Back in the US

A blessed Easter to you!  We celebrated with a 3am service for IBC Sofia and a potential pastoral candidate preaching.  Yea!  Time has flown by since we left for Bulgaria in late January.  We jumped right back into life there with wonderful opportunities to interact with friends from church and in the neighborhood.  We experienced a wide variety of weather - from snow, air pollution, rain and sunny, warm days.  While restaurants were closed until our last full day in Sofia, we had a number of opportunities for the long walks that we enjoyed so much in our years living there.

Although the church is still meeting virtually, we did have a times to meet with some families and individuals in person, which was a real joy.  Paul continued with his men's meetings and I started a new women's Bible study, which is continuing virtually now that I'm back.  Along with other regular church services, we were able to lead and participate in a baby dedication for a sweet little girl named Sofia, who was born on Christmas Day (and whose parents are Bulgarian and Italian).

While the search for a new pastor continues, we were able to complete the process for renewing our resident permits, bookending our travels with trips to immigration and completing it just before leaving.  In the middle of our time there, I came down with what I thought was a cold - until I lost my sense of taste and smell.  That Covid test came back negative, as did the ones within 72 hours of our departure and the 3am Rapid Antigen Test at the airport before our 7am departure flight.  Flying is definitely different since Covid!  And, although our flight to Amsterdam was fairly full, our flight to Minneapolis had 24 passengers total with 6 flight attendants.  I doubt we'll ever have a repeat of that!

Covid numbers had been down while we were in Bulgaria, which is why schools and restaurants had opened back up.  However, schools only met in person for 4 days before closing again and restaurants went only a few days more.  Friends tell us that hospitals are full and vaccines are not readily available.  Please continue to hold Bulgaria in your prayers!

We are truly blessed to be able to continue to contribute to the life of the community of international believers in Sofia.  We don't know when we'll be back, but want to be available for however God wants to use us in our relationships there.

Blessings, Kathy

Back to Bulgaria

Just a quick note to let you know that we are on our way back to Bulgaria tomorrow for at least 3 weeks, but a bit of an uncertain timetable.  When we left, we had round trip tickets knowing we would likely need to go back at some point.  The search for a new pastor of the church has not gone as quickly as we had hoped - largely due to Covid - so Paul has been continuing in many aspects of that role.  This trip will be an opportunity to reconnect more personally with people in the church and perhaps bring closure to more aspects of our official relationship.  (I anticipate lots of walks outside with somewhat warmer weather than here.)

Our trip has gone through numerous changes - the last one occurring this afternoon when the Netherlands put new restrictions in place requiring us to have a second and different Covid test in order to transit through Amsterdam (and, as it turns out, Paris.)  So, instead of leaving at 12:40pm tomorrow, we leave at 5:30am and spend 9 hours in Atlanta in order to be sure we can complete the necessary test.   Then we'll have a quick 2 hours in Paris before arriving in Sofia around 2pm.

We'll be able to stay in our old apartment, making a lot of things easier and familiar.  We'd appreciate prayers for all aspects of our flights, layovers, safety from Covid, time in Sofia (including some official documents we need to complete), ongoing search for a new pastor and as yet unscheduled return home.  Please also pray for our family here - we will miss them all a great deal after the last months of significant change and lots of time together.

Blessings, dear friends, who have followed us on this journey!  Kathy

Change and more change

In some ways it's hard to believe 4 months have passed since we returned to the US.  In other ways it seems way, way longer.  We're still not completely settled in our apartment (the first floor of the duplex Sarah owns) and the storage isn't empty.  Despite all we got rid of before we moved to Bulgaria, what's left is more than works in an approximately 1000 sq ft apartment.  There's furniture that doesn't quite fit in the new configuration, things that we thought we might need that we just don't and some things we're sure we kept that we haven't found yet.  We've given pretty much everything back to Sarah that she loaned us initially and I made a point of decorating for Christmas as that helps me to feel settled.

The flexibility of our physical move kind of fits with other aspects of ongoing life here.  Paul is still officially the pastor of IBC Sofia and has continued to counsel people, meet with the board, deal with finances, preach some - and we both are at the Sunday service at 3am Minnesota time.  The search for a new pastor has hit some bumps, aside from the issues that Covid presents.  We were close to calling a new pastor when he withdrew at the last and we were basically starting over, but with very few new candidates.  Prayers for the church would certainly be appreciated!  There is a great core group who have continued to meet, lead music, host the service and preach.  Our fantastic youth group leaders continue to bring the kids together - social distanced in person when possible and over zoom now that Covid has worsened in Bulgaria.  We are grateful for all the options technology provides to continue drawing people together in fellowship and worship!

While the loss of friends and family for many due to Covid has brought a lot of sadness and grief, we have experienced an unexpected and devastating loss.  Our daughter Sarah's longterm boyfriend Tyler Witt suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away in early November.  Tyler was only 35 - a fantastic guy who had a winning smile, kind heart and gentle manner.  He was a talented biomedical engineer, flyer, runner and adventurer.  He won Sarah's heart and all of ours too.  It is a sadness we have felt totally unprepared for.  And even as we trust our Good God, we cannot help but consider all that we will miss.

In close, I'll leave you with the lyrics of a song by Pam Thum and Joel Lindsey that has meant a lot to me:

You turn the key
Then close the door behind you
Drop your bags on the floor
You reach for the light
But there's darkness deep inside
And you can't take it anymore

'Cause sometimes living takes the life out of you
And sometimes living is all you can do

Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old

But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good

You start to cry
'Cause you've been strong for so long
And that's not how you feel
You try to pray
But there's nothing left to say
So you just quietly kneel

In the silence of all that you face
God will give you His mercy and grace

Jesus never said
It was an easy road to travel
He only said that you would never be alone
So when your last thread of hope
Begins to come unraveled
Don't give up, He walks beside you
On this journey home and He knows

Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good

Yes, GOD is GOOD!  Blessings, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 64059, Eagan, MN 55164-0059.,   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Returning Home

 We're home!  It's been a journey, in more ways than one, and I kept waiting to update until I "knew more."  "Knowing more" seems to be somewhat elusive....  Here are some bullet points of the last 3 months:

• It was sad to leave Sofia!   We will miss so many great people from the church, who have been a great community and a little taste of what heaven will be like, with people from all over the world! And we will miss our neighbors, who have shown us great kindness even with our almost non-existent language stills and rough start in the building (for those of you who remember us flooding the apartments below us to the basement because we didn't know we should turn our water off when we leave town - that was in the first 2 months we were there!)
• I will especially miss walking and and getting around the city via various public transportation.  I had actually hoped to spend some time out walking before we left and visiting some museums we hadn't been to.  Unfortunately, a badly sprained ankle while visiting an old mountaintop fortress changed those plans and I spent 2 weeks laying around and on crutches before I started very limited hobbling about.  Paul also experienced some ankle issues with a return of the tendonitis he experienced early in our time in Bulgaria.  We're both better, but still not fully recovered.
• Covid-19 cases continue to increase in Bulgaria, although the situation is not nearly as bad as in the US.  Most stores and restaurants (that survived economically) are back open with requirements for masks indoors and especially on public transportation.
• IBC Sofia continues to meet on Zoom but, for the last 8 weeks or so, we have also been able to have a limited number of people meet in person wearing masks and social distancing.  People sign up ahead of time to reserve a spot and 15 is the max we can do in our space.  It's been great for some, especially for singles and extroverts, who don't have much social contact otherwise or just really miss being around people.
• With our plans to leave Bulgaria, the search for a new pastor has been ongoing.  Paul has played a role in facilitating meetings with a very diverse group (ethnically, culturally and theologically) from the church who are the search committee.  We had hoped to find someone from within the EU, since people from most other countries (and especially the US) are currently restricted from entering Bulgaria (unless you are a citizen or current long term resident.)
• Without a new pastor in place, Paul officially remains the pastor due to legalities of how churches function in Bulgaria.  This means that he (likely we) will return to deal with some ongoing issues.  Since we have residency into Feb. next year, a trip back will likely take place prior to that.
• We originally set a return date of July 30th which changed to Aug 6th and then to Aug 14th, due to various issues with flights and shipping.  It almost changed again a couple of days before departure, but we were able to work out the glitches and start the long trip back via Amsterdam and JFK.  Overall, things went smoothly except for Kathy's briefly lost passport and boarding pass in Amsterdam and arrival amidst tornado warnings and torrential rain in Minneapolis.  Sarah did a great job welcoming us home and setting us up with the basics in the first floor of her duplex!  Of course, we now begin the task of resettling with our stored household goods (and shipping, when it arrives 😞)....after we finish our mandatory 2 week quarantine.
• We look forward to seeing many of you in person at some point as we transition to life in MN!

Blessings!  Kathy

Flying without a Net (and other big news)

We have experienced lots of technical challenges of late!  Since we're home virtually all the time and doing our work online, being "without a Net...as in internet" is a big deal.  In the last 3 weeks, we have had our internet provider out 4 times due to lack of service.  There have been adjustments, more adjustments, a new modem and some adjustments outside our apartment.  While frustrating, we are very grateful for both our Bulgarian friend who calls and explains our problem and that our provider usually sends someone out the same day.   So YEA for customer service!

At the same time we were experiencing these issues, I realized my computer cord was quite frayed.  Some electrical tape helped for a couple of days and then....nothing...no fiddling, moving, adjusting could give me a charge.  A quick online order to the local Apple provider and free home delivery in about 24 hours (although they told me it might be 3 days) has me all charged up again!

Paul's technology issue has been his phone with missing pixels on his screen creating some havoc in his communication.  After determining that trying to fix it would be expensive and challenging in the current environment, a new phone was ordered from the local Best Buy equivalent.  Ordered on Friday, we are still waiting to hear when that phone might arrive.....

As we deal with life amidst the Coronavirus, we experienced the loss of a friend and church member.  Danny was an 80+ year old vibrant gentleman with a great smile and compelling story of  miraculously escaping Bulgaria 50 years ago.  He built a great life in the US, but has spent most of his time the last few years in Bulgaria.  We were privileged to share life with him, hear his story and eat his incredible home made banitsa (Bulgarian pastry.)

We have big personal news!  After much prayer and consideration, we decided in January that we would be heading back to the US in early fall.  We told our kids and got a call back from Peter and Megan.  Before we purchased tickets, they wanted us to know that they are expecting twins, due in early Sept (and probably arriving in August...)  Big excitement!!!  While we will leave part of our hearts here with the awesome people we have come to know, we are also anticipating this new time in our lives!

Now the Coronavirus....and we don't really know when we will get back.  By choosing to stay here now, which we both think is the place we should be, we realize that timing of travel over the next few months is uncertain.  And so, we seek to be faithful to our call here, trusting that God has the PLAN - like He always does!  Please pray for us, that we would trust His plan and timing for us.  Thank you!

Blessings, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 64059, Eagan, MN 55164-0059.,   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Happy Resurrection Day!

Dear Friends,

We in Bulgaria celebrated the resurrection with you on this Easter Sunday.  We will also remember Easter in our church service next Sunday, which is the traditional Orthodox Easter celebration.

Around the world, this day is remembered in ways that are unprecedented in our life times.  We didn't dress up and go to church for a big celebration - maybe with a choir, maybe a special breakfast before the service and certainly a lot of hugs and smiles.  This year, as you probably are, we celebrate remotely from our homes tuning into the service of our local church or somewhere else we find on the internet.

Here in Bulgaria, we celebrated our services and small groups over Zoom - and a lot of us did dress up!  Since we are a relatively small group, this allows us to talk together and have different people in their homes take part by singing, reading scripture, etc.  A bonus has been that it's given people in other countries (most who lived here previously) opportunity to also participate - kind of a nice reunion!

Daily life has changed drastically here as well.  Schools are teaching kids online, many people who still have jobs are working from home, only "essential" stores are allowed to be open and - even on the nicest days we've had - fewer people are outside.  (There may be such a thing as a "hair emergency" here because I've seen a couple of hair salons open 😁!)

Saturday we heard loudspeakers outside of our apartment building twice.  We weren't sure what that was all about, but had a guess which was confirmed by a Bulgarian friend later on.  As of midnight, some kind of face mask needs to be worn anytime people are out in public for the foreseeable future.  Many people have been doing this already (including us) but I think there was a need for a renewal of commitment.  So far Bulgaria only has 676 reported cases and 31 deaths, numbers which are updated online twice a day.  Like everyplace, this most likely doesn't account for all cases, but I find it somewhat encouraging that numbers seem to be increasing by less than 10% each day.

In our building, we are also participating in trying to keep cases low.  We normally have a shoveling schedule in the winter and, on average, each apartment is listed once a month.  With only one real snowfall all winter (until April 1 & 2 when we got a good amount of heavy snow that stuck to tree limbs for days) our assignment was now to disinfect the common areas of the building - door handles, elevator buttons, etc. - a task I think most people are happy to do.

Despite the challenges of this time, we are encouraged that God is faithful and we can trust Him.  In one of my ladies small groups, we have been discussing a book entitled When Changing Nothing Changes Everything, which encourages us to look at our situation not just for how it impacts us, but  how we can be a blessing and encouragement to others in the midst of difficulty.  And we don't alway see, until much later, the full impact of any given situation or difficulty.  While we continue to pray that this pandemic will end soon, we also look for how we can stay faithful in sharing God's love where he has us currently - in still beautiful Sofia, Bulgaria!

With love and prayers for health and safety,  Kathy


If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Holocaust Remembrance and Bulgaria

Last Tuesday we were invited to a Holocaust Remembrance Event here in Sofia, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.   It was an opportunity to be reminded of the horrors of genocide against not only the Jews, but also Roma (gypsies), handicapped and others - including Christians who stood up for or protected Jews.

In March, 1941 Bulgaria gave in to Axis demands to form an alliance with them. While initially agreeing to deport all Bulgarian Jews to German control, Bulgaria did not carry through.  There were a number of restrictions placed on Jews in Bulgaria and most of the non-Bulgarian Jews in areas under Bulgarian control (but not Bulgaria proper) were deported.  There were public demonstrations and Parliamenty disagreement against following along with the Nazis.

But Bulgaria was in a tough place considering its geographic location.  The laws on deporting Jews were protested, not only by the Bulgarian Jewish community and intellectuals, but by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and its leader, Metropolitan Stefan I.  Deportations were entirely cancelled in May 1943. The Bulgarian government  tried to arrange transport for Bulgarian Jews to Palestine on British vessels in the Black Sea.  However, these efforts were rebuffed by Britain.  Around 20,000 Jews were expelled from Sofia to the provinces where they were used in forced labor, while the Bulgarian government used labor shortage as the reason to refuse deportation.

Hitler was angry with Bulgaria and their king, Tsar Boris III, due to their unwillingness to declare war on the Soviet Union and not deporting the Jews to death camps in Poland and Germany. Several days after his return from meeting with Hitler in August, 1943, Tsar Boris III died of apparent heart failure at age 49.  His German doctors believed he had been poisoned with a slow acting poison.

Bulgaria was officially thanked by the government of Israel but this was kept quiet until Bulgarian independence in 1989 because the credit belonged to the royal Bulgarian government, the King of Bulgaria and the Church (all considered enemies of Communism) in response to calls from the Bulgarian people to defend their Jewish neighbors.

Of the 48,000 Jews in Bulgaria, none was deported or murdered by the Nazis.

Peace, Kathy

Seasonal Sights of Sofia

The holidays are past, but we haven't experienced much of what really feels like Christmas and winter weather here in Sofia. We have had very little snow and the cold, for us Minnesotans, is quite tolerable.

Sofia has been going through a lot of public improvements, which are always a bit disruptive and controversial (in any place, I think).  One here has been to change a street from tram and car traffic to only tram and walking.  It seems to take forever for these kinds of projects to be completed (impacting traffic and definitely local businesses) but it was nice to see some Christmas cheer amongst the workers all dressed as Santa as they layed pavers.

Stray cats are everywhere in Sofia.  These 2 (and a couple of others) hang around outside our apartment building.  I've heard they were left behind by a resident who moved out and that someone in the building continues to feed them (which bothers some other neighbors...)

We haven't had much snow or even rain, but it can be beautiful when it does come.  Summer was dry too, so I wonder if we're moving into a drought.  So, no snow pictures, but this is Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the main Orthodox church in downtown Sofia.  On one of the beautiful recent sunny days, I managed to even get a picture with no cars around in the middle of the day - a very unusual sight.

As we have each of the Christmas seasons we've been here, we had a Christmas potluck on one of the weekend nights in Dec.  We fit as many tables and chairs into the sanctuary as we can and have a great assortment of food, music and fun.  We're blessed to have a youth group who comes to help set up and contributes to the program, thanks to our great youth group/Young Life leaders - who also serve as worship leaders many weeks.

Bulgarians have a lot of food traditions associated with Christmas - including an odd number of only vegetarian dishes for Christmas Eve and this beautiful bread.


We hope and pray that you experienced a wonderful Christmas and that you will recognize God's blessings in the year ahead.  We have frequently been reminded of late how very much we have to be grateful for - even as we acknowledge the difficulties and suffering in our world today.

Blessings, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Grief and Hope

My mom passed away last Thursday.  It was not unexpected and yet...in some ways it's never expected.  I was home last summer to help out as my two sisters who live nearby had been caring for mom 24/7 for about 6 months.  I stayed with her about 10 days, with Paul there for part of the time.  We talked about what the future might hold and that we were quite certain this would be the last time we saw each other in person on this earth.

As I reflect on that time, I'm thankful that I could be there to help her, cook for her (at least some...) and share her bedtime devotions.  I'm thankful Paul could be there because she always enjoyed talking with him - and he and I were able to get her out in the car one night for a trip to the Dairy Queen.  That was in late June and, by early August, she decided along with my sisters that she needed to move into an assisted care situation.  That was a hard decision for all of them, but it's what needed to happen.

For a variety of reasons, she moved into a home in Beresford, SD where one sister lives.  She still was able to have lots of visitors and the family who lived close was there virtually every day.  She seemed to do okay until the last few days when she pretty much stopped eating and communicating.

It's hard to be far away when you lose a loved one.  You wish you could have had that one more time just to look on their face, hold their hand or say "I love you."  But it's also hard to be close by - to be needed at inconvenient times, to have your loved one forget who you are or be cranky when you visit...to watch someone you love drift away physically and mentally....

I am so thankful for my sisters who cared for mom so faithfully when I was far away.  And I'm thankful we will be able to go home and celebrate her life with friends and other family.  Paul will officiate at the service as that was one very specific request mom left.  We leave here tomorrow morning (Thursday) and arrive into Minneapolis just before 1pm (thanks to the time change - it's really a 14+ hour trip.)  Sarah will drive us to Sioux Falls where we'll stay in the house I grew up in and that mom lived in for almost 70 years.  I'm sure it will feel different....

While we grieve, we also celebrate because mom had the hope of a life forever with Jesus.  While we mourn, she is rejoicing and free from pain.

For those of you who'd like to read more about mom (Marion Roos) and/or remember her from some contacts through the years, here is the link to the obituary and service information https://www.millerfh.com/obituary/marion-roos

Thank you for your prayers for and encouragement to us and our family at this time!

With love, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Summer Laughs

This summer some Australian friends rented a house on the Aegean Sea in Greece, and invited us to join them for a few days. Vacations in this part of Greece are very common for people living in Bulgaria, both foreigners and Bulgarians, so we were excited to join the trek. (Think going up north or going to the lake...)  

Due to new EU regulations, we could use our Bulgarian phone in other EU countries for Google Maps etc. to find our way around. This was extremely helpful! However, I struggled with what exactly was available to me for data, etc. in a new country as the messages are always in Bulgarian.  I decided to use my Google translate, which told me how much data I had available and other important facts. It also encouraged us to "drive carelessly". This provided a good laugh as we traversed the crowded and busy Greek highway to our destination!

Whether we are in Bulgaria or another country nearby, there are always interesting cultural experiences that we don’t have in the US.  Upon our return to Sofia, Paul went to fill the car with gas and must have passed a certain threshold because, as he was paying, the clerk reached under the counter and pulled out a liter bottle of beer which was a free gift to him because of his gas purchase. We also got a good laugh about this. 

A similar experience came when we were looking at refrigerators at a local electronics store.  We’ve had a lot of problems with ice buildup and then water all over our floor due to a long crack in the back of the refrigerator.  This has also lead to some other ugly things in the refrigerator which I will not describe... So, in looking at several brands of refrigerators we noted that there were free gifts involved, mainly a dozen liter bottles of a certain brand of beer. The deal did not provide the required incentive to buy a refrigerator but it did give us another laugh. 

We find that it’s not just in our daily experiences but also in the church that our cultural differences come out.  They may relate to the importance of being "on time", how we pray, what and how long we sing, what is expected in the sermon and how long we meet.  For the most part we have enjoyed these challenges and the diversity, although sometimes it does leave us shaking our heads or chuckling to ourselves.  God is Good and we appreciate the opportunities to share life and faith in this amazing country!

Blessings, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

The eyes have it! And more...

Many of you have wondered and asked how my eye surgery went.  Thankfully, it was a great experience - the surgery went well in a new hospital that was finished last year.  The surgeon was excellent and I was very happy with the overall care I received.  Having this kind of an experience in a foreign country is always an adventure just because things are often done differently than "at home".  (In case you think me particularly brave, let me assure you I am not!!!)  The great thing is that God is with us wherever we are and knows all the details of any situation.

My vision has improved since the surgery, but the final outcome won't be known until 4 months so I have one more appointment before searching for new glasses.  There is also the strong likelihood that I will develop a cataract in that eye within the next year.

Before the eye issues came up, I had planned to come back to the US to visit my mom.  Due to my hospitalization, I was able to change my ticket for no charge and actually arrived back in the US on June 21st.  So I'm sitting at my mom's house and grateful for the opportunity to spend some time with her.  She turned 93 in May and is experiencing some significant health issues so time is precious.

We were blessed with a visit from 2 Lakeville friends who I actually flew back with.  It was wonderful to share Bulgaria with friends I had shared life with for almost 20 years.  And they got to experience a lot - the beauty of the mountains, the rich culture and history, venturing around the city and great restaurants, wonderful people at our international fellowship, as well as a short power outage, a few days with no city hot water (we have a backup tank for showers) and my map program taking us on a logging road during one of our journeys!

Paul wasn't sure if he would be able to come back, but we found a reasonable ticket and he arrived in MSP today.  He'll travel to Sioux Falls tomorrow and spend the rest of the week here with mom.  Then we'll both head up to the cities until we go back to Bulgaria on July 10th.  These plans kind of all came together and we currrently don't have specific plans for our time in MN.  We do know we have a few "life details" we need to take care of, but aren't currently sure where we'll stay or how we'll get around.  Neither Peter or Sarah is set up to have us stay with them the whole time, nor able to provide transport so we're open to options.

We may try to pull together a "get together" option as we did last year.  We'll keep you posted if that happens.  But also feel free to call us as we'd love to get together as we are able.  My phone is still 602-315-4375 and Paul is 952-200-5781.

Blessings, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Windows...

We have a pretty nice view out these windows and, on many days, can see the mountains that surround Sofia.  The first week in Dec., however, we had a day with really bad air pollution (it happens, but not often) - so bad that you could buy a ticket for all public transportation for 1 lev (about $.60) to use all day.  (Normally 1.6 lev per ride)  Since I'm a bargain hunter, and needed to be out that day anyway, it was great!

Fairly typical view w/out bars

The bad pollution day....

For about 2 months we had guys outside our windows working on the insulation, painting, etc.  Paul got to know them a bit when they wanted to cover our vent for the bathroom fan and he had to go buy a special piece for them to use to keep it open.  One day they knocked on our window to see if we had anything to drink, so we found some soda and water.  Paul had a few conversations with them (mostly using Google translate) and found out several of them were Seventh Day Adventist.  When they found out Paul was a pastor, they wanted him to talk to one of their co-workers who is not a believer.  Our most interesting experience with them was the day their lift got stuck on our level and they had to crawl through our window to get back to the first floor!

It's much quieter around the building now that the renovation is complete.  And it definitely looks a lot nicer!  But we kind of miss those guys!

In January, we had windows into what God is doing in the lives of 4 people in our church community.  One is a French businessman, who started coming to church a year ago, sensing the need to renew his relationship with God.  Another is our young Bulgarian friend who lost her 41 year old husband a year ago mid-February.  The 3rd is a Bulgarian government official who has seen God deepen his faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit.  And the 4th is with the US Embassy and has an incredible story of God's grace in preserving her life after a heart attack and near total heart blockage.  What a blessing to see into these lives and how our God is active and at work!  We are so grateful for a church community who care for each other and enjoy worshipping and studying together.

After struggling for a few weeks to find new musicians (several regulars moved away) we now seem to have a new infusion of talent.  As with most things in an international church, this will only be for a season, but we are enjoying it.  One week our musicians include a Russian, Bulgarians, Pakistani/Irish, Irish and a Nigerian.  We have a great American couple who bring together a somewhat different group to lead worship every other week.  They also work with our international youth in conjunction with Young Life and are a huge blessing to our fellowship!

My personal "windows" to the world have had some challenges lately.  I noticed my vision had changed and thought maybe I needed new glasses until I realized it was just one eye with really goofy vision.  This resulted in finding an opthalmoligist, follow up tests and ultimately a diagnosis of a hole in my macula.  Because it is not quite all the way through, I was encouraged both here (and from eye consultants in the States) to have the surgery as soon as possible - which will be March 13th.

God has provided answers all along the way to confirm having the surgery here - both in raising roadblocks to go back to the US and providing excellent care options here.  I have to lay face down for at least a week after surgery and wait a month to fly.  I can share more with anyone who's interested - and am looking forward to my "windows" improving, at least somewhat.

Thank you for your continued prayers, friendship and interest in our work here.  We are thankful for our connections back in the US and loved hearing from many of you at Christmas and via email.

Blessings, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Navigating Life

Life can be a challenge no matter where you are, but living overseas adds certain challenges. Practically speaking, street names are unfamiliar and options to get where you want to go have to be learned.  Years ago, when we lived in Japan, we relied mostly on business cards to help us find where we wanted to go.  Buildings were not numbered consecutively on a street, as they are in the U.S., so having something that showed you exactly where you wanted to go was very helpful.

Living overseas this time, we have many advantages - especially with smart phone apps.  Moovit, one such app, has been great for helping us find our way around the city - and can take us on interesting and unexpected routes!  This little video shows my route from our apartment to catch a tram to a local mall.  Many of these paths I had never been on before and didn't even know existed.  (Note - the route is about 9 minutes.)

Walk to the Tram

Often more than the physical navigating, is the navigating of culture - in our case both the culture we live in and the more than 20 cultures represented in our church.  Currently, Bulgarian society is presenting us with a potential new challenge.  Legislation has been proposed, and initially passed, which places new limits on religious expression.  One impact would be to limit expat (foreign) religious leaders from serving here and may not allow us to remain.   While there are some understandable reasons for new legislation, the extent to which it may impact our church and other faith communities is a concern.  We want to be informed as well as speak out appropriately, while not overstepping our role as expatriates here.  We would appreciate your prayers as decisions and revisions are considered.  If you want to read more, follow the link - Sofia Globe Article

At the same time, the life of the church goes on.  For me, the women who meet weekly are a special joy.  In this group of ladies, 10 cultures and languages are represented.  The level of English varies so ladies help each other - sometimes translating English to Bulgarian for a Korean, or helping a Chinese find a scripture passage in her dual language Bible.  And we share together the stories of God's faithfulness in the lives of believers from around the world.

These verses from our study this week especially spoke to me:
       "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in
         the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37:3-5

Peace, Kathy

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can be given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc   or mailed to Global Horizons, P.O. Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.   Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

We have experienced a beautiful spring here with so many flowers and flowering trees.  The smells have been amazing - including peonies (just like at our house in Lakeville!) roses, cherry and lynden trees.  Bulgaria is the leading producer of rose oil in the world, but also has a wide variety of decorative roses that line the parks and boulevards.  The weather has been great for taking long walks through the parks and city to enjoy all this beauty!

This is also the season for moves - people visiting their home country, but also people moving to a new overseas assignment.  For us, that means a short trip back to the US to visit family and participate in a wedding (Paul will officiate for a dear friend and I will cheer them on!)  We hope also to see many of you in the short time we are back!  To help facilitate that, we have arranged to have a few tables at Lake Nokomis near their outdoor counter service restaurant, Sandcastle on Wednesday, June 27th.  It is on the west side of Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis (4955 W Lake Nokomis Pkwy, right next to the main beach access).  Come for food and drink or just to socialize.  We'll be there from 5:30-8:00.  There is some free street parking and also a pay lot.  We'd love to see your faces, catch up on your lives, see how your kids have grown and just reconnect!

As we know will happen every year, we are losing dear friends to other places.  We've been blessed with some great relationships in the short time we've been here, making it hard to see those people leave.  And yet we know this is part of the life God has for us here!  Sharing the joys and challenges of expat life, studying God's word together - whether in a couples, ladies or men's group - learning about and praying for the country we now call home are all part of this experience.  While there is pain and sadness at times, and definitely hurdles of unfamiliar bureacracy, we have seen God's faithfulness time and again in large and small ways.  We are learning faith lessons we probably should have mastered far earlier in life, but living in a foreign country provides huge opportunities to trust and see God's faithfulness at work.  We have been reminded time and again that God is love and His plans for us are good and trustworthy.  The joy of worshipping with people from many countries, singing sometimes in multiple languages and recognizing we are joined together by our common bond of faith continues to awe us!

I've been trying to finish this for days amidst a bathroom renovation that has taken out two layers of old tile, a tank water heater - and a ton of concrete dust!  It's time to send it off!  I arrive back in the US on June 19th, but will head to Sioux Falls for a few days with my mom and sisters.  Paul arrives on the 25th and we both return on July 11th.  We'll have our old US phone numbers once we arrive.

Kathy:   602-315-4375
Paul:   952-200-5781

Thanks so much for your interest and partnership in life!

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, PO Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.  Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

Loss and Renewal

Just a little over a month ago, one of Paul's best friends here died in his sleep. He was 41 and his death was unexpected. He left behind a wife and an eight-year-old daughter, who are also dear friends. Stillian was on the leadership team at our church and he and his wife had planned to attend an International Baptist conference with us in Cyprus two weeks after he died. 

After much prayer and discussion, we decided to have Zornitsa and her daughter still join us.  We truly feel that God blessed that decision. People at the conference were so encouraging and supportive of both Zornitsa and Gergana, and we had many chances to talk, pray and get to know each other even better.  And God used both of them to share their faith and hope in Christ with a woman who worked at the hotel, because she heard them speaking Bulgarian together and she wondered what the group was about. 

We pray that these interactions will bear fruit, as she has already attended church and other friends are taking her a Bulgarian Bible this week.  In talking together, we realized that God knew all along Stillian wouldn't be at that conference, but that he could use Zornitsa and Gergana to share the hope of a relationship with Christ even after the loss of one so close to them.

In addition to being a great friend, Stillian had been a great help to Paul over the last 4 1/2 months when our admin assistant, Virginia, was sick and out of the office. We wondered what we would do without him, but God has provided people to step into the gap and we are very excited to have Virginia back this week.

Our congregation of about 100 adults has experienced a lot of loss this year - about 10 families have lost someone in their family. We feel privileged to walk with people as they share their love for those who are gone, but also the hope that they will see them again.  As we approach Easter, we are reminded anew of God's great sacrifice in sending His Son, and the HOPE that is ours because of His amazing gift!

A song to encourage you: What a Beautiful Name 

And from N.T. Wright:  "Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project, not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven.  That after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about." 

If you are interested in giving to our work in Bulgaria, and Paul's consulting in Africa and beyond, gifts can given online at Global Horizons/Emmaus Assoc or mailed to Global Horizons, PO Box 856678, Minneapolis, MN 55485-6678.  Please attach a note indicating Emmaus.  Thank you!

The year is sliding away and it's hard to believe how quickly the last couple of months have gone!  We've made a couple of brief trips to Germany for conferences, celebrated Thanksgiving with 16 other Americans and Christmas with friends from Northern Ireland, the US, Germany and Syria.  We held a Christmas potluck/music night with over 50 in attendance from many countries.  It was a blessed time to share together the HOPE that Christmas brings to those who believe!

We've learned many things the last two months - mostly about bureaucracy and how it does and does not work.  We had our apartment up for sale and had a good offer.  At that point the buyer usually puts down earnest money and signs a preliminary agreement.  We found out (at that point) that no one currently has power of attorney to sign that document.  While working to correct that (much longer story) the people backed out.  We now have potential of another buyer so are hoping all the legalities will be cleared up soon.  I could add a couple more situations here, but suffice it to say that I have an even better understanding of the struggles of expats coming to America!


Our adventures in parking (for which this blog is named) have
continued.  After doing some work at church, we came out to
find that our car (the blue one in back) was blocked by a
white car that had parked in front while we were inside.
Thankfully, the person arrived shortly and, with apologies,
quickly moved!


One thing we continue to experience is God's faithfulness.  He
shows up when we are thankful and when we are discouraged.  He continues to remind us that His plans are often different than ours - and better, even though we might get impatient to see them work out.  And that God really does show His strength in our weakness.

We pray that this Christmas season has reminded you anew of the amazing GIFT that God has given us by sending His Son to earth to live among us and provide a way for us to be His children.  And we hope this New Year brings you exciting adventures in God's goodness and grace!

A few pictures from our Christmas celebrations:

A quick trip back to the US

Before getting into any news, yes - we are headed back to the states for a brief trip from Oct 9-19 to use our insurance one last time for physicals, etc. visit my mom in Sioux Falls, visit First Baptist in Cambridge on their mission Sunday and spend time with our kids and a few other family.  We'd love to see anyone in Cambridge when we're there and may see a few others as time permits.  Short trips are always so challenging!  (Once we land, I can be reached at my old number 602-315-4375.)

Here in Sofia it's hard to believe we've already slipped into Oct, the leaves are changing color and falling - as is the temperature, going from 75 one day to a high of 45 the next.

With the change of seasons come other changes as well.  Kids are back in school, expats who've gone home for the summer are back and the church is more filled with "regulars."  Fall ladies Bible study has started with 10-12 on Wednesday morning and another group of 4-5 who will meet on an evening starting in Nov.  We've been to Germany for meetings and will return late in Oct for a few more.  Paul is busy with preaching, meeting individuals and facilitating other activities at the church.

For some, there are big and difficult changes.  A good Bulgarian friend at the church lost his wife to cancer at age 50, after a 6 year battle.  His wife was Orthodox and we were privileged to attend the service and burial to support and grieve with him.  Times like this not only deepen relationships, but give us insight into culture and history.  Our friend commented several times about Chernobyl, the catastrophic nuclear accident on April 26th, 1986, and that many more deaths would be seen this year, some 30 years later.

At the time, those of us in the states were scared and nervous, but the situation was much more close at hand for people in Bulgaria and other eastern European countries.  In many of these places authorities were not quickly forthcoming about the dangers of the incident and citizens were required to attend May Day parades just days after the meltdown as polluted rain fell on them and officials often stayed under cover.  How do events like this impact a culture?  How do we as believers share the faith and hope we have in Christ in ways that can reach into the hearts of people who are often skeptical, distrustful or uninterested?

We are thankful to be here to share the love of Christ amidst both the international community and Bulgarians. Please pray with us that we will faithfully follow the opportunities God gives us.

Going, going, gone?

I promised an update on our summer, but have been woefully slow.  So

before we move too far into fall, here are the highlights from summer:

Paul and I travelled to Hunadoara, Romania (about 8 hours from Sofia) for Paul to perform the Christian wedding service for Kiki and Stefan Tanev.  Kiki is Romanian and has been attending IBC Sofia and Stefan is Bulgarian.  During our stay in Hunadoara we had opportunity to visit Corwin's Castle with Kik & Stefan. The old castle has quite a history (including Dracula!)

In June, I spent a week helping at a Young Life camp for teens from Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria.  My time was mostly spent preparing the dining room, serving food and cleaning up for about 120 teens and their leaders.  It was a wonderful opportunity to serve, help out,  occasionally participate in the fun, and see God at work in the lives of these young people.

In July, we had our first guest - our dear friend, Casey Heid.  She was only here for 3 short days, but we had a wonderful time showing her some of our new favorite places!  The day Casey left, Sarah arrived and spent a little over 2 weeks with us.  We were able to see a bit more of Bulgaria with her and spend 3 days in Macedonia.

Getting morning coffee 

Casey at 24 Grill Center

Paul & Sarah with our friend Eric

Summer is a time for lots of goodbyes and hellos.  In an international church, many people are only posted to their country assignment for 2 or 3 years.  Through the summer we said goodbye to 9 families who had served and participated significantly in the life of the church.  As we lost our key worship leader, two elders, a musician, a tech person, our youth group leaders and a Sunday school teacher, we are seeing God provide new people to step into those roles.

The summer also has many visitors - including those from the Netherlands, Slovakia, Nigeria, Sweden and Madagascar.  We are blessed to welcome people from around the world - whether they live here long term or are only visiting for a few days.  And as we head into fall, we are seeiing new families come who are just starting life here.  

If you'd like to see more pictures from the summer, please check out my Facebook page.

Blessings, Kathy for the two of us

Welcome to our new blog!

Although this comes out under my name, Paul will also be sharing on occasion.  You may be wondering how we picked this title - or maybe the background picture gives it away!  We've found that often, in Bulgaria, cars are parked on the sidewalk, making it necessary for walkers to move to the street.  This can sometimes be humorous, sometimes inconvenient, and occasionally provides a different perspective on "getting around" - much like other aspects of life overseas.  

We've had a busy summer and we'll be sharing more about that in our next post, including news on:

• Paul officiating at a wedding in Romania
• Kathy's week at Young Life camp on the Black Sea
• The fun of summer visitors
• Goodbyes and hellos
• Summer in an international church

If, for some reason, this is the first you're hearing from us since our move to Sofia, please let us know and we can catch you up on the changes in our lives that brought us here.