Visit to Bulgaria by Robert & Jill 4-15th October 2002

This page has a lot of images and may take some time to load.

To familiarise Robert and Jill with the Bulgarian context as part of our Southern Counties Baptist Association link with the Bulgarian Baptist Union.
To meet members of the Petrich church, and to renew acquaintance with the Petrich pastor and his wife.
To research ways in which we can encourage our brothers and sisters in Petrich.

Friday 4th October
6.30am - the doorbell rang and Peter Smith, our chauffeur for the trip toGatwick appeared, and drove us to the airport, arriving exactly on time for check-in at 9am. The bags survived the weigh-in, and we survived the security checks, and took off slightly late, just after 11am. The plane was full of young Bulgarians, mostly young men of student age, perhaps they had been doing summer work in Britain? Uneventful flight, a very pleasant meal, and we landed more or less on time at Sofia airport, at 16.25hrs, local time, after a three and a half hour flight. A long queue at passport control, but unlike in UK, foreigners and Bulgarians join the same queue! Todor was waiting for us and we loaded our baggage into the minibus and joined the tortuous Sofia rush hour. It took us well over an hour to get round the Sofia ring road and onto the main route south to Kulata, the border post with Greece - this road has been recently improved with EU money for part of its length (except where it goes through villages, when the potholes reappear). It remains to be seen whether it will facilitate investment flowing into the country, or profits flowing out!

After driving through exciting and beautiful mountain scenery, including snowcapped mountains, we eventually arrived in Petrich at about 8.45pm at Dani's flat, to eat chicken noodle soup, stuffed peppers, bread and yoghurt with garlic and herbs. ( I could write a book on the food we ate at Dani's!) Handed out our presents to Petya, Todor, Vera and Dani. Collapsed into bed.

Saturday 5th
Entranced by the sunrise and views of the mountains from Dani's 8th floor balcony. Toast, cheese and jam for breakfast. A quiet morning. Todor was translating at a conference in Blagoevgrad (between Bulgarian, Russian and Greek) for the whole weekend (last minute request) so Petya was with us for the morning.

In the afternoon Dani, and Petya walked around the town with us, seeing the market, and the store where Dani worked till recently.

We walked a little way up Belasitsa mountain with Dani and Petya, stopping on the way todiscuss the vagaries of the English language! On the way home I sent an email to church from the internet cafe. Had a doze in the late afternoon, then had supper, including Bulgarian pears, which are totally different from English ones - very crisp and juicy. And so to bed.

Sunday 6th
Went to the church meeting in the Communist club. Petya led the service and translated as we gave our testimonies, presented the banner, and I preached from Revelation 3, on the letter to Sardis. We had a delicious Sunday lunch with Dani, then back to church for the young people's English class. The first question we were asked was about how we met and got married!!!! When we asked them what they most wanted to pray for, for themselves, they said, "the strength to be faithful in tough times". Home for tea at 4pm, and then we sang songs with Dani. Although we have little Bulgarian and Dani has little English (but her English is better than our Bulgarian), we are learning to communicate!

Monday 7th
Dani fortifies us with yufka for breakfast - a form of pasta in a sauce with herbs, and very filling. It turns out we need fortifying because today we meet Bulgarian bureaucracy head on! Large notices at the airport had warned us of the need to register as aliens at the police station, with a fine on leaving the country if we failed. So Todor took us to the police station, who sent us to the stationers for the necessary forms, which we filled in as requested (in Latin script, because the form said that was okay) and handed in just as the office was about to close. Forms rejected because they were in Latin script not Cyrillic. Office closed. Back to Todor and Petya's flat for lunch and chat. Try something very warming and homemade from an unlabelled lemonade bottle! Returned to police station after lunch, but office still closed. Explanation to growing queue. Other police unable or unwilling to help. Eventually door opens and hand appears with notice for the door saying the Bulgarian equivalent of Komputer kaput! Todor protests, along with others. Our forms (now in Cyrillic) are grudgingly accepted. It has taken most of the day to register. This is just a tiny taste of everyday life here in Bulgaria. Getting permission for even the simplest things involves hours or days of visiting government offices and if you are not willing to "co-operate", progress through the system can be very slow (especially if you are Baptist/Evangelical).

We leave (late) to go to the Rhozhny monastery. Orthodox monasteries are very important in Bulgarian national history, having helped the culture survive under both Ottoman and Communist rule, but the mixture of established religion, nationalism and politics is not very spirtually uplifting. Orthodoxy on her home territory is much less appealing than the version we see in Britain. Near Rhozny, in country that historically was Greek for quite a long time, we visited the beautiful old village of Melnik with its historic winemerchants villas (where we were presented by our hosts with a souvenir bottle of Bulgarian red wine). We then return for an evening restaurant meal, courtesy of Peggy, Stefan, and Marianne, and we discuss Bulgarian business and economic life.

Tuesday 8th
Off to Sofia with Todor and Petya for a meeting of the Bulgarian Baptist Union (Soyuz). Jill and Petya. Todor and Petya are discussing their ministry and situation and we go with them to give moral support. On arrival in Sofia we found ourselves addressing the board, giving greetings from England and answering questions about enhancing links between Union and overseas sponsors. Help - I'm not used to being an honoured foreign visitor.! Leave Sofia having arranged to stay with the Oprenov's on our last night in Bulgaria. Stop at Bulgarian version of Little Chef - three free meals because we filled the minibus with diesel and have tripe soup for lunch. Visit Rila monastery up in the mountains, north of Blavgoevgrad. Saw girls in the fields dressing sweetcorn, wearing traditional costume. At monastery saw tomb of King Boris III, said to have been poisoned by Hitler in 1943 for allowing Bulgarian Jews to escape the death transports. (The current PM of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg is his son.)

Wednesday 9th
After toast, and luganka (Bulgarian salami sausage) Dani helped us change our money (about 3.3 Lev to the pound - average monthly wage about 70 pounds, pensions about 5 pounds a week). After lunch, Petya took us shopping - except that when we tried to buy slippers from Makedonka's stall she insisted on giving them to us. Makedonka is on the church board, and is one of several ladies with unbelieving husbands who have known tough times in the past as they have kept their faith - facing the opposition of the former Communist authorities and also the opposition of their families. It is a testimony to their faithful witness and the quality of the church's love that their husbands have gradually become much more sympathetic to the church and made friends with other Christians. We bought Bulgarian presents for our families. Drank `chai' at a street cafe and felt like being on holiday! Back to Dani's, for lunch where I discover that fig paste is regarded as an everyday item here and I can eat as much as I like. That should keep me going! After lunch we have the privilege of reading and checking Petya's first essay for her Master's course. Evening at prayer meeting, where I led the meeting. After prayer meeting, invited out for a meal at Nadia's house (chicken and chips!). Followed by pears in a sugar syrup, and also green figs in a sugar syrup.

Thursday 10th
Hot Bulgarian doughnuts for breakfast plus green figs, and also fig paste. Jill and I went out into town on our own and didn't get too lost. More shopping in the afternoon on our own, buying maps and a phrase book at Marianne's shop - Marrianne is one of the church members who runs a small stationer's and bookshop aimed at the school/student market. Walked round town taking photographs. We found beautiful houses built in the 19th and early 20th Modern fashion shopscenturies, and also some very prosperous modern-looking ones. Unfortunately, the prosperous houses tend to belong to local Mafiya, who have made money from border deals or other forms of private "enterprise". As soon as we photographed one beautiful house with an attactive open upper storey, a sinister looking bouncer appeared to ask us what we were doing. We shouted "Angliski touristi" and beat a hasty retreat!Managed to buy a cup of chai at a cafe all by ourselves!!!

There are many beautiful houses dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries although they tend to be in a poor state of repair.

We also saw evidence of the sorts of influence that a border town like Petrich is exposed to - a lot of new shop premises with very high quality goods in. The clothes shops especially are the ultimate in fashion, as are the majority of the girls walking around the town, who make the West End of London look rather dull, and certainly make Wimborne's females look prehistoric! Modern Western society has invaded Petrich in a big way.

In evening, we had a meal at Boushka's house who had invited non-believing friends to meet the foreigners and ask them questions - which covered baptismal issues, Established churches in England and Bulgaria, Sabbathobservance, being born again, tongues, denying self or losing everything, church and politics. Able to close with prayer. Home to bed.

Friday 11th
Went with Todor to visit church land plot, pray on the site, and take photos. I was delighted to meet a very fat Bulgarian pig. Then up Belasitsa mountain in the minibus to pick some chestnuts, and eat blackberries, and admire the view. An elderly Bulgarian man chats up "Doktor" Todor near the foot of the mountain, to cadge a lift. He paid for his fare by singing us Greek songs on the way up. After lunch at Dani's (who taught us how to peel the chestnuts) we read part of Todor's Master's essay, and talked about their ministry and plans for the church. We prayed for their physical health as both of them have had a lot of sickness this week. In the evening we went to Rupite for the house fellowship Bible Study, where I led a Bible study on the feeding of the 5000. (Approximately two minutes warning of this!). Answered questions about Northern Ireland situation. A lovely group of highly intelligent and articulate people, living in quite severe poverty because of the Bulgarian economic situation. Home for supper at Dani's. Watched a light hearted American film on TV (70 cable channels). Vera stayed the night at Dani's in the lounge.

Saturday 12th
Heavy rain. Watched a wedding in the church below the flat. Tried to do some final bits of shopping in the morning and got soaked. Went for a pizza at lunchtime (Dani's treat for Vera). Finished our souvenir shopping in the afternoon and took more photos of a wet Petrich. Invited for a meal at the house of Dani's brother in law and his family, Nazhko and Irina/Katya. Talked a lot about the state of the country.

Sunday 13th
Preached at church meeting - on story of Zaccheus. Communion. Suprise invite for a restaurant lunch, from Makedonka, Ludmilla and Marianne. After lunch, Sunday school, which Jill led, including some games and a drama. (For pictures of the young people, see our youth page.) After that we spent the afternoon at Todor and Petya's house, to spend time talking with them and ministering to them pastorally. Preaching lectern, with our banner behind - we found a nail already in the wall to hang it from! Prayed our way around their flat. Sunday evening - a pre-arranged restaurant meal - our treat for Todor, Petya and Dani and Vera.

Monday 14th
Pack the cases, worry about the weight, wonder how to fit in the presents given to us, and also the ones we are bringing home to Svetla. Late morning, left for drive to Sofia with Todor and Vera, to the Oprenov's house stopping again at the garage for lunch on the autoroute. Our guardian angel was kept busy on the journey during a couple of scary motoring incidents involving lorries! Todor and Vera going on for a dental appointment afterwards. Supper with the Oprenov's, and a chance to play with their chldren - impressed with Anne Marie's excellent English. Entranced by Sofie Alexandra who is absolutely adorable!!! Praise God she is 100% fit and well in every respect.

Tuesday 15th
Sightseeing in Sofia, also did my duty as a BMS General Committee member, and called in on newly arrived BMS missionary couple, Penny and Mark O'Sullivan for a brief chat. Didi took us to airport early afternoon. The centre of Sofia was briefly taken over by a march, brass band and clowns celebrating the tenth anniversary of their FM local radio station. We are reminded that only fifteen years ago this was the capital of one of the toughest of the Iron Curtain satellites.

The local FM radio station in Sofia celebrates ten years of broadcasting in freedom

Brass band in traditional costume, celebrating the radio station's tenth anniversary.

We managed to buy an English language Bulgarian newspaper from a Sofia news kiosk, as well as a Bulgarian language one. Catch up on the Sofia business news with the English language Sofia Echo once our bags have been checked, and drink a cup of hot chocolate.

Our flight home courtesy of British AirwaysTake off on time at 17.10hrs - uneventful journey home. Strong head winds and a rough descent at Gatwick at 18.40 hours UK time, in gusty wind and heavy rain. Our chauffeur once again ready to meet us. Home for about 9pm. All the presents had survived the journey. Enjoy a cup of English tea, and use an English toilet! Climb gratefully into our own bed! Very sad to have left Petrich, but glad to be home.