It’s not every time that one goes to a country and blogs about it. However, I feel like I should for this particular visit. So, here we go. But first, for context, I was volunteering at a teen camp organised by SIP Bulgaria. In no particular order, here are some lessons from Bulgaria.

God’s church is global

I think it is so easy to live in a bubble. At least I do, especially because of my love for routine. The bubble that only sees God’s people as the ones we meet with at church or watch on YouTube. So, to be amongst believers who, when they sing or talk, I have absolutely no idea what they are saying, gave me a reminder of the wide reach of the gospel.

God’s people are from every nation and tribe. They are not restricted by the physical places I can or will ever get to. They are not restricted by the languages I can or will ever understand. They are not limited by anything I can ever think of or ever imagine.

There was something quite beautiful about being in a room where I could not understand the words being sung, yet I knew exactly what was happening. These were my brothers and sisters in Christ. The language was different, the culture was different, our experiences were different, but Christ was the same.

It was a small glimpse of a much bigger reality: the kingdom of God is so much bigger than the little corner of it that I get to see.

God will build his church

This one is slightly related to the first one, but I put it separately because of the teens. God is building his church far and wide geographically, but He is also building his church into the future.

It was beautiful to see the faith of young boys and girls. To see their hearts, to see God work through them, to see them serve, and to hear their testimonies. There is something particularly encouraging about seeing young people take their faith seriously. It is easy to look at the next generation and worry about what the future of the church will look like. But perhaps sometimes we need to look at what God is already doing in them.

Jesus meant it when He said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” I believe that and I am grateful for opportunities to see glimpses of this promise been worked out.

There is work to be done

God’s church is universal and He will indeed build his church. But there is a lot of work to be done.

Most of the kids were hungry to learn more, and I think this is something widespread. A lot of people are searching and longing. There are people who have questions, people who are curious, people who are looking for something more.

Seeing this made me think about how easy it is to assume that someone else will do the work. Someone else will go. Someone else will have the conversation. Someone else will answer the questions. Someone else will serve.

But we need to place ourselves and be ready to be used by God, wherever that may be.

There is work to be done. And God, in his kindness, allows us to be part of it.

Community 

One of the things I noticed while in Sofia  was how much people seemed to enjoy simply being together. There were so many people sitting in parks late at night, just talking and drinking. I am not even sure why I put this one here because it is not really a lesson, just an observation that I found really cool and wanted to mention. 

Boys eat a lot

Well, this is a two-sided point.

Sometimes, I do not eat much. Notwithstanding, this is the fact that boys (maybe girls too. I didn’t have enough evidence to say so) can eat humongous amounts of food and fast.

Some kids would finish their second round of food when I was still on my first. The pace was electric. Where did all that food go, I wondered. And how, just how, can you chew that fast? Why are you in such a rush?

Note to self: if/when you have a boy, be ready for such consumption. 

Time flies, God is faithful

Seeing those kids, some of whom were less than half my age, confronted me with thoughts about my age a lot, and not in a sad, “I am a dinosaur” kind of way.

I know babies are born each day, but there was something a little weird about talking to people born after 2010 for a whole week. I mean, they weren’t born when the World Cup in South Africa took place. How?

Of course, I felt old, and given that  I was much older than the kids, it was not a strange feeling. I thought back to when I was around their age. To when I was 15. I remember being in 10th grade, the classes I took and the friends I made. I remember going to Lusaka for the first time and the many things that happened during that trip.

There is a real sense in which all that seems like a very long time ago, and it is. So many things have happened since then. At the same time, it doesn’t feel that long ago.

I couldn’t shake this thought off my mind as I interacted with those kids. Time really, really flies.

How is it almost 15 years ago since I was 15?

But there was another thought that stayed with me. One thing has been constant: God has been faithful.

So much has changed. I have changed. The people I knew then have changed. The places I lived and visited have changed. The things I thought were important have changed. Years have come and gone, and somehow, here I am, looking at a group of teenagers and realising that I was once their age.

But God has been faithful through all of it.

I was reminded of the words I penned down back in 2023 in Fleeting Days, Change and a Constant God. Time flies. Things change. People change.

But God remains.

And perhaps that is the biggest lesson of all from the trip.