Church, Kostinbrod, and Sofia

Sunday morning came quickly. Dogs were barking pretty early. The neighbor came over and said that we needed to turn off the sprinkler because we were flooding her basement. The problem was we couldn’t figure out how to shut it down. Owen arrived and we were able to get the caretaker to shut it down. This was apparently the cause of flooding in the basement in our house and the neighbors.

We then headed to Church in Kostinbrod.

This was a beautiful experience. There is something spiritually powerful when worshipping in a language you do not speak or understand. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit can move in you and you know it can be nothing else but Him because you do not know the words only that something is stirring deep within.

Nansi (and sometimes Owen) was able to translate the sermon.

After the service was finished the Pastor recognized us and invited us up front. First, he prayed for us and then the congregation stood and they all prayed for us. It was very powerful and emotional to experience. They all came to us to thank us. Some had tears as they thanked us, shaking our hands and giving us hugs. It was incredibly encouraging for us to realize what is possible when people find Jesus. It is amazing the bond that believers have in Him. People of every tribe and tongue without the commonality of culture can dwell together with love because of our unity in Christ, Jesus. It is truly a wonderful thing to experience. Slava na Boga! Glory to God!

From there we left to experience Sofia. We went to the Central Park of Sofia. We were able to observe a monument to the “host of saints be added the names of clerics and laymen….killed during the reign of communist terror.” It looked a lot like the Viet Nam memorial in Washington.

Then we had lunch downtown.

Afterwards, we experienced a small Church building that was constructed in the 3rd Century. The more we experience these Eastern Orthodox churches the more we realize how aberrant the theology and thus how lost this nation is. Eastern Orthodox is basically the State religion and informs the people that they are Christian but is strictly cultural and not transformative.

We were able to see the only place in Europe where a Mosque, a Church and a Synagogue are equidistant. We took the Sofia metro which is quite modern and fast.

From there we returned to Owen and Nansi’s house for another relaxing evening with dinner outside. The evening was filled with laughter and great conversation. We did begin developing a more specific strategy to go back to the US and inspire others in our Church and other Churches to understand the great need to gather resources and people to come to Bulgaria to bring the gospel to a people steeped in centuries of oppression. They are desperate for the good news of Jesus Christ.

We returned home for our last night in Bulgaria. We wound up staying up late talking again.

Slava na Boga! Glory to God!

This is a guest post written by a member of a short-term team. Click here to read Day 7.

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