2/9/2007 - Martin's Update
Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you all well. It has been about a months since I last
wrote to you. I was in Romania visiting friends there, and then went on to
Hungary to visit some more. It was great to be with my fellow missionary
friends. At the end of the visit one of them, a prayer missionary came back to
Bulgaria with me to pray here. He and his family go to many nations to pray, and
they had never been to Bulgaria. He truly enjoyed his time here, and felt that I
was in a wonderful place full of promise and vision. (I already knew that!) He
commented on the wonderful Christian fellowship,and the friendliness of the
people in the church here.
Again, I am so glad that the Lord brought me to Sevlievo. I am most blessed to
be a part of what God is doing here!
It has been an unusually warm winter here, and because of the lack of a good
cold snap it seems that a big influenza has taken hold. The schools here have
been closed, and many people have been sick. I have had two bouts of the flu
myself. (Probably just one with a lag in the middle.) I am much better now, but
it has left me without much of a voice. It is hard on a Marty not to be able to
talk! Thank God, my voice is returning, and none too soon--I am to start the
Sunday evening young people's services this Sunday. Please be in prayer for this
new endeavor. There are a number of young couples and young people who are
connected to the church, but they do not seem to be able to get to the regular
morning service. It is our hope that by offering this later service directed to
the youth with a more contemporary format that they will start attending. Our
new building is already full, and this will also make room to have more people
to attend the church. Pray that I will have the word of the Lord for these
people, and that they will grow to be mature Christians. We have a great praise
and worship team lined up, and want to offer good fellowship as a part of the
program. This will allow them to develop strong relationships within the church,
and will be a positive reinforcement for them to be more regular in their church
life. Jesus Himself told the parable that said that we should go into the
highways and hedges and COMPEL them to come in. This is what we are doing!
Other than working with the Sunday School (we have started using the curriculum
that I have developed) and with the leadership team of the church, I have also
been busy getting the changes in the foundation documents prepared. This has
proven to be very frustrating and more difficult than it should have been. I
have been working on these since October, and yesterday I was finally able to
deliver them to the lawyer, and they will be turned into the courts in Lovech
today, and then they will transfer the paperwork to the courts in Gabrovo (the
capitol of this region). The process should be completed in the courts in four
to six weeks. Pray that things will go smoothly!
This whole process has been a real challenge to me. It seems that everyone that
touched the documents messed them up three or four times before they got them
right. The final document was correct after having it redone eight times! The
people have just been so careless, and they made ridiculous mistakes. When they
would make one correction, they would remake the previous mistakes. It was
maddening! Three days ago I got so angry at the bad attitudes and the
unprofessional work ethic of the people in the various offices I was having to
deal with that I just completely lost my patience. When I got home the Lord took
me to the woodshed, and reminded me that I was not wrestling against flesh and
blood, but against spiritual forces. It is so easy to lose that perspective when
it seems that the bad things are coming from the bad behavior and work ethic of
the people sitting in front of you. Pray that I will keep the right attitude and
perspective when doing these things. When my flesh is screaming, I need to be
stronger in the Spirit. God continues to give me opportunities to overcome. He
loves me too much to leave me like I am. Growth often stretches us to the point
of pain, but the end of the trial brings us closer to His image!
Before I head back home I must start my visa renewal process. My passport has to
have at least six months remaining on it to get the visa, and it is expiring in
November. So I applied to have my passport renewed. I got the call on Monday
that it is ready! I just need to go to Sofia to pick it up.
I will do that next week. When the court decision comes through for the
foundation, I will be able to turn in the paperwork for my new visa. When that
is turned in I will get to go back to the States for a much needed break. I
haven't seen my family since last Thanksgiving, and I am more than ready to see
them again! When I return to Bulgaria my visa should be ready.
I see the light at the end of the tunnel! It has been a real effort, but in the
end it will all be worth it. I am hoping to be home in March.
Prayer requests:
1. Pray that the documents all go through the courts without complication.
2. Pray that I will be able to find a good price on an airline ticket home.
3. Pray that the new Sunday evening services will be an effective discipleship
tool for the young people here in Sevlievo.
4. Pray that my immune system stays strong against the flu epidemic here.
5. Pray that I keep a Christ-like attitude as I deal with the challenges here,
and that I will be more conformed into His image every day.
6. Pray for my friend, Jim Gourley, in Pennsylvania. He has been diagnosed with
lymphoma, and will be undergoing treatment. God is able to heal. Put your faith
with ours concerning his healing.
I appreciate all of your prayers and the faithful financial support for our work
here in Bulgaria. We have been able to bless a local church in the purchase of
musical instruments, and also have been able to give financial support to a
local Turkish pastor. Such things would not be possible without your generous
giving. If you would like to make a tax-exempt donation to our work you can send
your gift to Obedient Life Ministries, P.O. Box 267, Clarion, PA 16214, or you
can give by credit card through our secure PayPal link on our website at
www.obedientlife.org.
Be most blessed in Jesus' Name!
Martin