Viktor and Teresa Kostov—Sofia, Bulgaria phone/fax: 011 359 2 65-28-33

web site: http://kmission.homestead.com e-mail: vikkostov@hotmail.com

Missionary Newsletter January/February 2002

Dear Friends:

“The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.” (Habakkuk, Chapter 3, v. 19)

The scriptures are filled with examples of the people of God stating that though they find themselves in a place of suffering and persecution, desolation and barrenness, and in the midst of a wicked and stiff-necked people, YET they will rejoice in the Lord. They WILL take joy in the God of their salvation. This new year we have found ourselves struggling with the Lord, “How can we love our enemies? How can we continue to bless those who curse us? How can we continue to do good to those who hate us? And how can we continue to pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us?” I am sure you are all familiar with those words spoken by Jesus out of Matthew, the end of the 5^th chapter. In these verses, Jesus challenges his followers to not only love their neighbors, but to also love their enemies. For it is in doing this that we are “sons of our Father in heaven.”

In Bulgaria, we are finding that our ‘neighbors’ are often our ‘enemies’. This past month we had our third incident since arriving in Bulgaria with a neighbor who, refusing to communicate his frustrations, did harm to our physical property as though it were a type of ‘teaching method’. Although it was a minor incident, the anger we have felt at this consistent display of viciousness has left us feeling somewhat defeated. We have felt the depth of our lack of love for our enemies, and even for the very people we seek to serve. In our frustration we have questioned God if anything good can come out of Bulgaria. (These three incidents are in addition to the daily rudeness, lack of communication and endless red tape one faces everywhere one goes about business, ministry and household chores.)

The Lord’s answer to us came from Psalm 123, which states:

“Unto You I lift up my eyes,

O You who dwell in the heavens.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,

As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes look to the Lord our God,

Until He has mercy on us.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!

For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

Our soul is exceedingly filled

with the scorn of those who are at ease,

With the contempt of the proud.”

We are praying and ask that you, too, pray along with us, that the Lord would have mercy on us. As we come face-to-face with the malice, the incompetence and the oppression that define much of life here, that we would be able to keep our eyes focused on the Lord until His mercy reaches us. That we would not break under the pressures applied to us nor live with anger and bitter scorn at the vile things we see around us. We desire the Lord’s Spirit, which will allow us to come against these things in the opposite spirit: that of love, patience, peace, humility, and gentleness.

UPDATES AND PRAISE REPORTS

WOMEN’S GROUP: Thank you for praying that the women who meet regularly for prayer would be patient and loving despite some big differences in personality. This is happening as we grow in understanding of each other’s brokenness and pray for healing.
MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST: The Lord has of late been challenging the men to walk in the authority He has given them, to not fear man, and to ask for new vision in ministry and in life.
ORPHAN WORK IN BELOGRADCHIK: Thank you for your persistence in prayer for the fatherless children/youth we are ministering to. The weekly times of bible study, games, and fellowship continue with the three paid youth-workers: Polly, Annie, and Nelly. This coming Monday, 25^th, Viktor will be meeting these ladies for a time of team-building. Please pray for an “open” conversation regarding the hardships that they are facing in working with the orphans. There are many frustrations and problems that need solving – may the Lord provide answers and bring encouragement, peace, and joy to their hearts.
Some of our supporters have graciously sent funds for this work amongst the orphans. Along with paying the youth-workers, we are using the funds to buy food for the 55 children as the orphanage consistently runs out of money and is not able to adequately feed them. Please pray for the Lord to continue to meet their spiritual and physical needs and that the children would recognize His fatherly love and desire for relationship.
THE GATHERING IS GROWING: The Lord has brought four new members to our small church. Two of these ladies shared last week that their lives have changed and that they’ve found in us new friends. We praise God for Him touching those in need through our little fellowship. At ten adults and five children we are starting to feel the smallness of the homes we meet in, including our own! We continue to thank the Lord for this growth and to ask Him for the salvation of souls. Please, pray as we seek to plan outreach events to invite the unsaved into a relationship with Christ.
LEGAL NEGOTIATION FOR AGAPE BULGARIA (a division of Campus Crusade for Christ): Viktor and his colleague Katya were not able to reach an agreement with the Mayor’s office in Kurgeli - as you might remember, the Jesus Film was not allowed a showing in the small town. The Mayor’s secretary promised that he will “see to it” that the Jesus Film will never be shown in his territory. This was a very disappointing, though expected, outcome. Viktor and Katya have filled three complaints with local and central officials to try and repair the situation. Please pray that the film and that the work of Campus Crusade for Christ would continue to reach the lost souls in that town.
A LITTLE REST AND RELAXATION: Thank you for your prayers that we find an affordable place to rest for a weekend getaway. Some friends offered that we go to their villa in the mountains for the weekend. So it was incredibly affordable (as in FREE), not to mention comfortable, beautiful, and restful!
MISSING LUGGAGE: We have had to file papers for a criminal investigation with the city prosecutor regarding the theft of our shipped items. We received answers from the US and European agents stating that all our goods were received and shipped by them to our Bulgarian agents. The paperwork with our Bulgarian agents states that they received the full 900 kgs, yet they only turned over to us 230kgs. Please pray for the police investigator who will be questioning the truck drivers this next week and for the whole procedure. Our hope is still that our shipped items would be recovered and delivered into our hands.
Please, pray as Mike and Jane Ingalls, dear friends of ours are putting a missionary team of young people together. They plan on coming to Bulgaria for a month this summer for encouragement of the church here and a short term mission. Pray for vision and support to come from the Holy Spirit and God’s saints for this trip.

As always, we love you and are thankful for you and your faithfulness to us. What an encouragement you are to us and our ministry in Bulgaria.

With the warmest of regards,

Viktor, Teresa, and the boys

To support us financially, please send checks to: Door of Hope International S-15, PO Box 303, Glendale, CA 91209-9984. Visit our web site for our mission statement, our vision, photos, and additional information: http://kmission.homestead.com