Faith Bible Conference

February 9-13

LaFayette, IN

One cannot help but come away from Faith Bible Conference refreshed and energized in your walk with the Lord. Listening to these men and women of faith stimulates a desire for truth, growth in faith, passion for lost and hurting people. This conference, though it is designed for those heading into the counseling ministry, has proven to be very helpful for me in my walk with God.

We get a whole lot of knowledge and theory in our Reformed churches; and for sure, this is all very good. But what are we struggling with every day? what are we saying, thinking, doing? how are we spending our time? sometimes it's hard to connect theory with practice. We struggle to know how to handle our problems Biblically. I struggle to know how to help my friends - what do I say when they go through hard times? How can I help them, and direct them to the One who can alone provide true hope even in our trials?

God has used this conference to bring me to my knees and to see my sin. But He doesn't just leave it at that - He also shows how we can overcome those sins and live a life full of joy and hope! It is my prayer that I may learn to put to practice what I'm learning, and help others to also find the joy and hope in believing in our Saviour's name.

We had a wonderful visit with Steve and Amy and Sierra on the Sunday that we were there; they've been living in Chicago while Steve goes to seminary training there.

The weather was beautiful, perfect for a walk... it brought back memories of Michele and my walk from the previous year...

Sunday night, Brian, Liz, Charlene, Tim, and myself all enjoyed playing a game of "Train through Europe" (is that right, Charlene?)

I didn't really take many pictures the rest of the week...

packing up and heading home!

Camp Tamarack

(Photo courtesy of ypfriends! thanks! :)
Unfortunately I did not take ANY pictures at camp!
:( :( :(
very unusual for me.... what a shame, especially since my memories are mainly built on photos!!! (I hate to think what would happen if I lost all my photos, or worse yet, if I lost my eyesight! )

Camp Tamarack is over! Once again, it was a great week! Throughout the week, we heard seven messages from Pastor Anjema, Pastor Vogel, and Pastor Stringer on the theme of "the glory of God", along with workshops on various topics from which each camper chose two.

Each message that was brought brought different points of conviction. I pray that God will continue His work in me and in the others who were at camp, and that our lives may display God's glory for all the world to see! It's far too easy to get on that 'high' at camp, and then you come home and find that things are just as you left... I pray that each one would purpose in his/her heart to live out what they've learned, that they would be changed and renewed after this week of spiritual refreshment.

This year was somewhat different for me than other years - mostly because it was my 7th year helping out at camp. There's a lot of young people coming up who are beginning to replace the older ones. It felt strange to not have as many of those older people there this year, and though it was still fun, it certainly felt strange to be one of the older ones (I was the 4th oldest female camper!).

Now I'm one of the role models for these young people - yikes, what a thought! ;) I've always struggled with feelings of inadequacy in fulfilling this role, especially at camp, and this year was no exception. I see so much in me that needs to change, so much sin that needs to be expelled; I need the Lord's work in me so much, every day! I know that God hasn't yet finished working on me. He will continue to purify me, cleanse me from my sin, and make me more into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
I long for the day when I may be perfectly whole!

Arrival in Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo

I'm sorry to those of you who have been wanting to see pictures from Ruth and my trip in Europe! Pictures take absolutely FOREVER to upload to the blog - so I thought I'd make slideshows instead...

The following slideshow is of our arrival in Bulgaria, and of our tour through Veliko Tarnovo, an mideival city which also used to be one of the old capital cities in Bulgaria. I mentioned it also in one of my email updates.

The slideshow's actually only 3 minutes... but the song goes for nearly 5 minutes! I don't know how to fade it out!

Bulgaria - Week 5!

Hasovitsa, BulgariaHasovitsa Conference --Ruth

On May something we set out for Hasovitsa. The curving, twisting road followed a meandering river, and Lou’s ever-responsive stomach reacted accordingly. Of course, car-sickness is bad of itself, but when you have two car-sick little girls draped across you, one gets a double-dose. Thus we greeted Hasovitsa with varying sighs of relief, the loudest coming from the turmoiled depths of poor Louise. We stepped into the “Rodopian Region”.

Our host, Zladka and her son, Bobby

The villa we slept in was as picture-perfect as Hasovitsa itself. It was heated only with fireplaces, built of concrete, block and tile, and could sleep 20 people in BEDS! (Have you ever heard of such a place?) We were heartily welcomed by our two hostesses, Zlatka and Tinka. The two ladies are sisters who live with their extended family in a huge house in the nearby city of Smollyen. Zlatka is a computer programmer and Tinka is a home-maker. They were so incredibly unique! Both had a hilarious sense of humor, a warm heart and vast knowledge of mountain herbs. There was hardly a day when they weren’t collecting something from the mountain-side, whether it was pine sprigs for pine honey (mmmm…) flowers for juice (!!!), or the like. LOL, they even pointed out the source of Viagra :) Zlatka has a sweet imp of a boy named Bobby (6 years). Bobby wore a wily, smily look about him and always had “a trick!” or knew “this trick!” We’re pretty sure he’s going to be a magician when he grows up :) Ninka (8) is his sister and the daughter of Tinka. When a girl is as sweet and kind as Ninka is, it’s a bit hard to describe her. She was a bit quiet, and obviously treasured every moment spent with friends. When Louise and I remember Ninka, we are also most encouraged by what God has enabled us to do for our Bulgarian friends. At one point in the week, an English friend of hers (Cindy) spoke to her mother. Hearing the English conversation, Ninka exclaimed, “Mom, Cindy speaks Bulgarian!” The truth is that Ninka wasn’t used to understanding English! That was SO exciting to hear :)

Tinka and her daughter, Ninka

Elian & Radoslava --Ruth
I haven’t mentioned one of the main organizers of our trip yet: Radoslava. Before traveling to Hasovitsa, we stayed a few days at Elian & Slava’s house. They have two wonderful and lively daughters, Teddy (8) and Vicky (5). Teddy likes surpass the boys (she’s a confirmed tomboy), and yet she likes to dress up and dance. We’ve established her future career to be a lion tamer :) Vicky is constantly singing –in fact, due to her 5-year-old English skills, this was one of the main ways we got to know her. She loves to hold hands or hug. She’s also got an eye for fashion, and we’ve set her out as a future fashion designer, in the classic style of frilly flouncy dresses. Their father Elian works with computers as well and works admirably hard at his and Slava’s small business. By the end of the trip, Slava felt like a very close aunt for me. She’s a historian, and has a unique story or saying for every little custom or site one comes across. It was so sad to leave her, her girls, her wisdom and stories behind.

Elian & Radoslava and Nikki

Teddy (Theodora)

Vicky (Victoria) and Nikki (Nikolas)

Jivko and Iliana – Louise
Jivko and Iliana have three children: Stephan (5), Gabbie (3) and Sammy (1). Jivko is a computer programmer and has his own business. We didn’t get to know him very well, because the only time that we had to talk to him was when we went out for dinner one night with his family and Elian and Radoslava’s family. The majority of the evening, their heads were huddled close as they debated and discussed the latest technology. During their deep conversations however, Ruth and I were able to talk with Iliana and Radoslava and get to know them. Iliana studied a total of five years to become a speech therapist, after which she promptly became a secretary for her pastor. Sometimes it’s strange how little we use our degrees and diplomas in our professions! Eventually she met and married Jivko (their love story is sweet and quite funny as well). Each of their three children are the sweetest, bubbliest, most giggling children you ever could meet. Their ability to speak English was low, yet they understood a lot more than I thought they would. They went absolutely berserk when we’d tickle them; it was hilarious to watch their antics when we played the ‘tickle game’ with them.

Jifko and Gabbie

Eliana and Sammy

Gabby and Stephan

More Hasovitsa Happenings (because we know this is WAY too long already!) --Ruth

• Enjoying coffee with cow-fresh milk (after fishing out all the floaties, of course!)


• Delicious Rodopian cooking: potato banitsa, croissants Bulgarian-style, flower tea, etc. etc.


• Feeding the multitude with pizza and quesadillas, thanks to the integral part of the ladies…, also made Terra Tor (a cold soup of cucumber and yoghurt) and Banitsa R-rr-rrruttt! (“Ruth” Bulgarianized –be sure to roll the “r”)


• The late nights continued… lots of planning, knocking our heads together to gather “lesson” plans or, in reality, game plans for the next day (there’s a pun in there for you, Dad ;)


• Lots of late night talks over tea: telling ridiculous stories, jokes, past experiences… We learned the “Ruchenitsa”, a traditional Bulgarian wedding dance (no worries Mom, we don’t expect to put that to use ;)… Practising the chicken dance (some fun pictures from that :P)


• The crafty Tinka teaching us how to say “I want to be a Bulgarian bride!” :)


• The never ending songs of the children… every time the first words of “My God is so Big” were shouted, we would groan internally, grit our teeth and exuberantly (aka dutifully) join in :)


• Seeing lines of children holding hands, walking along a mountain path and singing “My God is So Big” because they wanted to…


• Walking along mountain paths... hmmm, beautiful


• Meeting Elena, the daughter of Tinka. At 14, she discusses the Scriptural references of CS. Lewis and Tolkien with her strongly atheist teachers! She was sweet, intelligent, always questioning the reasons behind concepts, always looking deeper. In two short days she became a good friend.


• Walking 3 km to the nearby village of Pisanitsa (or “Pizzanitza” as the kids called it) to buy ice cream. When the shopkeeper was nowhere to be found, we walked to his nearby home/ hotel, and from there received a ride back to the shop in a very old, sputtering Mercedes Benz that looked as if it would like to shoot off the mountain side

The week in Hasovitsa is definitely precious among our memories of Bulgaria!

THE END... for now
So that’s a small snippet of our experiences in Bulgaria. We hope to update you on the continuing adventures of Lou and Ru :P upon our return (internet access has been difficult!) complete with PICTURES.... I PROMISE!! :) God is blessing us and keeping us safe. We thank those of you who have been praying - we’ve really felt the Lord’s protection and guiding hand throughout the entire trip.

Bulgaria Weeks 2-4

So, after we’ve said “we should really write an update” literally a hundred times, here we are, sitting, typing and doggedly punching an email out to you. If this gets to you, we’ll have succeeded :) The truth is, nothing short of a lifetime has passed, and the thought of putting that all on paper is daunting indeed… There’s so much to tell about!

Now, where do I start?!! I know this is horrendously long: it’s the unabridged version of an email –sorry! I'll edit the post later when I get home and add lots of pretty pictures okay? :)

Ruth and I wrote this together - you can also see her blog.

Our stay at Todor & Daniella’s
Pomorie, Bulgaria

-- Ruth

After the Bombadils’, we moved to Pomorie on the coast of the Black Sea. Here we met Todor & Daniella, and their four (!) children (four kids in Bulgaria is almost unheard of… it made us feel like we were back home in the Dutch community :) Dariel is the oldest; he’s the boy that wrote us before our trip, declaring that he enjoyed having “salutary” conversations (and no, we certainly didn’t know that word before our ESL student taught it to us ;) He enjoys books like Narnia and LOTR (which seem to be universal in Bulgaria), has a glint in his eye which reveals his love for fun, and was a most appropriate wise man for our play, (despite his short 12 years of life experience :). Then there’s Debora (not “Debra”, but Deb-o-ra, as she was careful to correct me), who’s 11. Debora is one of those people who take a little while to get to know, but are well-worth knowing when you do. She likes creating things, being artistic and the apartment was full of her creations. The small apartment was also very full of her little sisters, who were always close behind or around their big sister. Jessie is a five year old with big, beautiful eyes, and Becky (3) is a bundle of energy that was always popping around some corner and calling out a cheery “HELLO!”

We may have mentioned something about the way time works in Bulgaria; it, well, sort of doesn’t work. The truth is, Bulgaria has a time zone all of its own: a slow and meandering one, where the sun is the only thing that really regulates things and prevents Bulgarians from squeezing in 25 or 26 hours into each day, as they’d like to. We really felt (and enjoyed :) that at Todor and Daniella’s. Each night found us cozily in their kitchen, talking until 2 or 3 in the morning. Todor and Daniella spent 10 years volunteering abroad for Youth With a Mission (a Christian outreach organization), and the stories they have to tell are truly amazing! They really experienced the meaning of “God will provide” as they traveled about with 4 children in tow! This email is getting long, though, so I’ll stop here. We have some of the stories safely secured in our journals.

Yordan and Kalina
Pomorie, Bulgaria
– Louise

Okay. Get ready for the love chapter. Ha! got you worried, didn’t I? ;) we’ll tell those stories later… ;) but for now, we want to tell you about this special family; they were particularly demonstrative in their show of affection – I hope the following memories and descriptions are not too sappy! J love, love, love; I love love, do you love love? hehe

Kalina (above)
Mariela and Ralitsa (below)

From the moment that we entered Kalina and Yordan’s home, Ruth and I were wrapped up in love and welcomed as part of their family. Upon our first meeting with Ralitsa (12) and Mariela (7), we were welcomed with such wonderful, heartwarming hugs as I’ve never experienced before – hugs which were more than those momentary ‘flash hugs’, hugs which one could sense more than words could say. Their home was happy and fun filled, full of singing – singing ALL the time! during our time there, we taught them various English songs including “There was an old woman…” but oh, we never wanted to hear about that old woman again! we must have sung that song a thousand times! yet they never tired of singing these songs over and over again J Kalina instilled in her girls a love for music and song; they’d even all listen to music together with Yordan over Skype. Just 10 days before we arrived at their home, Yordan had moved to Finland, where he and his family are hoping to emigrate as soon as the conditions are right with his job and community. It is very hard for each of them to be separated from each other; there was more than a few tears shed for his absence. It was so touching to hear Kalina talk about her husband and to hear the delight in each of their voices and to see it in their eyes when they heard his voice. From what we heard about Yordan, he is a wonderful family man, a romantic husband, and one who cares so much for the environment that his family grows up in. Yordan and Kalina decided to move to Finland to seek a better future both for their children and themselves; they’re both quite fed up with Bulgaria, especially with the Communist history and post-communist mindset and the immoral culture.

For lack of time (and possibly by this point, interest on your part ;)) The memories from our time at Kalina’s house are much to special to let them pass by unsaid, and yet there’s so much to write about. And besides which, Rome is waiting outside our door, yet here we are, typing, typing, typing away….) so point form will have to do.

• Kalina: petite, young-looking (and young! :)) mom who is “one of the girls” and every bit as spunky and fun as a young person. We enjoyed many talks with her after our late night dinners, extending into the wee hours of the morning.
• 1AM walks on the beach by the moonlight
• singing ALLLLL the time – silly songs, happy songs, Christian songs, fun songs
• searching for sea shells by the Black Sea shore; exclamations of the girls on the beauty and design of each one
• creating a picture/design with sea shells and rocks that we had found
• I got to play piano here! it was so delightful… I just can’t wait to get home and play my piano again though…
• learning about all sorts of things in our various ‘classes’ when we were going through their homeschooling lessons
• listening to the girls play piano and practice for their concerts and recitals
• We were a little dumbfounded at the girls’ love for bacteria and spiders and fungus – it seemed slightly out of character, considering that their home was the most UNFRIENDLY place for such creatures. Their home was always incredibly spotlessly clean, due to the tireless efforts of Kalina, who took great delight in making their home as neat and clean as it could be.
• their impeccable manners – each of them was an amazing hostess, always asking us first and checking if we needed anything, or if we needed a nap or tea or something to eat etc etc.
• their pet history: while we were there they were taking care of a rooster named Chernovsky “blackie”, and a turtle (forgot his name). They had also had pet pheasants, pet rabbits, and parrots/love birds… this family looooves any living thing!
• Kalina takes care of a sweet little 3 year old Jacqueline; she’s almost like their adopted sister… we had fun getting to know her a little bit
• some quotes from the girls: “I am sooooo happy right now”… “I love you so sooo soooooooooo much!” [while giving us vigorous and lengthy hugs] “I’m going to miss you”
• goodnight kisses/hugs

Some memories from the Burgas church & its members:

• going out for dinner to a nice restaurant in Nesebar, an old town/fortress on the coast, with Iavor, Jishka, and Kalina, and spending the majority of the evening in religious debates…
• going to church in Burgas and meeting the wonderful people there including:
• Iavor (the pastor), his wife Jishka and their 1 year old son Javor
• Maria, 20 years old, sweetest girl ever, whom we convinced to visit us in Canada
• Meetko and Yanny, the 2 guys in the youth group; both were so sweet and friendly; Meetko had been to the States before, and will again going when he gets his visa ready
• Julia & Mishu and their 3 year old daughter, our next hosts
• Meetko & Elena, a sweet young couple, recently married; Meetko runs a hotel and Elena’s an opera singer
• Lily, a professional piano player/ music teacher
• there’s others too, but this is all I can do for now

One last memory to segue into the next home: during our stay at Kalina’s, I got sick with my second sinus infection EVER – for 2 days straight I was trying to turn the faucet of my nose ‘off’ but it just kept running and running until it was raw… not a fun time… and then poor Ruth got it too (we’ve been sharing everything else on this trip, why not share the germs too? J ). However, Ruth’s version of this cold went straight to her chest, and such a nasssty cold/cough it was! poor girl… she got lots of sympathy – but having a cold made for a difficult time at the next home we stayed at (Mishu & Julia’s). Both of us were still drained from being sick.

Mishu & Julia and their daughter, Lily
Bourgas, Bulgaria
--Ruth

Perhaps Mishu & Julia best illustrate just how excited and committed Bulgarian Christians are to homeschooling. It really has affected their entire home. Their daughter Lily is just three years old, and still mastering Bulgarian. Despite this, they were quick to take part in every opportunity available: they were excited to host us and to glean English from our conversations, and Julia and Lily faithfully attended the final conference in Pomorie. Mishu & Julia are teaching Lily English as well as Bulgarian, so that she will be well prepared for the English homeschooling programs. Lily is a bouncing, pig-tailed little girl who likes to learn. Her 3 year old rendition of the ABC song is something else :) Mishu works for AVG anti-virus, and “all that sort of thing”, and his computer speals were interesting but quickly went over our non-techy heads :) Mishu met Julia in university, where they both studied together. She enjoys translating Reformed/ homeschooling materials into English.

Cultural Highlights from Bulgaria

Bulgaria Time Zone
Bulgaria seems to have a time zone of its own - or perhaps it's like this everywhere in Europe... or maybe it's normal at home too and I just didn't know... but here, everyone seems to be able to stay up all hours of the night and not feel the effects of it the next day!!! it's crazy... I can do that too, but not every day! every night at Peter and Jifka's house we were usually up till 2, 3 or 4AM, and they normally got up at 7 or 8. I tried to do that too - and sure, I could stay up no problem! but getting up in the morning was another story!! It was all I could do to drag myself out at 9!!! :) It was the same thing at Todor and Daniela's, but finally we had to say that we just couldn't do it - we needed our sleep :S I don't know how these people do it - they can work all day and party all night and feel none the worse for it! One person explained it to us, if one makes an appointment for 11:00, it's okay to be there at 11:15. Time doesn't really seem to matter here.

Driving in Bulgaria
Absolutely NUTS! pedestrians can die if they want to, the drivers in the cars plow their way through. Okay, maybe that's extreme, but to be a pedestrian here is indeed very dangerous. Some people even will speed up when we start crossing the street!

Sirene (Feta) Cheese
Used everywhere all the time, and on everything, this delicious cheese is a staple in the traditional Bulgarian household. Salty, crumbly, flavourful, delicious... Ruth and I are set on learning how to make feta when we return to Canada :)

Banitsa
This is a pastry dish that we've had at almost every household. It's so tasty delicious, and can be done many different ways, though usually it's made with feta.

Wafla Moreni
mmmm yummy chocolate.... oh I miss eating chocolate.... wafla moreni is a type of chocolate bar that has peanuts and chocolate covering a waffe type of bar. It's pretty good. chocolate.... oh i'm salivating now!! this is one thing that I've had to get used to (and it's a good thing too): not having chocolate/sweets/candy available ALL the time. I know I know, it's terrible but true that I'm addicted to all things sweet... this is just the trip I needed! :) perhaps I can break the addiction! :)

Kise Mblako
It's like plain yogurt, but different, and definitely better. Not goopy, just fresh and natural goodness... Bulgaria is world-known for its yogurt and dairy product industry. Many of their recipes use this ingredient, including something called Aryan, which is a half and half mix of Kise Mlako and water - a little strange tasting, but once you get used to it, its not bad at all. Also, Tarrator is another favourite Bulgarian food, made with Kise Mlako: in English we`d call it `cold cucumber soup`.... it`s very refreshing and tasty.

Rakia, Boza, and Beer (name?)
Rakia: WOW - that's HOT stuff!!!! a tradition carried in many Bulgarian households is to offer an alcoholic drink called rakia after dinner. You can feel it burn and strangle as it goes down, unlike anything we've ever had! makes you twist your face and wonder why anyone would ever drink such stuff... :)

Boza: non-alcoholic beverage with a very interesting flavour.... can't say that either of us really enjoyed it all that much :S it smells very strongly of I don't know what...(Ruth says it sortof smells like raw meat juices) but when you drink it, it's totally different... and it's so thick and sweet! It's made from some type of grain or something... I always thought I liked everything that was sweet, but now I'm taking that back! :)

Bulgarian Beer: Not bad, though I'm not an authority on beer by any stretch of the imagination :)

Bulgaria - Week 1!

Hello everyone!

Take a deeeeeeeep breath, and get ready for a loooooooong post! hahaa seems to be all or nothin'! :) Our time in Bulgaria has been incredibly busy, spending all our time with the children and their parents, except for when we sleep of course :)

Friday, May 2: Arrive in Sofia, Bulgaria!

Upon our arrival in Sofia we were met by Elian and Radoslava (the primary organizers of our trip, besides our Bulgarian contacts in Toronto). After a 3 hour drive, we arrived in Velika Tarnovo, where we had a brief tour of the ruins of Tsaravitz (a King's fortress). This place was really neat (I think I may have already written about it before...) Following this tour, we met Peter who had come to pick us up and take us to his family's home in Silistra (a 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive), which is in the northern part of Bulgaria, right beside the Danube river on the border of Romania. I think this was where we left you at the last (and only) email :)

Our First Family: Peter & Jifka Porumbachanov

We spent 9 wonderful days with Peter, his wife Jifka, and their three sweet boys George (12), Nikki (5) and Paul (3). Each day was filled with fun things! Instead of teaching English 'formally', our time was spent in conversational English, rather than with books and studying. It was sortof like a holiday for them, a time away from the books and more focused on speaking everyday English. On our first day, George acted as our tour guide and showed us around Silistra, explaining its history to great depths (him and his father are nuts about history - it was really interesting - we learned so much from them). His English is really very good; we had very little difficulties in understanding each other. (Except for our own lapses into poor English -- I really mean "very FEW difficulties"... I'm sorry to say that our English has disintegrated terribly :S We did do some actual schoolwork when we went over some book reports that he had translated and helped with his grammar, word usage and other things that came up, and some pronunciation as well. But for the most part, our time with this family was purely spent in conversational practice. It's amazing to see how much English this family learned solely through extensive reading, watching English movies with Bulgarian subtitles, and listening to music. They have had very little contact with English-speaking people, yet it was impressive how much English they actually knew! --this was the FIRST time George ever SPOKE English!

So much happened in our time at Silistra... to say everything, I think I'd need to write for a year! :) but here's some highlights:

Sunday, May 4
our first "home church" experience

Our second day in Peter's house (Sunday), we experienced our first home church meeting. It was really neat - a small group of people, maybe 15 people, but it was so special. We met some new people there, each of them so sweet: Jovko and Cornelia and their adorable 5-year-old daughter Amy, and their son Samuel (2); also an older woman named Velichka - her name means Grace... such a beautiful name! her husband has been a complete invalid for 2 years, yet she lovingly cares for him day and night; Bobby, a fitness instructor at the local gymnasium; and Maria, another older woman whose husband has rejected the church. Peter is the pastor of this church, and its services are held in his home. The entire service was held in Bulgarian (of course). After singing a few songs, he read a passage from Ecclesiastes, one of the Old Testament books in the Bible. He also read from James (a New Testament book in the Bible), and taught about the use of the tongue. It's so common and so natural for us to talk behind others' backs, to slander, to make others feel stupid, to use our tongues in a sinful way. But God teaches us in the Bible that this is wrong, and that we must use our tongues to build each other up, to edify each other, to speak the truth in love. Ruth and I listened to the message for the first bit, but because it was all "Greek" (Bulgarian) to us, we just read our Bibles. After the message, Peter broke the bread and poured the wine, and we had the Lord's Supper. In many ways I found it similar to how we practice communion in our churches at home, with some differences... After this, we sat and talked for a while with the church and introduced ourselves. Later that evening Peter gave us a summary of what he had taught that morning, which is how we know a little of what his message had been about.

Monday, May 5
Waterfight!!!

The following day we went again for a walk around Silistra, and had a water-fight by a large fountain in the park! it all started when George and I decided to sneak up behind Ruth and throw some water on her from the fountain, and pretty soon George, Ruth, Nikki, Amy and I were running around the fountain, chasing each other and throwing water on everyone! well, maybe not everyone - just everyone in our little group of children :) I haven't felt like such a child for so long! it felt a little strange but we had a great time, though other passersby were looking at us a little dubiously: I suppose it was a strange sight to see two 'grownup' girls (sometimes I wonder about us) and a bunch of children chasing each other, shouting and laughing, having a waterfight in such a place!

A Day in the "Village"

One day Peter and his family, together with Jovko and Nellie's family, decided to take the day off to visit his house in the village. There we went exploring, climbed trees, told stories, chased a sheep :) got out the weed-whacker to cut the knee-high grass for a make-shift soccer-field :) had a picnic, drank Bulgarian beer for the first time, played some football (soccer) and other games, learned to drive standard (!!! :) ) and just had a great time! it was almost surreal.... it's sad but true, but at home it's unheard of to take the day off for no reason, other than to enjoy the day and the fellowship of friends and family. These people have such a different mindset; they've set their priorities on other things than money and things that won't last, and have made a conscious effort to develop bonds with their family and friends, and to make memories that will last forever.

Sunday, May 11
The Lake of Sreburna
"Silver Lake"

Our second Sunday in Silistra, we first had our church service in the next room, and then packed up, went for a walk, and had a picnic with Peter's and Jovko's families at Silver Lake, a wildlife conservation area in which a lot of endangered species of birds live. Such a beautiful area, and so full of wildlife! One thing that has really struck me about Bulgaria is that there's flowers EVERYWHERE! it's just so beautiful! And there's wildlife everywhere too! it's normal to see horses, cows, donkeys or goats grazing by the road, not only in the country but even in the towns and villages! there's also a lot of horses or donkeys used by the farmers to pull their wagons. It's a little like stepping back in time, seeing what life was like a hundred years ago. It's very quaint; apparently Bulgaria is the only country in the European Union that still does this.

A Day in Ruse, Bulgaria

One day Peter took George, Ruth and me to Ruse (about 1- 1/2 hours away). We will forever remember Bulgaria's driving customs. I won't go into great detail, except to say that I find it just totally exhilaratingly thrillingly pleasurable! :) haha perhaps that gives you some idea of what it's like ;) don't worry, we're in safe hands! and the cars they drive are just so cute - these tiny little old Russian cars from 40 years ago are still going hard at it, and their owners sure know how to push them! Anyways... so we were driving to Ruse. There we saw Peter's university, where he is studying law. We toured some parts of the city and had lunch at a quaint little cafe, where we enjoyed the beautiful weather outside and the delicious food. Yuuuuummmmm the food is just so good here - I fear that when we come home we're going to be more than just a few pounds heavier!!! :S Margarita, you warned me about this, but I paid no attention - now I see how right you were!! :) ahhh, but it's worth it!!! I just hope that I fit into my bridesmaid dress for Joyce's wedding!!!! yikes... I better watch it... or else there'll be a pudgy ugly maid of honour waddling down the aisle! :) ahaha... During lunch there was also a live band/orchestra that was playing in the square for the passersby - they played so well, it was really nice. After the band finished playing, the mayor of the city also came out to give a few words, of which I understood nothing except for the final one: Blogoderia! (thank you) :)

The Lost Wallet

On the way home we stopped at a spring to get a drink of water - fresh from the ground! pure, fresh spring water, so delicious... then we took a short run up the nearby hill to stretch our legs before the drive home. However, what we didn't realize at the time was that I dropped our wallet during our vigorous little run up the hill..... :( it was supposed to be securely clipped onto my pants - I've used this wallet so much, but I've never had this happen before. Well, by the time we got home and realized it was gone, it was too late. We made the trek all the way back to the spring again (a 45-minute drive) but by then so many sheep must have passed by and trampled or eaten it, or perhaps someone found it, I don't know. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but we had Ruth's mastercard and debit card in there as well as some cash. Needless to say, we've cancelled those cards now, and now we'll use mine instead. So in the end, it all worked out okay, and it wasn't a great loss... Great start to the trip, eh?! wow... I surely hope this doesn't happen again!!!! now we realize a little more how careful we need to be!!

Land For Sale!!!

On to something not so disastrous.... though perhaps to some of you this may seem so :) Ruth and I have decided (ahem, drum roll please)... we really ought to buy a piece of property in Bulgaria! :) it's such a beautiful country, and land is so cheap, you really can't go wrong! it's bound to appreciate in value, so why not?! ;) we'll build a house, or maybe a hotel or something, and we'll rent it out to you all, since I know that you'll all want to visit Bulgaria after all we've been saying, right? ;)

Pictures are on Their Way!

We hope to be able to post some pictures but for the moment I'm afraid we can't :( I'm sorry... we've been taking tons of pictures though, so get ready :) I'll post some as soon as I can.

Faith Bible Conference

February 11-15, 2007

Faith Bible Church

LaFayette, Indiana

Finally!! a post to our amazing trip down to Indiana for Faith Bible Church's counseling conference. It was a great trip - we all learned just so much! it's hard to remember it all.... I hope that each of those who went is seeking to put into practice what they learned. To be sure, it is very hard to do this - actually it's impossible! that is, it's impossible unless the Holy Spirit is working in us. I pray that each of us would strive to follow the Lord's leading in our lives, and that each of us would be "ready always to give answer to every man that asks a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15)

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For those of you who may be wondering what this conference is all about, let me tell you: you should really consider attending next year! :) It's held usually the 1st or 2nd week of February every year, and goes from Monday to Friday. I might go so far to say that this is the most spiritually upbuilding conference that I've ever been to (this is my second year in attendance) - it's just so full of prayer and passion for God and for lost souls, full of practical ways to help people both within and without the church to see Christ through their problems.

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Faith Bible Conference is a great conference for any growing Christian (and we all should be growing in our faith!!) - not only for those seeking to go into counseling. Biblical counseling is something that we as Christians do all the time - coming alongside our friends, helping, encouraging, counseling from the Word of God. I used to think of counseling as something that only "special" people do - trained people who get paid to counsel. But now I really believe that we as Christians truly care for each other, and in caring for each other, we bear each other's burdens. And when we bear each other's burdens, we take those burdens to the Lord, and "cast them on Him, for He cares for us" (1 Peter 5:7). But when a brother or sister, or even one who does not know the Lord, is struggling, we ought to come alongside them and bring them back to the word of God - to bring God's word them them and let the Lord speak through His word. It's good to prepare oneself for these situations and be ready to give our friends the only hope that really lasts - the hope that we have in God and in His Word!

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This year we had a total of 23 people (including little Ashleigh, Jaden, and baby) - it was a fun time! I hope many more people will consider going next year - it's an awesome ministry, it really gives you passion for the work of the Lord! all their teaching is straight from the Bible, showing us how we can solve any problem, no matter how big or small it may be, with the Lord's help through His Word and Holy Spirit.

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For more information, please visit their website.

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well... enjoy the post :)

Yikes - who's that driving?! would you trust the likes of this insane looking person to bring you where you have to go? for some odd reason, the passengers did not worry - at least, I saw no outward signs of distress, except upon several occasions when I noticed Michele stiffen up and hold on, and take a deep breath :) hhehe we had a fun time driving down, the four of us - Mom and me, Jaclyn and Michele... we dropped Jaclyn off with her aunt and uncle and family, who then took her with them down to the sunshine state.... lucky! but we were soon off on our own adventure and were more than satisfied with that!

Jaclyn was sad to leave the fun companionship and spaciousness of our car (which was actually quite squishy I thought) - the poor girl - soon she was to be spending another 17 hours in the back seat of a truck, with 3 other children! brave soul... but at the end of it was the reward of being wrapped in sunshine and pleasantry, whereas we had to stick it out in the icy cold north. So she really wasn't too badly off after all's said and done....

Arrive at: TownePlace Suites, our home for the week :)

The staff there was extremely friendly and hospitable - even going so far as to hand out cookies, chocolates, valentines candy, and flowers each day during the week, when we got home from church.

The next day was stunningly beautiful - Michele and I could not resist taking a walk and exploring the surrounding area! We strolled first down a quaint little quiet street, after which we happened upon a park where a steep ravine cut through the woods, with a little creek down at the bottom. What a walk that was! there was something mystical about the area... the natural beauty surrounded us, transforming the day into light and warmth. The sun shone warmly around us casting a shimmering light on all it touched.

The celestial beauty was somewhat darkened to my eyes when I realized that I had lost one of my mittens... oh tragedy! for these were not just any mittens - they were prrreeecccciosuuusus to me. Last fall when Ruth and Charlene and I took our road trip to the Maritimes, I allowed myself no souvenirs, with the exception of a small change purse and a pair of mittens with a matching hat and scarf. I promptly lost one of the mittens the very first time I wore them. However Mrs. Boonstra, one of the elderly ladies in my church, sweetly made me a set of mittens to match - and now I've promptly lost one of them - AGAIN! no no matter how long or hard we searched, my mitten was nowhere to be found.

...though this seems (no, it is) so insignificant and almost silly, I learned to a small degree to hold onto things with an open hand, to be thankful in whatever state I'm in - though there's still so much more to learn!

well back to the conference... :)

the sanctuary

the load of books that we lugged everywhere :)

Pastor Viars - my favourite!

senior pastor of Faith Bible Church

Sarah and her mountain dew - need that caffeine :)

back at the hotel, enjoying our *free* dinner complete with your choice of beverage

Dan and Joyce, the now happily engaged couple

Mom, ever working, always helping

mother and son... ben, you look so contented :)

Steve, looks like you got the wrong person there :) hehe

(sorry to pick on you, Ben - you're always doing something to make ppl laugh!)

playing CARDS??!! at a BIBLE conference?!
we may need some counseling here... ;)

look! I can do one hand! :)

We took the bus over to the sports centre where we had our boxed lunches every day. We would have walked over, but it was just so cold and windy.... so we thought we'd join the invalids and disabled :) we had an 'in' : Sarah B.

Thanks Sarah!! ;)

beautiful Joyce...
and not-so-beautiful Louise...

in her grandmother glasses pose

great job guys!

you look so proud :)

the old married couple, who are now expecting their first baby in late summer!!

mother and daughter and grandbaby (still concealed)

brothers :)

fiance and fiancee

birthday girl!!

and the whole group of us....
with the exception of Kevin who had to put the kids to bed, and Tim & Charlene who were otherwise occupied on a date that evening... but they were excused, since it was after all, Valentine's Day :)












and now, driving home....

Mom insisted on having the back seat, while Michele and I took turns driving the 8 hours down and back. Halfway home we paused for a quick dinner at Wendy's with K&C and the kids...

Carole I hope you don't mind the pics I posted of you - I think you look beautiful! just think, pretty soon we'll have a precious new little one to hold! and it'll be worth it all!

Mom, modeling my new hat :)

looks great :)

The end :)

We all arrived home safely, and all had a wonderful trip!