Jesus’ Big and Small Bulgarian World
Christ’s family is everywhere and always around! Growing up in the Chinese church community in Houston, my family would always happen to bump into others or find out there was a connection between new strangers that made relationships a little less stranger-like.
When I first was planning to go to Bulgaria, God connected me with my now teammate Mariana who happened to also be from Houston and attended UT Austin. She had found a local Houston Bulgarian foundation and through that we were blessed to begin our Bulgarian journey even before flying over!
Fast forward to when I first arrived in Sofia. Mariana and the girls had met an American Bulgarian girl, Ani, who is now friends with us all, who also was from Houston and also attended UT! When I landed during the summer time, the girls had been having game nights at their place and one of Ani’s childhood friends from the states who was also Bulgarian was visiting for the summer - her name is Joy. She was also from Houston, but after she left back for the states, I forgot that she was from the same city as me.
Now, 6 months in from living in Sofia, and returning to Houston for the Christmas break, my church friends live in a condo complex and had a Bulgarian neighbor, Vanya who I briefly met before leaving. Turns out that this past summer, she became a new believer and was baptized in their neighborhood pool! I got to connect with her at my friends’ apartment and talk and also try a traditional dish сарми “sarmi”! Vanya wanted to connect me to her pastor and his wife and while we were talking, her pastor’s wife called on the phone! We got to discuss a bit about my work in Bulgaria in Bulgarian as best I could and then the next day, Joy, messages me saying that she thinks I talked to her mom!
Such a crazy circle of connections - which honestly is definitely NOT coincidence but divine appointment. I got to meet with Joy and Ani for dinner before leaving the states and hope that the church Joy’s parents lead can be a part of some of our summer ministry programs! I also felt blessed to be able to share some Christian resources I had learned back in Sofia with Vanya who is so hungry and eager to learn more about Christ. Times like these are when God reveals how big he really is!
