A God who performs miracles

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Missionary trip of Daniel and Sabine Just to Bulgaria

Daniel and Sabine Just from the Speyer congregation decided to travel to Bulgaria with their four children for five weeks to work together as a family in the Kingdom of God. They already gained initial impressions during their three-week trip to Bulgaria in 2022. The following is a report of their trip this year.

Arrival

Our journey began on May 20th of this year. The day after arriving in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, we participated in a church service and were able to serve the congregation with songs, testimonies, and sermons. After a meal with some members of the congregation and fellowship, we continued our journey that evening to Krivodol, our main base. During the first few days after our arrival, we visited several sights, such as the Boji Most (Bridge of God) and the Boji Glas (Eyes of God). In Vratsa, we did our shopping. Among other things, we bought a gas-powered lawnmower for the meadow in Krivodol and some other useful tools.

In Belo Pole, where there is also a prayer house supported by CDH Stephanus, we met a group of young people from the Gifhorn congregation who were working at the prayer house. Together with them, we were able to participate in and even help lead a church service in Belogradchik and Dondokovu.

On-site work

During our stay, people who had heard about us often came to ask for donations. For example, an elderly man came because he was having problems with his knee. Two Roma women also visited us asking for money. We provided them with food and gave them bread and fruit to take home.

An elderly widow named Slata visited us and asked for money for her granddaughter's medicine. We asked her to bring us the prescription so we could get the necessary medication. After the widow described the poor condition of her house, we visited it together with Dennis and Sabine Ziebert from the Speyer parish. They had traveled to Belo Pole for two weeks and visited us during our trip. Together, we considered how we could help the widow. First, we obtained materials to repair the leaky roof. Rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the day we planned to repair the roof. However, God answered our prayers and granted us good weather, allowing us to complete the work. In the evening, after all the work on the roof was finished, it rained heavily, but the roof passed the test and remained watertight.

In Belo Pole, we also visited a nursing home where we distributed donated goods. In addition to the donations, each resident received a bag filled with shampoo, cookies, and fruit. Afterwards, we held a church service with the residents. We also visited impoverished families, praying and singing with them in their homes.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit

At Pentecost, we traveled to the church in Sofia and participated in Holy Communion. During the service, we served with singing and a sermon. After the service, we returned to Krivodol, as the children had expressed a desire to hold a prayer meeting and to wrestle for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Radi, a child from the village, joyfully announced upon our arrival in Krivodol that he had already been baptized with the Holy Spirit during the service – thank God for that! After the prayer meeting, we were able to enjoy a blessed meal followed by a question-and-answer session. The next evening, the children again expressed a desire to hold a prayer meeting, and God baptized Adria, a 16-year-old girl, with the Holy Spirit.

The power of prayer

After a church service in Krivodol, we, along with Dennis Ziebert and Brother Ivailo, the church leader, visited an elderly sister who had suffered a stroke and gave her a package of food. The stroke had left her partially paralyzed, so we prayed for her health. During the prayer, she felt a current and a power flowing through her paralyzed side. A few days after our visit, we learned that she was able to move her paralyzed leg again, something that had previously been impossible. Thanks be to the Lord!

We witnessed another miracle during a different church service in the Krivodol parish: A woman suffering from great pain asked for prayers because she was scheduled for surgery. During the prayer, she felt a power flowing through her, and her pain disappeared. She no longer needed the operation.

God also answered our prayer for an elderly sister in the congregation who was in the hospital and very ill. Daniel and his cousin from Canada, who was with us in Bulgaria for a time, were planning to visit the sister in the hospital when they received news from her granddaughter that the sister was already doing so well that she had been discharged.

Daniel and Brother Ivailo visited families and proclaimed the Gospel there. God worked there too: A woman surrendered her life to Jesus, and during prayer, a warmth flowed through her hand, which was slowly dying, so that she has been better ever since.

Child labor

During our time in Bulgaria, we spent a lot of time with the local children. As soon as school ended, they would come and spend almost the entire day with us. The younger children, who weren't yet in school, were usually there from the morning onwards. We played various games, sang, and prayed together with them.

To make the topics in the children's church services more engaging and interesting, we came up with suitable games. One day, the theme was "Jonah." The children decorated T-shirts with the inscription "Isus me obitscha" (Jesus loves me). To conclude the day, everyone enjoyed freshly baked waffles. For the topic of "Cain and Abel," we conducted an experiment with baking soda and vinegar to simulate a volcano.

We received support in our work from three sisters from the Speyer parish, who primarily worked with the children. With the older children of junior group age, we regularly shared meals, experienced blessed prayer times, and once took a day trip to a stalactite cave.

Other work

For the prayer house in Krivodol, we provided cabinets, bookshelves, a shoe rack, and other supplies. At the community centers, we carried out extensive construction work, such as painting the interiors, installing baseboards, and assembling and furnishing cabinets. We also built a new swing set.

Before our departure, we bought basic foodstuffs such as oil, beans, sugar, flour, pasta, and bread. We packed everything into bags and distributed the food within the community. Afterwards, we sang and prayed one last time with the community and Brother Ivailo, said goodbye to the children several times, and began our journey home.

By God's grace, we were able to learn and experience so much. It is a privilege to serve God and to be used by Him. We are very grateful to God that we were able to do this missionary work together with our children. This experience has also profoundly influenced our children. They grew to love the children in Bulgaria so much that at the end of the trip, they didn't want to return to Germany at all. On this journey, God taught us to love all people, even when that love is not reciprocated. It wasn't always easy, but God helped us in countless ways. By God's grace, we are who we are!

Daniel and Sabine Just

Municipality of Speyer

More information about the project and the opportunity to donate:

https://cdh-stephanus.org/bulgarien-2/