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
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