Bye February, and hello March!

Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary happened this week, but it was a good week. I got to teach Sunday School, spend time with friends, celebrate an anniversary, and learn more Bulgarian. Read on if you'd like to hear about this week!

Saturday

Saturday I was able to get some schoolwork done in the morning, which was good. In the afternoon, we went to lunch at the home of Semah (the Peace Corps volunteer who leads the English Club I go to on Mondays). We brought some Bulgarian food we had made. Katie made banitsa, the first time we had made it here at home. I think it turned out fairly well for the first time! I like banitsa. :) There were six Americans and one Bulgarian gathered together for lunch, and we had a great time talking. We shared stories about our time in Bulgaria, and I learned a bit more about Bulgarian culture through listening to the others share. It was the birthday of one of the girls, so we had a birthday cake to celebrate. It was a fun time.

Sunday
Sunday morning I got to teach Sunday School! Pastor Nikolay and Yanita were in Sofia for a wedding, so Pastor Nikolay was not here to translate for me. His son, Simon, translated for me. I taught the Sunday School class about the Big Brother / Big Sister plan for evangelism and discipleship. It is a simple plan, easy for anyone to follow, that helps Christians share Christ with their nonbeliever friends to help win them to the Lord. The basic premise is to pray for ten friends each day for two months, and at the end of the two months invite them to an evangelistic campaign where the salvation message is preached. Then, once the friends accept Jesus, they are a little brother or sister and the big brother or sister cares for them and helps disciple them.

The previous two weeks in Sunday School were about Each One Reach One (the command for all Christians to share Christ with others), and this week was about a way Christians can share Christ with others. I was excited about sharing this plan with the class, and I think my enthusiasm showed. There is only one Sunday School class, made of all the adults, youth, and kids that come for Sunday School. The great thing about the Big Brother / Big Sister plan is that ANYONE can do it! There’s no age limit. Anyone who is a Christian can use this method to share Christ with others and make new Christians and disciples. I am excited to see how God is going to use the people in RazNaz to reach the city for Christ.

Church about to start

The Sunday service went well, and I was able to talk with people after the service. Some of the youth were getting ready for a rehearsal, to prepare some songs for the youth gathering that will be in Silistra on April 7th. There was not time to go home and eat before rehearsal, but we were hungry, so we ended up eating at church. Joshua, Katie, and Simon made a big pot of spaghetti for us all to share, and so eight of us (five Bulgarians and three Americans) shared a meal together at church. We had a good time laughing and talking and just enjoying each other’s company. It was a good way to spend Sunday afternoon. After the meal, the youth had their rehearsal. We did not go to a village church this week because Pastor Nikolay was in Sofia.

Monday
Language lessons on Monday went well, and I learned a lot. I was able to go the yarn store Monday afternoon and buy another skein of yarn for the project I was working on. I had almost finished it on Saturday, but ran out of yarn with only two rows left to crochet! So, Monday I was able to finish it. Monday evening we were at church again, because the youth were getting together for another rehearsal. Joshua was going to play accordion, so we all went to church together. I was going to spend a bit of time there before heading to English Club. Simon and Lilly brought some snacks, because it had been Lilly’s birthday on Saturday. So, I got to celebrate a bit by eating snacks, even though I had eaten dinner not long before. I am thankful for Lilly, she is a sweet girl.

Not long before I was about to head to English Club, we got a call from Pastor Nikolay. Andrei and Tanya were celebrating their anniversary, and invited us to their home to celebrate. So, instead of going to English Club, I went to Andrei and Tanya’s home. They had an array of delicious food spread out on the table, so we got to share in a meal with them. One of the dishes was peppers filled with cheese, breaded with egg, and fried. They were good, and Tanya is going to teach me how to make them. I look forward to learning!

We had a good time celebrating with Andrei and Tanya. Andrei makes delicious cakes, so we enjoyed eating chocolate cake, as well. After we spent some time talking and laughing together, Andrei got out his guitar and we sang some songs. (Well, I listened to them sing, because I had not heard any of the songs before.) Tanya is a Bulgarian from Ukraine, so she speaks Russian and Ukrainian in addition to Bulgarian. So, we sang a song in Russian, one in Ukrainian, one in Ukrainian Bulgarian (aka Old Bulgarian), and one in Bulgarian. We also sang a song in Korean, which I understood! (I don’t know exactly why or how they know a Korean song, but the words were “I love you Jesus.”) It was great to sit there and listen to my friends praising God. My life is full of so many precious experiences. God is so good to us all!

Tuesday and Wednesday
Tuesday when we were at church, a lot of people stopped by, and we were able to talk with them. I am glad we spend time at church, for it enables us to share our lives with them. On Wednesday, the youth came to my apartment for Bible study. At first, only (little) Andrei was here. Andrei hardly knows any English at all, but we were still able to have a conversation. I am glad for any opportunity to practice my Bulgarian language skills. I need all the practice I can get! After not too long, Galiya came, and we spent some time chatting before beginning Bible study. We didn’t know if Joanna was going to come, because she wasn’t answering her phone, so we started Bible study. Galiya did a good job translating for Andrei. Joanna came after forty-five minutes, but Galiya continued translating. We had a good lesson from John 9 and John 10, and talked about following Jesus who is our Shepherd.

I had worked hard on finishing the sweater for Joanna, so I was able to give it to her Wednesday night. (It’s actually a bolero, like half of a sweater.) She appreciated it, and was happy I had made it for her. She is going to wear it on Sunday, and I am going to wear the one I made. We will be matching! It will be fun. :-)

Thursday
Yesterday language lessons were good, and I learned a lot again. Language lessons are supposed to be an hour and a half, from 11am to 12:30pm. We usually don’t get there right at 11, but run more on Bulgarian time and get there a few minutes “late.” We usually don’t end right at 12:30, but it’s more like 12:45. This Thursday, however, we were there till 2:15! Our language teacher, Elena, helps us understand Bulgarian culture and not just the Bulgarian language. It’s good to have a teacher who helps us learn. We enjoy our conversations with her.

Baba Marta

Me with some of the Martenitsi

March 1st is a day when Bulgarian have a tradition that is as old as the country itself. On this day, people give each other bracelets (or necklaces, pins, or something else) with one strand of red and one strand of white twisted together, and say "Chestita Baba Marta!" (Happy Grandmother March), as they wish each other health and happiness. On Sunday, Baba Tana had given us bracelets she made, so I wore one of those. After language lessons, we usually stop by the grocery store across the street from Elena's apartment to get lunch from the deli there. While checking out, the cashier told me "Chestita Baba Marta!" and proceeded to put a bracelet on my wrist! I was surprised the cashier did this, for I had not been expecting it. The ribbons of red and white are called "martenitsa." It was nice to participate in a Bulgarian cultural tradition.

Upcoming Plans
This next week will be busy. Tomorrow we might go to Sofia for an Evangelical alliance meeting, or something like that. I do not know yet if we will be going. On Sunday, I will be teaching Sunday School again, sharing more about the Big Brother / Big Sister plan. Tuesday through Friday (or Saturday) we will be in Plovdiv, in southern Bulgaria, for seminars. A group from Minneapolis is coming to do seminars on Business and Mission. It will relate to churches, Christian businessmen, and others. Pastor Nikolay and his family are going, so Joshua, Katie, and I will be going too. We have not yet been to Plovdiv since we came to Bulgaria. I was there for one day in 2006, and look forward to going back. I anticipate learning from these seminars, as well as meeting other Christians from around Bulgaria. It will be great! It is about a 4 hour drive to Plovdiv, so pray the travels go well.

Prayer
Please pray for everyone who has committed to be a Big Brother or Big Sister. Pray for their perseverance in praying for their friends. Pray that God opens the hearts of their friends, and that the Holy Spirit moves in their lives. Pray for our upcoming trip to Plovdiv, that everything goes well. Pray for me as I teach Sunday School again this Sunday. Thank you for lifting these requests up to God!