Us in Haskovo, Bulgaria and Istanbul, Turkey
- The Nations Call
- Jul 12, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 16, 2019
I hope you all had an amazing Christmas, Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year! What are your New Years Resolutions?? I know mine are to get in shape (doubt that’s will happen), along with being able to be fairly organized and getting organized as an artist and a missionary (these are Jonna’s resolutions). We’re working on getting The Nations Call to be an official Non-for-Profit organization this year and we’re really hoping that we can get that done. We CAN accept donations up to $20,000 per year without reporting it to IRS. We are currently accepting donations for our trip to France, Greece, and Romania now as each of us need to raise approximately $3,000 to cover for a month in Europe. We are also prayerfully considering visiting and getting more contacts in Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, and Austria. Please keep us in your prayers as we are listening for a leading direction in these areas.
We were met with amazing Romanian hospitality in Haskovo, Bulgaria. They used to work in Istanbul but was unable to stay there. They have relocated to Haskovo and tend mostly to the Turkish Romas. Their church has exceeded its limits and is mostly children at this point. They get backlash from the Bulgarian locals there but their heart is to help the Turkish community get more integrated with the Bulgarian community. They also help teach Bulgarian and English to their community along with other skill sets that would be useful for a job.
They need prayer for: a larger location, a church van (they have been picking up people and fit 20 people in one 5 person vehicle), along with worship leaders as they are using tracks, and a better ability to teach the community they work with Bulgarian. Most of their church consists of children. We absolutely loved this couple and can’t wait to work with them in the future!
A lot of people had told us previously “if” you get to Istanbul, Turkey. There are loopholes in the fine print for an American to get into Turkey which we utilized. God had already made plans for us to be there and we had the faith for it. Driving through Turkey to get to Istanbul Alyssa and Jonna saw a huge demon on a throne and on his crown said Allah. He replied to us saying “people pray to me five times a day. What do you do?” And we looked up and saw God’s hand over the country in the clouds.
The first contact wanted to make sure we got to experience Istanbul. He took us to Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque, and the Black Sea. We got to spend two lovely days with him and his family. Nicholas ended up talking to him a lot as we walked through the city and on the beach. We had dinner with him and his partner in missions during Ramadan (which is when the Muslims fast throughout the day and only eat at night starting at 8pm). Due to not being able to say Jesus, Christian, Church, Mission, etc. we were able to vaguely communicate why we came to them saying “we came to see how we could work with and help you with the work that you do.” It was over dinner that we discovered in whispers that the people here have been dreaming of Jesus without even realizing it. One of the missionaries here do what we call “treasure hunts” where she goes to a safer neighborhood and asks God who she should talk to and pray for. She usually will go up to a person asking if they have dreamt of the “man in white” and most say yes and that they have no idea what that means. She will then have the liberty to tell them that it is Jesus that is visiting them in their dreams. Our first contact we met teaches English as a second language, used to mission in China, and will speak with muslims about their religion and Christianity if he has the permission to do so. The mission field here is mostly prayer walks and some treasure hunts in safer neighborhoods. At the Black Sea we sang Jesus’ name over the country.
Our second contact we got to meet over coffee near the mall. He and his wife are also needing help in missioning here. His lovely wife does Christian counseling where she can for women, and the husband builds relationships with the people around him to be able to witness in their lives. Coming home the first Sunday Jonna walked into service and they were singing “Jesus like the fragrance after the rain...” and she saw Jesus kick the demon off of his throne in Turkey, and take his place. There is about to be a breakthrough in Turkey and we are excited to be apart of it!
Specific prayer points for them are: visas to be straightened out as they are getting harder to acquire and keep, along with more witnessing opportunities, and against the spiritual warfare that is happening there.
Thank you so much for faithfully supporting us with encouraging words, finances, and prayer. We are leading a trip to Greece and another in Romania May31-June15. Please email us for more details if you’re interested in joining us on the field. We would love to see you and partner with you there. If you feel led to partner with us financially, you can click the link below. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, we love you all!
Comments