It's in the everyday

Let me preface this post with a warning: This post is going to be about my amazing husband and how much I love him dearly for how his life is a testimony to the love of Christ. So, if you are not in the mood to hear a wife go on about her great husband, you might need to read this post at another time.

Okay, if you are reading this you have been warned. So my story starts with the wonderful news that we finally have a cell phone plan here!!! This was a major feat because we had to wait until we had our one year visas, to get our Bulgarian ID cards that are needed to purchase any kind of long term cell phone plan. Up until this point we were using prepaid phones, and that can get pricey. So, Steven had been doing his research as to what plan he thought would best fit our family. He went to the stores, spoke with people and came home armed with info to throw at me. I told him the decision was up to him and that it really didn't matter to me what kind of phone I had, if it had internet, I just needed to be able to talk with people. A few days later we went to the store together to ask a few questions. The girl that had helped Steven was working there again, and her English was pretty good, so she helped us find what we wanted and was setting everything up for us when I got into a discussion with her about family. I told her we had 3 kids and that I was pregnant. She was shocked and said," That is to many." I told her we love kids and that Steven was a great husband and dad and without him I couldn't do it. She became very serious and said, " I noticed that when he came in the other day. I thought it was very neat that he told me he had to talk about it with his wife before he made a decision about the phones. This is not common. I want to have a family like this. My parents are divorced and I want a good husband." I was so proud that my husbands love towards me was demonstrated in such a way that it caught this young girls attention. I was then able to tell her that is was only because of our understanding of God's great love for us that we were able to have such a great marriage. She agreed, that God needed to be at the center, but I went on to explain that we firmly believe what the bible says about marriage being a commitment, and what it says about family and how husbands and wives should relate to each other. It was a wonderful moment of getting to share the love of God with a young woman obviously seeking true love. Shortly after this her manager came up and told her it was taking to long, and that upset her and threw off the conversation. However, I am praying that when we go to pay our bills, we can continue conversations with her. The main thing God showed me in this situation, was that it is was my husbands love for me that caught this girls attention. It was also the loving relationship we had that greatly appealed to her. This is not something Steven was even conscious of, but as I said in the beginning of this post, that is why I love him so much. His love for Christ is made evident in all his relationships and most of all in his relationship with me. Not saying our marriage is perfect, far from it, but with Christ at the center it gets better every day.

The long awaited post

Yes, I do realize that I haven't written on our blog in a month, but there is a reason behind that.  We were waiting for the right time to announce the news that we are expecting Cooke # 4.  We found out in Oct. that I was pregnant, but wanted to wait a little until announcing it.  So, there it is.......our last child will be born in a foreign country.  I like the thought of that. 
We also just celebrated our fisrt Thanksgiving outside of America and it was interesting to say the least.  We invited some bulgarian friends, but for one reason or another, they weren't able to come.  So, it was just us, and I think I liked it more that way.  I was very nervous about having to cook for lots of people.  Not sure if I have mentioned it, but my kitchen is not what I would classify as fully equipped.  I'm pretty sure our camping stove was bigger than the stove  I have now, and my oven is more like an easy bake oven. I can make it work for our little family of 5, but more than that and it becomes a real challenge as to how I am going to get everything cooked.  The kids were watching the Macy's parade while I cooked and it was fun to hear them get excited about the different balloons.  I was very glad I could find it streamed live on the internet!  It is one tradition I pray we are able to keep.  My mom also helped out by sending some invaluable items that I can't get here. Thanks mom!!  She sent everything I would need to make green bean casserole, and some evaporated milk for my pumpkin pies.  Without those two things it wouldn't have been Thanksgiving at all.  No, we didn't have a turkey.  It wasn't until last night that I learned you have to ask a butcher for a turkey, and even then you usually can't get one until much closer to Christmas.  But, seeing as I am not really into turkey(unless it has been smoked by my brother-in-law, Brian) we had ham.  I thought this would be much easier to find, but I was wrong.  The only place we found it was in the deli, in the form of lunch meat,so that had to do.  We asked for half a kilo, but forgot to ask to have it cut into thick slices, so we ended up with some really great ham, but very thin.  It worked though.  I made a homemade brown-sugar, honey glaze for it and it was great. 

Overall it was a great day.  It was definitly a day that I was very thankful for all that God has given me: a great family, three wonderful kids, an amazing husband, the opportunity to live and reach people in Bulgaria, a place to live, food to eat, and the most important thing, Grace!  I am most thankful for God's grace that He gives us through His son Jesus.

Day of Prayer for European Peoples

October 16th is the Day of Prayer for European Peoples so I thought I would give you some general facts about Europe.

- European population in 2010 was 857 million (Wikipedia)

- Population growth is comparatively slow, and median age comparatively high in relation to the world's other continents. (Wikipedia)

- European countries have experienced a decline in church attendance, as well as a decline in the number of people professing a belief in a god. (Wikipedia)

- There are over 500 unreached and unengaged people groups (UUPGs) among European peoples worldwide. These are population groups that are less than 2% evangelical and have no one with a plan to tell them about Jesus.



May not be what you thought about Europe, but in reality it is a very dark place spiritually. Many of the people that live here are agnostic or cling to the rituals passed down through heritage. There are millions who have no idea what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I spoke with someone just the other day that said they had no idea what was going to happen after they died, and yet they claimed to be "Christian" based on their orthodox background. Then there are the other people in Europe who don't want to even listen to the "Good News". They shut down and get a glossed over look in their eyes when you begin to tell about Christ love for them. Yet, God is working among these people. Every year He is calling more people to work in this field and more churches to partner with European people groups. We are seeing mighty things happen. Please pray for the millions of European people and the missionaries who serve among them.

God is amazing!

  So, just in case you forgot, I serve an amazing God!!! His timing is perfect and His plan is precise. Eli started going to a Montesorri school this week and has had a great time getting to know the teachers and other kids. It is taught all in Bulgarian, but most of the teachers speak English as well. GREAT!! Well, I was able to meet with the owner (who also speaks good English from living in South Africa for 12 years) and upon finding out I had an early childhood degree and experience working in a montesorri method, she offered me a job. I won't get paid, but receive a discount off of Eli's tuition. I was hesitant at first because of my full time language schedule. I told her I would only be able to come Monday and Friday mornings and she said that would work. After the meeting I was excited to meet the director of his school to see just how she would want me to help out. The director’s name is Zuzi and I immediately liked her. I was able to talk with her a little about where we were from and what we were doing here. Never quite sure about how to tell people we are missionaries here, I downplayed our involvement so as not to scare her away from the idea of me helping. She told me it would be great if I could teach the kids some songs in English and just talk with them in English as much as possible while I was in the classroom. Sounded good to me, I began planning how I could incorporate all of my Christian children songs into the class, while praying that God would direct me in how to go about presenting my ideas to Zuzi. Well, today God answered that prayer. Zuzi asked me if we could talk and I was concerned it would be about what I would be allowed to teach, but turns out she wanted to tell me….. she is a believer. She is ethnically Turkish and comes from a very muslim background, but accepted Christ when she was 16. She many in the ministry community here in Sofia and shared how she was so excited I was going to be working with the school. She has been working at the school for three years now as the only believer and expressed how she was beginning to get discouraged and had been praying about what to do. She mentioned wanting to get together to study the bible and I almost cried. How amazing is God that I was an answer to her prayers! How blessed I am to be used by The Father!! I can't tell you how excited I am now about getting to work at this school and the opportunity to share with all the other teachers and workers. I can't wait to see how God moves here! Please pray for Zuzi and her family. She told me that her dad accepted Christ just 2 months ago, and this was a huge deal because when she became a believer the family shunned her. Please pray for this opportunity to be a light and partner with a fellow sister in Christ to make Him known.

Hhhmmmm?

I struggled with a title for this blog, because it contains some thoughts I have been going over in my head. I can't say whether they are correct thoughts or not, just some things I feel God has laid on my heart since being here. I now live in a post communist country in which I have already met people who were literally imprisoned for their faith. Having come from a country where the worst thing to happen to you really, is social exile, this was huge for me. I have always heard about, read about, and learned about martyrs, but to actually meet people who lived through an era like that has been inspiring and thought provoking.  I began thinking about all the hardships the church faced under communism, and how hard it was for them to even meet as a body of believers. Then I began to look at most of the churches in America and even here today, and the question emerged, Have we made church to easy? Now the Bible tells us that being a follower of Christ will be no “cake walk”, but it also balances out with saved by grace not by works, so I have found a very fine line of living in fear of God. The churches of old had to find times to secretly meet, and I guarantee you those times were often not the most convenient for people. If anything they were incredibly inconvenient so that the secret police wouldn't find them out. Then they were most likely crammed into a small apartment or maybe even a single room. Then they would sit/stand for hours to hear the word of God and fellowship. Compare this to our church today. We have a variety of services to choose from so you can fit God into your schedule and a coffee house on campus if you get tired and need a little help paying attention for that service. At most churches the minute the sermon is over people are out the door and headed for lunch/dinner. Some may stay behind to chat or catch up on some gossip, but overall many feel their obligation to God is over. Now, before you feel I am being too hard on the church, let me say, I don't think having church on Sat. night is a bad thing. Not all churches have to do things the same way to be effective. I also understand people that work and have to get to a job after services are over, but my main thought is this. How many people would come to church if it wasn't convenient for them, and is that what a church service should be all about? I understand that we as a church body must be open to reaching others, but what kind of commitment to Christ can we expect from people we are asking so little of? There is actually a story in the Bible about the rich man that came to Jesus and said, (paraphrased) "Hey, I want to get in on this action, and I have the money to help you out." This would be a churches dream!! Yes, someone who wants to follow Christ and that tithe will help out our church budget. However, Jesus could see his heart, and told him to go sell everything, then he could follow. Well, the man went away sad. Basically, Jesus turned him away because the man's heart wasn't in it. What can we as a church learn from this? Obviously I am NOT saying we should turn people away, but maybe somehow as a church we should set an example of putting Christ first, and not wherever He will fit for the week. Again, I struggle with this, because this can't be the end. Salvation is free and simple, so why should going to church be difficult for anyone in a free country? Just how as a church do you encourage people to grow in their relationship with Christ without becoming legalistic? Legality is the wrong way to go, "For we are free from the law..", so...... Yep, this is what I have been pondering lately.   You can see the struggle.  As we grow churches here, following the Acts example, I constantly seek God's guidance as to what He wants them to be.  What do you think?

Where did this month go?

So, I thought it had only a week or so since I last posted......man, where did this month go? I guess we have been busier than I realized. We finally found schools for the kids and one offers some great ministry opportunities. We also finally got our one year visas (excited screaming and cheering in the background)!!! I also started meeting with a language helper that speaks only Bulgarian with me. We have also been on two cultural outings, so.....yea, I guess we have been busy.
Okay, I'll start with the visas. It was long and tedious process. Mostly because Steven had to go to the police station at least 2 times a week to check on the status of them. They don't give out a phone number to just call and check, you have to physically go there and ask in person. No problem for someone with a car, but for us it took at least 45min to an hour each way. That is a total of 1 1/2 hrs. to hear someone behind a window say, "No, no reply yet." For those of you who know my sweet husband, you know how much this irked him. He detested taking all that time twice a week for nothing. In the end it paid off though. The last time he met with the police chief, the man said, "Yeah, I know this case and I am tired of hearing about it. Go check and see if they are ready." Basically, he made sure they were ready so he wouldn't have to see us again. He was nice about it, but funny.
Now, about the kids school. School started here on Sept. 15th. Well, we still didn't have visas at this time, and the public school was requiring Audrey and Jonathan to have it before they could apply. So, we were left with the dilemma; leave them out of school until we get the visas (not knowing how long it could take), or find a private school for them. After prayer and seeking counsel, we decided on the later. Looking back I can see how this was God's plan all along. If Audrey would have been in the public class she would have been in a class of 29 students. There is no way the teacher would have had the time to spend with her to help her learn the language. Now, Audrey is in a class with 3 other girls. That's the entire class, just 4 girls. Audrey is very rarely in group where the majority of kids are girls, let alone only girls. She is LOVING it! The teacher is also very nice and speaks a little English. However, she only speaks Bulgarian to Audrey unless more explanation is needed for an assignment. Jonathan is in the class right next door to Audrey's and they have PE and Art class together. Jonathan's class is also small so he is able to receive the attention he needs to learn the language as well. I told Steven that it is only a matter of time now before they have both passed up our language skills.
Eli just started going to a Montesorri school right up the road from our apt. The owners are Bulgarian, but lived in South Africa for 12 years, so they also speak very good English. The school is taught in Bulgarian, but they try to incorporate other languages as well. When Steven met the owner he mentioned my background in education and the owner was very interested. When I met her she offered me a position working at the school so Eli could attend for free. I was thrilled!!! Not only would I be able to get back into a classroom, but Eli would be able to attend for free. I will be helping out on Mon. and Fri. so as not to interfere with my language classes, but told them I might be able to rearrange my lessons to come other days for special events. They want me to teach the kids some songs in English and just talk with them in English. I can do that! I am very excited about the many ministry opportunities I will have with this class of children and teachers!
I have also started meeting with a language helper. Basically this is someone to help me practice what I am learning. I have met with her 5 times and love getting to know her. Her name is Maya, and she has an 18 month old daughter. She was involved in a student exchange program in the states, so she speaks very good English and is able to correct my mistakes and even help me with some new vocabulary. I am looking forward to opportunities to share with her.
Wow, am I still writing?? I guess I should write something about Steven huh? Well, he is doing good. He passed me up in language classes, and now knows a lot more verbs than I do. Kind of upset me at first, but very proud of him at the same time. We have had many chances to get out of the city and practice our language and are now able to conduct basic business all in Bulgarian. We went on a day trip to a little village about an hour and a half outside of Sofia. We didn't reserve a room anywhere, just being spontaneous, so when we arrived we walked around until we found one we liked. Steven did the entire transaction in Bulgarian!! We also got to go to a bio-farm where they made their own fresh cheeses, yogurt and latsenitsa. They made lunch for us after we toured the farm and looked at the cows, goat, puppies, chickens, horses, and calf. Ohhhhh my....it was so good. The table was set with fresh milk form that mornings milking, yogurt that was made just the day before, and cheese that was so tasty. All while overlooking an amazing view of the mountains. I must say, God called us to a beautiful country, and a very hospitable people group.
Okay, I guess that is it for now. I know now not to wait so long between posts, or this is what you end up with. A long rambling of the past months activities. Sorry. If you managed to stay with me till the end I salute you. Have a great day!

I Missed our 6 Month Anniversary

 

I can't believe I completely missed writing about our 6 month anniversary of being here in Bulgaria. While it hasn't all been easy, I can say that it has been amazing. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to explain how much joy I have knowing that I am exactly where God wants me to be and has planned for me to be since I was 8. There are still many days that I look around me and just thank God for how He has worked in my life. I take no credit for anything, but give God total glory for being able to use us among the peoples of Bulgaria. As a family we have grown closer to each other and to the Father. As a mother, I have learned to let go of some control I thought I had to maintain. As a wife I have learned how to truly be a helper to my husband. But most of all as a child of God, I am learning what complete obedience looks like. I have had hard days,  and I know more will come, but overall I have yet to think, "I can't do this, I want to go home." I am home!

Learning About Bulgarian Education

Life here is going good. Steven and I are encouraged everyday by how much more we are able to understand the language around us. Now if we could only respond...but we know that will just come with time. Audrey has progressed immensely in her language skills. She has a tutor for the summer to boost her confidence and give her some basics in the language. Her tutor said she thinks she will do great in "purvie class" if her teacher is patient with her, speaks slowly and annunciates her words so Audrey can follow. I think she is going to do great in school this year. Her school doesn't start back until Sept. 15th, but we start our homeschooling supplementing Mon. She is excited about her new curriculum we ordered and wanted to start her reading comprehension the day we got it in the mail. I love her desire to learn.

The boys are a little different story. We realize that Jonathan needs a more structured environment with more kids his age to interact with. The only problem is finding a place for him to do this. We also don't want to have to walk all over Sofia to take our kids to 3 different schools. So, we are currently looking for a quality place to send Jonathan and Eli that would still be close to home and meet all their social needs. Steven thinks we might have found it at a Montessori school just up the road. I would love for my boys to attend a Montessori school, if it is really done right. We go to meet with the owners Friday morning so I can ask my questions and check it out. We are really praying God will show us if this is the place. I would also really like to get to know the owners wife who is Montessori certified. To develop a friendship with a fellow education nerd would be great for me!

Steven and I will continue to plug away at our language classes in the hopes that one day we will be fluent....maybe in 20 years :)

Refreshed and Ready to Learn!

Well, we got back from our week in Bansko and we loved it!!! Some colleagues of ours let us borrow their car, so we were able to take our time and explore. It was wonderful to not be bound by a train or bus schedule. To simply jump in a car and go is something I haven't experienced in almost 6 months, and for someone who is very independent this was so freeing. The weather was great and the mountains were beautiful. Bansko is one of those places you can go and not have to spend any money to have fun. Our hotel had an indoor and outdoor pool, a small playground, and an indoor kid’s play area. Those things alone were enough to entertain our kids. In fact, every day we left the hotel to do something, the kids would say, " Can't we just stay here and swim and play?" However, after dragging them away they always had a good time doing what we had planned. We got to hike into the mountains one day. Along the way we did a little rock climbing, played in a little lake, and raced sticks and leaves down a small mountain stream. The sky was bright blue and the clouds fluffy white, which only served to exaggerate the grey and green of the landscape below. There were families with young children everywhere, and we were able to let the kids play in a lake with kids from all over Europe. We met families that included people from Czech, Switzerland, Bulgaria, and they all lived in UK. I also heard German, Spanish, Bulgarian, British English, and French while hiking. When meeting other people on the trail you never really knew what language to greet them in. It was awesome!!    

                                                       hiking in the Pirin Moutains

                                                                  He loved hiking!

                                                       Playing at the park in Bansko

The next day we went into the town of Razlog and walked around downtown. They had an amazing park area that seemed to stretch through the entire town. The town also had many small streams running through it...literally. I took a picture of a house that had been built over one of the streams. The kids had a blast racing leaves down the streams that wound through the park.
We did many other things that would take too long to mention, but we will definitely be going back. The kids didn't want to leave to come home. However, I can honestly say that I am glad to be home. Back to familiar surroundings and somewhat of a routine. The break from language classes was nice, but I am ready to get back into it and study hard!!!

                                                                The park in Razlog

Bumpy road of visas

Well, I am excited to say that this past week was much better in regards to language and I really appreciate all the prayers.  I was able to get back into the swing of language Wed. and had no trouble in class following along and understanding what was being said.  Again, I praise God for this!!! 
The only down part about the week was our visas.  Man, it is hard to get visas into this country!  You would think a country with a negative population growth would be encouraging people to live here, but it seems very much the opposite.  Or, they just make you work for it to make sure you really want to live here.  When we went to pick up our visas on Tues. they gave us a paper indicating we had not turned in a background check. Well, after three days of runnning around Sofia getting the background check translated again, and turning it back in, we now wait to see if they will accept it.  If not, we will have to spend hundreds of dollars to get an FBI background check that can take up to six weeks.  Did I mention that our current visas expire on Monday?  You would think we would be stressed and worried about the outcome, but we really aren't.  We did all we could, so now we just have to wait and pray!  I know that God has this and that all of this is no surprise to Him.  Through all of this we were able to establish a friendship with our translator.  He is a college student studying linguistics, and we really enjoyed getting to know him.
Apparently most of the people in Sofia go on vacation during the month of August, so we planned a little family trip of our own out of the city next week.  Our teammates are loaning us their car and we are going to drive to Bansko. It is a little town about 2 1/2 hours southeast of Sofia.  We are going to stop at Rila monastery along the way and just take our time to see what else we find.  We are really looking forward to it though.  This will be our first big trip out by ourselves, with just our limited language knowledge to help us.  Bansko is in the mountains so we are also planning on doing some hiking.  We also found out that the hotel will arrange outings for you, from horseback riding to white water rafting.  I can't decide which one I want to do more, but I have a feeling Steven would not be up for taking the entire family white water rafting.   I'll post pics when we get back.

Can a brain be to full?

So, language this week has not been pleasant for me. While I am still excited about learning Bulgarian, my brain is just really not cooperating. I seem to be forgetting things just as I learn them. I don't feel like I have retained any vocabulary, much less how to conjugate all the verbs (past, present, future, perfect and imperfect).  This has lead to a very frustrating week for me. I need to research to see if it is medically possible for the brain to get so supersaturated with info that it needs time to process before it can continue. Sounds like a great theory to me. Maybe our brains are like computers...they can handle massive loads of information, just the more info you put in them the longer it takes to find what you need. There is also the problem that what little Spanish I did remember is slowly dissipating as well. Leaving me feeling like a complete lingual failure. I know that I can speak so much more Bulgarian now than I could 4 months ago.  I can understand quite a bit as well.  Most weeks it is rough, but okay. It has just been this week that I feel like I went to bed one night and when I woke up it was as if I had never heard the language before. A friend of mine said it best when she said, "You never realize what a privilege it is to tell people about God until you can't." That is how I feel here. So, right now, this very moment I am praying for patience with myself and peace. God speaks all languages and knows my hearts desire to tell Bulgarians about His son. For those reading this in the US, I encourage you to take every opportunity to tell people about the hope you have in Christ....it is truly a privilege to be able to do so!

This post is really from June 24th

Ha, I meant to come back and finish this, but got side tracked and never did... so, here it is. 

oh my...already an entire month has gone by!  This blogging thing is harder than it looks.  Things are going good here.  We have gotten to travel out of the city twice this month, and that has been GREAT!  I love the ammenities the big city has to offer, but could easily give them up for the country life here.  We went to a meeting for all of our coworkers in the Balkan region and had a wonderful time of worship.  The kids got to attend VBS and we can't say thank you enough to the team from Alaska that worked with them.  At first, Jonathan was very confused.  When I told him he was going to VBS he asked, "But where will we go?  There isn't a church at the hotel."  It was a great way for him to see that we can worship our God anywhere!
Language is coming along swimmingly!  I feel so much more confident about speaking with people that I often get into conversations way over my head and end up just smiling and nodding.  Steven says this is because of my "Jones" tendancy to act like I know what I'm doing well enough, that people really do think I know what I'm doing.  It is a blessing and a curse :)  With language comes a freedom that I really enjoy though, so I'm not afraid to make mistakes and sound ignorant.  Most of the time when I tell people I have been studying Bulgarian for only four months they are very impressed.

What to say?????

So, I have erased this same page twice already trying write what I am thinking.  However, my thoughts are so jumbled right now that I am just going to put some of my favorite quotes from the kids since we have been here.

Walking home tonight: 
Audrey: What if we lived in Alaska?  Then we could have a dog.
Jonathan: ...and i could have a pet puffin!

Jonathan: Mommy, Bulgaria feels like home now.

Eli: edno, dve, tree, chetree, pet, shest, sedom, ocem, devet, decet!  (counting to ten in bulgarian)

Audrey:  Daddy, its shestniesit.  (correcting Steven's counting)

Jonathan: Mommy, why doesn't everyone here just speak american?

Not to mention their simple, sweet prayers:

Audrey: God, please help us as we tell Bulgarians about your son Jesus.
Jonathan: God, thank you for my great day and help us to have a good time in Bulgaria.
Eli: "Tank you family, tank you baby Jesus, tank you for our food."

My life is fully blessed because of my savior Jesus Christ!!

My thoughts on kids.....watch out!

I don't know about you, but my children never cease to amaze me.  Jonathan is so goofy, but so many times will shock us with a great understanding of life. Audrey catches onto everything and really understands what we are talking about, even when we are speaking in code.  Then there is Eli, just when you think he is moving to fast to hear anyhting you say, he pipes in with his two cents on the subject.  All of this reminds me that my children are not only important to me, but to God also.  It is these little moments with kids that I adore and even made me want to be an educator.  I was going to be the person that would not only teach these little blessings, but I also want to continue to be a voice for them.  Not just for my own kids, but for all children.  It is my personal opinion that there are to many churches that either do not realize the importance of children, or are just choosing to cast them aside until they are really "useful" in the church body.  Up until then, we put them in classes (sometimes just babysitting) and allow them to participate in really fun activities, but never really give them chances to serve in the church.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that childrens activities are bad. They are great, and just what children need to learn about Christ and His love for them.  I'm just saying that when we rob children of the opporunity to serve, we deny them one of the greatest joys: serving Christ.  I don't think God looks at our ages, but at our hearts. A child at the age of 2 singing Jesus Loves Me is just as beautiful to the Father than Carrie Underwoods "How Great Thou Art".  This all came from me thinking today about how great my kids are.  They are not just along for this crazy ride with Steven and I, but God has a purpose for them as well.  Not a futuristic purpose, but one right now.   My children are not simply here with us while we serve, but they are serving the Lord with us.

This is home

We had just rounded the corner of our street and headed up the steps to the front door of our apartment building when Jonathan said, " Mommy, I call Bulgaria home now."  We have lived here for exactly 3 months today, and while there are still some things we miss from the states, I can say we feel at home here.  We speak enough Bulgarian now to make it through light converstaions, getting around the city is no problem, and our little neighberhood has become familiar.   The kids have friends here, and enjoy going to school.  Apartment life is still difficult.  I mean really, inside voice is a relative term to us.  Overall though, we are very happy and feel so blessed to be here.  Thank you Lord for our new home!
Here are a few pictures of some of the fun we have here!

 Audrey on the bungee trampoline in Levski park.

 Eli in the dinosaur bouncy house at Levski Park.

 Jonathan on the bouncy slide.  He really was having fun, he just didn't want his picture taken.

One great day!

Audrey's day off

Well, Audrey didn't have school today, and neither Steven or I had language class, so we decided to explore some of Sofia's museums.  After taking a quick detour to see Levski church we headed for the Museum of Natural History.  While the museum was pretty neat, it had tons of birds, it was what I can imagine a museum in the sates looked like about 20 years ago.  There were no interactive exhibits, and most of the animal displays were stuffed.  This made it interesting....for example, the zebra and panther were missing some fur and looked as if they had mange.  I can also now say I have seen a stuffed dolphin, that looked totally fake because of all the paint they used to make the skin look dark.  I also had an educational moment with Audrey when I had to explain that the flaming was white because it was no longer eating pink food.  Oh...and don't even get me started on the snake room.  All I'll say is lots of snakes and even more formaldehyde.  They looked really nasty, but you had to walk past them to get to the fish, so Audrey and I sucked it up and made it through.  I also found it ironic that the insect room, filled with all sorts of insects, smelled like moth balls.  It was fun to see what you would find around the next corner.  Audrey found a seal that she thought was smiling at her, and a European bison that made our North American bison look like cattle.  Overall, Audrey thought it was neat, and I did too.    
Now I am sitting here in the study with the wiondows of the apartment open, a slight breeze blowing through, and listening to thunder in the distance.  Audrey is playing with clay at the table, Eli is playing a memory game with Jonathan and Steven is taking a much needed nap.  This is what I call a GREAT day!

Double post day!!!

Yep, that's right, 2 posts in one day!!!  GO ME!  Just kidding, I just realized that I never published the last post I wrote, but for some strange reason it was saved as a draft instead.  So, just pretend that these posts are really a week apart. 

    I wasn't able to download the video of Audrey saying John 3:16 in the children's Easter presentation at church.  I really wanted to, but it kept saying there was an error while trying to download.  Might have something to do with the fact it was so long, and I don't know how to shorten it.  I was so proud of her for so many reasons.  1st, she  already had the verse memorized from FPO.  2nd, that she was brave enough to try to learn it in Bulgarian.  3rd, that she stood up infront of all those people and did a great job.  God has blessed my life incredibly through my children and I pray I never forget that.  Also, a few pics of our park with the trees starting to bloom. 

 This is the fountain at one of the main entrances to the park by our apartment.  That is Mt. Vitosha in the background.  We have a great view of it from our balcony as well.

 They were picking flowers for me :)

    Today, we went to a large yard sale at the US embassy and had a great time.  For one thing all of the sellers spoke english so I felt in my element when it came to haggling for some stuff.  I was proud to barter an unused Starbucks card for some really nice gymboree clothes :)  While this made my day, I must say that I was most proud of myself for the dealing I did the day before with the little old ladies that sell handmade items downtown.  Now that was a feat.  I was able to work one lady down to 4 leva each for items that were marked at 7 leva a piece. All in Bulgarski I might add.  Steven was even impressed.  While I do enjoy a good bargain, I can see how doing this everyday in some cultures could get really old really fast.  However, I am glad that my mom taught me how to be firm and able to walk away if the price isn't good enough.  Thanks Mom!

Time flies when you're having fun!

Wow, has it really been almost three weeks since I last posted.  The saying is true, time really does fly when you are having fun.  Life here has been good.  I am able to understand more and more of what the people around me are saying, and sometimes even able to answer them. I was able to quickly deter a con artist the other day.  He approached me(could tell I was American) and began to ask me to donate to his phony charity.  I was able to say, "Neh, neh iskam."  When I did, he realized I was legit and found another target.
      The kids are doing great and Audrey was able to have a small part in the Easter presentation at our church.  Easter is a huge holiday here, but sad at the same time.  The Othodox church has so twisted what it is really about.  On palm Sunday people take willow branches to symbolize the palm branches in the bible.  Great!  But, then they have them blessed by the priest, arranged into a wreath and hang them above the door for good luck.  See how such a simple truth is twisted, the palm branches laid at Jesus feet were in praise and adoration, not for luck or good health.   They feel that if the priest blesses them they hold some magical power that will be able to protect their household from harm for the year.  Sadly the priest do nothing to deter this practice.  My heart continues to break for the thousands I see everyday that have no idea what a relationship with Christ is.  God is so much more than a list of rules or a lucky charm. Please, please continue to pray for this people group.  Many of whom will be very surprised on judgement day when Christ says, "depart from me I never knew you."  Please pray that the Lord would give Steven and I many opportunities to share!
       

It's the little things

I have been racking my brain for the past week to come up with some witty things to write about. After my brain told me to stop, I came to realize my life is really in the little things right now. For example, just last week I had an entire, though short, transaction totally in Bulgarian.  This small thing put me on cloud nine for the week.  Eli would poop in his pants and I would think, "that's okay.  If I can converse in Bulgarian, I can handle a little poo."  Sounds crazy I know, but I praise the Lord for this small victory.  Back to Eli's potty training, he has actaully been doing very good.  He has had many days of no accidents, and today he actually informed us when he needed to use the restroom.  Tomorrow I am going to let him wear just underwear without the plastic coverings.  He is officially a big boy.  Hmmmm...this means it is time for another baby :)   No, I'm not pregnant, just saying. 
      Another example of the little things in life, I have mastered my way around our little area of town. I know what buses/trams/trambuses will take me where. I give all praise to the Master for this feat.   I went shopping with Audrey close to downtown and we had a blast.  I praise God for the wonderful daughter He gave us.  On our way home, we did get on one wrong bus, but that was not our fault.  The side of the bus had our number, but apparently it wasn't on the front, thus it was the wrong bus.  No problem, we got off at the next stop and just walked a little ways to the correct stop.  Plus, along the way we found another great underground shopping area with a National Geographic store.  This is great news because my children are fascinated with  the Nat.Geo.Wild channel.  They would rather watch it than Disney channel or most anyhting else.  Hey, what can I say, we are raising our kids to be nerds just like us :)    But again, I praise the Father for kids who love to learn about His creation.
        So, while this blog isn't extrememly awe inspiring, I hope it has maybe made you stop and think to praise God for the little things in life.

Our package adventure!

It was a Thursday.  I'll never forget it.  We had received info that our first package from America was here!  The excitement was overwhelming, but not as much as the idea of how to pick it up.  We haven't covered asking for, or recieving directions. So on an adventurous whim, Steven and I set out to conquer this task.  I met him at 10:30 outside his language class and we headed out.  We didn't make it far down the block before we went back to the teacher and asked her how to get to the "central" post office.  She showed us on the map where it was located and we mapped out what trams/buses/bustrams we needed to take to get there.  And again we were off!  We made it to the destination the teacher had shown us, only to be turned away from every post office signed door we walked through.  Everyone who turned us away tried to correct our ere in direction, unfortunatly it was always in Bulgarian.  It was then I thought to call our team leaders wife (who is Bulgarian) and ask her where exactly this place is.  After reading her the piece of paper we had, she told us our package wasn't at the post office at all. It was at the customs office next to the train and bus station.  Ohhhhhhh.  That explains it.  SO, we checked the map, checked our time, decided we could make it, and headed for the stations.  By this time it was 11:45 so we stopped and ate a brief lunch.  Eating seemed to give us a new found energy to continue on our way, so we hopped on the next bus we needed and made it to the stations.  Once there we thought, "It's a train station.  Surely we can find someone that speaks english."  HA!  It wasn't until the fourth person we asked, that we got some kind of general direction to head in.  "Past the bus station," was all we got, so again, off we went.  We walked past the bus station, down a hill and into the customs office.  YES!!! We had made it!!!!  They were closed for lunch.  I'm so not kidding. So we sat and waited for about 20 minutes for the little window to open.  A small line(mob) formed, but we eventually made it to the front and handed over our slip of paper, only to have it thrust back at us and some bulgarian language as well.  All we could gather was that we were supposed to fill out some information on the back.  It was all in Bulgarian, how were we supposed to know that?  Steven asked if anyone spoke english, "neh" was the response.  We were not budging.  By this time, Christ could have returned and I would have asked Him to just let me get this package before going to glory.  After some interesting looks she asked for(in a disgusted tone) a passport.  Steven handed her the copy of his passport.  "This not passport." she said.  It was all the same info, but she wasn't going to take it, so Steven pulled out his drivers license as well.  She finally took it and used some of the info to fill out the back of the paper.( All the while keeping the copy of his passport)  We were then directed to another line to talk with the customs agent, who upon realizing we spoke no Bulgarian just signed and stamped the paper only to send us back to the same line.  We approached Ms. Happy again, and she looked oh so happy to see us.*sarcasm implied*  We payed the 4 leva for the packag and were handed a reciept and another piece of paper to take to another window to actually pick up the package.  Before we left Steven asked for his passport copy back.  She looked at him and wasn't going to give it back until he insisted.  Praise the Lord, another man had seen our plight and showed us where to go to pick up the package.  Finally, after 3 hours, 4 buses, 3 windows, and Ms. Happy we had our package!  Was it worth...oh yeah!  We found a much shorter route home and made it in time to pickup all the kids on time.  Plus Steven and I had a great time together.  I praise the Lord for the awesome husband I have to share in these adventures with me!

Happy Birthday to me!

Today was a great day. Other than the fact that I turned one year older...man, 29 is a tough year ;)  Really, even though the weather was misty rain all day, I still found joy in my day.  It was a restful morning.  Steven got the kids all ready for daycare, and I got to sleep in.  Now, before you think wow, what a great guy...just wait, it gets better. He actually does this most days during the week.  Okay, now you can be jealous!  Yes, he gets them breakfast, makes their lunch, and sometimes even dressed, all while letting me sleep.  I am so spoiled!  But hey, I did walk them all to daycare in the drizzle, so I pull my weight.  After dropping them all off, I came home, did a lttle laundry, cleaned up a little and watched a movie.  Yep, one exciting lady here!  The best part of the day was the mexican reseraunt we found. It reminded me of a Chipotle, but with way fewer ingredients.  However, the ingredients they did have were the closest we have had yet to real Tex-Mex.  Then Steven and the kids got me an ice cream cake from the store.  All in all, it was one of those days that you look back on and can't really remember doing anything spectacular, but you just remember it being a really great day! 

I vow to do better!

Okay, as of today, Sunday here, I vow to do better at keeping our blog updated.  I am going to pick one day a week to be my blog day, and if anyhting else pops up before then I may even post more than once.(but don't get your hopes up :)  Language is going good, and Steven and I have found that we are starting to pick up words in conversations.  We have also learned how to ask, " Do you speak English?"  and how to reply, "I don't speak Bulgarian.  Only a little, I am learning."  This has come in handy.  I was very proud of myself just this morning for understanding that the sweet little old lady next to us on the bus was asking me how old Eli was.  I was able to give a brief answer then interpret that she had 2 grandchildren, one was 2 and the other was 4.  I then was able to tell her that Jonathan was 5 and Audrey was 7.  Now, before you get the impression that I am anywhere near proficient, all of this was relayed in broken, very badly spoken, Bulgarski.  But, hey, that was my victory for today! 
         Eli's potty training is going good.  He has gone a couple of days with no accidents and these are very good days!!!  Then there are days he does it just to spite me.  Okay.....maybe not, but it feels like that.  His personality is very much like that of his sister.  Very headstrong, and determined.  As usual this kind of freaks out other parents around us on the playground.  Steven and I have observed that parents here are very protective of their children.  Even the bigger ones.  They are never far away from them on the playground, and if the child climbs anything over 3 feet high, the parent is right there for assistance.  Well, you can imagine how it looks when I am letting my little guy scale a climbing wall, flip over the top, and descend the other side.  All while passing up what looks like a 5 year old little boy.  As I puff up with pride at my sons gross motor ability, I look around and see all the other parents looking at me in sheer horror and disbelief that I would even let him attempt it.  I simply smile, tell him "way to go!" in english, and they all understand...oh, they're just crazy Americans. :)
   Jonathan and Audrey are doing good.  Audrey is on holiday until Apr.11, so she has been working on her American schoolwork this week, and will be going with the boys to childcare next week.  We are getting used to living in an apt. and I think the park right down the street is helping.  The weather has been really nice for the past couple of days and there is always alot going on in the park.  Plus we use it as a meeting place.  Steven has already met another man and his child that were from England, and we are getting to know the family of the little boy that translates for Audrey in school.  They are really nice and have a neat story.  He is from Mexico, she is from Bulgaria, and they met in college in Colorado, USA.  HA!  Isn't that great! 
     Well, I have babbled on enough.  Overall, life here is good!  We are loving exploring the city(sometimes getting a little lost), eating yummy new foods, and meeting new people.  May God be glorified in all we do here!

Newsletter 1

The cold crisp air of Sofia hit our faces, along with the reality, we were finally here!  Our team members greeted us at the airport and took us to our new home.  After a few days of recovering from jetlag we ventured out into the city and found the people here to be distant, yet friendly.  They are especially considerate of the kids and you can tell children are valued in this culture.

             Small tasks in America have now become feats of achievement here.  Stacie has managed to conquer the shopping more than once, while Steven has triumphantly learned to navigate the public transportation.  The children never cease to amaze us in their ability to adapt and make friends wherever we go.  Jonathan even tried to help take up the offering in church Sunday.

Overall we feel extremely blessed to join God in His task of reaching all peoples!

View from our apartment

Bridge near our apt.

Aleksander Nevski Church

  

· We arrived safely and are settling into life in Sofia.

· Support from our team as we enrolled Audrey in school and Jonathan and Eli in childcare.

· Pray for us as we begin learning the Bulgarian language.

· Pray for some contacts already made with Bulgarians, that these relationships would grow and present an opportunity to share the hope we have in Christ.

· Pray for Audrey, Jonathan, and Eli as they continue to adjust to a new life and culture.

Waiting

Many of you have asked how we are doing and the only response I have is...we are waiting. We hope to hear on the progress of our visa approval soon, but it could be as long as a month.  We have been blessed with a place to stay until we depart just north of San Antonio.  We appreciate and ask for continued prayer on the quick approval of our visas.  We know that everything is in God's perfect time, but we hope this comes sooner than later as we are ready to head over the ocean.  We have had some great time visiting with family over the holidays and the last few weeks.  We were hoping to drive to Livingston this weekend but Jonathan has come down with a pretty bad virus with high fever and such.

Tomorrow is the ninth anniversary of my cousin Rachel's dissapearance and my aunt and uncle still have heard nothing.  Please pray for the Cooke family tomorrow as they remember Rachel. 
Steven