Divine Voyagers

Patty

This morning we booked tickets for our survey mission!
A survey mission or vision trip is an opportunity to meet missionaries, see what they’re doing and for both you and the team to figure out if you’re a good fit. Our aim is to visit three teams while we’re over there, so we thought it might be helpful to give a tiny little profile on each of them. These are by no means comprehensive, but will hopefully give you something to pray for as we try to figure out where we would be best suited. 

All three of these countries were previously under communist control, with Albania transitioning in 1990-1992, Bulgaria in 1990 and Czechia (formerly Czechoslovakia, then the Czech Republic) in 1989. They all speak different languages and have different cultures, which we’re eager to learn more about. We decided to start in the Balkans/Eastern Europe due to Tom’s heart for Slavic countries after his trip to Russia in late 2019, so, we bought a book of countries and, in that section, Albania was first, leading us to meet the area leader for the South Balkans. 

Tirana, Albania 

What are they doing?
J and A are running a community centre, which supports local Roma people (formerly known as gypsies). There is a historical rift between Europeans and the Roma, which has resulted in a need for practical care – the community centre provides utilities such as laundry, daycare and social services. It also means that, while there is a growing number of evangelical Christians among the Albanian people, there isn’t a lot of outreach to the Roma community, so the missionaries run Bible studies including a men’s group, during the week.

What would you be doing?
There’s a really big missionary school in the area which also allows local students from years 10-12. They would provide financial help with housing and annual flights home for me, which would alleviate some of the costs. I’ve also had a chat with one of the members on the board, and it just sounds like a really great school culture. If we moved to Tirana, I would spend the first few months language and culture learning, aiming to be in the country at the beginning of the year and start school in September. A lot of the missionary kids go to this school in particular, and the lady on the board mentioned that the school is even drawing missionaries, as they know there is reliable, internationally recognised education for them.
Tom would work with the local team, and has a real heart for training up nationals to minister and evangelise to their own culture. This could work really well within the men’s groups, but also in challenging Albanian people to reach out to the unreached on their doorstep. 

Prayers for wisdom
A really big prayer point for us is adoption. We have met couples who have adopted from both Bulgaria and Czechia as locals, which significantly reduces the cost (we’re talking thousands of dollars). From what we have heard so far about Albania, that would be nearly impossible – there are couples in the middle of the process right now, and they are having to adopt “internationally”, although they are living in Tirana. 

While I’m not looking for trouble, I also want to acknowledge that the job at the school would be really easy for me to slip into, but that would also mean not being great at the Albanian language, which might hold me back from participating in church on Sundays, etc. as I wouldn’t be submersed in the culture for very long. 

Prayer points for the team
Prayer for J and A as they return to Albania after home assignment. Prayer also for the team as a whole, as the kids go back to school and they enter a really busy season.
If you would like to read more about mission in Albania, here’s an article relaying the story of some missionaries.

Sofia, Bulgaria

What are they doing?
The team in Bulgaria has their fingers in a lot of pies! The area leader for the South Balkans is living with his family and teaching at a theological college in Bulgaria. He travels to the different parts of the area to preach and support the team while his wife is a doctor locally. The team runs a lot of programs to support the local church, including holding church in a local community centre and running an English club. 

What would you be doing?
Not quite sure at this point. Tom would love to get alongside the church in training up local leaders. As for me, there are a couple of opportunities in local schools, both Bulgarian and in English. There are also a few missionary kids who learn together as part of a homeschooling co-op, and the team is looking for someone to teach them on a long term basis. I feel like my K-12 degree would fit perfectly with it, and I would have a bit more flexibility than in a big school, although there is a curriculum they follow. 

Prayers for wisdom
This sort of goes for any place we could end up, but prayer for wisdom as we navigate cultures and our own personalities. I was challenged at Orientation to consider how different Australian culture really is from other places around the world. Bulgaria was a focus in particular as the area leader was around, and mentioned a few things that we naturally value as Australians which rub both Bulgarians and other cultures on the team the wrong way.

Prayer points for the team
The team leader has been really ill over the past few months and is slowly recovering as the team heads into the busiest time of year. Pray for his family, especially as him and his wife have just welcomed a new baby. 

Milovice, Czechia 

What are they doing?
The Czechia team works a little bit differently to the other teams, where you would go and join in whatever they are doing. It’s run by a man named A and his family, and his idea is that people will come and join him in the small suburb where they live, about half an hour away from the capital city of Prague, which is perfect for learning the language and culture of Czechia as there are very few English speakers. They have also started up English classes and support their local church, including their children, who go to school and university locally.

What would you be doing?
We would be spending a lot longer language and culture learning – up to three years. That would mean really digging into the community, and figuring out how to care for ourselves. This comes from the mentality that missionaries are most effective from 8-15 years, but A had noticed that many were leaving from 1-7 years, so is trying to build framework to mean they are effective long term. 

Prayers for wisdom
The leader of the team will be out of the country during our trip, so we won’t get to meet him (unless he drops by Australia!) and that means we also won’t really get to see the running of the team. I’m also a bit anxious about the way the team is structured, as it’s a bit different to the South Balkans teams. We want to acknowledge the wisdom of A’s approach, while having to reconcile that with our personalities which are very much “go and do the thing”. 

Prayer points for the team
Pray for A’s family as he has to leave Czechia for six months, for his wife as she takes care of their four kids, and for his older sons as they figure out their paths out of high school. The team is also looking for new members to join, and if we were to join, there would need to be at least one other unit (single or a couple). 

So, quite a lot to be praying for!
I think overall, just that this trip would be illuminating. Both Tom and I are so eager to just jump in and get started, but we also want to keep our eyes and hearts open to what God would have us doing.
If you would like to reach out, DMs on social media are always appreciated, but I’ve also added a ‘contact us’ feature to this blog that you are welcome to use. Thank you for coming along for the ride. ❤️