We heard a report at our monthly meeting from Chase Pedron. Chase went to Bulgaria with the Navigators. He sent this update:
Our time in Bulgaria was divided up into several pieces for various events. The first few days we were in Sofia with a couple named Marty and Didi who helped us get situated and accustomed to Bulgaria. We then traveled to Shumen, the town we spent the majority of our time in. There we got connected with Bobby and Rali Stefenov, our Bulgarian contacts and the people who directed much of our trip in Bulgaria. After arriving, we got to work. We stayed at Bobby and Rali’s house, which they had just bought and which still had plenty of work to be done before it was fully functional. We spent about a week installing walling and flooring on the upper level, chopping down plants and digging out stumps and roots in the overgrown area behind the house, clearing out an old shed (which the previous owners had left packed full of miscellaneous piles of possessions), installing cabinets in the kitchen, and shoveling out bag after bag of coal, (which we discovered in an alcove behind a door) to name a few things.
The next week we spent working at the 32,000 acres of property named “The Promised Land.” Bobby, Rali, and their whole church have such high hopes for this land. The eventual plans are to clean it and then build an orphanage, a retirement type home for the unsupported elderly people in Bulgaria, a conference center, and hopefully a house too. We then began to clean the land. This was no small project, and a few of our tasks were to: pick up the scattered rusty metal, move a large pile of logs which had accumulated in the center of the property to an out of the way storage area, clear out what used to be an old pig farming building, gather all the tires scattered across the property and put them by the wood, and build a secure cage for the dog which lives on the property.
Throughout our time working in Shumen we spent a lot of time at the church and meeting with church members. I got especially close to a guy named Kolio from the youth group. He worked at the property with us and was able to hang out with us in our spare time. I really like him and got to talk with him one on one, which was great because I got to see how he viewed his country and life in it, and we were able to discuss how God is involved in our lives. The Bulgarian church was very different from the general American church. It was a very small, but that was a neat change because everyone knew each other and cared what was going on in each other’s lives. They worshiped and prayed passionately, which was refreshing and inspiring for me to see.
During our last few days, we went to a family camp in Velingrad. By that time, the seven hour bus ride was almost routine for us after all the traveling we had done. Ed Cox and his wife, along with Marty and Didi, met us there and we got to be with them for our final few days in Bulgaria. I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was working at the property with Stefan. It was hard, physical work, yet was enjoyable because of the people I was with. I went with a superb group and I got closer to all of them. The Navigators are hoping to send a team back to Shumen next year because this trip went so well, and I am already looking forward to hearing about what they accomplish.
The next week we spent working at the 32,000 acres of property named “The Promised Land.” Bobby, Rali, and their whole church have such high hopes for this land. The eventual plans are to clean it and then build an orphanage, a retirement type home for the unsupported elderly people in Bulgaria, a conference center, and hopefully a house too. We then began to clean the land. This was no small project, and a few of our tasks were to: pick up the scattered rusty metal, move a large pile of logs which had accumulated in the center of the property to an out of the way storage area, clear out what used to be an old pig farming building, gather all the tires scattered across the property and put them by the wood, and build a secure cage for the dog which lives on the property.
Throughout our time working in Shumen we spent a lot of time at the church and meeting with church members. I got especially close to a guy named Kolio from the youth group. He worked at the property with us and was able to hang out with us in our spare time. I really like him and got to talk with him one on one, which was great because I got to see how he viewed his country and life in it, and we were able to discuss how God is involved in our lives. The Bulgarian church was very different from the general American church. It was a very small, but that was a neat change because everyone knew each other and cared what was going on in each other’s lives. They worshiped and prayed passionately, which was refreshing and inspiring for me to see.
During our last few days, we went to a family camp in Velingrad. By that time, the seven hour bus ride was almost routine for us after all the traveling we had done. Ed Cox and his wife, along with Marty and Didi, met us there and we got to be with them for our final few days in Bulgaria. I think one of my favorite parts of the trip was working at the property with Stefan. It was hard, physical work, yet was enjoyable because of the people I was with. I went with a superb group and I got closer to all of them. The Navigators are hoping to send a team back to Shumen next year because this trip went so well, and I am already looking forward to hearing about what they accomplish.
After Chase gave his report to us he told us that he worked along side Stefan, a retired communist officer. Stefan at the end of the trip said although he "knew" there was no God he wanted what the young people had. They worked willingly and joyfully. God was working on Stefans heart and used the actions of the Navigator's team. Also when asked by a team member is he would consider missions work he replied yes, a year and a half ago he would not have, but after experiencing Bulgaria, he would. Pray for Chase as he prepares for college next year.
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