Kingdom-building in Bulgaria (15/06/2009)

Mark and Penny O’Sullivan are based in Sofia, Bulgaria. They work with Sofia Baptist Church and run projects helping disabled children. Here are some updates and prayer points from them:

"At Sofia Baptist Church, we just had a really enriching and inspiring visit by some people from Cairns Road Baptist Church in Bristol. We were particularly inspired by the pastor, Mike, who spoke on the theme of kingdom building rather than church building. This is a good subject for Bulgarian Christians to hear about. Unfortunately the persecution during the time of the communists has left the church feeling very isolated."

Please pray that the church is able to open itself to serve Bulgaria as a whole. Please pray as Mark and his colleagues work out concrete ways that Sofia Baptist Church can be used to serve Bulgaria and the many spiritual and social needs in the country.

"Vladdi, the youth leader at Sofia Baptist, is organising camps for young Christians from all over Bulgaria. The camps are being held in the middle of June."

Please pray for Vladdi, and that the Lord speaks to and refreshes all those who attend the camps.

"In the next few weeks we are receiving a number of guests from all over the world to begin planning and praying through the next steps for a new project. It will have four goals:

a Christian holiday camp which disabled children and disadvantaged people can come to
a protected home for children who have been victims of trafficking
a conference centre for churches
a place of retreat for people in need of spiritual refreshment

We’re also looking to develop a small farm and animal reserve. The farm will be used as a means of therapy for the children and young adults who will come to the project."

Pray for the planning meetings, and that many people would be blessed through these exciting projects.

"The project in Gorna Kosnitsa to start building eight new family homes for the disabled residents is going full steam ahead."

Pray for a trustworthy building project manager to be found who can oversee the building work.

"Two weeks ago, together with the American English academy, we organised a spring fare. It was such a blessing to see kids who have never been outside the home playing and integrating with the kids from the school. Some of these guys are 20 years old and have never interacted with anybody besides the staff or the other residents. This is an event we are hoping to hold every year in conjunction with the school."

Thank God for this event, and pray for similar events in the future.

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