Bulgaria

The Parent Generation

Alexi’s son Feodor lives in Sofia and was one of the team that translated and published the first new translation of the New Testament in Bulgarian since the 1920’s. It is in Study Bible format and is described as the best thing to happen for the church.

Thus his son helped the surviving church to grow in spirit and in numbers.

This was printed with the financial support of Release International, for whom we worked for 13 years.

Radnevo Church. Also built by the Parent Generation

Our primary reason for the visit was to celebrate the opening of Radnevo Pentecostal Church. Val and I have been visiting and helping, this church since 1992, when they met in a small building at the bottom of an elder’s garden. They moved from there to rented accommodation and God gave them the vision, faith and tenacity to build this church by hand.... Well a donkey helped pull a cart at times, but even he needed a helping hand when it was really muddy.

Now the church that town’s people said would never be finished stands open for the praise of God and the growth of the church across the area.

They gave thanks for all the support they received from local churches, national denominations and English supporters.

The Now Generation

Who is willing to sacrifice everything to follow Christ and serve him, even unto death?

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

Philippians 3:10

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soldiers and dogs. With his father he collected food and blankets from the Red Cross, for whom his father worked.

They approached the guards and asked permission to distribute this ‘humanitarian aid’ and then did so.

I wondered what I would do in similar circumstances.

Later as a church pastor he spent years in prison rather than give up his ministry. His, and others like him, kept the Church alive during the communist era.We were able to ‘act as postman’ and leave a substantial gift from a family in the UK to boost their meagre pension.

The Grandfather Generation

Our first visit was to Pastor Alexi who told us of an experience on Thessalonica Railway Station during world war two when he was 17 years old. The station was packed with Jews about to be transported to concentration camp. They were surrounded by Armed