Ministry in Bulgaria

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Ginka is the leader of the church in the small village of Kasashka Reka in the eastern part of Bulgaria. She is really the pastor of this church, but cannot hold that title since she is a woman. Ginka and her husband Daniel picked us up at our hotel in Varna, a large city on the Black Sea coast, late one afternoon to take us to the Tuesday evening children's program and Bible study at her small church, an hour's drive away. The church rents a primitive hall in the town, and has added a few crude tables and benches, as well as an altar area with a small cross. Soon after our arrival, the children began to arrive for their weekly time of games, songs and a Bible lesson. The 8 children ranged in age from about six to eleven. Our two American boys soon joined in on the games and Bulgarian Bible songs. They then helped the children sing a Bible song in English. The children were sent home with a challenge—the one who can say the most Bible verses by memory will win a special prize in September!

The adults then began to arrive. The older ones came first, then the younger ones came after they finished work. The only employment opportunity in Kasashka Reka is in a large greenhouse. When it is in operation the people work, often in extreme heat, from 7 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m., with only a half hour break during the day. This small band of believers has been studying the book of Romans since January, and were reviewing what they had learned. Of the 14 in attendance, only two were men. Life is even more difficult for these women who are married to unbelievers. Ginka tries to limit the Bible study time to 1 ½ hours so the husbands will continue to allow their wives to attend church, and because she knows the people are exhausted after working such long hours.

This summer, the Myers Family theme song has been "On the Road Again"! We have put many kilometers on our van, seen the awesome beauty of the Bulgarian country-side, and experienced the gracious hospitality of the Bulgarian people. Bulgaria is a beautiful country, but the rural areas are suffering greatly as Bulgaria attempts to transition into a market economy. At the end of Communism many of the industries in the rural areas were closed, and unemployment in many areas is now over 90%. Many of the young people have headed for Sofia to look for work, or out of the country if they are able to obtain all the necessary visas.

During our travels around the country we have been meeting with Baptist Union pastors, sharing with them our call to agricultural ministry in Bulgaria, and discussing with them how we might be able to work together. Our travels have taken us from the south of Bulgaria, with its Mediterranean-like climate, to the northern mountains and the fertile plains of the Danube River. We have found that there are many opportunities for agricultural work available in the rich soils of this country, and that the only limiting factors will be time and money! We hope to visit more areas and pastors this fall. Our work this fall and winter (as well as continuing in language school) will be to evaluate the possible projects and to see where God has planted the seed for productive agricultural work in Bulgaria.

God has been good to our family this summer. We have felt the love and hospitality of the Bulgarian people, and God has provided us with safe travels. God provided us with a welcome visit from Terry's parents earlier in the summer, with some time for relaxation and renewal. A.J and Nathan had two good summer school sessions that included Bulgarian language lessons, and now God has provided a loving Bulgarian couple to care for them during August while we are at language school.

Please pray for:

--The women who provide much-needed leadership to the small rural churches in Bulgaria, but are not yet able to hold the title of "pastor".

--The rural Bulgarian population, many of whom have lost hope for a brighter future, that employment opportunities may improve, and that they may find true hope in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

--Wisdom in the selection of agricultural projects to begin next spring.

--A.J. and Nathan as they begin a new school year at the Anglo-American School in Sofia on September 3.

--Terry and Tom as they continue in language study.

Shalom,

Tom, Terry, A.J. and Nathan Myers

ABC-USA Missionaries to Bulgaria