So three years passed by, three years without a pastor, without day of rest, but with great joy seeing how the new believers accepted Christ as their own Savior and God. It was a confirmation for the couple because they had reached the same conclusion as they had prayed together but had been afraid to announce it. Today, Kazanluk Baptist has 105 members. About 80 percent are women, with up to 15 children and eight youth. The congregation has been operating a soup kitchen for about a year, feeding lunch every day to 50 poor people.
Half are church members, and the others have been chosen by the city council.
They also help take care of children in a facility about 15 miles outside of town. Some have mental disabilities, others are orphaned or have been abandoned by their parents. For Easter and Christmas, we gave to each of the 100 children a personal package full of candies, cookies, chocolates and some toys, some notebooks and clothing. Tilling the soil Reaching people with the message of Christianity is particularly challenging in Bulgaria, where many people follow the Eastern Orthodox religion. Unfortunately, Bulgarians think that going to church is connected to the lighting of candles several times a year.