BULGARIA BLOG WEEK #1

Bog ta de Blagoslovi! 

(“God bless you” in Bulgarian)!

Thank you for your prayers! We are now ending our first week in Sofia, the capitol of Bulgaria…a jam-packed week with non-stop ministry…10 meetings in 6 days!  We have been sharing the Good News in some of the most unique places…hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, and prisons! 

Each church has a unique character, but they have the same zealous passion for the Lord!  Please pray for us as we continue to minister throughout Bulgaria for the next 5 weeks! Thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support...we wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for the believers back home who partner with us!  We take your heart and love for missions and ministry everywhere we go!  

It wasn’t too long ago that Bulgaria was held captive in the clutches of Communism until freedom came in 1989.  Many of the people we talk to tell of parents, grandparents, and friends that were imprisoned and persecuted for their faith. Because of the faithfulness of these Christians the church is thriving and growing in Bulgaria…and most of the people are between 18 and 30.  

Even though the believers here make up only 1% of the entire population, they have an intense hunger for the Lord!  They received us with open arms and honored us greatly for ministering the Word and the “heart of worship” to them.  Our first seminar was 5 hours long and the room was filled to capacity.  We then preached, taught, and sang at 3 churches, and 3 prison meetings…we also met with the worship leaders and teams privately each night of this past week.  The teams and churches thanked us profusely for coming to help guide them through worship ministry

During one prison meeting, we were allowed to meet privately with life-sentence criminals in a private room.  Although the conditions in the prisons here are deplorable, these men have dedicated their lives to God and serve Him openly in the midst of their persecution.  These men had humbled themselves before the Lord, and God was doing great things in their weekly Bible Study meetings as well as their daily lives.  Our hearts went out to these men who were confined to their cells 23 hours a day, yet they chose to spend their one free hour worshipping God with us!

Four young Nigerian men had just been released from prison the day before this service.  Many Nigerians, Iraqi's and people from other countries come into Bulgaria to escape persecution. Because they are illegal they must spend 1 to 2 years in prison before the paperwork is complete to free them.  The "international" prison in Sofia has many people, some as young as 7 years old.

The Bulgarian language is based on the Cyrillic alphabet.  In Croatia, we were able to learn the alphabet and pronunciation of words and we could sing along with the music, even though we didn't understand the words.  In Bulgaria, we are having trouble just figuring out what the letter is, let alone how to pronounce the word! 

Many pastors and worship leaders have told us they have been praying for a long time for someone to come and help them learn how to worship. Pastor Luzy from Sophia told us when he closes eyes he doesn't see numbers of people but he sees purpose and conviction.  He wants the Holy Spirit to pour out and to be a constant flow from his people.  Pray for us as we minister for 35 more days!

You can send your tax-deductible gifts (payable to Global Outreach with DAVID RITTER in the memo line) to Global Outreach International, P.O. Box 2335, La Mesa, CA 91943.  If you wish, you can also make your contribution online at, www.GOministries.org click on "our team", then click on the donate button by my name and picture.