies" |
We needed to wash our hands after making the cookies, but there was no water in the church (the pipes had been frozen for almost a month due to the cold), so we had to walk to the kitchen in the basement under the sanctuary to use the sink there. (There is a little kitchen by the room where the babas live, but the kitchen in the basement is bigger and LOTS colder.) We had to walk down steps, and at the bottom of the steps the sidewalk was covered in about an inch of ice. I looked at it, thinking to myself “oh, there’s lots of ice here! I must be careful to not fall.” And what happened next? I fell. Katie shrieked, thinking I was going to hit my head (it came awfully close to hitting the cement), but I didn’t hit my head. My knees got hit pretty hard, and now they have some nice big bruises on them. Hey, it’s the only time I’ve fallen all year, gotta make it a good one, right? Bulgarians generally do not use ice, so I had no ice at home, no ice cube trays, or anything. However, I didn’t need any of that, because there was still snow around! I just got a baggie full of icy snow, and have been using that to ice the bruises on my knees. Pray that the bruises heal quickly, so that it doesn’t hurt too much to walk. I have to walk a lot, and it’s hard when my knees hurt.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a good day, and I was able to spend time with the youth. In the evening, I had planned to meet Joanna in front of a store so we could buy yarn together for the sweater I am going to make her, and then she would come to my house for dinner so I could interview her for my cultural anthropology project before Bible study started. Well, things did not turned out as planned. Once Joanna and I got home, Joshua and Katie told me that little Andrei was coming over. So, he got there just a couple minutes after I did. I was able to interview Joanna for a few minutes before dinner was ready, but there was not enough time to ask her as much as I needed. As Katie was putting the food on the table, my phone rang. Galiya was at our apartment already. So! We were expecting one guest for dinner, but got three! It was nice to be able to spend time with the teens.
After dinner, we had Bible study. I am glad teens were able to come – this was the first time we had met for Bible study in four weeks!! We learned about the Jews judging Jesus, yet they themselves were living in spiritual darkness and sin. We learned about how important it is for us to follow Jesus and be obedient to what he says. After we studied two chapters, the teens were too tired to concentrate more, so we just sat around and talked. The topic moved to loans, poverty, and homelessness. The teens had no idea that there were homeless people in the States; it was a completely new concept to them.
Thursday
Thursday was a warmer day, with even more snow melting. For the first time in about a month, I could see sidewalks, I could see ground, I could see grass that had been hidden under the snow. I also heard birds singing outside as I was walking to church. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not Spring yet! There is still snow on some rooftops, and snow piled along the edges of some roads and sidewalks. There is a lot of slush, and still lots of ice! However, the weather has moved out of the negative degrees (Celsius) for a few days. I am glad, for that means I will get to see more people. People will begin dropping by the church more often now that it is not so bitter cold anymore. I look forward to it!
On Sunday this week and next week I will be leading Sunday School. Please keep me in your prayers! I will be teaching the class about the Big Brother / Big Sister plan for discipleship.
