First Night of Teaching

Last night we finally got to work. We are teaching for Marina Dimitrova, our partner and friend in one of her Ora Bible Schools. This one is located in the First Pentecostal Church in Sofia. This is a new venue for us and so an opportunity to meet new people. We really like the pastor and his wife, Tateos and Milena Nigohosyan. They are very personable and we hit it off immediately. The group of people were a lot of fun too. There was a great mix of ages and they had many questions. Most of them spoke English (many were very fluent) so we could have some real discussions. It was a great first evening. Here are a few pictures.

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Down Time

When we started doing this in 1998 we would arrive and begin working the following day! Well, years have gone by and we have decided that a new plan was in order. So now, we give ourselves a couple of days to rest and adjust to the different time zone. This helps us endure the month with a bit less wear and tear. We take the time to tend to last minute coordination details, get our Bulgarian phones working and connect with old friends. There is a little restaurant a block from our B&B. We started going there in the beginning. Now, it, and the people there, are a routine part of our trip here. It's our Bulgarian version of Cheers! They all know us and give us a friendly welcome when we come in. Pat gets lots of hugs from the waitresses. Here are a few pictures of the place and the girls who have been there for all of those years. The pictures of the restaurant came out a little dark because my Bulgarian phone does not have a flash. Sorry about that!

Welcome to Snowy Sofia

We arrived about 1:30 pm after an all night flight from Dulles to Vienna and the Vienna to here. It's just like home! Snow everywhere! Fortunately, the streets are clear so our friend and host Ludmil was there to greet us warmly, load us into his van and haul us to our second home, the Casa Farrari. We've been staying here for about 15 years now so it really is our second home. Ludmil and his wife, Marianna are dear friends now. We took about an hour nap after doing a little unpacking. Then we walked a block to our eating place. When we walk in the door, everyone smiles (the waitresses and the owner). They all know us. We've been coming here for 15 years too. Our waitress came over and told us what we wanted! We just nodded. That's when you know you are home. It's like Cheers except they don't know our name, just our faces! Just as we were finishing, Ludmil came in (he knew exactly where to find us; are we predictable or what?) We coordinated a meeting for Monday and then he was on his way. After picking up some snacks for the week at the little store across the street, we are now in for the night. Now the trick is to stay awake until about 9 or 930 so we can jump start the time change for our body clocks. Here are a few pictures of the street outside of the Casa. Stay tuned.........

Tomorrow We Fly

Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Vienna and then on to Sofia. We arrive in Sofia in the early afternoon on Sunday. We will have a couple of days to adjust to the 7 hour time difference and then we start working. This will be our 17th year. Little did we imagine when we went there the first time that we would still be going (and with no end in sight). Every time we start talking about cutting back or slowing down, a new opportunity arises and we have a hard time saying no. We have come to love the people we work with so much and it is a joy to serve them. We thank God every day that we are healthy and able to continue this work. We are happy you have decided to peek in on us from time to time. I will try to post something new every couple of days. Typically I post pictures as well as text to try to make it a little more interesting. Please come back every few days and see what's new!