Hello All,

Greetings from Bulgaria. I have a few things to report since our last meeting. Tuesday evening we held our weekly bible study in Nadia's apartment. There were a handful of regulars and the message seemed to resonate with them. We discussed Romans chapter 7 and the paradox that Paul found himself in from time to time. How easy it is, when we let our guard down, to refrain from doing those things we know is right; the things that bring us joy, and to practice those things which we hate; the things that steal our joy. By the nods of their heads, I could see that the message was sinking in. I challenged them along with myself, to invest in those things that keep us looking up.

At the beginning of the study, a lady was waiting outside Nadia's apartment to collect a "foyer tax" for general upkeep of the lobby area. Quite frankly, she didn't seem to be a very friendly person. After taking the 7 leva, she asked Nadia who we were, and Nadia told her we were her friends and that we were going to have a bible study. Her response was icy at best.

Just as we were finishing the study, we heard a knock on the door. I could tell by the look on Nadia's face that something was up. And up it was. There were 2 police officers at the door wanting to check our documents. Even though we had done nothing to provoke a visit by the local authorities, the woman had called the police. For what reason I don't know and we received no explanation from the police. They entered our information into their data base and left.

Bulgaria is similar the the United States back in the 60's. If you are a person of color, your life can be very difficult. Romi (gypsies) are oppressed every day in this country. Bulgaria is also an orthodox country and many people consider evangelicals to be cults. These 2 facts may have contributed to the phone call.

Through it all, emotions were running high but it provided a great opportunity for us to call on the Lord and not let the police or this woman steal our joy. Mission accomplished!

Please keep praying for the kids, both in Roman and in Sofia. It is an uphill battle but we're in it for the long haul.

~that God will provide a way for continued mentoring in their lives
~for the BulgariaChildProject...that God will bless this and that it would be fruitful
~for next year's CCE TeamBulgaria
~for my health (slight bronchial infection)

God bless you all, thanks for your faithfulness! Mark