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They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. (Acts 14:21-22)
Oh, how often we forget that eternal life comes at a great cost! Jesus did it all on the cross but this does not mean that we are exempt from facing trouble. Just the opposite. Often we feel this way in our work here. Pressing through, however, allows the Lord to move in the lives of people who need Him. And in our own.
Noah Kostov was born on May 19, 2005, at 4:20 pm, for those of you who did not get our previous announcement. He is over ten pounds already and has nice chubby cheeks and legs. Thank you for your prayers—the birth was a powerful experience for all of us who attended: Teresa, Viktor and Noah. The boys stayed with friends--a missionary couple. (View photos: The First 20 Days of Noah Kostov’s Life here: http://kmission.netfirms.com/pics/noah/page_01.htm )
Bulgaria held elections June 25. The communists, who failed miserably on three occasions to run the country, won the majority once again. This reveals the stubborn nature of human rebellion running through the nation, which leads to deception. Before the elections, I was invited to present a gift of 200 bibles at a party for the opening of a city office of a small democratic party. I had the chance to speak about Christ who offers eternity versus political strife. People almost ran to get a Bible. (View photos here: http://kmission.netfirms.com/pics/dsbbibles/page_01.htm )
VBS 2005 had to be put into a shorter format due to financial strain. However, it turned out to be one of our most successful VBS events! We organized the VBS in the two homes where our team has had a by-weekly presence since 2002. There were a little less than 20 children in each home. The theme this year was: “The Christian life – An Unusual Adventure”. All of the children in the first home, Belogradchik, except one, had been to all of our previous summer schools!
We had three centers this year – Music, Bible study, and Arts & Crafts. The outdoor/indoor sports and games brought the youth from all three centers together. In the context of class work and games, we entered into conversations about life, faith and friendship – all of great interest to the abandoned youth. God used the theme to speak to the kids and to us.
Yavor had written several hip-hop style songs especially for the VBS. He used a piano keyboard which Rory O’Hare, a young missionary from the Wales group, had left with him in April. Rory, rest assured, brother, your gift was from the Holy Spirit! When I entered the Music Center class on July 4, the teens were captivated by the words of Yavor’s song. The song was about a young man who, by looking at the sunset, knew that there was Someone who cared about him. That changed his heart from loneliness to hope. I was moved deeply in my spirit, almost to tears, looking at the small group. I felt the great love God has for these kids as Yavor was holding their hands and showing them which keys on the keyboard to press. The different groups of children learned how to play and perform the song. (View VBS photos here:http://kmission.netfirms.com/pics/vbs2005/page_01.htm )
The enemy also invests time and effort in the abandoned teens. One of the girls, who attended the first day, did not show up on the second. She was taken to a clinic to have an abortion. She was two months pregnant and the director had arranged for her to “get rid of the baby.” She’s only 17.
Our ending banquets were both goofy and fun. We had a small program and diplomas for all the VBS participants, as usual. One of the girls, Danka, 15, said at the end: “I feel like I have traveled the world in two days.” Veroslav, of the second home, made this comment: “I don’t want this VBS to end. It was so good but it was short.” Madlen and Nevena, two of our team of six, shared that they felt a change in the kids and in their attitude compared to last year.
The team this year was smaller but more focused and experienced. Complaining was down to zero – we communicated better among ourselves and had more understanding for the needs, the work, the kids and each other. The Holy Spirit still brought up issues in the heart that He wanted to deal with but this was a part of the ministry, not an obstruction to the work, as it had been in the previous years. Thanks to Door of Hope Int’l and the saints in Llanelli, Wales, who helped financially!
I’ll be flying to L’viv, the largest city in Western Ukraine, the middle of August to visit with a Christian ministry there. One of our supporters, who suggested this visit, has also generously supported us with the finances for the trip. Please, pray that God expands our vision and helps us see His work in the Ukraine so we can be encouraged for the job He has given us. I’ll be traveling with Yavor only.
We will be having a busy summer. Before the trip to L’viv, Ukraine, Yavor and I will be on the road to contact Christian leaders and workers regarding our fall schedule of the Prophetic Bible School and conferences which our team will do with Stuart in churches around Bulgaria. The goal is to train believers to follow Jesus by hearing the voice of God and obeying it.
Also, we will be spending the Fall and Winter looking for 12 new volunteers (from 6 churches) to train during 2005-2006 as youth workers for our orphan work.
We aim to publish two books in the fall: Yavor’s (short stories) and mine, on issues which many post-communist Christians face: how to avoid falling into the trap of dead or hypocritical religion. Please pray for the process of editing these works, printing and distribution.
Please, pray for physical safety—I was in a car crash two days ago. A minor, yet disturbing event. We had narrowly escaped a car wreck only a week earlier. On the way back from the VBS’s our car spun out of control on a curve on a wet, mountainous road, and turned 270 degrees. God prevented a huge truck from hitting us before I was able to straighten the vehicle and go on.
We always appreciate your prayers and your love for us. They mean a lot to us.
In Christ,
Viktor, Teresa and the boys
Please, visit our website for more photos and information: http://kmission.netfirms.com. We are grateful to all of you who pray for our work and give generously. The work we do is possible due to the sacrificial giving of God’s people. To support us financially, mail checks to: Door of Hope International S-15, PO Box 303, Glendale, CA 91209-9984. To use your credit card click here. To subscribe to, or unsubscribe from, our e-mail newsletter, write to vikkostov@hotmail.com