October (EFN Conference)
Hello Family and Friends,
This month has been busy but good. It started with me getting over being sick. I was sick for a month which is very abnormal for me. I am so thankful that is over.
While on the mend from illness I went with the team from Sofia who are a part of the Daughters of Bulgaria to a conference in Berlin. This was put together by a network actively working to fight human trafficking in Europe. They are called European Freedom Network (EFN). This group has been building and growing for several years now. This network is a great resource for those who are on the ground working in this fight. I found so many people to gain information from, from the experiences they’ve had and from the people they know. Many of the people I met from other European countries work consistently with women from Bulgaria. Many times I was told “most of the women I work with are from Bulgaria. Why do you think that is? And how can I help them and what can I tell them?”
Bulgaria is one of the top sending countries in Europe, meaning many countries in Europe will have a larger percentage of Bulgarian women in Sex Trafficking than from most other European countries. It was awesome to be able to spread the word about the many ways we can help. One of these is to give printed resources for women in Bulgarian to tell them they are loved and help them see they aren’t alone. You see, most of these women on the road only speak Bulgarian or another dialect called Roma and the people trying to build relationships with them in other countries can’t even speak with them because the women on the street don’t speak their language. The teams in other countries are so thankful to be given these resources. Also, we help these other country teams understand the background of many of the women they could be meeting from Bulgaria. The Roma people have been raised with the belief that prostitution is a viable option for an occupation. And often because a family needs money a daughter will be seen as an opportunity to gain the money the family needs. This can happen either through a marriage that has been arranged when she is around 14 years of age or by putting her together with a pimp and putting her on the road. These Roma women are a majority of the women that we see on the streets here. And these are the women that have the expectation that what they’re doing is common and so they have a hard time understanding why they should leave. Because of this cultural acceptance of and often times coercion into this lifestyle, it requires that we don’t view this ministry as a quick snatch and grab rescue mission but as a long and steadfast course to build relationships. To bring the love and hope of Jesus into their lives and let the Holy Spirit do His work in their hearts and minds.
So, after spending a week in Berlin we headed home and continued or weekly schedule. On Sundays while preparing food for the church’s lunch I’ve been enjoying working alongside some Bulgarian friends. I’ve enjoyed learning to cook some Bulgarian dishes like kyufte, gyuvetch, and pulnenee chushki. I had forgotten how much I enjoy cooking for people.
Also, been spending time not only continuing to get ready for the new participant who is starting soon but helping get things organized for some of our leaders to be out of the country.
Berlin
Prayer Requests:
- for the transition coming with the new participant who is starting in the next few weeks
- for our team here as many of our teammates are in the US at a conference for a week
- for more relationships to be made
- to meet more people who God is drawing to Him
- for the Holy Spirit to move in unprecedented ways
This month has been busy but good. It started with me getting over being sick. I was sick for a month which is very abnormal for me. I am so thankful that is over.
While on the mend from illness I went with the team from Sofia who are a part of the Daughters of Bulgaria to a conference in Berlin. This was put together by a network actively working to fight human trafficking in Europe. They are called European Freedom Network (EFN). This group has been building and growing for several years now. This network is a great resource for those who are on the ground working in this fight. I found so many people to gain information from, from the experiences they’ve had and from the people they know. Many of the people I met from other European countries work consistently with women from Bulgaria. Many times I was told “most of the women I work with are from Bulgaria. Why do you think that is? And how can I help them and what can I tell them?”
Bulgaria is one of the top sending countries in Europe, meaning many countries in Europe will have a larger percentage of Bulgarian women in Sex Trafficking than from most other European countries. It was awesome to be able to spread the word about the many ways we can help. One of these is to give printed resources for women in Bulgarian to tell them they are loved and help them see they aren’t alone. You see, most of these women on the road only speak Bulgarian or another dialect called Roma and the people trying to build relationships with them in other countries can’t even speak with them because the women on the street don’t speak their language. The teams in other countries are so thankful to be given these resources. Also, we help these other country teams understand the background of many of the women they could be meeting from Bulgaria. The Roma people have been raised with the belief that prostitution is a viable option for an occupation. And often because a family needs money a daughter will be seen as an opportunity to gain the money the family needs. This can happen either through a marriage that has been arranged when she is around 14 years of age or by putting her together with a pimp and putting her on the road. These Roma women are a majority of the women that we see on the streets here. And these are the women that have the expectation that what they’re doing is common and so they have a hard time understanding why they should leave. Because of this cultural acceptance of and often times coercion into this lifestyle, it requires that we don’t view this ministry as a quick snatch and grab rescue mission but as a long and steadfast course to build relationships. To bring the love and hope of Jesus into their lives and let the Holy Spirit do His work in their hearts and minds.
So, after spending a week in Berlin we headed home and continued or weekly schedule. On Sundays while preparing food for the church’s lunch I’ve been enjoying working alongside some Bulgarian friends. I’ve enjoyed learning to cook some Bulgarian dishes like kyufte, gyuvetch, and pulnenee chushki. I had forgotten how much I enjoy cooking for people.
Also, been spending time not only continuing to get ready for the new participant who is starting soon but helping get things organized for some of our leaders to be out of the country.
BerlinPrayer Requests:
- for the transition coming with the new participant who is starting in the next few weeks
- for our team here as many of our teammates are in the US at a conference for a week
- for more relationships to be made
- to meet more people who God is drawing to Him
- for the Holy Spirit to move in unprecedented ways
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