Volume 2 Issue 3
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at a glance 4
Steve shares his experiences in France
5
The Hanna Project
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CMP in Cuba
Bulgarian = Orthodox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Photo Shoot (Steve Riggs) . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Thumbnails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Through My Lens (Deborah Trifonov). . . . . . . 6 Lightbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Snapshot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
ON THE COVER: Cuban street scene Funded by FWB Foundation Editor-in-chief: Clint Morgan Managing editor : Deborah St. Lawrence Associate editor: Emily Faison Design by Melanie Poole
Church family at New Life Free Will Baptist Church in Varna, Bulgaria
Bulgarian = Orthodox The state of religious freedom is fragile in Bulgaria. To be a Bulgarian is to be Orthodox. The Bulgarian Constitution gives each citizen religious freedom. This means people have the right to their own private beliefs, but not the right to promote those beliefs. Many obstacles arise when we want to organize an evangelistic event. Bulgarians are expected to not speak about personal faith in general, but evangelizing children and youth is even perceived as a crime. Christian teachers and professors cannot share their faith in class, and we cannot advertise
by Trif Trifonov
Christian events in schools and universities. We are not allowed to go to schools or universities without permission, or allowed to hold events there, because religious propaganda is forbidden in these institutions. We recently hosted an American World Race (nondenominational Christian mission organization) team to help us with evangelism. I called English teachers to ask whether they would like a few Americans to visit a class and share with them about American culture. A few teachers showed interest, but they all explained they needed to speak to their directors first. Just one out of five Continued on Page 3
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Bulgarian = Orthodox Continued from Page 2 of the directors allowed us in their school to meet with the students. We are also not allowed to host street evangelism events unless we obtain permission by the city council. Since any public event we host cannot be openly evangelistic, we find creative ways to host these events. Even at private events, some hotel owners are unwilling to let Christian organizations run camps and conferences at their properties. The list can go on. The excuse? We are a secular state. But secular in Bulgaria is understood to mean “atheistic.� Religion is delicate. Though the government is secular, the dominant religion is the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Orthodox Church propaganda claims evangelicals (comprising one percent of the population) are national traitors and heretics. Even if someone wants to come to church, he or she is constantly discouraged by family members or friends. Not many people are willing to swim against the tide.
Trif and Vanya with their children: Stefan, Deborah, and Monika
Service at New Life Varna
English for Beginners class
Savings Rates Frozen? Thaw them out with a Money Management Trust (MMT) through Free Will Baptist Foundation, with rates starting at 2.75%. Great rates and great ser vice will warm your heart!
As politicians try to pass laws to restrict already limited religious liberties, Bulgarian religious freedom is at stake. If we remain silent now, we might lose what we have achieved after 45 years of communism in Bulgaria, and the spread of the gospel will be even more difficult. Read more of the story.
Vanya speaking at Bible study
877-336-7575 | foundation@nafwb.org
Photo Shoot
HOT LINKS
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Email Steve See the Riggs’ prayer card
Which do you prefer? Coffee or tea? Mac or PC? Iced tea: sweet or unsweet Cats or dogs? Beagles rule! Croissant or baguette? Art museum or history museum? Beach or mountains? Football or baseball? Golf
e Steve Riggs, Franc
Learn more about the Riggs’ journey to France.
life cky (“love of my • Husband to Be p at age 14”) since youth cam iel (lives in France • Father to Dan lle & daughter with wife Gwenae I, Spain, Laura in M Bleuenn), Brian in and Johanna in TN m Welch in 1980 • Graduated fro ting a church in • Currently plan Châteaubriant pan, ned to serve in Ja • Initially plan ce the Riggs to Fran but God brought instead!
Read more about Steve in France.
Do you say soda, pop, or coke?
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Thumbnails The Hanna Project Providing help, hope and healing
TH
ers in P work
hstan
Kazak
Samuel & Silas, pastors from Côte d’Ivoire, with Jerry Pinkerton and Randy Wilson at Bethany Church in Broken Arrow, OK.
Samuel & Silas share about their building project, IMpact Yopougon. Click to read more about IMpact Yopougon.
Team from Bethel FWB in Kinston, NC, in front of the house they worked on in Hokkaido.
The Hanna Project group in Kazakhstan
Men work in Hokkaido with The Hanna Project. Click to see more.
Click to view more photos of THP in Kazakhstan
Through My Lens My U.S. Adventure, by Deborah Trifonov As I boarded the plane in Sofia, Bulgaria, on August 12, I was overwhelmed by the evident grace of God in my life. Looking out of the tiny round window, I thought about the new adventure I had been blessed with. I was starting the journey to my new home.
Read more about Debbie’s experience at Welch
I love making plans. But of course, God’s plans for my life are often very different from the way I picture them. Growing up, I knew I was going to graduate from high school before moving on to university in a small town in Central Bulgaria, where I would prepare for my future as a missionary and an English teacher. Yet, as often happens in my life, God had a slightly different plan for me.
And so on that same beautiful day in August, I arrived in Nashville, Tennessee. As it turned out, God gave me the opportunity to enroll in an American college...and not just any American college, but Welch College! Growing up in Bulgaria, I went to a public high school. Out of 1500 students, there were only three Christians, including my sister and me! Because Bulgarians consider Evangelical Christians to be cult Deborah’s family lives eight time zones away in members, I experienced Bulgaria.
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a lot of bullying and ridicule in school for being a Christian. So imagine my excitement when I came to Welch, a college where people know Jesus and worship Him every day. This new school of mine is truly an answer to my prayers. I never thought I would study in the United States, and at times it is difficult to cope with homesickness, my busy schedule, and studying, but whenever it gets hard I remind myself of all of the blessings in my life. Once I do that, suddenly the burden of my workload seems to disappear! In these big changes I am experiencing in my life, I have learned two very important things: God is faithful and God knows our hearts. Our Heavenly Father knows our biggest dreams, and He knows the ones we consider insignificant, too. Once we submit everything to Him and allow Him to fulfill His plan for us (and not make our own human plans), He is faithful to lead us in the paths He has prepared for us. This is what He did for me. And I’m forever grateful for it!
Read what Debbie misses about Bulgaria.
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IMages: How should Christians living in America respond to these attacks? FW: Again, pray. Pray for protection from these events. Pray the Lord will be glorified among the nations rather than His Name be used to condone acts of violence and loss of life. Pray workers like us will have ample opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus’ love and His gift of salvation with everyone around us. Pray the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us, as well as give us the words to say that will peak the interest and prick the hearts of those we are engaging with the gospel.
LightBox An Interview with THP Field Workers
Read the rest of THP field worker response. © Americanspirit | Dreamstime.com
IMages: How can we pray for Muslims in France? Field workers serve in many areas, including France. France is a spiritually dark nation, and as immigrants from North Africa make their way to Europe for safer lives, the field is open for workers to share the gospel with Muslims in France. Because of the dangerous nature of THP field workers’ mission, this interview is anonymous.
front of him. Ask questions, get her opinions on daily life, learn about Muslim culture. We believe you will discover they are not bad people, they are not pro-violence, and they have the same concerns as you do about what is going on in the world. Build a friendship and pray for opportunities to share love, light, and truth with them. That is exactly what we do every day.
IMages: What would you want Christians in America to know about Muslims?
Read the rest of THP field worker response.
FW: A good way to learn about Muslims is to befriend a Muslim. Get to know him or her. Probably, no matter where you are, someone in your community follows Islam...maybe a coworker, an acquaintance at your child’s school, or even a neighbor just down the street. Form a relationship, hang out, live a life of Christ in
IMages: How do you respond to the increasingly frequent attacks in France? FW: Prayer! Read the rest of THP field worker response.
FW: Pray those trapped by the lies of Islam will realize it is a false religion leading them to destruction. Read the rest of THP field worker response.
IMages: How can we pray for the French? FW: Pray the French church will be an example and witness of Christ to everyone around them, specifically those who follow Islam. We have found, among many French Christians, the idea of evangelism is somewhat of a new concept. Pray they will find strength and encouragement in sharing their faith and hope in Jesus with everyone around them.
Cuba para Cristo
and over those three years it was amazing to watch as technology become more and more available. With the U.S. government opening relations with the Cuban government, and more and more Americans traveling to the island, the number of people who own cell phones and who have access to the Internet has increased exponentially. The trend of increasing availability of cell phones—and distractions— is just an example of how the spread of the gospel is being affected by changing political conditions.
“I’m thankful to see God’s continued work in Cuba. I’m thankful for our strategic partnership with Cuban Free Will Baptists.” —Dustin Walters
Technology like cell phones is the tip of the iceberg—just the start of a culture shift in Cuba. As Cubans struggle to find truth amid an already harsh government, they will also now face American culture tainting their families, cities, and worldview.
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Two participants in this year’s College Mission Program reflect on their time serving at a camp in Cuba
Michael Hunter Think back to last week in church. How many people were distracted by their cell phones while the pastor brought the Word of God to his congregation? Technology can be a beautiful thing, but you cannot ignore its often negative influence on my generation. In the past, Cuban churches have had the unique privilege of minimal distractions. I have visited Cuba three times in the last three years,
The beautiful thing about the island is that the people there are so genuine; they value community and real relationships. It can be hard to find those genuine relationships in the modern world, where we delicately balance the benefits and disruptions technology offers. As more modern technology makes its way to Cubans, they will have to fight a battle to avoid becoming consumed by it. Please help me pray for my Cuban friends as they are in the front lines of the battle for God in Cuba.
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Pedro Garcia, Mark McPeak, Dustin Walters, Valerie Connor, Aaron Pontious, Sean Warren, Brittany Walker, Anna Rodas, Andrew McPeak, Michaela Smith, Michael Hunter, Sam McVay
Camp
The state of technology for most Cubans
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Snapshot Continued from Page 8 Dustin Walters If you have ever been to Cuba you know that time doesn’t matter as much as relationships do. One day as I was working in the comidor (cafeteria), a young Cuban invited me to join her for a prayer meeting following the evening service. At first, I was hesitant and selfish, prioritizing my sleep above this prayer meeting. But the Holy Spirit convicted me. At the youthled prayer service, about seven or eight Cubans and three Americans gathered in a circle and
prayed for families, the youth of Cuba, and other personal prayer requests. As we prayed, goats bleating in the distance, vicious mosquitos, and persistent fatigue distracted us, but I was encouraged by the Cubans’ commitment to prayer. God’s presence at this youth prayer gathering convicted me: I had not been treating prayer with the same urgency as my Cuban brothers and sisters. May we never forget the importance of relationships and prayer.
Read more about Dustin’s experience in Cuba.
The Castro family (Eidy, Alina, Noel, and Jeidy) helps maintain and run the Free Will Baptist Seminary where the camp happens every year.
Michael Hunter with Lemuel and Giselle
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for prayer
day of
November 10, 2016
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