Velingrad, Bulgara – Carson-Newman women's tennis player Jennifer Ott is spending her summer abroad on a mission trip. Below, she details her first month outside the United States and her experiences in Bulgaria.
One Month In.
добър ден! (Good afternoon!)
I have been living in Sofia for a month now. Since the time we were welcomed off the plane, life here has been in full speed. The MTW team in Sofia has welcomed us into their family and has quickly put us to work.
The same day we arrived in Bulgaria, we were taken to the mountain city of Velingrad about two hours outside of Sofia for pre-field training. We spent our first three days away from the city getting to know each other, learning more deeply about the Bulgarian culture, eating good traditional food, and casting a vision for the summer.
After training and orientation we began to live our daily lives as interns, which mainly consist of a lot of coffee and learning from our leaders about what it's like to have a life on the mission field in a foreign culture. Other than a high coffee intake, our main job as summer interns deeply involves ESL (English as a Second Language) and free English clubs MTW offers weekly. Through the English clubs, we are challenged to meet and hang out with Bulgarians who desire to learn English. One of the best ways to learn a language is to speak with a native speaker, so we have a special gift of language that creates an avenue to connect with Bulgarian friends.
Our first week of English club was a springboard for the rest of our summer. We were able to see the contents and the layout of an English club, and then we were given the chance to be introduced to Bulgarians. Since that first week we have been integrated into teaching positions. Also, I have had opportunities to meet a handful of friends who love to talk over coffee, walk through the parks, meet at malls to simply walk around, and to show me around their favorite parts of the city.
Within the last month we were able to do some additional travel as a group. Our second weekend here we boarded a bus for 9 hours and crossed the Turkish boarders to spend a weekend in Istanbul. While we were in the city we toured the historical Ayasofya, the sultan's Topika Palace, the Grand Bazaar, the Byzantine Cistern, a Mosque, and an evangelical church in the Asian portion of the city. It was an exciting weekend where we were able to enjoy another culture that is extremely different from American and Bulgarian cultures. All of our senses were introduced to a new and spicy way of life, especially when the Islamic call to prayer rang through the city from the hundreds of minuets there was a sense of being a spectator in a foreign world.
This past weekend we traveled to Plovdiv. This is an ancient city that contains much of Bulgaria's history; many ancient ruins are scattered through the city. The city is built on 7 hills very similar to Rome, so it was interesting to see parallel history. My favorite part of the 7 hills fact of Plovdiv was the chance to climb to the top of two of them and over look the city. Bulgaria is a beautiful country with visible signs of historical struggles. The architecture tells the stories written in the history books, and the people carry a spirit of determinism created by the story of their country. It has been a privilege to live and travel through here.
One of the highlights of this past month was making the connection with my friend Iskra. I meet her face to face for the first time this past Sunday, but the story really begins the first week I arrived in Sofia. During that week the entire MTW team gathered for dinner to welcome all the new interns. I met Courtney and her husband Lawrence who are originally from upper East Tennessee, and we had an immediate sense of connection through our sweet home in the Smokey Mountains. Through my relationship with Courtney, I was introduced to her neighbor, Iskra who happens to play tennis. Iskra and I communicated through Facebook until this past Sunday when we met to play. My Sunday tennis date brought a few new experiences: my first time playing on red clay, and my first time playing as "the foreigner". The opportunity to build a relationship through tennis was a really cool reminder of how the Lord desires to use every part of us for His ministry. I came into this summer thinking that I was leaving tennis at home; I didn't even bring rackets or shoes (I had to borrow Iskra's to be able to play). However the Lord had a plan to use tennis to connect me with a sweet new friend.
In the pictures we are all smiles and laughter, but I ask you to think and prayer for the moments that are not pictured. The past month has been extremely fun and full of joy, however joy also comes with struggles and hardship. Living in a new country and amongst a different culture is not easy, and building a life with a team from different walks of life is not always a perfect journey. The Lord has blessed me with a great team that functions like a family, and I could not ask for more. Also, The Lord is using and growing my team members and me in wonderful ways that can only be explained by his sovereignty; He is so very good! So I ask you to pray for the good and the bad, because life inevitably has ups and downs. As we desire to share our lives with our Bulgarian friends, both the ups and the downs present great opportunities to grow relationships deeper and share our passion and love for Christ.
Please continue to pray for our relationships with Bulgarians and with our team members. Pray also for us, the interns, may we be teachable and continually willing to serve. The Lord is giving us opportunities and my prayer is that our hearts will be attuned to His way and obedient to his leading hand.
Thank you for your continued support and prayer!
I have one more month left in Bulgaria! This summer has already been full of adventures, and I am excited to see what the Lord has planned for this next month. Until next time!
Чоа! приятни дни!
Jenny
