Hello everyone,
Sorry that we haven’t written anything in a while. We’ve spent this time finding our feet and learning about the culture and our new nation. We have had the opportunity to pray for many people and see God’s love touch them in many ways. In January, we prayed for our next-door neighbor’s little girl. She’d been taken to the hospital with a suspected broken arm. After we prayed with her dad, he went to the hospital to find out if her arm was broken, but because of God’s healing power, it wasn’t broken, just a hurt wrist. Thank you, Jesus!! Back in May, we were at church and Adonna was asked to pray for a lady with a bad knee. Adonna and I both prayed for her, and we asked her to check it; it was a little bit better, but not totally healed. Adonna could still feel a grinding in her knee. So, we prayed again and by the third time of praying for her, her knee was feeling better, and the grinding had disappeared. Praise Jesus!! I don’t know why some healings don’t happen straight away, but what I do know is that my God is faithful and will always come through! I think some of our favorite things happen when we don’t try to do anything, like when we are not purposely going out to do ministry, but we are just willing for God to use us at any moment. If that means asking how someone’s doing at the grocery store, praying for someone like our next-door neighbor, or God using us to encourage people around a coffee table, we don’t mind. If we’re going along with what Jesus wants, we are more than happy.
We’ve been invited to visit a few different places during our time here. We attended an open-air church meeting near Kazanluk, in the town of Maglizh. Steve was asked if he would like to share anything, so he shared his testimony of how God showed His love to him as a young man. After Steve finished sharing, the pastor invited anyone who wanted prayer related to anything mentioned in Steve’s testimony to come forward. Many came forward, and we had the opportunity to pray with them and witness God’s love touching them. It’s incredible to see God move among people like this, where you can literally see His love on their faces.
We were also invited to a church in Kazanluk for a prayer meeting for Bulgaria and Europe. Steve had the privilege, on behalf of Radiant Encounter, to lead a prayer for England, Europe, and Bulgaria.
In January, we visited a home for elderly people in Kazanluk. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we didn’t go in to see any of the elderly residents, but we were able to provide a bag of clothing for the staff at the home.
Over the past six months, we’ve been able to distribute clothes and shoes on three occasions. During one of these distributions, we also provided nappies/diapers, toothbrushes, and toothpaste alongside the clothes and shoes. We witnessed firsthand the significant need for nappies/diapers in this area, as many families cannot afford to buy them. Therefore, we’ve launched a continuous fundraiser to help purchase packets of nappies/diapers. It’s important to note that we can’t use reusable ones, as many of the poorest households don’t have access to running water. We’re incredibly grateful for all the donations we’ve received and continue to receive. Thank you!
~UPDATES + PRAYER REQUSTS~
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to collect clothes, shoes, bedding, and toothbrushes from the UK due to customs and Brexit policies, which have made it extremely difficult to send anything to Bulgaria. As a result, all our collection points are temporarily closed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and ask for your prayers regarding this matter. Please pray that we find a solution to receiving clothes, etc., and that Brexit policies become easier to work with. Additionally, we ask for continued guidance from God and wisdom as we navigate through this situation. Thank you for taking the time to read this update. We hope you found it informative.