Dear Family and Friends:
I praise God that He, in His mercy, allowed me to come once more to serve Him in the Balkans.
I am so thankful to Him that once again Tory Rath traveled with me to make sure that I made it here safely and helped me every step of the way. So far Theresa Po, Mike Cooper and Teri Flynn have come and joined me as well. They have been of great help and brought much joy to everyone and especially to the children!
We made two trips to Bulgaria already where we distributed food, saw some of our kids and saw all of our partners in the work there! Our hearts overflow with joy in seeing all the wonderful things God continues to do in all of their lives and the lives of those they serve.
Within Greece we have visited many and rejoiced in seeing each other again. Visited the Refugee Center in Thessaloniki and fellowshipped in our local Evangelical church of Katerini and the village of Mylotopos.
Please continue to pray for the work of The Macedonian Outreach. Lots of work but our Lord is bigger still and loves His people here just the same as He does at home.
I continue to pray for all of you.
In His love, Vula
Distribution of food in Pammuchi!
Some of our precious children in Yastrebovo!
In the church of Mylotopos with some new Syrian refugees!
Teri praying at the site of a future new church!
Theresa with some of the children in Yastrebovo!
Dear family and friends:
Although I’ve only been here less than a month, it seems as though the Lord is working overtime!
First, I found the Ministry Center in perfect condition. Our friend, who lives on the property, is doing a fantastic job and he is handy with everything.
My friends, Robert and Annie from Gilead Bible Church came again this year for the eighth year in a row. Annie was a teacher and she does a great VBS program. Before them, Lexie who was teaching English to refugees in Athens, came for a weekend visit and we had a real good time. She has a soft heart for ministry and has been with us previously in Bulgaria.
We visited the town of Mylotopos where the people are very kind and have welcomed the refugees from the very beginning. They provide food and shelter and help them to have their papers processed. They eventually get to go officially to their place of destination where they are free to start a new life. We are very involved in this work.
We had also the opportunity to visit twice the Refugee Care Center in Thessaloniki. The work there has tripled. From 170 people last year the number has climbed to almost 400 this year. There too we have been involved from the very beginning. They need A LOT OF HELP ESPECIALLY FINANCIALLY. We thank God that many volunteers have come from the U.S. and a big group from YWAM BRAZIL but they need many more things for the Center to operate well. The greatest need right now is a commercial dish washer. My friends at home know that this is the Center for whom we collected many towels just before I left.
This past Thursday and Friday, May 17 and 18, a group of ten of us, visited two Roma village churches where Annie did a beautiful VBS program for the very lively children. Many of the adults participated as well. Please pray that these lessons will have a lasting impact on all of them.
This morning we visited a very small church in the town of Sevasti just to encourage the believers there. They are mostly quite old people whose children have immigrated to other countries in order to find a better job and a better opportunity in life. I have a very soft spot in my heart for these people.
My prayer is that all of you are well and are daily trusting the Lord. Pray for strength for me but most importantly, pray for people to open their hearts to receive Jesus!
In Him with love,
Vula
Lexie and Vula at Ministry Center
Hello friends and family:
I just had the most beautiful welcome to the Ministry House in Greece! The sunrise was absolutely beautiful peeking through the trees and shining through into my bedroom. As this light shines over the Aegean sea, my prayer for everyone is that His true light will shine through each one of His sons and daughters here on earth.
Please be praying that God will prepare hearts this year again to be open to the good news of the gospel. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”. John 8:12
With so much love for each one of you!
Vula
BAKE SALE
Just in time for Easter!
Saturday, March 24th
10 AM to 2 PM
Community Presbyterian Church
222 W. El Pintado, Danville
Room 100
Featuring:
- Homemade Baklava
- Lemon Bars
- Brownies
- Cookies, Cakes, Pies and more