A Stranger Sense of Homecoming

If I could give you words to form Bulgaria in your minds, the words would be smudged, lipstick in the creases of an old woman's mouth, the view of a Van Gogh painting with your nosed pressed against it. There is something intriguingly unholy about this country. This place has laws that are merely suggestions, anarchy that suffocates, and a crippled beauty waiting to be clean once again; and I believe that I am here to bear witness of the cleansing awaiting Bulgaria. And in some abstract way, it feels like I belong here.

I have been in Shumen for two days now. Bobby picked me up from the train station Friday evening where we headed straight to the market to meet Rali, his wife. She was helping two other American women buy food for the next week's Bulgarian Women's conference, Heart Quest. These women reeked of Dallas (big hair, accents, lots of fake diamonds), but like all true Dallas women, they are to be loved right away for their charm and genuine hearts. And Paige and Tamyra have both in excessive amounts. We spent the rest of the evening talking about my travels through Europe and what God is planning for the next few days (who even knows).

On Sunday, we went to the local Pentecostal church where Bobby is the pastor. This church is an incredible example of how a church should look. It is raw in the sense that the congregation does not hide their need for Christ and often interrupt the pastor to discuss praises for various bodily ills (the old women love to interrupt the pastor for such things). Here is an example: And old woman who is missing several teeth stands up in the middle of the sermon and croaks out, "I have a praise!" choking on her tears. And then she continues to describe her pain and that Jesus healed it. And the matriarchs of the church continue this for about ten minutes. Then the pastor continues the sermon. but besides the older ladies, this church is alive in the hunger for what Christ has to say to them. They are thriving in their youth and college groups (where the next generation of believers is growing, the ones who are going to save Bulgaria). What a privilege it is to get to know this place and these people!

Thank you Bulgaria for making me feel at home. I hope we can develop a beautiful friendship.