Bulgaria Trip Report

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is a slideshow I made for my church when I did a presentation about my mission trip to Bulgaria. Since it was running on the screen behind me when I spoke, there is no sound on it. Special thanks go to my teammates Julie and Teresa for a few of the photos. (Since I love words, though, you’ll find a few below the slides!)

Itinerary:

• June 14-15: Travel
• June 16: Coach Training
• June 17-21: Communication Seminar
• June 22: Day at the Black Sea
• June 23-24: Travel (with an overnight layover in Vienna)

Least Favorite Thing:

• Three flight delays totaling twelve hours!

Most Unexpected Thing:

• Being randomly chosen for an extra security check and having to completely – and I mean completely! – unpack and repack my purse and carryon.

Scariest Thing:

• Riding in the airport shuttle between Newark and JFK as the driver wove in and out of heavy traffic and backed up on a highway exit ramp!

Favorite Thing:

• Getting to know staff members of Agape (the Bulgarian ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, from the Greek word for God’s love) and seeing their hearts for evangelism and discipleship.

Most Encouraging Thing:

• Seeing the joy of accomplishment on the faces of the trainees after they presented their final project, a talk on what God is doing in their lives, using the writing and speaking skills they had practiced all week.

Most Rewarding Thing:

• Seeing three Agape staff members grow into competent communication coaches, and knowing that this will give them another tool to use to expand their ministry. University students are hungry for personal and professional development, so Agape will present communication seminars and offer individual mentoring afterward. The mentors will present the gospel to non-believers, who will be much more open to hearing it in the context of this relationship than they would be otherwise.

Thank you so much to those who partnered with me through prayer and giving!