We've got more good news to report.

April 15, 2013

 

The church here in our own village is doing very well.  Recently there have been some people come for the first time, but even better, we've heard of several other family members and relatives that have been saved.  Most of them are in Western Europe working, but the Lord has affected the believers here so strongly that He's all they can talk about.  Just this week there was a woman who had her daughter and son-in-law and grandchildren return to Bulgaria for a visit for the first time in a year.  They arrived one hour before the meeting.  So, this woman visited with them for one hour, then left them and came to church.  When a person puts the Lord and the church ahead of everything else, the excitement and dedication is contagious.

 

This week we were able to finish the flour distribution for the churches in our area.  As Paul was being sent out to the mission work, he was told to remember the poor.  So, we, endeavor to remember the poor and help feed them once a year.  Each church family received one hundred pounds of flour and over a gallon of cooking oil.  For some of them it came just in time, as their winter store of supplies had just run out.  I'm including a picture of a little girl.  She has nine brothers and sisters in her house, and ten other cousins living next door.  Many days they go to bed hungry, but praise the Lord, that won't happen now for the next month or more.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and financial support.  There are some children going to bed full tonight.

 

From Bulgaria,  Zachary LeFevre

Update from Bulgaria

March 4, 2013

 

The last few weeks we've been busy getting back into the regular schedule of preaching in the villages.  There have been several visitors to the churches recently.  It's been my lot and privilege to preach the first gospel sermon they've ever heard.  I certainly covet your prayers in fulfilling this great responsibility.

A few weeks ago there was an older woman that came to a village meeting for the first time.  After church she told us that after hearing the local Islamic leaders her whole life, she decided that she believed the Jesus whom we preached.  What a blessing she was to the church that day.  The next week we went back to that village, but half of the crowd was gone - to that lady's funeral.  She only heard the gospel one time, and with her little faith received it as truth.

In another village there was an older man who allowed us to have a meeting in his house (his wife is saved), but he never would come inside.  For four years he was as welcoming as could be, but politely told us that he followed a different religion.  Recently his health began to fail; in his time of need he began coming to church.  Then, this week he fell into a coma.  The doctor said that he might only live for three days.  The last time I saw him healthy he was smiling and saying "Amen" while I preached.   He probably only heard two Bible sermons in his life, but with his little faith he received it as truth.  

From Bulgaria, Zachary LeFevre

 

Updates from Bulgaria

Dear brethren,   

First, let me thank those of you that prayed for our trip.  We arrived safe and sound at our home in Bulgaria after thirty hours of travelling.  This was probably the best trip that we ever had.  The children did well, and no luggage was.  Although it was a long trip, the time seemed to pass quickly.  Meeting us in Sofia were my brother William and pastor Ahmet to drive us home.  Brother Ahmet told me many testimonies of good things that happened in his churches here during our furlough.  Unfortunately, I was only half awake at the time and can't remember one of them.  I'll see him later and get the testimonies for future letters.

This week I've been out to several meetings and met a few of the new ones who got saved while we were gone.  There was actually one place where we had tried to start a meeting a few years ago, but the struggles in starting a church in a new village almost overwhelmed them.  Last summer my brother and pastor Alish went back to this village and it seems that the time was right for their harvest.  Thirty people from the village ended up getting saved and baptized.  

There were also two notable funerals here during our time in the states.  One was the funeral of a man here in our own village.  He had been saved for several years and was always faithful to attend the meetings.  He was never ashamed of the Lord.  Many times he would argue with the local Islamic religious leaders and the older men (his peers) in the community about his faith.  The believers here all have peace about seeing him again some day.  In another village there was a woman who came to church several times.  She had been some kind of a fortune teller for most of her life and mixed Islamic prayers with tarot cards.  In the meetings I preached to her many times, and individually I talked with her several times.  Each time she professed to believe in Jesus, but also hung on to her life long faith in Islam and her fortune telling "powers".  I fear that her mind was blinded and she never could see the light of the gospel.  Upon hearing of her passing, not one person even mentioned seeing her again in heaven some day.  Two different people with two different testimonies:  "To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life".  The one bright spot in the woman's story is that her granddaughter has been saved and coming to church for a couple of years, and now her daughter has started coming.

In another village we met a woman, just recently saved, and her story shows the value of being faithful to the work.  Not long ago her husband passed away.  After that she started coming.  She said that she has wanted to come to church for a long time, but her husband never would allow it.  Now that he is gone, though, she comes every week.  I'm glad that we continued going to that village for years, even though at times there were only one or two people in the meeting.  Had we given up and closed the meeting, this woman would not have had a church to come to and might not be saved today.  My father used to close his letters to me with the one word, "Persevere."  I'm glad we persevered in that village.

 

From Bulgaria,

Zachary LeFevre

Feb 11 2013 Update

January 24 Update

This week I've been rather puny, suffering from a touch of the flu.  Some of the children have also been ill.  I tried to get out to the meetings on Saturday, but pastor Alish insisted that I stay home.  As it turns out, the snow was so bad that they didn't make it to the third village, anyway.  

Last week pastor Ismail's wife had a tumour removed.  Now she's at home resting.  We would appreciate your prayers for her.

From Bulgaria,

Zachary LeFevre

November 21 Update

It's turned cold here.  As we drove back home yesterday from Romania the fog had frozen like frosty crystals on every twig of every tree and every blade of grass.  Our thermometer read -5 this morning (Celsius).

Last week it was my privilege to show the work in Romania to a group of saints from New Manna Baptist Church, Marion, NC.  Although we spent passed out gospel tracts and they sang as a choir in downtown Constanta, the main focus of their visit was to see the children we feed in the Turkish villages.  Thanks be to God, there are many children that receive a hot meal every day through our churches.  These children were tickled to see new people that loved them.  (They also loved the candy they brought.)  I am sure that the Lord used these poor believers, rich in faith, to actually be a greater blessing to the Americans.  As their hearts were broken for these people praising God in great poverty, my own heart was revived.  Our Turkish believers here were thrilled to see how many brothers and sisters they have in Christ.  As we worshipped the Lord in different languages, His spirit knit our hearts together in love.  The week ended with one of the girls here in the children's home getting saved!   Later we received word that a man dying of cancer whom we had prayed for got saved!  Along with our Turkish brethren here, we were truly saddened to see our new friends and Christian family leave, but we look forward to meeting again one day in that land where shades of love lie deep.  

I would like to thank you all for your prayers for my older brother.  He is still in great pain.  His recovery will be long and difficult, but he reports small improvements every day.  

From Bulgaria,

Zachary LeFevre

September 6 Update

Last Wednesday my brother and  I were able to travel up to Romania to assist in the baptizing up there.  From my village we drove about an hour and a half north, then crossed the Danube river on a ferry in Romania.  On one branch of the river there was a beautiful sandy spot with shallow water, perfect for baptizing.  Years ago we baptized a young woman named La-le.  This year her twelve year old son got baptized.  It's a blessing to see how her and the others have stayed faithful, and now their children are following the Lord.  Also, pastor Alish baptized his fifteen year old son this year.  Aside from the converts from his village churches each year pastor Alish has had the privilege to baptize some of his family members.  His sister was recently saved, along with many of is wife's relatives.  Since his father-in-law got saved this year he's been sober for the longest stretch of his adult life.  Altogether this year there have been forty-eight new believers baptized.

"And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room"  (Luke 14:22)

From Bulgaria,

Zachary LeFevre

August 15 Update

Thank you all for your prayers for our children.  Polly is home from the hospital and feeling better.  (Saturday she butchered three chickens for us.)   She's developed a rash from the antibiotics.  Today she goes back to the doctor. Now my brother William is in the same hospital with pneumonia.  Please keep him in your prayers. Pastor Nasuf reported two people saved in his villages this week. The children start school this week.  They're all home-schooled.  Next month Maggie should start Bulgarian kindergarten. From Bulgaria, Zachary LeFevre