Our Goal as Missionaries

Updates- written by Dee Dee
 
Our goal as missionaries has always been to partner with nationals and help and support them in any way needed with discipleship, training, mentorship, etc.  We decided from the beginning of our journey of faith that we were not there to build “our kingdom”, but God’s.  Our philosophy has always been that nationals can reach their own people much better than we ever could.
When we arrived so many years ago, We built close connections with both Bulgarians and Roma/Gypsies.  We began to build strong relationships and deep friendships with them by doing life together.  God formed such trust and love between certain ones of us over the years and we were all the better for it.  We began to hear their heart on their vision and what God had put on their hearts.  They had such a burden for their people and the great needs they saw in their communities daily.  God had given them vision and ideas of how to meet the needs of the people…spiritually, physically, mentally, socially, financially, etc.

Church Plant and Feeding Kitchen

The church plant was the vision and heart of Pastor Lyubcho.  A Roma pastor with a big heart to form healthy leaders and create healthy churches.  He also had a big heart to feed the hungry in his own neighborhood of 12,000 where there were many families going hungry.  Many women having to rely on prostitution just to feed their children. 
God connected us with a church in England that also had a heart of church planting and they came in to interview and implement the church plant program.  It was a win, win, win situation.  A national with a heart and vision for church plant, a church with the support, training, and resources, and us just to be the go between, the on-the-ground help to oversee the daily operations, trouble shoot, and communicate between the cultures which requires such trust and relationship to make sure all understand one another clearly and stay focused on the larger goal…. the people.  We are also in process of building a kitchen to begin the feeding program.
 
Agricultural Project

The vision and heart of the agricultural project was a Bulgarian, Stanimir Zahariev.  He believed that if people had a way to grow food for themselves, and learn how to work the land, we could provide many opportunities for people.  A church in England loved the idea, and then began the process to implement.  We now have chosen the land, purchased the land, and will begin working the land and training Bulgarians and Roma on how to farm the land.
 
Home for At-Risk Girls

Many years ago a missionary that works closely with a day school/orphanage for very poor children and has worked here in Bulgaria for over 20 years, brought the issue to me of girls going missing from this school and the fact that the school ended at 5^th grade for the girls.  She asked me to help to find a safe place for these girls to go after the 5^th grade, which is the worst time to not have accountability and safety for these girls.  The age of 11 when they are just beginning to develop and when the marrying age, stealing of brides age, and selling of daughters is most prevalent.
This comment began my involvement in the issue of trafficking in Bulgaria.  I began gathering information, networking with other anti-trafficking organizations in Bulgaria, and most importantly…praying.
We walked the steps each day that God put before us. We created an NGO or foundation to operate legally in Bulgaria, we began to talk with the Set Free Movement in the US, and we began speaking with leadership about how we could implement this prevention/safe home for girls. 
Somewhere deep inside, there was a great fear and insecurity in me.  I knew that this project was too big for me alone.  As we went back to the US in 2015, God began to put on the hearts of several people to come along side and help.  We now have a single lady in her 20’s and a family with 3 girls packing up and moving everything to Bulgaria to help with this project.  I am confirmed every day that this is the heart of God.  God was beginning to build a team.  I knew that this home was a God thing and the pieces of the puzzle He was putting together. I now knew that I was not doing this alone, and God was sending helpers…. but still something was amiss in my heart. 
 
It became clear in a recent conversation with a colleague that has the same motto as we do, of empowering nationals, that I began to see that in every project we have been involved in, it was a vision/heart of a national.  The girl’s home was me.  This was going against everything we stand for.  This left me unsettled and confused.  I prayed and asked God for wisdom.  Later, I talked with my very wise 18-year-old daughter about my thoughts and she replied, “You’re going at this alone, Mom, gather the women to come together with you.”  This was such simple wisdom on one hand, but not an easy task on the other. 

Change A Comin'

You see, the women in the Roma village culturally aren’t really empowered to have vision, hear from God, and be empowered to implement such things…especially on this scale.  However, I knew the relationship and trust I had built over the years in the community would at least give me a platform to share my heart and ask them to come along for the ride.  We are so much more powerful together.
I set up a meeting on a Saturday night…I had only 4 show up, but I wanted fewer and serious rather than many and not.  The pastor, his wife, and two young ladies we’d been working with for the last four years in a Bible study and English classes were there.  I shared my heart which was everything that I’ve written down here.  I said, “I cannot do this alone.  I need you.  These are your sisters, your neighbors, your friends, your community.”  It was such a powerful response afterward that I received.  The pastor assured me that they were 100% with me, and would help in any way they could. 
We put together a meeting for the next week in Sofia where they would ride with me to a seminar put together just for them to learn all they could about the trafficking issue in Bulgaria.   First, I wanted to educate them on the issues, and have them fully understand what is happening across the country in Bulgaria, then speak about what the organizations are doing in Bulgaria to help, and show them that these organizations are run by and championed by almost all women.
I wanted them to see how they can join together to do their part in their communities.  They are empowered by:
*educating others by sharing what they had learned,
*showing them that the microenterprise program they are a part of (knitting scarves and hats) gives 20% of all of the proceeds toward funding the girl’s home, and
*by them praying and standing together for this prevention home for girls in our area.
 
What a powerful moment it was for me to see the Roma women understanding the big picture, joining in the fight, and feeling so needed and valued that their voice, opinion and agreement counts!  We were changing a long standing tradition that their voice doesn’t matter and they don’t have anything to contribute. 
I am so much more content with this project now…. now that I have the nationals on board.  I look forward to showing them (in my great humility of inadequacy) to depend on the Lord as we see this project through together.  Empowering them to see other women getting vision from the Lord, trusting Him for big things, and implementing projects in a Godly, righteous, and professional manner.  What an honor to partner with these great women of God!
 
Please help us pray.  Pray for these women as we partner together for big things. 
Pray for me please as I trust God whole-heartedly through this process. 
Pray for these young girls that are so vulnerable. 
Where there is great need, big trust, a big leap of faith, there is a big God there to show Himself able!