Why I’m obviously not Bulgarian

Today, January 1, 2013, marks exactly 17 weeks that I have been living in Bulgaria. I’d say I’ve done a pretty good job of living here and getting acclimated, however, there still are and always will be things that prevent me from being seen as a Bulgarian.

·      I can’t walk in heels (but I’m learning)

·      I can’t walk on ice (not so much learning happening in that area)

·      I have dreads, which apparently not only pegs me as a foreigner, but specifically American

·      I have tattoos

·      I try not to wear the color black too much, and when I do, it’s usually paired with some brown

·      I’m not fond of dressing up, especially to run errands

·      In fact, my style, the “ Messy hair, comfy, and hopefully a bit stylish” look, seems to be pretty out of place here

·      I wear scarves as a normal part of almost every outfit, instead of only for the warmth when it gets cold

·      My ski coat comes out once it gets below 50 degrees Fahrenheit

·      Being more reserved in public is something I often have to be pretty intentional about

·      I usually carry a one and a half liter water bottle wherever I go

·      I tend to want to drink more than 350 mL (about 12 oz) of water during a meal

·      I like refills. Free refills

·      I often carry a travel mug of hot cocoa or hot tea with me, especially on cold bus rides at 6:50am

·      I do not like coffee, especially straight espresso shots

·      I hate using an umbrella, my raincoat is where it’s at

·      I sit on the ground

·      I like open windows

·      I am white. Really white

·      I love my Tevas

·      I say “Yall”

·      While I’m at it, I’ll go ahead and admit that my Bulgarian, if nothing else, usually blows my cover

New Shoes!

Today was a pretty busy day at the orphanage. A team came delivering new shoes for most of our eighty-eight kids. The kids who can't walk/wear shoes were not involved, but it was quite an ordeal. The team was comprised of a missionary couple, members of a church in Sofia, and a few visitors from America, all associated with the baptist church. This missionary couple has been in Bulgaria for eighteen years now, working with several orphanages, and was quite familiar with our children. As is customary when hosting visitors, a group of kids performed some songs. A few of the older ones were dressed in traditional Bulgarian outfits while everyone sang and danced traditional Bulgarian folk songs. Everyone had his or her hair done and all the girls were elated for an opportunity to don some makeup.

This project is, I am assuming, similar to some of the nazarene church's compassionate ministries. This couple has been working in a total of twenty orphanages for almost twenty years now, occasionally hosting teams who feel the need to reach out to the children, as well. The team from America is here for a week and I may have misunderstood, but I thought I was told that they will be visiting all twenty homes. They had a large box truck full of shoes, so I am assuming and hoping that I heard correctly. That would be a huge feat (no pun intended), but leave it to the Lord to make big things happen.

After the production, an assembly line was set up in the small room used as a cafeteria. As children were brought down, their shoe size was written on their hand and they were sat down in front of a visitor who found a fitting pair. I was pleasantly surprised that every pair I saw was brand new and appropriate for the coming winter weather. When I think of projects like this, I tend to assume that the items will be cheap or used, but this was not the case at all. Everyone was tromping around showing off their new boots. Some kids are drawn to zippers so they were found accidentally tripping those whose boots had zippers. One boy likes to look at the soles so he was laying on the floor looking at those of the kids sitting on the couch. He didn't touch, just laid there mesmerized.

The organization this team had was awesome. It took less than an hour to fit almost 80 kids with shoes, which included bringing them all from their rooms into the cafeteria.

All that said, I am about as happy as all the kids are about their new shoes! I am thankful that people invest in their lives and that others are also called to do ministry here. One of the workers told me today that she is happy Alex and I are here because the kids aren't as lonely. Especially in the room of bed-ridden kids, even if just to sit with them and to hold their hands makes a difference because they know someone cares.

I am so appreciative of comments like these because honestly, I feel like I am just in the way sometimes. I appreciate the workers who have no problem looking like a fool using charades and silly noises trying to communicate with us. I love the kids who laugh at us and say "ти не разбираш?" (You don't understand?) then turn to each other with this funny "Oh my word!" look on their faces. They made me feel like it's ok that I am not fluent. They get so excited when I tell them "Аз уча български" ("I am learning Bulgarian") and often take on the role of учители (teachers) while simultaneously wanting to soak up as much английски (English) as possible.

It is a lot easier to give grace when you rely on it daily.

Hot tea and a sweatshirt

First of all, I need to do my best to express the gratitude I have for everyone who has helped me get to this point. The emotional, spiritual, and financial support that has been poured into me for the past year and a half has been astronomically more that I could have asked for or expected. It means so much to me to have such a support system at home, school, and church. This is not a journey God intended for me to travel alone and I thank you so much for walking alongside me.

Saying goodbye to Nashville was so incredibly hard. I’d say I held it together pretty well considering I felt like I was leaving behind the first home I have made for myself. Nashville is MY city. I made the decision to move there and it is now my home. The friends I have there are so good to me and are my family away from home. Thank you so much to everyone there who has played a part in my life. Leaving Nashville has proven to be the hardest part of this process, hands down.

Today is our fifth day in Pravets. The next week and a half will allow for us to become (re)acclimated to the area and settle in before our work starts. This rest has been much needed after our unexpectedly long trip here. Let me explain:

Our first two flights, from Nashville to Newark, NJ, then Frankfurt, Germany, went smoothly. Our third, however, from Frankfurt to Sofia, Bulgaria, was cancelled due to airline crew strikes and the process to book a new flight consisted of 7 hours in line and 20 minutes at the ticket counter. During this time, we met lots of friends: A nice family also on their way to Sofia, Yuliana and her father, separated from her younger brother and non-English speaking mother on their way from Ukraine to Seattle, and Muhammad, a guy about my age from Syria, lives in Dubai, and studies in Canada. Along with these nice people, we also had encounters with some people who were, let’s just say, less than pleased with the situation. One woman yelled for probably two hours about how she had to be in Lebanon that night, she had to work, she already paid for a hotel, she needed to be compensated for both, she was a woman, she was elderly, she was exhausted. The list goes on and on, and I think everyone in line was relieved when the employees began to refuse to deal with her because she would not “behave like the rest of these people.”

After all of that, we finally got a flight out of Frankfurt that night. We had enough time to get dinner (we used our food vouchers at McDonald’s of all places), sleep, and get our boarding passes before hopping on the last plane to Sofia for the night. While Alex got stuck between two readers, I got to sit next to another American. He was pretty nice and we chitchatted almost the whole two hours. I almost feel bad for those around us. By the time we got to Sofia, we were about 10 hours later than expected. It took us another 30 minutes to get outside and meet Doug and the schoolteacher who were there to meet us. We had to submit baggage claim. Due to the mess caused by the strikes, our bags were still in Frankfurt and we didn’t end up getting them until yesterday, three days later. Luckily, we both had enough packed in our carry-on bags to last a while.

We have had a nice, relaxing couple of day so far and the weather is just gorgeous! It’s about 55° outside right now (cold enough for hot tea and a sweatshirt), but gets up to 80°/85° during the day. Today, we walked to the nearby hotel to get a drink and enjoy the weather. I got a white hot chocolate with blueberries! We are hoping it will be nice enough tomorrow that we can enjoy the pool once before it gets too cold. It is perfect, though, for our nightly walks. Tonight we spent almost two hours walking around with two of the teen girls. We talked about everything from zombies to the Florida Gators(!) and Pretty Little Liars to the disco. This town comes alive at night and this night owl loves it.

On our To-Do list for this week:

-Meet with the principal of the language school to determine when our classes will start. We are hoping that helping out with some English classes will get us a discount on our Bulgarian classes.

-Hopefully get to visit the orphanage. The director and Zhana are both out of town and we do not have our permits yet, but we are hoping to get special permission to visit at least two or three times this week.

-Go to IKEA. Our apartment is nice, but there are some things we need (this grandma (stuck in a 22-year-old’s body) needs a bed) to make it more comfortable: hangers, something to hang my clothes on, bedding, a lamp, etc. You know, the basics.

For the most part, we are trying to soak up our last bit of free time and warm weather before things get too crazy. :)

Please continue praying for us as a team and for our transition into our ‘normal’ routines. As I continue to learn about this culture and people, I am constantly amazed that God has brought me here. It is scary. It is beautiful.

With that being said, please feel free to contact me. My info, address included (for those who have been asking), is listed on the page titled “Contact Info” somewhere over there à

UPDATE: I have now met the halfway mark on my fundraising, which is such a huge step! Thank you so much for everyone who has helped me get to that point. I do, however, still need that other half if I am going to stay the entire year. This money raised covers 100% of my expenses while I am here (any non-ministry-related travel of purchases are, of course, not included). If you haven’t already, please consider making a tax-deductable donation.

web.nazarene.org/goto/vspendergraft

If you would rather donate by check, make it out to:

    GENERAL TREASURER, CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

The memo line should read:

    BULGARIA, MISSION CORPS, VERA PENDERGRAFT

Checks should be sent to:

    CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE, P.O. BOX 843116, KANSAS CITY, MO 64184

Fundraising Update

Wondering where Alex and I are on fundraising? Here you go!

Strangely enough, we are within $20 of each other and are both sitting right on the 40% mark!

Although we still have a little ways to go before we reach halfway, which is what Mission Corps requires before we leave, all we need is $1,100 and we have 48 days to get it.

So many times I have been asked, "So, are you ready/excited/nervous?" And my usual answer is something like, "Nope, I am totally ready to be back in Bulgaria; however, I am nervous about the money." I have no doubt that God will provide, He already is, but it is easy to get into my day-to-day routine (which, these days, is not a routine at all) and lost sight of that and start to worry. When I fall away from this faith, I step back and look at the fact that we have come this far just since the start of the summer. God is good.

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. " Philippians 4:6

Countdown: 56 Days!

Today is July 9^th, the day we were supposed to have our visas. About two months ago, Alex and I went to Washington DC to visit the Bulgarian Embassy and turn in all of our paperwork and documents. Let me say that the whole process was not as nerve-racking as I thought. Yes, we started the process back in November, getting an invitation from the Church of the Nazarene in Bulgaria, a letter from the Bulgarian government granting the church permission to invite us, housing documents, an FBI background check, getting that FBI background apostilled, not to mention all of the money these things have required; however, everything has gone smoothly and we have had no major hang-ups. Right now, my biggest prayer is that my visa gets here soon. Did I mention that my passport should have been here today, too? Yeah, the Embassy had to keep it. I was not ok leaving it there, but they needed it so what could I do?

I have recently (in the past two months) spoken at three different churches, which have all been a blessing. In May, Real Life Community Church of the Nazarene in Murfreesboro, TN invited me to speak at their annual missions service. I was given all the time I needed and to my surprise, I was able to share 30 minutes packed full of facts about Bulgaria, personal stories, prayer requests, and financial needs. This was the first time I formally spoke outside of Trevecca about Bulgaria and God’s calling for me to return and the first time I introduced myself as a graduate (which was super exciting!).

In June, Alex and I both spoke at two churches together… on the same day. That Sunday morning, I drove from Bradenton up to Brandon, where Alex lives, to pick her up and we drove to Orlando. Center Pointe Community Church of the Nazarene gave us time in their morning service to speak about our upcoming journey. During the same service, two missionary families, one serving in Africa, the other in a creative access country, were represented and prayed for and a team of teens was seen off to Jamaica where they would serve for, I believe, a week. I am pretty sure we went a little bit over our allotted 10 minutes, but the presence of God was there and moving, which became even more evident after the service had ended. The church provided a table for us to use as we needed and it became a place for people to come and speak to us, ask questions, and offer generous donations. I was so taken aback when a woman, a perfect stranger, gave a $500 gift to each of us! This was a person who did not know us from Adam, yet she so believes in the work the Lord is doing in and through us that she was willing to make such a sacrifice. I am very thankful.

When we left the church in Orlando, we had just enough time to eat lunch and head back to Bradenton. This Sunday happened to be one of the days Tropical Storm Debby (Debby Downer) decided to slam Florida. We had 30 minutes to spare by the time we made it back to Bradenton and ended up running into the church 10 minutes before the service started. Bradenton First Church of the Nazarene is my home church and I was offered full control of the Sunday night service. Alex and I alternated speaking of our own unique paths and the callings we were each pursuing. As different as our stories may be, we have very similar passions and callings, all leading us to Vidrare, Manaselska Reka, Pravets, Botevgrad, Etropole, and Razliv, Bulgaria.

Fast-forward to today: My visa is not here, but Alex and I are at the 1/3 mark on our fundraising! Thank you so much to everyone who has already helped us out financially!! It truly is a blessing. That being said, we still have a ways to go. We each need at least $2,000 before we leave on September 3. That is only 56 days away! If you have not already done so, please consider helping us out. I promise that you will not regret it.

We are currently putting together a list of email addresses for our newsletter we will be sending out, hopefully monthly. If you would like to receive it while we are gone, please let me know by emailing me at vspendergraft@gmail.com. Feel free to use that to contact me about anything else as well. My prayer/information cards should be in by the end of the week, too, so I will be handing them out like crazy! If you would like to help, visit my Convio page --> http://web.nazarene.org/goto/vspendergraft Remember that you can make a one time donation, but the option to do monthly deposits is also available! This would be super helpful because we will also need to continue raising funds even after we get to Bulgaria.

Oh, I also got shots today! Boo… I had to get my second Hepatitis A shot, that one is in my right arm. That one’s doing well. My left arm, however, feels like it got punched a hundred times with brass knuckles. The Polio vaccine combined with the Typhoid/Diphtheria/Pertussis vaccine is killing me. Plus, they did a lovely Tb skin test on that arm. The good news? They gave me Bugs Bunny band aids J I felt like a child when I looked down and saw them, but something as terrible as shots deserves fun band aids, right? I think so.

Thanks for reading all of this! I haven’t posted in a few months so I had a lot to catch you up on!

-Vera

Back to Bulgaria

Hello,
I hope that you are reading this because you are interested in participating in this journey with me. I cannot express how excited and extremely bless I am to have such an amazing support system of family, friends, and mentors next to me.. I promise that without you, I would not be at this point in my life. I have received so much loving support urging me to pursue different paths, ultimately leading me to take this huge leap of faith, the next chapter of my life.


Our chapel theme this year at Trevecca has been Reconciliation, which has been very fitting for me. This year, my senior year of college, is one that has changed me spiritually and academically, which are more related than you might expect. This year is situated between my summer abroad and my year-long missionary assignment, both in Vidrare, Bulgaria.


During my three months in Vidrare last summer, I was able to see reconciliation actually play itself out. I say actually because as a Social Justice major, I hear, read, talk, learn about reconciliation at least weekly. It is one of those things you can talk about all you want, but the true power comes with experience.


As Christians, we talk all the time about being a light in the darkness. It is something we say we strive for, yet many of us prefer to remain in our comfort zones, surrounded by light. Darkness is scary. It is unknown, unpredictable, and uncomfortable, which is what makes that step of faith so powerful. In order to be effective, we must first allow God to work on us, which is where I am right now. I know that this year is not going to be easy, three months was not easy, but I am trying to prepare myself for what may come. It would be so easy to attempt this journey on my own, but I wouldn't make it very far.


I have had to come to terms that i did not to go Bulgaria to save Bulgaria, but to be a part of what God is and has always been doing in Bulgaria. I had to get over the idea that my leaving meant taking all hope with me. We are called to partner with God, not to be God. It has been hard to be at peace knowing the people I left behind are still in God's hands even though I am not there. I know that he is still there, working in each of their lives and caring for them in their time of need.


I believe that God sent me to Bulgaria with a Mission. I still cannot claim to know what it is, other than to simply love his people; however, I am simply keeping an open heart, actively seeking him and listening for his voice.


Again, thank you so much for your interest in what God is doing in my life right now.


-Vera


High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.