Today we are going to talk Bulgaria.
On May 22, I left for Sofia, Bulgaria on a short term mission trip. We were a small group, only 4 of us, all from the same church. This was not my first visit overseas, but it was my first time overseas without my husband and it was also my first "mission" trip.
We left on a Wednesday and arrive on a Thursday. My system didn't figure that one out until a week after I returned home.
The following is my Bulgaria trip in stories and in pictures.
Day one (Thursday)-I was very tired due to jet lag and "feminine things". We all sorted through our workshop materials and prepared for the week ahead, found a piece of pizza to eat and then went to bed.
On Friday, day two, we attended the Bulgarian Evangelistic Association's Women's Conference. We were the special visitors, introduced at the first session and we each gave a very brief testimony of who we were and how we came to know the Lord. We relied heavily on our translators because very few spoke any English at all.
By the second session, we had to sit up in the church balcony because the translation process was distracting the women around us. By this time, the excitement and adrenaline had worn off and the sleep-fighting and head-bobbing ensued. We all just wanted to go to sleep. On top of sleep deprivation, I was starting to get a headache from listening to English in one ear and Bulgarian in the other, both at the same decibel. I kept my peppermint oil very handy.
At lunch, all the attendees were given a bagged lunch. In it we had a piece of round flat bread folded in half with a filling of a few small chicken chunks, lettuce, cabbage, mayo and relish combination, wrapped in plastic. I really tried eating it, not wanting to seem picky or ungrateful, but I just couldn't get it down. They also gave us a bottle of water, and a Bulgarian version of a ding-dong. Again, my system just wasn't going there. I drank the water.
We stayed up in the church balcony trying to concentrate on what the speakers were saying, session after session, but we were all so incredibly tired. Then dinner was served. I was really looking forward to dinner because lunch wasn't so great for me and I was hungry. Darn. They served the exact same thing, except this time dessert was some type of packaged honey cake. At this point, I was getting a bit...discouraged, not to mention hungry, BUT, I sucked it up and just drank the water. I was well hydrated on this whole trip.
By the end of the day, I was very tired and hungry but "okay" until I got up to go to the bathroom. When I entered the lobby outside the balcony doors, a smell so foul hit me like a ton of bricks. In order to get from the balcony to the "water closet" you have to go through this lobby area. Well...I literally RAN through the lobby area to escape the stench. A group of people had congregated in "this lobby area" to practice their songs for a play. One of them must never have bathed.
Well, I made it across the lobby to the safe haven of the bathroom. Now this particular bathroom was made up of three small rooms; a coed sink/washing area which then splits off on either side for male/female areas which had another wash area and then the very inner room was the actual toilet, which never has toilet paper. Each of these rooms are separated by a door. I am sitting on the toilet doing my thing and suddenly, the singing that was going on the the lobby area, is now really loud...as if they were in the next room. I am thinking hmm...how odd that is to have the singing so close to the toilet. Anyway, I finished and proceeded to the outer sink area to wash my hands and who should be singing in the tiny, mini, little room, with the door closed, but a women and you guessed it...stinky man.
They sounded great, but I had to breathe through my mouth to get through the ordeal. It was all I could do to not retch and I couldn't wash my hands fast enough. I just couldn't believe that he couldn't smell himself! It was as if he'd played soccer all week in 100 degree heat, never bathed, put on a polyester shirt that had been worn all week and then had a sweat fest in that as well. He just smelled so bad...
I wash my hands and RAN back to the balcony, making sure the balcony doors were firmly shut in order to cut off any smelly air that may have caught up to me. By this time, nausea has set in, only to accompany my hunger, my sheer exhaustion, my headache and my menstrual cramps and my emotional roller-coaster. I looked at our sweet, lovely gals who were our translators and just started to cry and couldn't stop. All I could say was..."I really miss home" and tried to pull myself back together. I experienced true homesickness and on the 2nd full day of our mission adventure, I wanted to go home.
The second day of the conference was identical to the first day with still much head-bobbing in the balcony, it just wasn't as long. We were still so very tired. Please don't take this the wrong way. The ladies we met were wonderful and gracious and I felt privileged and thrilled to be there. The speakers, I'm sure, were very good and passionate about what they were talking about but when you are tired and you don't understand the language, it is very difficult to take it all in. We were just sitting in the balcony, fighting to stay awake.
When the conference ended, Gracie, the conference coordinator, some special guests, a couple of speaker, our translators and our American group, ate together at the local Pizza Hut. Our table was full of women who loved the Lord—from Bulgaria, Hungry, Germany, Greece, Turkey and of course the USA. There were over twenty of us and what an awesome experience we had, fellowshipping with so many different cultures. It was heaven!
What was next you ask? Well, let me tell you 'what was next'. How about 3 days of diarrhea...
When it was time to leave the Pizza Hut, we took pictures, hugged and went our separate ways. Three of my teammates decided were were going to walk back to our B&B to get some exercise and see the sights. As we were walking, the skies opened up and it started to pour. Since we were already wet and in no hurry, we decided to treat ourselves to some gelato (italian ice cream) from a street vendor. We were a soggy mess when we got home, but we enjoyed our gelato...that is until about 3 am...
In the middle of the night I woke up with a really bad case of diarrhea. The other two ladies only experienced a mild case of gastro-intestinal problems that lasted only couple of hours. The only thing we can blame it on was the gelato. Needless to say, I didn't eat any more gelato.
After a sleepless night filled with bathroom visits, my plan was to be better and go to a local Bulgarian church with everyone. I got up, felt fine, showered, dressed, put make-up on, crapped my brains out, then went right back to bed and stayed there most of the day. I ran a low grade fever and got up only to go the bathroom. After sleeping all day, I was still able to sleep through the night.
On Monday, I was able to get up and function as long as I knew where the bathrooms were. We did a little souvenir shopping before our first workshop later that day. At about 4 pm on Monday, we made our way out to the gypsy village on the outskirts of Sophia. It is a poor, rundown village and they have very little in the way of material belongings. We conducted a workshop with a few of the teen girls from the village and they were just so sweet. Our time was so short and I actually wished we could have spent the majority of our time in Bulgaria with them. The gypsy people keep to themselves and don't let very many strangers into their community. The are shunned by society therefore they don't welcome just anyone. The following are some pictures from our afternoon with them.
Towards the end of our visit at the gypsy village, I felt another "episode" coming on. I looked at Gabie, our translator and said, "find me a restroom, quick". The only one available for me to use was the communal "squatty potty" located outside and around the corner from the little church. Now...for those of you who have never experienced one of these european wonders, let me give you a brief description. A squatty potty is a small, outhouse size room, made of concrete walls and floor that are not always the cleanest. In the center of the floor the concrete is shaped like a shallow funnel and in the center of this funnel you'll find a hole which you stand or "squat" over to "go potty". It's a "crap shoot" (sorry, I had to...) whether they are outfitted with toilet paper, so you must ALWAYS come prepared with your own supply of wiping materials. I am thankful that this was NOT my first experience using a squatty potty and I am also thankful that it didn't smell.
I knew what to do so I bravely entered the chamber to do my thing. As I am squatting, crapping my brains out, trying NOT to get anything on my clothes, balancing my purse on my knees, trying to dig out my wiping materials hoping nothing falls out of my purse and into "the hole", wondering if I am HITTING the hole and also hoping no one opens the door, I realized it must have been a man that invented these torture rooms for women. Sorry, no photos available. I want to forget.
Tuesday through Friday, we conducted workshops at a local Congregational Church in Sofia and also at a church in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Amy started each workshop with a time of devotions and Scripture reading. She talked about who we are in Christ and how much we are valued by God. No matter who we are or what we've done, he still loves us and desires a relationship with us. Each workshop lasted 3 hours but the time seemed to fly. The ladies were so eager to learn what we had to offer and so thankful and gracious. It was truly a blessing to give to them. I taught them how to make "hair lacers" and "lariat necklaces". My other teammates taught hand-sewn patchwork, embroidery and crocheting.
Tuesday evening we had the pleasure of hosting an Alpha meeting in our B&B living area. We met some wonderful souls and had a great time of sharing and listening to their stories. It's great to see God working in the lives of the people there!
By this time, my abdominal issues had not yet subsided so my teammates put me on a strict diet of bananas, bread, cracker, etc, to try and get me back to normal. I was really hungry. By Wednesday, it was mercifully over but I was careful—waiting for a relapse that thankfully never happened.
The rest of our mission trip was filled with workshops, wonderful women, young and old, new cultural experiences and great conversations. The best part? Taking communion with my Bulgarian Christian brothers and sisters—seeing first-hand how Jesus Christ bonds people together from every walk of life. I was a part of the body of Christ, 8000 miles away from home. No matter where I go in the world, no matter if I speak the language or not—if I find a follower of Christ, I find a family member.
This mission to Bulgaria was a good experience. I learned that we are more the alike than we are different. I learned a lot about myself and I learned that God can take our small offerings and make them huge blessing for others and we all have something to offer. I learned how much I take for granted in the States and I also came to the realization that my own mission field is at home in my own community where the need is great.
The following photos tell the rest of the story...(No more gory details-I promise) Thank you and enjoy!
