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

"Dig a hole and bury it."

It's 11 PM and I cannot sleep so I have decided that blogging is the next best option; It has certainly been a while since I've done it. I am reflecting on the one on one "interview" I had tonight with one of the CCO leaders, if you even want to call it an interview. This weekend, I am participating in a Cross Cultural Orientation, a weekend of training for those considering Mission work through the Church of the Nazarene. Since I am going to be on the field for a year, I am required to participate; however, it is more than training, but an awesome time for reflection and community with others at different walks of life, all who are answering the Call.


We have covered so many things this weekend, including travel safety, self-evaluation (the peer mentor in me was going crazy!), culture shock, and the Nazarene Network. I have even added a ton more acronyms to my Nazarene vocabulary (try to imagine how that could even be possible)! We also participated in a few activities to really get us thinking about cultural awareness, leadership, and teamwork. [[For everyone who was at the Amazing Race in Lake Placid, I got my payback from other "government officials" this weekend. Fortunately for me, they weren't as tough as I was on yall :) ]] These activities were fun, but really allowed us to reflect on real conflicts we will face on the field.


My one on one time with Greg wasn't as scary as I was expecting. There were no trick questions, no tough scenarios to tumble through - just good, honest conversation. I cannot express how comforting it is to sit down with someone who genuinely wants to know what God is doing in my life and offers just as much conversation as listening. I felt comfortable enough to become vulnerable and express some questions and concerns I had, even one that I have been struggling with for a few months now. "Dig a hole and bury it. Leave it here when you get on that plane."


I am going to Bulgaria to do God's work. Leaving behind my ideas and my plans is not easy, but that is just extra baggage to weigh me down and keep my hands full when i should be using them for the Lord's work. The mission of the Church of the Nazarene is To make Christlike disciples in the nations -- What God is looking for is disciple-makers. That is me. It can be me if I put myself aside and commit myself to his work each day.


I am thankful for this time to learn more about myself and the church I serve. I am confident that I have made the right choice and that God is talking to me through others, which is so assuring.


-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.

BOLD

BOLD: not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring: a bold hero.

If there was just one trait that I could acquire, it would be boldness:
I want the type of faith the is completely unwavering in any situation.
I want to be completely confident in that God will deliver me from any hardship, after giving me time to learn and grow from it.
I want to show others that there is a freedom in trusting my God and that he is there for everyone.
I want to be the type of role model girls can look up to and see not me, but Christ working in and through me.
I want to learn what it means to truly love myself, because only then can I know what it means to love others.
I want to use my God-given skills, abilities, and passions to glorify his name.

As a senior in college, I have one more semester left before I am kicked out into the real world. I am a Christian, but by no means does that say I have it all figured out, nor do I live a perfect life. In that statement is a confession: I have messed up and I have made mistakes that I am incapable of fixing on my own. If I were to try, Lord knows I would only make things worse. I have no idea where my life is going, but I am trusting in someone bigger than me to give me the answers when he sees fit.

This blog is an attempt to share my story as well as to give myself a way to process through the big decisions and changes I am taking on right now.