New Spirit of Revival Among Kazanlak Gypsies

Georgian and Winnie

Report from Eastern Europe

Wow, what a great spirit in the church in Kazanlak.

Things are really picking up.

There is a good healthy feel, a new reviving, a new freshness! 

The meetings in this little Gypsy church were packed out; we have never seen the building so full.  New people from every age range were streaming into the services, it was electric. For the first time a lot of the men were abadoning themselves in worship.  There were many new singers, musicians and young people on the worship team.  Their overall worship had a deeper more intimate quality to it. There was a delicate and sweet tenderness that we've never heard them express in their music before.

Of course there is an excitement about their new building -- our plans for building our Gypsy Center are finally moving forward. 

The steel beams for the new structure are actually piled up inside the church, and everyone can see the tangible evidence.  Winnie and I had great meetings with the architect and the Mayor of Kazanlak, and our plans for building our Gypsy Center are finally moving forward!  The initial structure is bought and now we are starting to buy the materials.  The architect is helping us get the electrical schematics and plumbing done up to code, but the rest of the labor will be done by the Gypsies.  They are so eager, and so excited, this is finally something that they will actually own.

But this is more than just a buzz about the new building, we have a major Holy Ghost revival and momentum going. 

It began escalating as soon as Pastor Mitko came back from the United States in December.  Then Ben and Stephanie came to do "road school" ministry training for the next generation of Gypsy leaders.  Ben and Stephanie took them out on the road for instant Spirit led evangelism, and healings were popping like popcorn everywhere they went.  One woman was completely healed of a brain tumor, and she literally shook under the power for days. The doctors back at the hospital are amazed, as they can find no trace of the cancer anywhere.  Then we came, first Winnie and then me a few days later.  Mitko told us it was just like a one-two punch from both us. Winnie is planning a trip back in five weeks.  Our first big group of New Wine missionaries will visit back through here in June, followed up by a team of our pastor friends in July.  Our second big group will blaze through in August.  Want to come with us?  Sign up for more info.

Click here for some more powerful testimonies from Kazanlak; Gypsies are getting completely set free.   Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Georgian and Winnie with

Kazanlak Pastors Mitko and Altunka

Georgian and his youngest disciple

Winnie preaching to a hungry crowd

A born actress. You could spend hours taking her picture,

and she would never run out of poses!

One of the original women from our first visit, and this is her wagon - she was greasing the axel when we came. She and her sister Mariana are the praying lightning rods that drew us here back in 2005.

Winnie and Sandy drive to Bucharest and visit their Romanian Gypsies

We drove into the city of Bucharest and went straight to the neighborhood. (It is so easy to find now that I have my own map with the route traced out.) On our arrival, ten of the women immediately came out greeting us with arms wide open. In between hugs and sounds of glee, they were expressing shock and amazement. It seems that they were not quite convinced that we would ever really return, even though we told them that we would.

We brought communion just like we had in Kazanlak, and were able to share the Word with them. Afterwards, Mariana (one of the main leaders) announced that she had something to share. She stepped away and then returned with a few books in hand. Opening up the first, she signed it and then gave to Winnie a Romanian Bible that was quite well used. Next she gave to Sandy a Romanian children's Bible storybook. How amazing, here they are giving us their precious treasures!

What a sweet reunion. While most of the men were still at work, we were able to fellowship with the core women. We went from home to home and visited with everyone, distributed our gifts (socks and shoes and diapers and food) and prayed for each family.

Click here to visit our new MySpace and watch short videos of our visit. We can't wait until April when we will return with a small team. Cheers!

*Background info:

After reading in a newspaper about an enclave of Gypsies in Bucharest while sitting in a German airport in 2005, Winnie's heart cried out, "I have to go find them!" and find them she did. To read more about this "treasure hunt" click here.

Winnie Visits the Box Car Community in Sofia, Bulgaria

When I first arrived in Sofia, I went with our missionary Sandy, and Pastors Zhoro and Mariana to the boxcar community of Gypsies.  First we stopped at the market and bought chicken, rice, lentils, soap etc. and made nice gift bags for each family.

Bulgaria has been experiencing a mild winter and so as we arrived in the camp we found it full of mud, muck and dog droppings.  There was no way to avoid this mess, it was literally everywhere and no pathway was safe.  The children were outside walking around in it in thin little slippers or flip-flops with socks.  Zhoro and Mariana had recently brought some rocks and gravel to make a few clean pathways for the people, but that had already disappeared (anything that can be sold, will be sold!)  In the future we'd like to pave it. 

It was so precious; they had a little worship team with many young girls singing around a little keyboard.  The meeting was attended by primarily women and children.  There were only three men there.  While they will welcome you into their trailers to talk and pray, the men for the most part don't seem too willing to come to the church.  We need a breakthrough in this area.  We are encouraged however as just several weeks ago, one alcoholic man came to the door of the church looking for prayer.  He fell through the doorway and as the people prayed for him he was completely delivered from alcohol.  He has been coming ever since.  More Lord!

Our biggest impact was in visiting each little trailer.  We went to each home with a gift, and they all received prayer.  The Lord was showing me that the blessing is coming to the whole community through the ones that are receiving Him.

*Background Info:  This is a tiny community of about forty families living in discarded boxcars along the highway.  Pastors Zhoro and Mariana found this community in 2005 and these Gypsies have had our hearts ever since.  Read more about them in last year's photo diary.

Box Car Gypsies

Childlike Joy

The Box Car Church

For more information:

 

GlobalCelebration.com

Our MySpace

BlissRadio

Our Trip Photo Album

Email:  gb@riverlution.net