In July we held our church youth camp. It was held in Bosnek, a village not far from Sofia. The themes were creation vs. evolution, God in education and the schools and relationship with God and others. Our theme was from Psalm 14:5 – “God is in the generation of the righteous.”
We had worship and devotionals in the morning followed by practical Bible lessons and games in the afternoon. In the eveneing we had BBQ, camp fires and smores (very American but the the kids loved the smores).
At the end of the camp and at the next church meeting Dan, Matt, Sarah, Emo and Biser testified that they feel that they had important questions answered and feel that their faith in God was strengthened.
I still remember how 30 years ago, during the years of the atheistic communist regime under which I was growing up we, 10-12 year old boys, had a fun thing to do. We used to go to one of the central streets of our town to look at a window which displayed items of Western diversion and propaganda. Among those items were pornographic magazines and films, and…Bibles and evangelistic tracts.
Today, 20 years after the collapse of communism faith and pornography remain on the same plane for the local city legislators. I realized that the deception about God and Jesus Christ still has a grip on this society and its leaders. Thus the ministry of fighting for religious liberty remains a critical missionary work which can expose these lies and will open up witnessing opportunities for the church.
Recently we published our 23rd issue of Freedom for All – our online magazine for the freedom of religion, conscience and speech in Bulgarian. The main theme was how the local authorities in Bulgaria violate these constitutional rights and freedoms and hinder the ministry of evangelical churches. One article included many examples of local ordinance which directly regulated this constitutional matter, and in a very restrictive way. One of the municipalities violating these fundamental freedoms of faith and speech was the one in Vidin.In their Ordinance for the Preservation of Public Order and Security on the territory of the Vidin Community they have the following text in article 17, section 6:
It is forbidden to show pornographic films in all publicly accessible paces and to distribute printed an advertising materials belonging to religious sects, as well as their events in public places.
This text effectively and illegally diminishes the Christian evangelical faith, widely known as “sects” in Bulgaria, to mere pornography. It also deprives people of some of their fundamental rights, like freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of gathering and disseminating information, freedom of gathering indoors without permission from the authorities. As a result I called on the pastors of churches in the community to get together and discuss my proposed action to protest this illegal and unjust provision in the ordinance.
After two meetings four churches in Vidin signed a letter which I wrote demanding the renunciation of the text by the end of May 2010. We are still waiting to hear from them. If they do not revoke the text we will file a law suit demanding the court to strike down the quasi-legal travesty of the local legislators whose thinking about religion and the faith has not changed a bit in 30 long years.
The state-run orphan home in Novo Selo got in the national TV news several weeks ago. Not for a good reason however. One of the staff was caught showing pornography to the children “for educational purposes”, as he claimed on TV. There was also an incident of child-abuse by one of the staff members.This is the same facility where we had our ministry and bi-weekly visits to train the youth and children in the Bible and in practical life-skills. This is also the place where after change of administration in 2007 we were denied access and once we were even threatened by the interim director that she would call the National Service for Fighting Organized Crime if we showed up on the premises!
“The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.”– 2 Peter 2:9
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice.”– Jeremiah 22:13a
Our leadership team has been discussing the vision of our church and ministry in Vidin. At this point we have agreed on the title Christian Mission Center – Vidin. Our tag line that sums up all of our work is: A place for Biblical study, worship and outreach. The genetic code of mission is being placed in the church Teresa and I helped nurture since 2000 through all of our activities.
To the question – where do we see the Center one year from now – the joint agreement was that we want to have a renovated new facility to hold about 100 people (the church was packed last Sunday and we have no space for a kids’ ministry), to have possibly 5 new workers join actively in leadership and ministry tasks, to get ready for publication in Bulgarian two missionary texts: God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew and the life of Adoniram Judson, the first American missionary to Burma, the notes for a Bible study on the Book of Revelation in a first-draft format; and to continue with our low-key community service outreach through guitar and English lessons, and arts and crafts and writing courses.
We will continue to be a place for short-term missionary visits for an exchange of spiritual and practical help between the Eastern and Western churches.
Financial challenges. The church, which is approximately 30 people including children, is an average-sized evangelical church for Bulgaria and was in a dire state financially last February. The collection for the month then was 80 leva, about $50, enough to cover only 2/3’s of the rent for the meeting room. Slowly as I added some teaching on generosity for the work of God’s people, we were able to have more people connect with the vision and the ministry. Now the church collects over its monthly minimalistic budget of 500 bgn ($400). The Youth club is aiming at being self-sustaining through the English, arts and crafts, and guitar lessons we are offering.
Here are several photos of the delivery of the fridge and stove we will use in the kitchen of the Youth Club. Thanks to a generous donation by one of our supporters:
For video and picture links, please, scroll to the bottom of the letter
Dear Friends,
The newly formed band of teenage music students in the Youth Club had just finished practice. Two stayed behind and started a conversation about God and “religion” with the staff. One of the teens, Laura, 15, defended her school textbook view on faith. God was “something invented in the old days” to help people explain their inability to deal with life and the elements.
She insisted that astrological signs determine one’s personality. We engaged in answering her, and the other teen’s, questions. At one point one of the Christians said: “It seems like you are missing something in your life.” Laura answered: “Not that I am missing something but it feels like someone is missing me…” And she began to cry. A female staff member gave her a hug. We all know who that Someone is who “misses” the fifteen year-old aspiring grunge singer.
This is exactly the type of work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of these young people we were hoping and praying for.
***
After three months in the USA we are now once again on Bulgarian soil. For all of you who were praying for our safe and uneventful return home – thank you! We had an easy wait at both airports, no problems with our luggage, and best of all, no sickness to deal with as we flew.
Psalm 66:19: “But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.”
The Summer – going, going, gone!
Our summer was filled with travel. We were able to take two long drives to visit family, friends and donors. Our first road trip took us through the Mojave Desert, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. I can honestly say that we enjoyed every moment of our drive – and though it was ever so hot, there was always a pool to jump into at the end of each day at Motel 6.
Road trip #2 had us driving from Pasadena to Northern California and then onto Nevada, Idaho and Wyoming. We were amazed at the beauty of each state and the changes in scenery along the way. The boys had never been to most of these states so it was fun watching them as they took in the views for the first time.
Wyoming was probably our favorite place – we actually got to go on two hikes in the Grand Teton National Park. Vik continues to brag that he hiked in the Tetons in his “Crocs” and had no trouble at all! We all figure he should be the national poster boy for Crocs in the US.
Kudos to Dr. Kostov
Vik walked in his graduation from Fuller Theological Seminary in June. The entire family was so proud of him and we are all thankful that a new season awaits him. He has begun making inquiries to several seminaries in Europe and the USA and we hope that doors will open for him to both teach and publish. Ambitious as ever, he wants to be able to teach at least three intensives in the next academic school year.
A Special Thanks
We want to thank all of you who housed us this summer – we felt like we owned homes all across the various states! We so enjoyed your hospitality and our conversations together. So thank you again friends. I believe best of all was the ability to go deeper in friendship and relationship with some of you – it made all the miles driven worth it for us!
The Youth Club
Thanks to a special gift by one of our donors we were able to buy a stove and fridge for the youth club as soon as we got back. This Friday they will be delivered and we will send out photos in our next letter for all of you to see how the kitchen is shaping up. Having appliances in the youth club’s kitchen means that staff can make lunches and dinners for themselves and projects when necessary; and when we have out-of-town guests, rather than eating out for every meal, we will be able to make home-cooked meals for them.
We would ask you to please pray for God to help us meet two more needs concerning the club:
1) $2000 to be raised for the purchase of a heating system for the youth club. Winter is just around the corner and we need to get heating installed before the temperatures dip too low in order to continue our work with youth.
2) $600 for insulation in the club’s kitchen and office area. We’ve had some damage to the walls this summer and while all the exterior walls of the house will eventually need to be insulated, these two areas of the club need immediate attention.
New Activities
While we were away in the US working on support-raising, our volunteers were hard at work continuing both a weekly writer’s discussion club and guitar lessons. Roughly 70 youth were visiting the club attending the discussions, taking lessons, and just showing up for jam sessions. Because of the increase in interest we are planning on organizing some concerts for family and friends of the young musicians as well as neighbors of the club during the holiday season.
On the English language front, Teresa and Karina (an 18 year old from Wales who will be spending her gap year volunteering in the club and being a part of our community) will be organizing three groups: a conversation club (for those who have at least a second-year grasp of the language and are able to converse on specific topics), a puppet show club (for younger language learners which will use puppets to retell children’s stories), and a drop-in homework assistance program (for English language learners of course!).
Religious Liberty Case – Part 2 *
We lost the case at the first level I believe due to it begin such high profile confrontation with the status quo. An alleged source from the government has informed our party that the president himself has put pressure on the deciding panel to vote against us in the decision. Viktor filed the appeal during the summer and the case will reviewed by the Bulgarian Supreme Administrative Court in November. There is a political change in the government in Bulgaria after elections in the summer. The socialists are not in charge any longer and so far there seems to be a will by the new government to fight the corruption plaguing the country. It is still unclear how the change in political power will affect the religious freedom climate.
Church
Viktor will be leading up a weekly men’s prayer meeting on Saturday mornings for the men of the church, while Teresa will be leading (surprise-surprise!) a women’s prayer meeting before the Sunday morning service. As you all know, little can be accomplished without much prayer and since there is so much to do here prayer ministry is essential.
We are also trying to organize two youth retreats this semester, one for the boys and one for the girls. Finances are always tight, so please pray that we come up with unique ways to raise the funds necessary so that all who want to go are able to attend.
Needs Met
Last but not least, if you remember last May we asked for prayer for a car while in the US. Well, four days after we emailed the request, and after we asked the church here to pray, someone offered us to use a vehicle for the summer. So we had a dependable car upon arrival in the US! That was a testimony of God’s ability to answer prayer and a great encouragement to us. Due to generous sharing by other friends as well, we were not without a vehicle till the last day of our stay.
Thank you for your partnership in prayer and support.
Serving Christ together, Viktor , Teresa and the boys
***
VIDEO-LINKS These are recordings of songs based on Christian lyrics and sang by some of the Youth Club music students:
The essay below was written by Rosa, one of the former “inmates” of the orphan home in Novo Selo, who pretty much we saw grow up in the last 6 years. I translated the essay in English because I find it to be one of the few moments of vulnerability and honesty that Rosa has allowed during the time we’ve known her.
She is 24 and is still trying to define a direction in life where she could live with dignity. After a long time of seeing the work of the Lord among us, in the life of her peers and her own life, she finally gave her life to Christ and was baptized in the Danube. On the photo to the right, Rosa is in the far, right corner. Barely visible, typical for her.
The essay was written as part of the assignment for a young writer’s course which we designed and started as one of our outreaches in the Youth Club. She has written before, but any attempt to encourage her has resulted in her shrinking back and rejecting any attempt to help her express herself in writing. Reading the piece really shows the struggle of this former orphan, now a young Christian woman, to be someone who lives with a purpose. Only Jesus can make this happen for her. She is on the right path as long as the “I” in her story remains surrendered to God.
–Viktor
The photo on the right: Rosa awaits her baptism.
All are hurrying somewhere
By Rosa Dobreva
Imagine a busy street – cars, buildings … people, people. All are quickly going somewhere, each buried in their problems, pain, joy and trying to live one more day, to do more work or to get lost along the street, to kill the next twenty-four hours of life. This is the world – everyone is in a hurry to somewhere. Everyone is fighting for his or her own survival. Everyone has their dreams and aspirations, no one stops at nothing, and everyone strives to be fine as it can.
All these people emanate such coldness! You want to love them, to trust them, but how? How can I trust them when they continue to lie to me? How to love them when they hate you and all they want is to use you and bring you down? How to stay clean and pure while striding in mud and depravity? What do I have left? To lie, to cheat, to leave behind morals and dignity, to compromise my values in order to achieve my goals, all in the name of success.
But maybe this compromise will lead to others after it and ultimately I will become a hypocrite? To go up in this world, certainly you should make a compromise with your dignity, and even accept humiliation. I fear this! I do not want to become a slave to greed and money. Everyone strives to have it, believing that it brings happiness. But no! Money does not make you happy, it turns you into a miser, you want more and more and gradually, without realizing it, you become a monster. But you cannot fight money. It has already overtaken the whole a planet since long time ago. But, No! I will not give up.
I am beginning to stride confidently down the street called “Life.” I have already solved my dilemma. I decided not to be like them! But it is terribly difficult to stand for what I want to be, my values and my ideals. I know one thing that should be alive my life with dignity, but that will be hard to achieve. However, I will put much effort into it.
I hope that the ugly picture that I see at the beginning of my path will not destroy me, but will give me the resolve to walk it all the way. And to get to the end of the street, proud that I stood up for myself that I was a person, that I am “I.”
A teenager, a former skinhead and a member of an ultra-nationalist group, gave his life to Jesus as part of God moving among the youth in Vidin. Ilian, 19, who is also an orphan, testified during the church service: “My heart was filled with hate. I hated gypsies, Jews. But now I don’t feel hate any more. It is gone.”
April short- term mission week
Early in April we had a “convergence” of mission visitors and friends, from the UK/US and Romania. Mary, who lives in the UK, and her two daughters were with us for a week. During that time Stuart also visited with two young short-term missionaries. One of them, Karina (18), is planning on living for a year in Vidin and helping out with youth work starting this fall. We did church worship services, community outreaches in the poorer parts of Vidin and local villages, and did a couple of trips back to Sofia. There was a good-bye party to mark the end of the week of ministry and fellowship. On the way back to Sofia one of the missionaries had health issues while traveling that quite scared us all but by God’s grace was fine and all flew back home ok.
Youth club up and running for a month and a half with a few more things to buyWe were amazed at how quickly the work with young people took off! God’s grace can really surprise you sometimes. Here are some highlights of the club’s activities:
• 15 weekly students coming for lessons in English and guitar. We charge a nominal “suggested donation” to meet some costs (2 leva per half hour lesson, which is a little over $1.00);
• 15 aspiring young authors between the ages of 16-25 are attending a short-story course for 8 weeks;
• A local TV station made a half-hour show in their “Culture” segment, and interviewed Yavor about the work of the club;
• It was just yesterday, May 20, that we were able to put the sign up for the youth club. We named it “Vertical Reality” – in Bulgarian of course.
• Daily one hour Bible studies and the conversion of two teens: Ilian and Gery!
Viktor goes on a TV program (April 24)
Viktor was invited as the main guest in a morning TV show discussing family issues and the change in legislature. There is a strong push by the EU and local interest groups to introduce same-sex partnership as a prelude to same-sex marriage. Viktor was able to comment that traditional values are important to keep in mind when writing new laws. There were a number of callers during the show.
Academics Religious Liberty Ministry
Viktor submitted an article to two scholarly journals (Religion in Eastern Europe and the Journal of Baptistic Studies based in Prague, Czech). The article addresses post-communism and church, state and liberty from a missiological perspective. The publications will be released respectively in May 2009, and the spring of 2010.
Bulgaria continues to be in bad shape politically. The justice system is constantly criticized for being ineffective and corrupt. Recently a high profile murder case involving three young Bulgarians in France was solved by the French police but the Bulgarian courts quickly acquitted the suspects because they were the sons of influential lawyers related to the former power structures (State Security). In this context, the case which Viktor, and several other evangelical pastors, brought before the Commission for the Protection against Discrimination has still not been decided, long past the legal limits for issuing a decision. In this case the law for freedom of conscience and religion is being tested against the trends of the state to instill official support for the Orthodox Church. Viktor is planning to bring forward another pilot case on freedom of religion later in the year.
Family Matters
Dan and Matt were able to go to a youth art camp for a long 4-day weekend. The camp was held in northern Greece and their old art teacher led the group. They won second place in the art competition. Noah turned four this week. His question the day after the small birthday party to his mom was: “Mom, do you think I am still four?” Mattias now wears glasses (sometimes). Not very important but he wanted this fact included in our prayer letter. Teresa has been working 15-20 hours a week in the youth club and enjoying every minute of it!
Viktor kept a schedule of teaching in the church on Sundays
The main subject has been on how to be loyal to God and not to money. Vidin is officially the poorest town among the larger ones in the nation. However, the lack of economic strength does not prevent people from struggling with money issues and a weaker loyalty to God who provides for our needs.
Back To the US for the Summer
Viktor submitted recently the final “final” copy of his dissertation complete with index. We will be back in the US for the summer and part of our job will be to attend graduation at Fuller! We are looking forward to seeing and talking with some of you.
Prayer Needs
If you can pray for our time in the US we will be very grateful. One need, of course, is to have a car to use for our family. God always provides, we are trusting that this will be the case this time around as well.
• We’d appreciate your prayers for a vehicle – to find one to borrow or to buy at a very reasonable (for us, that is) cost.
• Please, pray for proper contacts and fundraising for the religious liberty ministry and the work in Vidin.
• Pray, for Ilian and Gery, the new Christians, that they will grow strong in the faith and resist temptation.
Thank you much for your support and partnership in prayer. Love, The Kostovs
Below is the club at the start of repairs, last August (2008)
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