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.

Heavenly Worship

Wow I don't think I have ever experienced anything like today. Imagine Hillsong worship music and the song "I can only imagine" in a completely foreign tongue. This worship band was incredible. Two of the three musicians are the top in this country. What beautiful sound in less than ideal surroundings. We forgot all about the lack of heat when the Spirit moved among us!

These guys have translation for the Americanos and Internet radio. In fact one testimony was a young woman who was healed last week listening to their service. The pastor brought a really solid message. He was just with Jack Hayford a couple of days ago.

Talk about Living Water I just took a big ole gulp today!

Ministry Day One

Today the Bruton's presented a marriage seminar to a local church community. We had 31 in attendance despite less than ideal conditions like 3-4 inches of snow and blowing cold wind. In Richmond the event would have been canceled. The group was engaged and receptive all day. We started at 9 and went until 4 with a couple of breaks.

It was good for me to hear the material. I realize there are a number of areas where I need to improve. Carla pray that I can remember them by the time I get back to Richmond. This group of Bulgarian believers were sharp. Several spoke pretty good english. They are very enterprising as a church. ( I will write more on that another time)

The Bruton's have put together a lot of good material and did a nice job.

We are in Sofia one more day then off to the country.

The Language of Love

I came to Bulgaria with a couple from our church - Bob and Pat Bruton. They have been coming to Bulgaria for 9 years. One of the fruits of their ministry is an encounter with a couple who have created a ministry to gypsy orphans who are turning 18 and being thrown out of the orphanage to fend for themselves. This couple is providing technical training for some of these young adults.

The Brutons have "adopted" (not formally) two brothers. These brothers have a mother who had 12 children all by different fathers. We had dinner last night. These young men can barely speak english and we speak no Bulgarian. What a fun evening. We laughed constantly. And the expressions of love and connection were everywhere. These young men were so excited and eager to see Bob and Pat. I was blessed to be "adopted" by these young men. click here to see a couple more photos (note you will need to copy and paste the link) http://picasaweb.google.com/josephruizjr/LanguageOfLove?authkey=Gv1sRgCK3y4LfXlfzPHg#


I left our time together reflecting on 1 John 2:9 where John is reminding us to love our brothers. If we love our brothers we are walking in the light if we hate our brothers we stumble around in darkness. For me it is easy to think of this exhortation in black and white. I don't hate my brothers I just don't like this or that. I feel the Spirit convicting me to filter my thoughts, actions and conversations with the question.... Is this interaction moving in the direction of Light or darkness. It is way too easy for me to dismiss most behaviors because after all I don't "hate" but with this new conviction I feel the Spirit is calling me out to a new standard. Oh man.

Here we are in Sofia

Arrived right on schedule. It was a long trip. If you haven't flown internationally you should what a different experience. From dinner with HOT bread to breakfast to hot face towels it was amazing. The flight attendants were through the cabin regularly with water, juice etc. They don't charge for any beverages!

For those who might care we flew right over Dublin then England and Germany.

Sofia is an interesting place. Lot's of high rise apartments many in need of repair. It is snowing and chilly. Fortunately the snow isn't sticking.

We will hit the ground running. Tomorrow is a marriage seminar. Sunday we attend church, then we have dinner with some folks. Monday we hit the road.

I look forward to some rest. BTW thanks for your prayers the flights went very well and our luggage arrived right on time with us.

At the airport

The wait is over. In about an hour we will be on our way to Vienna then on to Sophia. Scheduled to arrive around 1:30 Friday afternoon. Weather looks like colder, rain/snow. Oh well after all this isn't a vacation.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your prayers. I feel Aslan is on the move for those of you who speak Narnia. So far things have gone well.

We are flying Austrian Air so getting a taste of the global population already. :-) It's a good thing.

Bulgaria here we come.

Countdown has begun

The clock is ticking, 24 hours from now I will be on my way to the airport. As you can imagine I am running around tending to a bunch of details. I feel a growing sense of anticipation in my spirit. I believe the Holy Spirit is constantly communicating we simply have to be alert and aware. I believe this is going to be an opportunity to trust and walk in God's love. I am convinced the most important part of the mission will be to love all God's people. To share from the heart not just the head.

I have a new sense of what it means to feel the prayers of others. I cannot tell you how good encouraging it is to feel and hear your prayers! Thank you. I would especially ask for your prayers from next Wednesday and Thursday while we are in the Muslim part of the country.

God's fingerprints are all over this little adventure and I look forward to sharing it with you.
Grace & Peace.

Bulgaria

Here are a few facts about Bulgaria. The capitol is Sofia. Bulgaria is one of the 27 EU members. The population is approximately 8 million. The language is Bulgarian. About 83% of the population is Bulgarian, 9.4% are Turks, 4.7% Roma (gypsy) and the remaining are other (wouldn't you love to be in this group). In 1997 84% of the Roma's lived below the poverty line. NOTE: (you can click on map to see more detail)

Right now Bulgaria is 6 hours ahead of EST. Bulgaria is surrounded by Romania, Greece, Serbia/Montenegro, Macedonia, and Turkey.

OUR TRAVELS (We arrive 3.19 and I return 3.20)

We arrive in Sofia, then on to Purvomai, Nova Zagora, Stara Zagora, Kurdzali (this is the Muslim part of Bulgaria), Pazardzik, and Plovdiv.

New Beginnings

Life is all about change. Hopefully change that will cause growth. In a few days I'll be on my way to Bulgaria. It still seems a bit like a dream. I am going with another couple. Our mission is to teach Biblical leadership principles to our friends in Bulgaria. Somehow I think I'm about to learn way more than I will teach. I am looking forward to the experience. Without intending to be too dramatic I expect this may be a life changing experience. I sure hope so.

This is my first experiment at blogging. I figure as long as I am moving out of my comfort zone I may as well make a big splash! :-)

The idea behind this blog is to share reflections, thoughts and insights as I begin this great adventure. I am told there will be Internet service there. If not then I suppose the joke is on me. As I think about what is ahead I think I can feel God's pleasure as I get ready to run this little race.