Dear friends,
God is good, all the time. His tender mercies are new
every morning. I want to thank the Lord for people like you, who continue to
pray for us and support our ministry in Bulgaria. We can witness His power in
our lives and we praise Him for the work He is doing through us! Your prayers
work! Your giving is changing lives! Thank you!
Sometimes, we find it hard to decide which ministry
project and outreach is more important in summer, when we usually say that it’s
harvest time and one has to never miss the opportunity to bring more harvest
into the Kingdom of Christ.
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| Summer Camp in June-July 2013 |
Let me begin this update with our summer camp outreach to children and teenagers and with the story of a young man who is
now in his late teen years. His name is Tsonko. Do you remember that name?
Several years ago, when we began our summer camp outreach he was one of those
young men, who never seemed to stay out or trouble – broke an arm, broke a leg,
and some of the leaders I know simply didn't want to have him close nearby. I
remember how he would ask me, “Uncle Dimitrie (that’s the way he would call me
– uncle!” I would think, “Wow, I must look old to these young men!” So, Tsonko
would come up and just seek a word of encouragement and ask me, “Did I do well
here? How do you think I did there?” He just had so much trouble in the way he
was behaving, being very emotional and kind of doing a thing first and then thinking about it that one would ask the question, “Lord, when is he going to
change?” But he was a very young and dynamic man! What can you do?!
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| Tsonko - 3 years ago |
Well, after 3 years or so, I was talking to our team and the youth
leaders from one of the churches we work with said, that we need a good praise
and worship team for this camp and they have invited Tsonko. I thought like,
“OK, that sounds like a good idea.”
He came to camp and I just never ceased to thank God
for the great work he’s done in Tsonko. He has become such a responsible and
loving young man! He was part of the worship team playing Cajon and his caring
heart was going out for the sick among us.
We were tested when two of our campers developed a very
bad fever. Tsonko was next to their beds in the wee hours of the night checking
their temperature and giving them the meds that a doctor had prescribed. After
they got better and healed, I just hugged Tsonko and told him, “You did great!
Never went to bed until 4 o’clock in the morning! Thank you my friend!” He is
now going to a great arts school where he plays drums, xylophone and Cajon and
performs at different competitions for young talents in Europe winning first
prizes!
God is good and His mercy endures forever. He changes
our hearts and transforms our young through His Word and Spirit! Your prayers and
support make a difference in the lives of many like Tsonko!
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| Tsonko plays Cajon, Joel and little Kotse are on guitar and flute |
And then, our team on summer camp had another very
special experience this late June. We had a family which sent their children to camp and their father Barakat is a Lebanese Muslim. When the children came
to camp, we felt that they were kind of keeping distance from our groups of
teens during the times of worship and Bible studies. But then, 3 days down the
road, Nadiya (the girl) came up to one of the other young teen girls and said,
“You know, I don’t know how to say it, but I feel God among you! I see this honesty
and purity in the way you treat and care for one another.” Our leadership team
wondered what made her say that, but then we just said, “Praise God for His
presence among us!” Her brother Hodour wasn’t coming to our worship and Bible
studies at all until day 4 on camp. But then, in the evening of day 4, he said,
“I can’t describe it and I don’t know what it is, but what you have is real.
You are real.” And then began to attend our worship and Bible studies until the
end of camp. God’s Presence makes all the difference among us! Thank you Jesus!
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| Nadiya and Hodor |
The most encouraging result is that the youth groups
got bigger after camp! We have Nadiya and Hodor joining the youth congregation
in one of the churches in town after their Father Barakat allowing them to come
to church every week. We have Tsonko join the worship team throughout summer
until he restarts school in September. I went to see two of his street
performances after camp. And then, the Lord brought two other young talented
rebels to camp and that was one more mixed blessing. J Nickolay and Danny are all about beat box and
rapping (all that Christian stuff J)
but then they didn’t want to give their best ear to what our speakers would say
about living our faith out loud. But we know that God is good and we continue
to pray and work patiently with these young men. God is able to work His way in
our hearts. He proved it with Tsonko, he touched Nadiya and Hodour, He will
touch Nickolay and Danny. Please, keep on praying!
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| Nickolay and Tsonko perform on All Talents Night |
I was glad to see how our children Vicki and George
enjoy their time with old and new friends. Vicki invited her classmate Ally who
doesn’t come to church, yet. We are patient and we keep praying for her. She is
a more quiet girl, but we trust God to move on her heart. We often don’t see a
change taking place until God doesn’t surprise us through what he’s been doing
in our children and youth. The younger children enjoyed their time in games and interaction with one another, Bible studies and just had lots of time to enjoy the outdoors and the air in the mountains. There's much more to share about what the Lord is doing in and through us, but let me do that in our next Ministry Update.
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| Some of that better time for children on camp... :) |
I urge you to please, pray for:
1.
Our follow up with children and youth
after camp
2.
Our family outreach in August
3.
My wife Maria who’s having a hectic
summer season at Burgas airport.
4.
Maria and I have our 15 year
anniversary this summer. I want to make something special for Maria. Pray that
I get great ideas. J
Dimitrie and Maria and Team
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