Pregnancy 19 weeks

Temporary Move to Bulgaria

If you haven't heard, we're in Bulgaria now! We'll probably be here until sometime in July. God has taken care of us and provided in amazing ways!! I want to share a few pictures of where we are staying. It's very nice and we are enjoying it so much! So far we have been able to eat at KFC, Burger King, and get a drink from Dunkin Donuts!:) We enjoyed worship on Sunday at the International Baptist Church of Sofia. They have service in English there. Sawyer is doing great with the adjustments --it helps a lot that the apartment complex has a great playground! The Bulgarian language is similar to Macedonian so we are able to read many signs and communicate simply with the people. Our vonage phone is here in Bulgaria with us and also we can be contacted on skype: eric.jill1.

Gjurgovden Picnic in Topaana

Gjurgovden is the holiday celebrating St. George's Day. Here are pictures from a picnic we attended. Roasted lamb was served, which is the traditional food for this holiday. There were also salads, baklava, chicken, burek, and other foods at the picnic. Eric and I had the pleasure of meeting the American ambassador to Macedonia. Sawyer enjoyed playing soccer with the other Roma children at the picnic and we all enjoyed the music. All of the people in the red shirts are the staff at the Roma educational center.

An interesting tradition for this holiday is that many Roma families clean and even paint their homes prior to this holiday. My friend Mamyde and many many others were painting their homes the week before this holiday. Everything looked so fresh and clean! Here's something I read: "Another tradition associated with this holiday is the cutting of tree branches which are placed on the doorways of homes to signify health and happiness for the upcoming year." I'm glad I read this because I've often wondered why there were small branches beside doors.

Lunch program at Roma center

About a week ago I went and had lunch with Eric at the Roma educational center where he works. The Roma children go there after school to get help with their homework and to eat lunch. Eric is helping serve the lunches. The food is very good that they serve! I tried some myself!:) Also, on some days, there are medical exams going on so the children can be weighed and seen by the doctor. Most of the Roma children that come are refugees from Kosovo and they speak Albanian. These young children have many hardships in life but this Roma center is helping them in many ways.