Wow, I have been anticipating writing this blog for months now. I have thought about all the witty ways I would tell about how great our first year on the field has been, how God has sustained us through some very big challenges, and how we are more excited now than when we first got here about what God is doing in our lives. Now the best way I can think to get it all down and not write a book is to simply list the many things we experienced in shortened versions.
Our year of firsts:
1. We lived in an apt for the first time with 3 kids
2. We experienced and conquered public transportation in the capital city
3. We traveled by train.
4. We found ourselves able to only communicate with a small handful of people
5. We enrolled our children into Bulgarian schools
6. We learned to lower our voices in public so we didn't stand out as the obvious Americans
7. We have gone without decent beef for 1 whole year
8. Stacie learned many creative ways to cook just pork and chicken.
9. Steven learned that in the winter the ice is very, very slick
10. We experienced our first white Christmas, as well as the lowest temps and most snow Bulgaria has had in decades.
11. The kids got to go sledding
12. Audrey built her first snowman (it was as tall as she was)
13. Steven preached for the first time
14. The kids flew on a commercial airline
15. We worship as a family in a foreign language
16. Stacie visited a doctor, who told her not to ask any more questions
17. We will be having baby #4 not on Texas soil
Through it all we have experienced God's grace and guidance and give Him all the glory for a great first year here.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, November 25, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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.
- 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.
Friday, September 30, 2011
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.
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