Ex Nihilo

By Tim Awtrey

Yanna ran in the door from school. “Daddy, look what I have!”

To be honest, it didn’t look very impressive. She held a styrofoam cup with the letters Y-A-N-N-A written on it. “What is it?” I asked, trying to sound excited.

“It’s a seed…and we add water to the cup…and it will be a big plant!”

So, we poured water in the dirt cup, and Yanna stood by waiting for the plant to spring up. Ten minutes later she walked into the kitchen dejected.

“It didn’t work. There’s no flower.”

Laughing to myself, I tried to explain to my five-year-old that it would take more water, more sunlight, and more time for the tiny seed to grow into a beautiful flower.

I think back on that event ten years ago and laugh; only I see myself in Yanna’s shoes. I am like her—running to the little dirt cup every five minutes to see what has changed. It’s not a plant I’m looking at, but a small church at the backdoor of Europe, where we are pioneering a church planting movement. After every church service, home Bible study, discipleship meeting, or discussion over coffee, we find ourselves running back to that dirty cup over and over again to see what has changed. More often than not, all we see is dirt.

Eventually, however, a feeble, little, green shoot pokes out of the dirt. To others it doesn’t look like much, but to the watcher it seems like a mighty oak. After watering and waiting, after a thousand late-night meetings, too much coffee in smoke-filled cafés, verbal abuse, indifference, and sleepless nights, it appears. A little sprout appears out of nothing. Yesterday, only a cup of dirt and today God has miraculously produced a living plant!

Last night I sat at a weekly Bible study in wonder. A few years ago there was nothing, but out of nothing God created life. A living, breathing community of people who are reading the Bible, praying for their neighbors, and living out their faith amidst the storms of Bulgarian society. To my right sat Iliyanka. Like me, she is a foreigner in Bulgaria. During the meeting, we studied Mark 10, where Jesus told His disciples that no one leaves home or family for His sake without receiving much more. Iliyanka, with a big smile on her face, shared how she had to leave her family in another country, but God provided an even bigger family in the church in Svishtov. Her words echo: “The words of Jesus are true! He has given me so much more!” Everyone in the room was encouraged by her testimony. We see our little sprout grow a bit more.

Next to Iliyanka is her husband Doran. He is the exception in our fellowship. His mother took him to church as a child. In our church in Svishtov, only Doran and one other person grew up in a church. It is rare in Bulgaria. Most people in our congregation have never stepped in a church or opened a Bible before attending New Life FWB Church. Doran’s early church upbringing has given him a faithfulness rarely found anywhere. As a young husband, he struggles to care for his family in the harsh economic environment, yet he never complains. He thanks God in the midst of his trials—the mark of a faithful believer.

I was also glad to see Gergana at the Bible study. She has been a believer only a few years, but she has become one of my heroes in the faith. If there was a continuation to Hebrews 11, I’m sure her name would be there.

A few years ago, she showed up to a Bible study in our home. We gave her a Bible. In her mid-30s, it was the first time she had opened a Bible. After looking at it for a few minutes she shyly asked, “What are the big and little numbers for?” She had never seen a book with chapter and verse numbers.

Today, Gergana leads worship at our church. It is amazing to see how she passionately praises God on Sunday mornings when I know she has risen early to care for her blind and bedridden grandmother; cooked breakfast for her daughter and her husband who has been desperately ill for the past ten years; all while working six days a week. A hero of the faith! She praises God in the storms of life. And she sits in Bible study and thanks God for the church family who stands by her and lifts her up through the struggle. Another green shoot pokes through the dirt.

Next to Gergana sits Vicktor. A few months ago, he started attending church for the first time in his life. It is amazing to see someone in his or her late 40s who hears the Good News of Jesus for the first time. He admits he doesn’t know much about Jesus, but he knows enough to share his new faith with his coworkers—in spite of the fact that they make fun of him. He warns his coworkers that it’s not smart to laugh at God. I agree.

Last in the group is Vladimir. He confesses that he is 70% on the way to Jesus. Yet, he’s not sure about all this talk about Jesus. Over the past few years, one of the best criticisms I have heard about our church is that we talk too much about Jesus. Yes, we do. But Vladimir is here because there is something intriguing about Jesus. He wants to hear more. We know that just like our little seed of a church, the Holy Spirit is continually watering the seed of faith within Vladimir. And it’s a wonder to watch it grow.

Ex nihilo…out of nothing. How does God create something out of nothing? I don’t know. I only know that a few years ago, there was not a single healthy church in Svishtov. Most of Bulgaria lacks healthy churches. We strive for God’s kingdom in a land where less than half of one percent of the people follow Jesus.

Countless cities and towns are strewn with dried up and withered remains of churches-that-could-have-been as many missionaries have given up and gone home because of the harsh spiritual climate of Bulgaria. Free Will Baptist International Missions has decided to send people to the hard places, to plant new life in spiritually dry ground. As the prophet said, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).

Our little dirt cup is springing to life. Where there was nothing, now there is a community of believers in Svishtov. In Varna, on the Black Sea coast, Trif and Vanya Trifinov have started a second Free Will Baptist church. Jonathan and Amy Postlewaite are carving out new relationships with Bulgarian families and soon Josh and Lydia Provow will be on the field, breaking new ground. Where to next? I’m not sure. But I do know that if we keep watering, God can bring life out of nothing!

About the Writer: The Awtrey family is pioneering a Free Will Baptist church planting movement in Bulgaria. The first phase of the work includes establishing a healthy Free Will Baptist church in Svishtov to serve as a model for future church plants throughout the country.

It's All About the Shoes!

Much of the world is divided into two camps—shoe fanatics and shoe haters. Some of you have more shoes than you need. For you, biblical promises include finding a “land flowing with high heels and comfy slippers.” Shoe haters often focus on the fact that shoes smell. The more shoes, the more smell. As someone who teaches a class of 14-year-old boys, I consider myself a bit of a specialist on smelly shoes.

On my desk, I have a picture of a stack of shoes outside our front door. I want to explain why I meditate on this picture. In Bulgaria, a long-held, Bulgarian custom requires visitors to remove their shoes before entering someone’s home. This picture was taken one night while the owners of the shoes were taking part in a Bible study. I took the picture, not because I am a shoe fanatic, but because I personally know each pair of shoes and what brought them to my door.

The small, white tennis shoes belong to a woman who grew up Catholic, but never read the Bible until she came to our Bible study. It is amazing how the Word of God has opened her heart to a deep understanding of and love for Jesus. A woman fleeing an abusive relationship wears the tall boots. She met Jesus and a group of people who showed her Jesus’ love and healing. The brown loafers belong to a man who, at the age of 40, opened a Bible for the first time. With keen intellect and open heart, he met Jesus. And every one of those shoes walked a good distance in the snow in -10? weather to learn about Jesus.

Yes, sometimes shoes are smelly. Some are more fashionable than others. But it is for these shoes we came to Bulgaria. Yet, too few shoes rest outside our front door. Look carefully at the picture. Empty spaces appear where other pairs of shoes should be.
Sacrifice, give, serve, and pray with us that these empty spaces will be filled. Jesus, please send us more shoes!

More About Bulgaria

From Atheism to Faith

Bulgarian minister Trif Trifinov shares his story—a life transformed from denial to faith—and his vision for the church in Bulgaria.

God's Unchanging Faithfulness

New missionary Jonathan Postlewaite recounts his family's first year on the field, from hurdles and heartache to memorable milestones as God proved His faithfulness time and again.

Our Story

Josh and Lydia Provow are the newest Free Will Baptist missionary appointees to the country of Bulgaria. Travel with them on their journey to the field.

Building Playgrounds, Sharing Hope

Hanna Project team leader Darren Walker provides an inside look at short-term missions efforts in Shvishtov, Bulgaria, from construction projects to forming long-term relationships with the people of that city.

To learn more about the work of Free Will Baptist International Missions, visit www.fwbgo.com.