This is a letter from Hristo Arnaudov detailing what's happening in the Vazrazhdane Church.
Dear friends,
Greetings from Hristo and Vania Arnaudov, servants of the Lord at the Church of Christ in Sofia, Bulgaria!
We thank the Lord for Jesus and the salvation He has gifted to all of us! It is with great joy and privilege that we serve Him and His world-wide church, part of which is our small family of faith with brothers and sisters who have opened their hearts for the Savior. We are grateful for every soul that steps through the door of the church to worship with us on Sunday and hear the word of God! We pray to God for all that come for the first time to our worship services with various needs, for often it is that very need that helped them to take the step and search for the Lord. We pray that God will work in their hearts and help them decide to become His children, willing and ready to follow Him and give their life to Him!
We are also very grateful that God answered our prayers for a prayer house which we can use at any time for worship, Bible classes, meeting with members from the church, as well as others who seek the Lord. God touched many hearts and now we have the finances needed to rent such a space. For the past three weeks Vania and I have been contacting real estate agents and meeting with them to see various locations and spaces available for rent so we can find the one that fits our needs and budget.
We have found a space on the first floor of a commercial office building which had been used for a dance studio. The location is very central - close to the railway station, subway, buses, tram, and trolley stations - it will be very convenient for all church members who travel from various directions within the greater Sofia area (NOTE FROM JEFF: From what I can determine the location is a dozen blocks due north of the Renaissance Hotel where they meet now, on Hristo Botev Blvd. just north of Slivnitsa Blvd.).
Currently, the space is being renovated and once completed we will purchase chairs and other furniture that may be needed. All brothers and sisters are very excited and eagerly await the time when we will be able to move to the new place.
During this period, along with the search and other hardships, we continued to meet for worship and Bible classes.
On November 12 I had my second eye surgery (on the other eye). I thank God for the successful surgery and my ability to see well now with both eyes and no need for glasses. Vania also had some health problems and needed to be on bed rest but is now feeling better - Praise to God!
Immediately after my eye surgery, brothers Bisser and Gencho were very helpful in helping lead worship and preaching in my stead. Brother Bill Binum, a missionary from Texas for Eastern Europe also visited us and shared the word of God with us.
We celebrated Thanksgiving Day with the church members with a special program - the praise and worship group sang new songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. Many of the sisters brought fruit and vegetables to decorate. Others had prepared cheese pies, cakes, and sweets and we ordered some pizza for everyone to share during our fellowship time after the worship.
The singing group is already preparing for Christmas - we often use this worship service to invite non-Christian people too so we can share the Good News of the birth of our Lord and Savoir with family, friends, coworkers, and others. We will praise the Lord with Christmas songs, a sermon, prayers, and will then have a fellowship time and lunch together.
After a short time of illness, we said our goodbyes to brother Peter Velkov who was only 33 years old. Peter was a member of our Bulgarian church of Christ in Athens. He returned to Bulgaria in 2008 and lived and worked in his hometown, Vidin. Not long after his return, the doctors found cancer in his intestines. He underwent a serious surgery which was followed by many chemotherapy treatments. Peter wanted to be a part of the seminar which we held in June this year but was unable to do so because his condition had worsened. We visited him in the hospital many times and together with his wife, who is a very new Christian, prayed for him. Several days before his passing, we visited him again and served him the Lord's Supper. We believe that he is now with the Lord. We pray that the Lord may be with his wife, Vesi, to give her comfort and strengthen her in the faith so she can trust in Him for everything. We ask all of you to keep Vesi and Peter's family in your prayers as well.
We also need your prayers for the renovation and repairs of the new place for the church, as well as our move there - we should be able to do so by December 15. May the Lord give us strength, physically and spiritually, and we hope to praise His name at the new place for the Christmas holidays.
Praise be to our God and thanks to all of you who support us in our ministry in Bulgaria!
May the Lord bless you and your loved ones!
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
In God's Grace,
Hristo & Vania Arnaudov
