11.8.09
Today I complete my last leg of my journey. I taught in Zion Church at their Sundaya 10:30 service. This is one of the 40 new foursquare churches that has been birthed in Bulgaria beginning in 1991. It is in Sophia, the capital of Bulgaria (population 2 million). I am doing a overnighter in the London airport called a Yotel. It is a cubicle about 5 feet by 6 feet. Just enough room for the shower, toilet and bed and for my baggage. I arrive back in Maui on Monday, 8pm.
aloha,
Jason
Monday, November 9, 2009
City of Varna, Bulgarian Update 8
11.07.09
Hello everyone!
I arrived in the city of Varna on Thursday . It's the second largest city in Bulgaria (population 450 000 people) and is located on the Black sea. It's a port city and its coastline is full of vacation resorts.
In the evening I taught at the Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Varna. I first started coming here to teach Bible school curriculum in 1998. It is here I met an interpreter, Diana Georgieva, and as most of you know, the following year I invited her to be an intern at Hope Chapel and upon returning home has been one of Hope Chapel's missionaries.
After the service I went out to dinner with a seeker friend of Diana, who has a Eastern Orthodox background, but does not attend Church. Her name is Mariana and she is a Judge in the city of Varna for the last 2 years. I asked her, what changes have taken place since the fall of Communism and she said "freedom of expression". Under Communism you were not allowed to think independently or express yourself creatively etc. She went on to explain, for example her father and grandfather were exiled and killed in the Bulgarian communist concentration camps.
She is grateful that as a woman she has been able to utilize her intelligence and opportunities to become a Judge as well as raise a family in this era of time.
It's been a real joy catching up with Diana over great food and a new Costa Coffee shop in town. In our conversation she informed me about the course that she is teaching. She has been discipling 15 people over the last 8 months. (see pictures) One of them is making a great impact in the secular world. His name is Svetlozar.
Among these 15 students Diana gives special attention to 4 ladies. One of them is 38 and 3 of them are in their late 20s.
I have been inspired by Diana' example of being a Titus 2:3,4 woman. Not only is she a great model of what is means to be a follower of Christ, but she is a real encourager of women younger than herself.
It is a rewarding to see first hand the fruit of Hope Chapel's investment into Diana over the years.
May all of us be stirred on to be making heaven bound investments as well.
"Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times" Eph 5:16
Serving together,
Jason
Update 7 City of Stara Zagora
11.6.09
Hello Everyone,
On Tuesday I got on a bus and traveled 4 hours thru the mountains to teach in a mid week Wednesday evening service in the city of Stara Zagora. I love the "city to city" bus rides in Bulgaria because they are comfortable, roomy and I get much accomplished in the down time .The country side in late October/early November is very beautiful. It is especially great to see the trees yellow and as we ascend up the mountain to look at the snow everywhere.
Stara Zagora is the 5th largest city in Bulgaria....something like 200,000. It is so different than the little 25,000 population city of Lovech where I have been for the last 7 days. Prior to dinner, Pastor Lyubo and I went to a new indoor shopping mall ( movie theatres, food courts etc ) called Park Center for some coffee at a place called Costa. This mall is just like the ones in Orange County, Southern California so I don't even feel like I am in Eastern Europe!.Very boring....except for the awesome English coffee franchise called Costa!
Pastor Lyubo & Tanya Petkov (see photo of them in Sydney) are special friends of mine. He was the person who was holding a sign with my name on it as I entered the airport here for the first time in 1997. After the fall of communism in 1989 being a first generation graduate in the early 1990s of Vision Bible school and becoming an associate pastor, Lyubo relocated to this city in 2003 and accepted the offer of becoming pastor of a church. Since then he has re-organized it as an independent church, formed a leadership team, developed a bible school in the church and has birthed/planted 14 other area churches.
Over a 3 year period I have been teaching Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey and Sotieriology to the Bible school in the church. These 15 students were very diligent and hungry for the word and are proud graduates. The man in the middle (see photo) is a security guard & beekeeper and has planted 7 village churches.
This Wednesday I taught to an audience of about 125 on the subject of Integrity. I reminded them that if we are to make a difference in our families, jobsite, neighborhood- we need to live differently and a life of integrity will certainly have that effect particularly in a world with no absolutes.
He and Tanya host a Christian TV talk show in a secular setting. He believes very strongly about the gospel effecting not only individual lives but impacting cites morally, politically, socially as well as spiritual etc. This is a big privilege and opportunity that was not possible under communism..but now with the new freedoms the gospel can change cultures as well.
Lyubo is 40 years old and his impact is only in seed form...yet to bloom as a full flower. God willing, he has his whole life and ministry ahead of him. God is going to use him mightily. I am blessed to be able to throw spiritual gasoline on him and the ministry he oversees.
Lyubo reminds me of the window of opportunity which Queen Esther had when challenged by Mordecai to use her position and seize the moment to serve the purposes of God in her generation.
And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14
Each of us are in unique situations and assignments...I hope you are inspired by Lyubo & Tanya and will seize your window of opportunity to serve the Lord in the time and place you are in currently.
In Christ,
Jason
Update 6
11.5.09
Hello Everyone,
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Rom 10:14,15
Last week I taught in 5 cities, 1 prison and1 bible school. In the smaller churches (Strajitsa, Sevlievo & Sophia) that met in a home, hotel and a building on the street I wore my everyday "Vans" non preaching tennis shoes...but at the sunday services in the 75+ member Zion Church in Veliko Turnovo & Shalom Church in Lovech I wore my Walmart Dr Scholls preaching shoes!!
The attached photos of the two types of shoes may not mean much to you....but to the brothers & sisters in Bulgaria- the feet which are in these shoes enabled these places to hear the Good News from the word of God.
The Bulgarian church body....says thank you for being obedient to Romans 10:14,15.
Jason
Bulgaria Update 5, Lovech Part 3
11.4.09
Hello Everyone,
Saturday, October 31st, I spent the day with 3rd year bible students teaching a course called “Developing Gifts and Ministries”.
Including those that just wanted to hear the word of God all day such as an ex orthodox priest who a few years ago became born again and several gypsy teenagers who came along with their pastor there were about 15 in attendance from 9:00am till 4:30pm.
The subject (Developing Gifts & Ministries) was quite pertinent to them because these students are the Pastors and pastoral staff from two nearby cities.
Attached are photos of these men and women who have a appetite for God’s Word and are bringing Christ’s presence and transforming power into the communities they live.
I love being an Ephesian 4:11 equipper “to prepare Gods people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up” Ephesians 4:12.
In Christ,
Jason
Update 4, Lovech Part 2
11.2.09
Hello Everyone,
The church in Lovech is called Shalom Church. It is shepherded by George Michlailov. He is a very influential Christian leader in the nation who is the man behind the 10+ Bible Schools in local churches that are sprinkled over the country which I have been teaching in since 1997.
On Tuesday, I had lunch with the Vision Bible School Staff. It consists of 2 ladies. Meloni and Tsura run the Bulgarian network of Bible schools. They translate and distribute the curriculum text books and coordinate the teacher’s schedules including mine.
They labor in obscurity and are behind the scenes- but without them- emerging Christian leaders would not surface.
In the attached photo -we are pointing to Lovech, the city we are in.
Later on in the evening I had dinner with the Associate Pastor of Shalom Church named Svetly. He is the Worship director and the Small Group Director as well. This man loves Hope Chapel very much. Each year your contributions supply worship resources such as recent worship Cds and bulk packs of individual guitar strings. This man translates songs into Bulgaria and does worship seminars etc throughout the country. In fact, the following day, he and 5 others are traveling 18 hours by van to do a worship seminar in Albania. What a blessing that our financial contributions are not only reaching Bulgaria, but the Christians in Albania as well, one the poorest countries in Eastern Europe.
One of my favorite stories is the parable of the unjust steward who Jesus commended not for his dishonesty but for his shrewdness in making the most of the brief opportunity entrusted to him. Jesus tells us to be like him....to use our money wisely and as a by-product we will be welcomed by many new friends as we enter into heaven (Luke 16:1-9). Our support makes an eternal impact...and you will be meeting in heaven brothers/sisters from Bulgaria whom we've partnered with over these many years.
" I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends fo
r yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings" Luke 16: 9In Him,
Jason
Update 3, Lovech Pt 1
11.2.09
Hello Everyone,
The last 7 days my base of operation has been in the city of Lovech. This is a small and friendly place. It is the kind of city that when you walk down the Centrum you run into many people that you know. They are experiencing some reconstruction projects, but at this point it is still not a growing city. In fact it has shrunk from 50,000 people to 25,000.
Monday and Wednesday I got together with a couple old friends. Slavi is 34yr old and Pancho is 29. These are two former students who have graduated from this Bible School in Shalom Church. They started going to the school in 1999 and have taken my Old Testament Survey, Ecclesiology and Hermeneutics courses and are now doing ministry in this city and the church called Shalom.
They currently lead a small group together in the home of a wonderful 34 year old young woman. Her name is Swetla who is an accountant and a 3rd year student in the course I am teaching. She was my interpreter all week as well and is engaged to Slavi. Wednesday evening I attended their home group and had an informal question and answer time (see group photo).
These are some emerging leaders who are reaching their generation. It is such a joy to see the spiritual fruit in their lives and to have had a part in it.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” 3 John 4
In Christ,
Jason
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