Projects Completed in 2009
1. Benevolence Ministry Undertakings for Yambol/Sliven Regions
2. Bible Tech Conference in Seattle
3. Bible Training for Newly Started Churches in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
4. Bible Training School for the Sofia Region
5. Bible Training School for the Yambol/Sliven Regions
6. Bulgarian Christian Student Union Seminar in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
7. Church Leadership for Bulgarian Congregations in Chicago
8. Day of Open Doors Press Conference in Varna, Bulgaria
9. Expository Teaching on II Timothy in Yambol, Bulgaria
10. Expository Teaching on the Book of Nehemiah in Yambol, Bulgaria
11. Last Days Seminar in Samokov and Sofia, Bulgaria
12. Launched Website Dedicated to Spiritual and Emotional Growth, CaringForTheSoul.com
13. Launching of WorldMissions.TV Honoring World Missions’ Centennial Celebration
14. Liberty Leadership Seminar in Sofia, Bulgaria
15. Mega Youth Rally in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
16. Mega Youth Rally in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
17. Mega Youth Rally in Varna, Bulgaria
18. Missions Conference in Pahokee, Florida
19. National Bible Tour in Chicago
20. National Bible Tour in Houston
21. National Bible Tour in Las Vegas
22. National Bible Tour in Minneapolis
23. National Convention for Ministries on the Internet in Gabrovo, Bulgaria
24. National Leadership Seminar for the Church of God of Prophecy in Rouse, Bulgaria
25. National Meeting of Bulgarian Christian Bloggers in Plovdiv, Bulgaria
26. National Puppet Ministry Contest
27. New Bulgarian Translation of the Bible Seminar at the Petrehoan Youth Camp
28. New Printed Edition of the First Bulgarian Bible Published in Constantinople in 1871
29. Regional Christmas Crusade for the Yambol Region
30. Regional Prayer Conference in Yambol, Bulgaria
31. Regional Revival in Dupnitsa, Bulgaria
32. Research Trip to the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA
33. Research Trip to the Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archive in Nashville, TN
34. School of Missions for the Yambol/Sliven Regions
35. Self-Esteem Camp in Cleveland, TN
36. Water Baptism in the Thundja River
37. WebMinistry 2.0 for the Leadership Development Institute
38. WebMinistry 2.0 in Chicago
39. WordPress Training for Churches in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
40. X 2009 National Event: Changing the Status Quo in Samokov, Bulgaria
Christmas in Bulgaria: Appreciating the Simple Things in Life
Roasting chestnuts over an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose is a comforting carol which brings many pleasant feelings around the holidays. These are two features, which are not only common to the States, but to Bulgaria as well. This is the season of chestnuts being roasted, however it is not like we picture being over a cozy fire place in a warm home. In Bulgaria it would be on the street side to sell in order to bring in some income for your family. And the Jack Frost is not just a nip for some, but it is a bone chilling cold due to not being able to afford the electric bill.
For some, there will be no gift under the tree and for others there will not even be a tree. This is not said to bring you sorrow, but for you to appreciate the simple things in life. Enjoy family, friendships, a warm home, a hot meal, your health. Enjoy the time the Lord has given you and use it for his Glory and not for bickering or complaining over the small angst.
Don’t loose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is not about the material, but it is about the spiritual. It is about the birth of our Lord and Savior even though our politically correct society wants to get ride of the “Christ” in “Christmas.” If it were not for His birth, He would not have been able to die for our sins. This remission of sin is the ultimate gift this Christmas season for it is through this act that we are able to have eternal life if we only ask.
So when you wake up on the 25th begin your day not consumed with what you didn’t get or what didn’t happen to your liking, but in silence remembering the silent and holy night over 2000 years ago. Remember those less fortunate in order not to take for granted with what you have been blessed. And most of all thank Him for His gift to you. Let these thoughts bring you comfort this holiday season.
Merry CHRISTmas 2009
From all of us in Bulgaria!
WorldMission.TV Released
If you feel this message is relevant to your church and missionaries you support, please feel free to forward it around the globe. It is our prayer, that with doing so we will be able to reach more people with God’s Mission of Salivation for the Last Days.
Dear Missionary,
We are writing to inform you of the launching of our new site, WorldMissions.TV. This is a Christian based site, which purposes to give a place where missionaries can inform of their work and remain connected with their churches, families and friends. It is the goal of WorldMissions.TV to offer an atmosphere where missions’ videos can be watched by millions of people across the globe.
When missionaries make the sacrifice to go to the uttermost parts of the earth they sometimes experience a feeling of disconnect being on the other side of the world, but with the help of this site, missionaries are provided a collective experience. It allows the body of Christ to come together in unity to exalt His mission above all – saving eternal souls regardless of the cost, location, race, ethnicity, language or denomination.
We ask that you join together with us in sharing our unique missional experiences with those whom may never be able to go to the mission field and at the same time to those whom are called to missions or already on the field. It may be because of your uploaded video of enduring through the jungles of Indonesia to preach to a group of people who has never heard the gospel, that a person whom you never spoke with accepts the call for missions; or it possibly will be that your video provides the encouragement needed for a couple experiencing hardship.
Through this site you can share of your trails, your successes, the miracles you have witnessed in order that God be given the glory. We should not remain quite simply because some are in disbelief of the True resurrective power of God. In the words of the old children’s song:
I’m going to shout it from the mountain tops
I want the world to know;
The Lord of love has come to me,
I want to pass it on.
And this is exactly what we are purposing through WorldMissions.TV. When people see the miracles and wonders of missions across the world, there is no other alternative than to cry:
“Holy, Holy, Holy”
“Santos, Santos, Santos”
“神聖, 神聖, 神聖”
“Svet, Svet, Svet”
Sincerely and In His Service,
Dony and Kathryn Donev
Cup and Cross Ministries International, Bulgaria
www.cupandcross.com
First Snow in Yambol, BULGARIA
Missional & Apostolic in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
In the past month, the Lord has brought our focus of ministry on the city of Stara Zagora. Although, we had often preached and taught there through the recent years, this time we felt called to fulfill a strategic spiritual mission. Our first ministry visit was at the Awakening Church of God which is pastored by our long time friend and partner in ministry Rev. Jimmy Luchev. The message we felt burdened to deliver was one on the sovereign sameness of the unchanging God. A fortnight later, our team was back in Stara Zagora to minister at the Mega Youth Rally organized by local churches and brought a very special message from the book of Nehemiah, which urged some 300 young people from a dozen local churches in attendance to rebuild the spiritual walls of their local churches. And finally, another two weeks later, we returned to Stara Zagora at the Apostolic Christian Center, which occupies a large newly built complex in the west suburbs of the city. We spent a special day of training with their ministry team after which we were able to minister on Sunday morning, speaking on the principles of Freedom in the Spirit.
Having followed the direction of the Spirit for this location of Bulgaria, we are aware that a new season is coming to the area expressed through a new appointment for the churches in Stara Zagora. And since appointments are always opened through renewed relationships, we are thankful to the Lord for allowing us to rebuild relationships among the churches and people in the city. As the year 2010 nears, we are expecting the final clarification of this new strategic position in the city of Stara Zagora in the divine plan of God for a strong missional and apostolic local church.
School of Worship in Bulgaria
Our Bible School initiative for the Bulgarian Church of God has dedicated the month of December for a special time of praise and worship. We have compiled teachings from lead Bulgarian praise and worship teams to be presented in the School of Worship on topics of personal experience with God and teaching others how to use music in the ministry. Four modules were selected for weekly presentation during the month of December as follows:
1. Pastor Iliya Panov teaching at the Life Church of God in Sofia, which he pastors
2. Rev. Daniel Tanev teaching at the DOVE Christian Center in Sliven
3. Missionary Keith de Majo teaching at the Oasis of Love Bible School in Sofia
4. Leadership Conference for Praise and Worship Teams
School of Mission: Missions Week in Bulgaria
School is in Session: Young Leaders Ministry Retreat with Special Focus on Missions
It is Missions week in Bulgaria following Thanksgiving. A time to meet with Bulgarian missionaries who travel abroad, discuss their needs and pray for the success of their respective ministries. Our Thanksgiving weekend involved a ministry team retreat in the Balkan Mountains as part of the education program initiated several months ago by our Bible School initiative for the Bulgarian Church of God. As usual, this event was dedicated to training young ministers and their teams and this time the focus of our meeting was missions. Ministry teams represented the Plovdiv, Yambol and Sliven regions. A missionary from Spain was also present for the training.
Keynote speaker of the event was the president of the Bulgarian Missionary Network (BMN), Rev. Ivo Shatrovsky, who shared his calling from God for missions and a personal vision for Bulgarian missions abroad. In his address, he presented several valuable lessons he has learned in his own missionary experience in the West Indies. Two workshops on the topics of Conflict Resolution and Structuring for Growth were further presented by our team. And while various activities were taking place in the midst of extensive discussions, sharing on the part of the missionaries and strategic planning for the future of the represented regions, the time of fellowship turned to a prayerful reflection on God’s calling upon our own lives.
For the mission of the church cannot exist apart from God. It is a calling, not merely a career. It is a cost, not simply a concern. It is a burden, not just a belief. Its focus is care and compassion. And yes, even in the 21st century, it still remains a Holy Ghost uttering, through which one remains blind for the world around until obeying to the vision of heaven (Acts 26:19) and begins seeing the world through the eyes of the Savior.
