Greetings! We are doing well and having a wonderful time. We have had an amazing day - we have laughed and we have cried; we have sung and played; we have held hands; we have given numberous hugs away.
We began our day with Berk 4 (the handicap orphanage). What a blessing those kids/adults are. This orphanage houses small kids around age 6 to adults aged 35, and is probably the most loving and caring setting you could possibly imagine. The kids care for one another and for us. They give us gifts - when they have nothing. They are such an example of unconditional love. What beautiful hearts they have! With them we told the Bible story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 - Jane Frierson was narrator and had planned and prepared the lessons. Then we went outside to play. The main activity was the kids wanting to walk outside - which basically consists of walking around the building. The setting is absolutely beautiful w/ the Balkin Mountains surrounding them. We walked and walked and walked... =) and just showed we cared by holding hands, rubbing backs, and just smiling. They were also eager to introduce us to everyone at the orphanage and to help us w/ our Bulgarian speech!
We spent the afternoon at the gypsy school. Jessica Goddard had planned a Tennessee lesson for the children and she did a wonderful job! The kids were so interested in learning and even spoke some English words. We even taught them the Hokie-Pokie! It was so much fun!! The kids are a delight.
One neat story from the gypsy school: Midge Allum is doing physical exams. As she was finishing the exams for the day, she gave the school nurse a huge bottle of multi-vitamins that we brought with us to give away. The nurse started crying and said that she had asked (the people in charge - whoever that is) for some vitamins 2 weeks ago, but saw no hope in getting any... and here Midge handed her a huge bottle of 1000+ vitamins!! The nurse asked Midge how this was possible and Midge told her that it is because of God. What an awesome thing our Lord has done!!
Also, one of the orphans asked about Blain Potter - he came to Bulgaria last year - and the child remembered him by name and specifically asked for him! Even when we don't feel like we make any kind of impact or what seems like such a short period to us, these kids soak in every minute of it!! And yes, the kids remember each of the returning team members from last year and have accepted the new team members with big open arms. It is amazing how God uses our presence here, just spending time with these kids and just staring into their eyes to show how much we love them - this is more than they ever get!
Tonight our team did a devotional about keeping God before us. It's not about the work we do, but rather it is about our Lord! We realize that if we are going to make any kind of impact in this world, it is by God's grace and for His glory only! We must keep our eyes on Him and everything will happen as it should. Our God is good!! A quote from our devotional tonight:
"The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him" - Oswald Chambers.
It's all about Him! And it is about our relationship with Him so that our ministry can be effective and for His glory!
Please continue praying for us. Tomorrow we have the same schedule (Berk 4 in the morning and the gypsy school in the afternoon). We ask specifically for you to pray for our day tomorrow - that we are rested and are able to place a lot of energy into the kids; pray that the barrier of language is broken down; pray that these kids see Jesus in us.
We are very tired and must go to bed now. Thanks again for your support and all you do!
P.S. - Tom and Rachel arrived safely late last night and are well... just tired. =)
