Honduras - Day 1

Hola from your LCI Honduras team AKA "Team Gumby"! We call ourselves Team Gumby because from the beginning, this team has been stretched every which way! We left Atlanta early this morning to travel to San Pedro Sula. . The bus from the Jungle Hospital picked us up from the airport, they fed us a delicious lunch, and then we began the very interesting trip up the mountain to the compound. It was quite an adventure! By the time we arrived at the compound it was already dark. We unloaded all of the supplies and we were greeted by all of the volunteers at the hospital. After a nice dinner we settled in for the night. Thank you for praying for safe travels for our team and for joining us on this adventure! Stay tuned for more "Team Gumby"

Bulgaria - Day 8

This post will give a little insight to our last day since we felt to dedicate yesterdays blog to Baba.  We have been overwhelmed by all the hospitality that has been shown to us from everyone! Steffi's dad brought us some homemade croissants for breakfast and after some strategic packing we were able to visit the city for a bit. Adventuring out to visit Baba Binka's restaurant we were able to thank Steffi's Uncle for all the food he had prepared for us during the week. It was his birthday so we celebrated with birthday cake and sang to him. We gifted him with a UGA jacket, so Georgia was still being represented in Burgas!:) Afterwards, we were blessed to have the opportunity to visit the Bulgarian Opera House and what a treat that was! Our driver, Vesco, works for the Opera House so he was able to get us complimentary tickets. For most of us, it was our first opera, so the experience was truly memorable and amazing. Becky was overwhelmed by the opportunity as she loves the opera, therefore the experience was very moving for her. After the opera concluded, we all walked to the front and Becky got on stage and sang to us a little:) Afterwards we were able to visit with the singers backstage before loading into the van and heading to the airport. We made a pit stop at the Burgas "McDonald's" for dinner. We were surprised at how similar the food was to McDonald's here in the States. We then made a 4 1/2 hour van ride to the airport in Sofia which began our homeward journey. I want to take a moment here and honor our driver. Vesco was awesome, very funny, and he got us where we needed to go, sometimes a little quicker than we had hoped:) Once again, there was the language barrier, but he knew how to say, "Girls....lets go!" He was hilarious! We have all been blessed beyond measure with the opportunity God has given us and our lives are forever changed. I love how God used us to impact the city of Burgas, while using people in Burgas and different situations to impact our own lives. Thank you again to everyone back home for your support in prayer!

Bulgaria - Day 7

This blog is dedicated to our awesome Baba! In Bulgarian, "Baba" means grandmother. Baba's name is Srebra... She is an amazing woman and we have fallen in love with her spirit and heart while here. She took care of us in our host home! She made us coffee everyday-multiple times a day! She set breakfast out every morning for us and always made sure we had everything we needed! She was amazing!! She spoke only Bulgarian, but she could understand some English. There was a language barrier, but that didn't matter to us. Love poured out of her every time we saw her! She is an epitome of what the body of Christ should look like. Unconditional love and servitude with no expectations! When I asked the ladies what memory they each had of Baba, this is what they said. The very first morning we were in Burgas, Pastor Jamie went downstairs and saw Baba praying so she joined her. Through that time of prayer, even though there was somewhat of a language barrier, Pastor Jamie said they were automatically connected! Becky's fondest memory is when we first arrived to the host home, Baba was the first to smile at us. She was very inviting and served us the entire time. Nubya loved that Baba babied her the entire time:) She would hold Nubya in her arms and lap and always showed her unconditional love! Jennifer has a special memory of Baba taking care of her and praying for her while she was sick. Jennifer got sick on Friday and Baba would make her hot lemon tea everyday after that. On Saturday morning, Baba went up to her room and laid hands on Jennifer and prayed for her healing. You could just tell she had the faith to believe for Jennifer's complete healing! It was so powerful, and afterwards Jennifer was able to get up, get dressed and go to church. Christina gave Baba the name "Baba Forever"! Christina doesn't really remember her grandmothers, so she considers Baba her grandmother. It was so hard leaving Baba after spending so much time with her. We all wept as we away. Baba had her hands lifted, praying over us through tears! No doubt she was blessing us and praying grace and mercy over our traveling. We so badly wanted to bring her with us. We already miss Baba so much! We can't wait for her to visit us in the States soon. We cherish the time we got to spend with her while in Burgas. While the entire city and people of Burgas, Bulgaria have been so extremely amazing, none so like our Baba. She touched our hearts with the love of a grandmother and with a love that can only come from God! We love you Baba!!BABA FOREVER!!

Bulgaria - Day 6

This morning started a little different than mornings past. We were so blessed to have the opportunity to visit the first Pentecostal Church in Burgas. We were also able to visit the very special and anointed prayer room located towards the back of the church. There were many from past generations that have prayed

in this room and to this day many continue to come. This is Babatinka's home Church and where Pastor Stefan grew up.

We were then taken by Pastor Stefan to the Bazar where  we could experience the "Bulgarian"Farmers Market. As we strolled through the isles, an array of fruits and

vegetables piled high amongst the tables. We even found local herbal honey! For lunch we were invited to Steffi's parents and they shared with us an abundance of food and many stories. Maria shared with us the hardships she has had to endure as a woman serving in ministry.

After lunch we came back and prepared for the evening service. Once again we headed to a Gypsy Village just outside Burgas where the people built the church in 20 days! We were surprised to see a nicely constructed building that was built so quickly. The service began with a combination of Turkish and Bulgarian music. Christina played her guitar, Nubya led p and regardless of the language barrier they were engaged in worship. Steffi translated for Pastor Jamie's powerful illustrated sermon and the whole team assisted. She spoke of the anointing needed in these last days especially as it pertains to the demonic influence in the Gypsy culture. In the altar ministry we saw many delivered and set free from depression, grief, oppression and possession of the enemy. Pastor Jamie prayed a special prayer over Pastor and we were able to bless the children with lollipops. Coming back to our host home we were treated by our Baba... We will tell you all about her tomorrow! ;)

Bulgaria - Day 5

This morning we started our day with Jennifer sharing about Gods love for people. The scripture she referenced was Romans 12, where the Word says to share with the Lords people who are in need. After devo, we walked to Cities for Jesus Church of God for Sunday morning service. Steffi once again led worship for us. It was so cool to be in corporate worship with the people of Burgas! We sang "Amazing Grace" and there was such a powerful presence of Holy Spirit. It was beautiful! Each, singing in their own language! Even though there is a language barrier, there is understanding in Worship. One mind, one accord, one God, one Savior! Pastor Jamie played the piano and led the congregation in "How Great is Our God" before bringing the Word. She then preached a powerful message on Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones. Praise the Lord, 5 souls were saved and 12 people rededicated theirs lives. Nubya, Steffi, and Christina were invited to teach in the children's church. Nubya spoke on prayer. The precious children were taught that praying to God is just like talking to your best friend. We then gave the children strips of paper to write down names of people they wanted to pray for, after which, we made a paper chain out of the strips for them to hang in their classroom. The chain is to help them remember to pray for their friends and family. The children were so open and willing to share! It was amazing:) When the church service was over we stood at the door and blessed each person as they left. It was such an honor to speak life into each of them. After the service, we were blessed  to visit Baba Binka, Steffi's maternal grandmother, in her home for lunch.  She is an owner/chef of a local restaurant, so you can imagine how amazing the food tasted! It was incredible! It was so humbling to listen to her share stories about standing strong in the faith under the communist rule.  We were moved by the stories of how limited food was in the country and how she would stand in line for hours just to get a spoon of yogurt for her baby! After lunch we returned to the house to prepare for the evening service at our second Gypsy church.  As we arrived at the the Gypsy village, we heard the energetic, "baliwood" style worship music. As we entered the church building, we were excited to see the chairs we purchased for them still wrapped in the plastic. The smiles on the peoples faces let us know how grateful and proud of the gift they were! Although it was a newly constructed building, the pot belly stove and the concrete floors spoke of the simplicity of the people. They are thankful for all they have! They have so little, and they love God SO much! They depend on Him for every provision in their lives. When service began, Nubya was able to pray a blessing over the children in the community and we gave them each candy as a special treat. They were so delighted:) Becky exhorted the church before Pastor Jamie got up to preach. She preached on "burying the past". She encouraged the people to stay strong and keep holding on through the trials.  She then prayed over each person.  It was an amazing time of prayer and exhortation.  After the service, we were invited into the Pastors home for another authentic Gypsy cuisine.  Once again, the food was delicious! We were overwhelmed to fellowhip with the leadership in the community.  As the Pastor shared his testimony of his conversion, we were amazed at how Holy Spirit moved in his life. 

Bulgaria - Day 4

Bulgaria Missions-Day 4Another amazing day!! Today was a little different from the previous 3 days. We were able to rest up a bit this morning which was great because there was much spiritual warfare last night. Thank you so very much for your continued prayers! We used this morning to prepare for the women's conference we attended this afternoon. God did AMAZING things at the women's conference. There was great expectation and anticipation as over 400 women gathered! We were so proud of Steffi as she helped lead worship Bulgarian style!  As she led a song about unity, it was amazing to see all these women from different churches hold hands and worship together! Despite the language barrier between our team and the congregation we were able to experience the unity that can only come from the love of Christ! Over 50 souls were saved! Praise be to God! The conference lasted all afternoon and there were 3 separate sessions. The team led the ladies in worship singing "Break Every Chain". Pastor Jamie preached at all 3 sessions, Becky and Christina shared their testimonies in the 2nd session, and Nubya and Jennifer shared their testimonies in the 3rd session! God used each lady in a very powerful way! The women were encouraged to stop compromising, they were affirmed in fighting the spirit of intimidation, and there was a special prayer of "release" for the Pastors wives of the local churches. Pastor Jamie challenged the women to pray for their leaders and to support them and their vision that God has given to their church. Chains were broken! People were set free! Lives were changed! The women surprised us by presenting us with flowers and praying a prayer of blessing over us! We thought we were coming to bless that people of Burgas, but little did we know that we also would receive refreshment...this is just like God!

Bulgaria - Day 3

Dobur den! (Good day!) It's so cool to see how God has orchestrated every part of our days thus far. Christina started us out today with a devotion about focusing on the purpose at hand. After devo, we purchased 51 chairs for one of the Gypsy churches in the community. We then went out into the town and blessed a local store owners shop, before prayer walking throughout the city of Burgas. God revealed so much to us as we prophesied and spoke LIFE over this city. We were treated to another authentic Bulgarian meal by Baba Tinka (Steffi's grandmother) who is a precious and anointed woman of God! It was delicious! Baba Tinka and her husband were some of the first to pioneer the Pentecostal movement in Bulgaria. She was such an inspiration to us! She had us all in tears as she shared stories about the persecution under communist government. We were inspired by the tenacity of this woman of God. We gathered around her and as she prayed a blessing over us there was a transference of the anointing from her upon us. Before we left, we prayed a blessing over her. After leaving Baba Tinkas, we prayer walked through the city on our way home. When we got back to the house, we prepared for the leadership meeting.  We were able to meet with the leadership from Cities for Jesus Church of God tonight. They were encouraged by Pastor Jamie to enlarge their vision. A word was given to the leaders to receive joy, to not grow weary in their labor and to be rooted deep into Gods Word. There was a time of ministry, affirmation and fellowship. Our spirits continue to grow with anticipation and expectation for the city of Burgas! The Spirit of God is stirring the hearts of these people.

Bulgaria - Day 2

Day 2: God continues to amaze us here in Bulgaria! He is doing a mighty work indeed! This morning we started out the day with a powerful devotion by Nubya. She encouraged us to speak life over situations in our lives. The team then prayed over our host church, leaders in the community and for the evening service. It was a time of prophecy and the Lord gave insight on how to be more effective in our ministry to the Bulgarian people. After prayer we were taken to an authentic Bulgarian restaurant where we were served 43 (lol) courses! Bulgarians never rush through meals but enjoy each others company over the actual 4 course meal. We were served bread, yogurt spreads (dips), traditional salad, a variety of meats and vegetables, along with some pretty haaaamazing desserts. Vesco, our resident chauffeur, shared with us the pride that the Bulgarian people have for their yogurt. It is like none other. We have found that it is very important for us to understand the Bulgarian culture and their traditions. After lunch we went back to our host home where we were able to have a brief rest before preparing for the evening service.

Pastor Jamie ministered from the book of John concerning the blind man. As it was important for the blind man to "Go", it was important for the congregants to understand, they are called to "Go" and fulfill the purpose that God has for each of their lives. Our team laid hands on many crying out for household salvation and healing. Several were saved and baptized with the Holy Spirit. We concluded our evening with a very affirming group meeting. We anxiously await for what God has in store for the remainder of our time on this trip. God is obviously up to something! Thank you for your continued prayer support! God bless!

Bulgaria - Day 1

Wow! What an adventure God has us on this week! Our first day in Bulgaria has been amazing! This morning we started with a traditional German breakfast consisting of boiled eggs, fresh baked kaiser rolls with butter, coffee and Christina has found a new love for Bulgarian pears. After breakfast Becky led us in a very powerful devotion that set the tone for the day. We had to register with the city of Burgas and then we ventured out to the Black Sea. Our driver took us for delicious Bulgarian coffee by the sea. After coffee we prayer-walked through the city to Steffi's grandmothers (Baba Binka) restaurant. After lunch Pastor Jamie met and prayed with the State Overseer of Bulgaria. This evening we had our first service at one of the Gypsy Churches in the city. It was amazing! Nubya and Christina shared with the children about the Love of God and 10 precious babies asked Jesus to come into their hearts. We were then able to give out food to the children. It was such a blessing! The adult service started with some very anointed praise and worship by the Gypsy people. Then, Jennifer shared a life changing testimony before Pastor Jamie brought the Word. Strongholds were broken and over 20 men & women dedicated theirs lives to The Lord. Slava na Boga! (Praise be to God). After service we were taken through the community and were able to pray with the sick and heavy burdened. God is doing amazing things in the city of Burgas! Please continue to pray as we speak life over this city as well as the country of Bulgaria.Leka nosht! (good night!)

Team Esther