Pazardzik - An opening door

Last night we were in a church with Roma (gypsies) and Bulgarians. We thought the response to the presentation was tepid at best. To our surprise after the meeting the pastor came running up to us and said this was incredible material. He has influence over 50 churches in the region and wants us to come back for a multi-day seminar. The photo here shows us looking at the map.

More pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/josephruizjr/PazardzikAnOpeningDoor?authkey=Gv1sRgCKnCy6ug_I38aw#


Just goes to show you always have to be careful about surface observations and judgments. Always good to probe and be curious. Carla has really been living this and helping me to start to look at this more effectively.

These people have been neglected for centuries and are hungry for any kind of teaching material. Hey my kind of audience! :-)

God's body is incredibly diverse. I am so grateful to have the blinders lifted. Their probably not gone but I sure do see things differently.

Creatively Speaking

The pastor and his wife at Kurdzali are both artists in every sense of the word. They run a local art gallery. Before leaving for Pazardzik we had an opportunity to visit with them in their gallery. Their work is pretty incredible. I have a few pictures but they really don't do their works justice. I am not sure I have ever heard of a pastor/artist. They are really sweet people and to be with them is to be refreshed. We had lunch at the lake (I know, suffering for Jesus) I will do what it takes! :-)

May the Lord Bless and keep each of you. Thanks for your kind thoughts and prayers they sure make a difference when you are half way round the world.

Here are a few pics
http://picasaweb.google.com/josephruizjr/CreativelySpeaking?authkey=Gv1sRgCMjR_Jiuwur_dw#

Kurdzali

Great meeting tonight. We are in the heart of Muslim country. This church is committed to reaching Muslims. As a result they are facing significant difficulties. You will note in the photos a stark contrast to the places we have been the last couple of days. Still these people were very gracious and humble.

They are heavily involved in the arts. The unique design of their church reflects this. It took them 8 years to build the church. Their pastor told us our presentation could not have come at a better time. These teachings will help them address current struggles and difficulties they are facing.

I am really enjoying the experience of God's diverse body.

He already issued an invitation to return next year with more in depth material.
More photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/josephruizjr/Kurdzali?authkey=Gv1sRgCNaHjIDH6of8bQ#5317239839119171490

Grace & Peace

Bulgaria is a country of contrasts

Bulgaria is a country of contrasts. On Monday we left Sofia which is near a decent mountain range. We drove up the mountain to the first village where we did our first gypsy training session. Here is where we stayed. This link will give you a glimpse of the breath-taking scenery and a few of the country's many contrasts.

http://picasaweb.google.com/josephruizjr/BulgariaLandOfContrasts?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ-lupG-puvScw#

Nova Zagora

Last night we presented to Turkish gypsies. This group had a greater concentration of pastors, our primary target audience. The church is right in the shadow of a mosque and it is quite something to hear the Muslim call to prayer as you listen to worship songs in Bulgarian.

The group was very receptive and attentive. God's people are so diverse wherever they are found. We had a chance to pray with a man about to have open heart surgery.

Today we leave Stara Zagora. By the way you haven't lived until you have been on a two lane Eastern European highway. Thank God for protection. :-)

And thank you for your prayers

Rakitovo

The first stop on our tour out of Sofia was Rakitovo. Cut and past the link to view a few pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/josephruizjr/Rakitovo?authkey=Gv1sRgCMuB7urix5yB4gE#

This is a gypsy church in the mountains about an hour from Sofia. It is remote and shall we say.... dated. How about wood burning stove for heat. Now picture this and cell phones ringing during the teaching, someone filming on a Sony HD and downloading to a PC.

These are really sweet hungry people. I find it humbling to think about the things I complain about when I am in the midst of these saints. Their love for God shines in darkness. The were so hospitable. After we taught they served meals in their back room. This was a challenge because the food was very cold. But I did my best to be gracious and ate what I could.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention... while we are waiting to begin we hear this incredible voice that we think is a CD turns out there is this lady sitting on a bench singing. A most angelic voice. The purity of it was amazing. They had a male singer who was pretty good too.

I love the acceptance of these folks. Though we speak different languages there is no doubt we serve the same God!

Thanks so much for your prayers I truly feel them.

Movie Review

While strolling around Sofia taking in the sites this afternoon we stumbled across a film scene in progress. It is part of Universal Soldier 3 with Jean Claude Van Dame. Personally I am not a movie guy and I haven't seen any of these but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun to watch.

If you go to this link you can see the full scene. If you look really close you can see the flames from the AK 47 rifle. Sorry you will have to cut and paste the link http://picasaweb.google.com/josephruizjr/UniversalSoldierSet?authkey=Gv1sRgCPDZiJOew4DztgE#

I haven't figure what this means. Let's just say it is completely random.