Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Back to Bulgaria!


On July 16th, a mission team from First Baptist Church of Commerce will embark on our fourth trip to the small town of Lom, Bulgaria. Through the leadership of Kris and Tedi Angelov, we will work alongside members from the UK to reach out to approximately 50 children from an orphanage in Lom.

This is a new experience for some; for others, we are reuniting with old friends. For all, it is an exciting and life-changing opportunity!

Each year, we prepare unsure of what lies ahead for us. We plan games, crafts, dances, and construction projects without knowing how many children will be available or what tools we will be able to use--or if all our luggage (and team members) will arrive!




This year we plan to make renovations to the playground we installed last summer. Wayne has also planned some small construction projects for the interior of the building. At the end of the week, we will travel to another orphanage in Lovech to install some playground equipment.

We have purchased dream catchers, picture boxes, tie-dyed shirts, wooden race cars, book bags, airplanes, beads, crayons, stickers, chalk, markers, bubbles, balloons, nail polish...and much more! Each day we will have crafts and games planned for the older and younger children. Our "lesson plans" aren't written in stone, however! We must ALWAYS be flexible!

We are so thankful for a church family that supports our endeavors. Without their support and prayers, these trips would not have been possible! Please continue to keep our entire team in your daily thoughts and prayers.

2010 Team Members:
Carlton Allen, Susan Harvin, David & Jennifer Sanders, Jessica, Joe, and Katherine Sanders, Karen Westbrooks, Wayne & Nicky Wilbanks
Kris & Tedi Angelov, Beth Watts, David & Emily Applegate, and Amie

Specific Prayer Requests for the Orphanage:




One of the boys, Zoiko, has a challenging history, and has recently broken his arm. The local hospital set it badly and it has healed in the wrong position. He’s in constant pain, and limited in movement. He has since had a second surgery to correct the original surgery. Please pray for a speedy recovery! May he have a positive attitude and patience!


This year we will be working with a new orphanage director, Tanya. She happens to be a good friend of Kris's cousins in Lom, who have already been talking to her about us, and then when she turned up at the orphanage all the kids were asking her if she knew us, so she is starting the job well-supplied with information on us, which is all good news! Please pray that this change will be a positive change for the workers, children, and for our mission team.




Concerns have been raised about dealing with emotionally disturbed children. The director has asked us to provide some information for the staff on any topic related to working with kids, working with challenging children, how to look after emotionally disturbed children, and especially, how to work with kids and engage them during the children's free time. Please pray that we will offer some guidance on this situation. Please pray especially for the older children that have a difficult time dealing with their emotions.

Changes in legislation regarding adoptions are occurring daily. Due to these changes, a new kindergarten facility is being built. If all goes according to plan, all the younger children will have been moved to a new location in the city by the end of the year. Please pray for these children and the separation anxieties that they may face.

2 comments:

  1. Ya'll are doing a wonderful job. I'm sure the children are blessed by your presence. We haven't read anything since Tuesday so I hope everything is still going well.

    The Sanders Aunt Claire has tried to post back to you but has not been able to make the post work. She sends her love and prayers.

    We keep you in our prayers.
    Lyn and Bruce

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  2. i'm so happy to know that my orphanage is still alive.
    My name was Slavianka Libenova Borissova, now it is Aurora Slaviana Carta and i live in Sardinia (Italy). I was adopted in 1996 and i'm looking for my natural mother Tanya Naidenova Borisova (23/03/1961) and my father Liuben Slavcev (9/2/1958?). I remeber tha I have left my sister with my mother. If anyone could help me, let me know please! And good luck to every child!

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