Trip to Bulgaria

We just returned from great trip to Bulgaria! There were almost 150 of us Americans and it was a great time to reconnect with a few old friends and to meet quite a few new ones! It was so special to be with others living in the Balkans whose hearts are committed to Christ.

There was a team from Northside Baptist Church in New York who led our music for the week. The music was top-notch and they also shared testimonies of how God is working in their lives. A hairstylist and a photographer came as part of the team so many of us got new haircuts and family photos! What a blessing!!!

Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, California, sent their pastor as our speaker and also a team to take care of our children. The kids had a great time swimming and playing -- they had a VBS program in English and they really enjoyed that!

Rebekah is now 13 so she's in the youth group! (Woo Hoo!) Mr. Larry led them in their own program with the help of Mrs. Linda. The group was small but they really bonded and found creative ways to pass the time in between sessions!

Lottie Moon Auction

One afternoon we had an auction to raise money for Lottie Moon. The volunteers donated lots of goodies from America and those of us living here paid outrageous prices for those scrumptious treats! An ice cream maker went for $450, a six-pack of IBC Rootbeer for $400 (those are now chilling in OUR fridge!!!), a 12-pack of Diet Dr. Pepper for $600 and a quilt for $1400! The NY music team spontaneously donated their drums and a bass guitar, and that brought in another $1850.

The most outrageous "item" was when we joined together to raise $5000 to shave Randy Covington's head! (Randy was the organizer for the meeting.) We all mentally recalculated what all we had already spent and squeezed out a bit more and in the end gathered $5330 and poor Randy had to have his head shaved right in front of us!

It must sound insane, but it is a lot of fun – and the money goes to a great cause. Besides, on Thanksgiving Day who's thinking about the hundreds of dollars given for those pecans in July?!

By the time the night was over, we all had a few extra treats and $25,000 was raised for Lottie Moon!!!

Thank you so much to the volunteers from NY and CA. And also to the two families from Mississippi who came to offer medical care during the week. And thank you Lord, for the blessing of this time of fellowship with other believers.