For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14

March 2022

In this verse of scripture there is a question asked; who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? That question has been on my mind a lot in the past month. With the beginning of the war in Ukraine opportunities in Bulgaria for ministry have certainly increased; but truthfully, we have had the ministry of reconciliation since the day we were born again. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;” 2 Corinthians 5:18

Thankfully, there has been a tremendous increase in activity due to many of the Covid restrictions being lifted each month. We have also seen an increase in attendance of our meetings which has been a huge blessing. Recently in the village of Dabravino, we had a meeting with over 100 believers attending along with several of our national pastors and missionaries. This was the first time we have been able to do so since the pandemic started. We met with boundless joy and testimonies of God’s goodness. It was truly a blessing.

The Lord is still moving and working on hearts in our meetings. Recently, at the end of the meeting in the village of Ruse, a young lady asked that everyone pray that she would have faith, and believe in the gospel, of course everyone prayed for her. Two weeks later she came before everyone in the meeting and confessed that Jesus was her Lord and Savior. Praise the Lord! He still saves.

We are also thankful for God blessing Nasuf with a new car. As you know, pastor Nasuf had an accident and needed a new car. I am glad to say through the love and generosity of God’s people we were able to get him an Opel Mireva. They are happy with it and very thankful for God’s blessings.

I am sure many of you have seen the situation with refugees in Bulgaria. God has opened a great door for us to show the love of God to those around us. I know that most of us did not anticipate the presence of a modern-day Hitler, but the actions of Vladimir Putin have us all seeing the depravity and wickedness of man. The war has been devastating for the people of Ukraine, but it also has opened the door for God’s people to show the Love of their Savior. This door opened for us when our daughter, Kylie, befriended a young Ukrainian girl on social media. Her family is working tirelessly to help the refugees in Bulgaria and help those still in Ukraine. Through meeting her we began to volunteer and donate goods at a Refugee center in Varna. We contacted many of our friends and supporters, and it has been amazing to see the outpouring of love and support for those who are in such need. From that time, many avenues have opened for us to help and to share the gospel. We also started to work through a center in the city of Dobrich. We donated food, clothing, kitchen supplies, household goods, medicines, and we were able to help an expectant mother with many necessary things she had left behind.

We have also helped with a center in the village of Smyadavo, where William Lefevre and Ahmed have two meetings every week. A building that was to be used in the future for the elderly was converted into a place to house about 20 families.

We also took donations to two hotels with around 100 people being helped in each hotel. This led us to the resort area of Golden Sands where many refugees are being sent. There we found one hotel with 900 rooms, which is housing 1,800 refugees and over 1,000 of those are children. Each passing week opens more opportunities. We ask for your prayers as the Lord guides us.

Tomorrow we’re loading a truck which will go to Ukraine. We are using a store like Sam’s Club called Metro to send large quantities of supplies into Ukraine. Over $10,000 worth of goods are being loaded and will include; rice, beans, flour, sugar, water, pasta, ramen noodles, canned corn, peas and green beans, water, boxed milk, diapers, and toilet paper. There will also be insulated blankets provided by fellow missionaries and scripture cards with a QR code for people to access gospel preaching. We look forward to these blessings.

In the city of Shumen, where we live, a Social Center for Ukrainian refugees was opened this week. Tracy and Hannah Lefevre were very involved in helping get this center established, and we were able to help provide some of their needs. The center will be a place where people come and interact with their fellow countrymen and find the help that they need in this difficult time. We have several other opportunities that are presenting themselves. Please pray for God’s guidance in these situations.

This is also the time of year for our annual Flour and Oil distribution. Each year we give to the needs of the Church. It’s a joy to try to fulfill scripture “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 About 75,000 Kilos of flour and 7,500 liters of oil will be distributed to our church members. This comes at a time when there is great need due to the skyrocketing cost because of the ongoing war and its effects on Eastern Europe’s economy. It’s a great honor to serve the Lord in this time and make a difference. “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference.” Jude 21-22

God has also blessed us with being able to purchase Russian and Ukrainian gospel tracts. We had 15,000 tracts printed and received 4,000 chick tracts from a fellow missionary. We were able to contact this man through Brother Richard Maher and Brother Paul Gray, missionaries to Ukraine, who spent a few days with us before going to Poland. We gave out hundreds of these at a protest march in Varna, and we are including them in the hygiene packs that we are putting together to give to the refugees. Thank God for His word!

Currently our needs are few. We ask for you to pray that God gives us strength and wisdom and that He guides us to exactly what He would have us do each day. I do ask that you pray for us as we will be preparing to return to the states for a nine-month furlough. We were planning on coming back in the spring of 2023, but due to the timing of our Visas it would be more practical for us to return at the end of this year. With that in mind, anyone who would like for us to visit your church between December 2022 and September 2023, you can email me at blalockstobulgaria@gmail.com or contact me through Facebook messenger at KeithTracy Blalock. We look forward to this time with our family and churches. Please pray for us as we prepare, that it will be a fruitful furlough. I will close this letter by saying that God is so good to us, and I thank him for his blessings. We cannot thank you enough for all you have done. I could never have envisioned some of the things we are involved in now. It’s only possible through your love and giving. God’s people are truly the best. Attached is a printable version of this prayer letter with some photos of what the Lord has been doing here. 

God bless you all, Brother Keith Blalock  www.facebook.com/Blalocks2bulgaria

----------------------------------------------------------

Prayer Letter March 2022

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, ... who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth … to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:1-6

Our praying friends and family in the Lord,

I believe, as perhaps many of you do, that there is significance in the ordering of the books of the Bible. We know all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and by the Holy Ghost is both applicable and profitable for whatever your need whenever it may arise. Yet it seems also apparent that the latter books hold a special relevance for these latter times. And if you believe, like I do (and I certainly don’t see why you shouldn’t, as the Apostles declared it), that we are in the last days, we might look again to those latter letters and find sustenance to strengthen us for the coming calamities.

With that in mind, let’s cast our eyes to the first line of the last book of the Bible. There the Holy Ghost, by the pen of John, states emphatically the priority of almighty God and the prerequisite for all who profess Christ: the revelation of His Son. What’s the need of the hour? To see Jesus Christ. What does God want above everything else in this day? That His Son should be revealed to the world. Moreover, if the Christ hasn’t been revealed to you, what follows in the book of Revelation will remain a mystery, as it is the revealing of Jesus that brings all things into perspective. And really, what else would one want to see? What else can compare? Cousin Pierce LeFever said there were only two places he wanted to visit in life: Paris, France and Pea Ridge, Tennessee; and after seeing Pea Ridge, he no longer cared to see Paris. So, too, with Jesus; once you’ve gotten a good look at Him, who cares to look at anything else? “Mansions will glisten on the streets of glory… but Jesus will outshine them all.”

Can I add one more thought to this? I’m going to anyway, it’s my prayer letter, and I don’t write that many of them; I reckon I’ll write what I want. Do you know where the Christ was revealed to John? Where did John first see Jesus in the book of Revelation? From where did he hear Jesus’ voice speaking? In the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. What are the seven candlesticks, you ask? Let the Lord Jesus himself give you the answer: “The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” In these last days, where will you see Jesus? Where will you hear Jesus speaking? In church.

So much as happened since I last wrote, I don’t know where to begin. (“Why don’t you start writing more?” asks Hannah. Wives: can’t live with them, can’t worry about whose they’ll be in the resurrection.) Quite a few of these things are updated about regularly on our Facebook page, but if you’re like me and indulging social media less and less and feeling better and better about doing so, I’ll recap them here.

We were finally able to replace our vehicle. After almost a year of waiting, litigating, consternating, and aggravating all the wrong people with all the right information, we threw up our hands in desperation, and God filled them with enough to buy a used 2012 Mercedes Vito van. It has low miles and high expectations of being everything we need it to be. It accommodates all of us, with room to spare. But most importantly, it gets us where we need to be to minister to those anticipating help.

I praise the good name of the Lord Jesus for all of you who loved us and gave. And I thank God for guiding us in the right direction at just the right time to find this van available.

As a little postscript to this, the insurance company issued their final verdict via letter a little over a week ago. They concluded that ultimately I was at fault for a thief sneaking onto the gated property, breaking into the back hatch of our locked vehicle, climbing into the driver’s seat, prying open the steering column and hot wiring the car, fleeing the scene in said stolen car, hitting the gate in the process, finally crashing into a concrete pylon totaling the vehicle, leaving the scene, and returning on foot to the exact same village in which we live. Does it seem like this issue makes me a little testy? Listen, I don’t have anything against the thief; I pray he gets saved. I don’t even begrudge the loss of that vehicle. It was never ours to begin with. God gave it to us, and He didn’t need my permission to do whatever seemed best to Him. But, merciful heavens, Bulgarian bureaucracy can knock the shout out of any man. “But he giveth more grace,” and at the end of the ordeal, like Job, we’re better off than when we started. Bless the Lord.

A month ago now, we were able to hold our first big meeting of the year. Our churches were so sick of this pandemic and its restrictions, and so eager to meet again, that we went ahead and invited “whosoever will.” Praise God the “whosoever wills” outnumbered the “I don’t think we shoulds,” and the Great I Am came to the great In Need; the gospel was preached, the hungry fed, and all who came empty went home full.

Brother Keith Blalock preached the second of two meetings. He talked a little about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and mentioned everyone’s fear of Putin dropping the bomb. Brother Keith said, “I ain’t worrying about the bomb. If he drops the bomb, I hope he drops it on me first. I’ll be vaporized here and awake in heaven.” All the Turks took comfort and courage from that message. Most of them have grown up in and around Islam and were taught that no one can really know their soul’s final destination. When Brother Keith said with full assurance that he’d wake up in heaven, it finally dawned on a number of them that they, too, could have confidence in the work Jesus had done in their souls.

Speaking of the Russian invasion, for all who have asked, we are safe in Bulgaria, far from the fighting taking place in Ukraine. Only the Lord knows what tomorrow holds, and He has grace sufficient for what is and is to come. However, no one is expecting anything like what occurred there to happen here. Nevertheless, Bulgaria, like every other European country, is taking precautions.

Those of you keeping up with Hannah on Facebook, or our LeFevre page there, know the work she and our other missionary friends are doing with the Ukrainian refugees. To make a long story short, at the start of this war, Brother Blalock’s daughter, Kylie, had befriended a young Ukrainian girl newly arrived in Bulgaria. Learning from Yulia what efforts were being made to help the refugees in Varna, several of our missionary wives, with Brother Keith driving, went to see what they could do to be of service. After that day of volunteering, seeing the need firsthand, word began to spread, saints in America began to give, and the opportunities for outreach began to grow.

Skipping ahead, this last weekend, along with two missionaries from Ukraine, Brother Richard Maher and Brother Paul Gray, our folks went again, this time armed with gospel literature, to the center. After a morning’s profitable venture into some of the areas open specifically for refugee housing, our group made their way to the Ukrainian anti-war demonstration. There they distributed to small and great the gospel of the good Lord Jesus. Not a single Ukrainian refused a tract. More often than not, they would come back, asking for more for friends or family.

Every day, more and more Ukrainians are crossing the border into Bulgaria. Every day presents new challenges to meet their needs and new opportunities to give out the gospel. Pray for us that whatever the need, as much as we’re able, we’d be able to help. Pray especially for those whom God allows our paths to cross, that they would have open ears and tender hearts to receive the message able to quell the war raging in their souls.

Last, but certainly not least, and much to a hungry people’s hearty rejoicing, we’ve begun to give out flour and oil. Last Tuesday we began early in the village of Goren Chiflik and wound our way around several villages in that neck of the woods, distributing to the poor saints what God had provided for their sustenance. We were met everywhere with smiling faces and empty wheelbarrows and horse carts. The price of sunflower oil has nearly tripled in the last couple of weeks, so receiving a five-liter bottle really was like receiving liquid gold to most of our people. We go this week to our farthest villages, in the Balkan Mountains, to see their needs met. Pray for us as we go. Pray for them as they receive. Pray in all things that the Lord is glorified.

Because of a living Savior,  The William LeFevre Family

---------------------------------------------------------------------

January – February 2022

Dear Praying Friends and Family,
I already had this prayer letter written in my head two weeks ago…or so I thought. I can hardly remember what I intended to write now. So much has happened and things are changing daily regarding the war in Ukraine. While I was not surprised that Putin would invade and take Donetsk and Luhansk, I was completely taken back by the scale of this invasion.

From the moment that we understood the magnitude of Russia’s invasion we devoted ourselves to helping our friends and loved ones in Ukraine get to safety. Our first concerns were for the safety of the Kline family who were in Kherson, and for a young lady from our church named Vladislava in Kiev. We were relieved to hear that the Klines made it out safely. Vladislava, however, was left all alone in the university dorm building with no one to help her after a rocket hit the building right next to hers. She had no money nor her traveling passport needed to leave the country. Thankfully, she met up with the Taraniuks who took her with them to Ivano-Frankovsk, where they endured some air raids. We were able to send her money to get to the Romanian border. We were also very concerned for the welfare of Darina and her two children in Odessa who were there alone while her husband was working on a commercial ship. She spent several nights in the bomb shelter before gathering the courage to flee to Romania by herself with her small children. We were also very thankful to hear, little by little, of other missionaries who were making it to safety.

Many women and children from our church loaded up what they could and were escorted to the border by their sons and husbands. They sought safety before any heavy fighting came and they are now scattered in Romania, Poland, Hungary, Germany, and Moldova. Several of our men have volunteered and others were conscripted to fight. Some are serving right on the front at this very moment.

Quite a few people from our church stayed in Rozdilna. Brother Alexei, the pastor of our church, along with his wife Vika made that difficult decision. She is expecting their second child and they also have a handicapped son, Vanya. Our deacon and his wife, Andrei and Ella Bondarchuk, also decided to stay with their two precious children. I asked them if they needed help getting their families to the border as refugees. They decided to stay and care for the church and defend their city in case of an invasion. Both families are looking after the church’s elderly and shut-ins, along with some of the mothers with small children who stayed.

Though our people are scattered they are communicating using an app called Viber. That app was used in the past for things that caused our church much trouble and heartache. I’m so glad that it is being used of the Lord for prayer requests, fellowship, Scripture, and valuable information needed for survival. It is quite evident that they have matured in the Lord. What a blessing it has been to me to read their posts (see 3 John 1:4). Several came to realization that they did not truly value their church as they should have during peacetime. To my surprise they met for church services last Sunday in spite of the danger! Brother Alexei told me that the sirens of an air-raid began to sound as they prayed! The men present determined to pray, one by one, till they were done. Alexei said that it was quite a sight to see. No one flinched. They kept on praying in spite of the sirens!

As we learned of the conditions along the border to the west, Brother Kline and I began to discuss the possibility of me making a special trip with my son, Samuel, to help. However, after a few days, the world-wide media coverage has prompted quite a humanitarian response. Though the conditions are hard inside Ukraine’s border, once the refugees make it through, there is plenty of humanitarian aid to help. The real need is for tracts and reaching people with the Gospel. I’m told that local churches on both sides of the border are responding with literature. The apartments and hotels are booked up and there is little room at the border for us to set up a food line or the like. After praying about the situation and hearing the reports of what really could be accomplished by my physical presence at the border, I decided that more can be done by coordinating aid to get to people inside Ukraine where there is a greater need. I may make a trip later after the hype is over. We have opened channels by which we can get money to people in need using their bank cards. I am also working on getting both Russian and Ukrainian literature for use on both sides of the border. The men in our church are stocking up on supplies and storing them in our house, which is also being used as a shelter for some when the air raid sirens sound their warnings. Brother Alexei, his brother Vitya, and Andrei are busy buying supplies and taking them to the others in the church so that there is less risk to the elderly.

We recently opened a second place to help in Dnepropetrovsk, where Oleg, my translator, relocated to take care of his elderly parents. We have opened the channel for him to receive money. He has been a friend of mine for many years. He is one of the best translators I know in all of Ukraine and he has translated enough material to gain himself a PhD in my opinion. I contacted him about the possibility of him stepping up and becoming a missionary to the area while there is such a great need. He agreed! He is currently working to help people with basic food and medicine, while giving them the Gospel.

We are so thankful to hear that our people who stayed are witnessing and have even led at least five souls to Christ over the past few days! One sister, who has tried to lead a soul to Christ for years, finally got two!

The Lord opened a great door to reach Ukrainians with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastor Joel Logan raised the funds to push an advertisement campaign over four social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TicTok, and another). When the dear people in Ukraine log onto these websites an ad pops up taking them to a website that Pastor Logan and his men have started. There are two presentations of the gospel there: one in Ukrainian and the other in Russian. Pastor Bevans Welder approached me about filming this gospel presentation in Russian using the equipment and men in his church. We worked until midnight. After twenty-two takes we got it down to twelve minutes. They said that it has already been viewed by almost a million souls by the fourth day! They raised money to air the ad for ten days! My heart is overjoyed with the thought of souls being saved as a result of these videos!

We have received many phone calls from dear saints expressing their desire to help in some way. Now that we have at least two channels open to help people inside Ukraine we can receive donations to that end. If you would like to help please send a check to our mission board with the words “Rue/Ukraine” on the memo line. There is a lot of hype right now, but after it blows over the hard work and desperate needs will begin. I would like to be ready. My number is (513) 376-1011 if you have any questions. Thank you for all that you do for the Lord, giving us the privilege to serve Him in Ukraine. Until our next prayer letter or our meeting in the air!

That Ukraine May Know Him,

Christopher Rue

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;  Phil 3:10

Email: ruemissions@yahoo.com  www.ruemissions.com

-----------------------------------------------------------

UKRAINIAN CRISIS LETTER - MARCH 2022

Dear Praying Pastors, Brothers and Sisters,

- After 30 years in Missions (29 in Ukraine), I never expected such a tragic situation would ever develop between Ukraine and Russia. This is worse than tragic, but I cannot express it with words.

I have prayed and cried with trusted brothers laboring in Ukraine to provide aid and minister to both saved and lost souls. (Gal. 6:10) I’m so glad that we are still able to send money through Western Union to the nationals who are ministering!
From the videos and pictures which Christians have sent me, it is utterly devastating to see the destruction and how inaccurate the death tolls have been.

We thank each of you and your Churches for your faithful prayers, support and genuine concern for our family, Oksana’s family and especially for the souls of Ukraine during this terribly devastating time.

• I do appreciate each of you and your particular concerns (questions), which I will attempt to answer now.
• I returned on February 19th and the war broke out on February 24th.
• Praise the Lord Oksana’s Parents and brother’s family are safe in Romania and helping others there.
• Oksana still has many relatives still in Ukraine.
• Many of the Pastors with whom I’ve worked are still in Ukraine serving their Churches and towns. Western regions are not being attacked as much as the Northern, Eastern and the larger cities. Artillery attacks in Mariupol, (where I labored in March and October of 2021) have left the city without power, water and heat.
• Some asked: Should we gather goods to send to Ukraine? – It takes too long, or if done quickly -It’s not cost effective.
• OR SEND MONEY TO HELP! Most efficient and effective at meeting needs!
• Sending Money allows us to: (1) Supply money for Christians to fuel vehicles: for evacuating people or delivering aid or to purchase food or medicine for those suffering in Ukraine. (2) Print or purchase Evangelistic literature for distribution to the many refugees fleeing to European Countries.
I returned safely from my six week trip of evangelistic visits on February 19th (*see below), but (1) now I and my partner Paul Gray are going back March 10th ~ April (11th) to Evangelize those Ukrainians waiting in lines at the borders and those refugees who have fled to Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, etc.
2) Pray with us and for us as we look for, print and distribute literature and aid to help them find Christ.
3) Pray that we can supply the Brethren with good evangelistic literature and set up distribution points!
4) Please keep these Missionaries in your prayers as they serve Ukrainians during this Crisis: Mark Priem, Chris and Sam Rue, Dan Bardwell, KC Kline, Henry Benach, Ron Jackson, Jonathan Skean, John O’Brien, and Ukrainian brethren.

- GIVING TO HELP UKRAINE -
Make the check out to: Charity Baptist Mission PO Box 692 Bristol, TN 37621-0692
Write in the memo: Richard Maher-Help for Ukraine

* The Lord blessed the six weeks of visits by saving five souls and by clearly opening up the plan of salvation to many very “religious” Western Ukrainians. Many brothers had one-on-one training as we made visits. Also, eight Churches requested me to teach two or three hour seminars on practical evangelism.

For the souls of Ukraine,

Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth and David Maher Follow us on - www.facebook.com/richard.maher.710
 

---------------------------------------------------------

Dear Churches and Praying Friends, February 2022
 

"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;" (I Thess. 1:2)

Truly, the Lord has been good to us in Bulgaria. Since our return we have been able to meet with the national pastors and hear their reports of the Lord's blessings in the different villages. There is still some sickness going around here, but for the most part, it has passed. The people are glad to be back in church again.

I would like to thank the Lord for providing us with a ministry vehicle. It took some time to get it, as the dealerships here don't have any new cars for sale. An order has to be made, then it takes between three to six months of waiting before it arrives. We were able to find a one-year-old Dacia Lodgy that only had about nine thousand miles on it. It is a seven passenger minivan that gets about 50 miles per gallon.

The needs in Bulgaria are great. There are people here that are suffering, in need of the salvation that only the Lord can give. Last month we witnessed a desperate situation. One of our long-time church members asked us to pray for her daughter. Several times the girl had complained about her husband's cruelty and violence, until it finally reached the breaking point. She left her husband and two children for someone she had met on the internet. The man had sent her money for a bus ticket to come to him, but when she arrived at his house she found it to be worse than her previous situation. She was kept like a prisoner in that house, not even allowed to speak to her family on the telephone. The last message they received from her was to not call her anymore. The family was heartbroken and seemingly hopeless. So, we called on heaven. Within a week, the girl was home with her parents! Please remember her in your prayers, along with her children.

Last week at the church here in our village we had a good meeting. There was a good spirit in the church, and some new people have started coming recently. Right as I finished preaching, before the final prayer, a young man walked in the door with tears in his eyes and a big, two-liter bottle of beer in his hand. He came right to the front and set the beer down before us and said, "Save me from this!" The church got a burden to pray for him. He went home that day and poured out his beer. This week he was back in church, with the rest of his family. His mother testified about how good it was to see her son get right with God. Please remember him in your prayers, along with his children.

Brethren, we give thanks to God always for you all. Please keep us in your prayers.

In Christ,
Zachary LeFevre

-------------------------------------------------------------------

“I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.” Psalm 77:11

February 2022

Year after year, month to month, week to week, and day by day, it is safe for us to say that we can look back and see the works and wonders of the Lord. There is no greater blessing than to see God’s work done from the sanctuary.
I would like to begin this letter by saying thank you for your continued prayers and support. We are also very thankful for every card and Christmas gift. God gave us a great Christmas and a blessed new year, and we look forward to this year to come. Our family has truly seen the hand of God in our lives, and for that we are certainly thankful. I would like to share some of these blessings with you.

The last few months have been challenging, but God has been with us. I was diagnosed with skin cancer on the top of my head and had it removed. I was facing radiation treatments and decided to have a pet scan which came back completely clear, so I decided to forego the radiation and we trust the Lord with the outcome.

We also were able to have 12,000 tracts printed about the pandemic from English to Bulgarian. Pastor James Melton wrote the tract and gave us permission to have it translated and printed. The focus of the tract is not Covid-19, but it is used to point people to the fact that the sickness or disease in man is the Spiritual disease of sin and the only cure is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We look forward to using them in the ministry here.

Another blessing for us came unexpectedly. Tracy and I had talked about having a van to use for the work here. I would like to say it was something we had earnestly prayed about for months, but truthfully it was just a desire of our hearts that our Savior was fully aware of and faithful to provide. How God did this was amazing, somehow - someway we met a young lady from Shumen, Bulgaria who had moved to Murphy, North Carolina. We were able to meet with her and her husband while we were back in the states. To make a long story short, God put it on this precious couples' heart to buy us a van.

We had also requested help with vehicles for the work here, and we have seen God’s hand in this. We still have needs for a couple of our national pastors and trust the Lord to provide.

We also need you to remember to pray about the yearly flour and oil distribution. God had been faithful to provide for this. We ask that all will go smoothly with the current aggravations due to Covid-19. We believe this will be a tremendous blessing here for our churches, because the economy here has been affected just as it has everywhere else. Everything is more expensive, and it really makes life more difficult for the poor.

In closing, God bless you all, and thank you so much for your continued support and most of all for your prayers.

In His name, Brother Keith Blalock

-------------------------------------------------------------

January 15, 2022

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 25:35,36

Dear Brethren in the Lord, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I pray this letter finds you in His nurturing grace this blessed Christmas season, where we celebrate the birth of our precious and Holy Savior.

As a child I had always loved and cherished this time with family and friends. Setting up the Christmas tree, wrapping presents, and singing hymns. As an adult I see that many, many children do not have these same fond memories. Christmas is a foreign concept to some, or simply a holiday for the wealthy. And then some like the Muslims do not celebrate it as it is associated with Christ. But there are people that desperately need to be loved! They’re lonely, they’re not cared for and they have no answers. They’re desperate.

Two weeks before Christmas we were in one of our weekly prayer meetings in the village of Valeni. This village must be the poorest place we come to every week. Children running around with no shoes on in the cold mud. A little boy came into our meeting completely naked apart from a t-shirt several sizes too small. My wife was with me as well as my daughter who happened to have on two pairs of sweatpants and socks and my wife, with the help of her aunt and grandmother quickly dressed the child with a pair of each. Someone also took off their sweater and helped clothe the naked child which reminded me of the verse I placed at the heading of our letter. Ralph Cheetwood would always say, “The righteous do righteousness because they are righteous”.

I want to thank God by His infinite power and love, that a few weeks later we were able to distribute over 350 Christmas packets this year. They had socks, hats, gloves, candy, toys, and fruit with coloring books and markers in all. They were so happy. This is probably the only thing they will get for Christmas. I am still amazed at the power and generosity of our Almighty God, how he in His magnificent strength can hold back the pandemic restrictions for a week, so we can take these gifts to the poor. My prayer is that He continues to hide us under his mighty wings as we try to persevere for the Gospel. May God richly bless you in the upcoming year.

From Romania,

Jacob Reed and Family

-----------------------------------------------------------

January 24, 2022

“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.” Psalm 37:25-27

Dear Pastors, Churches and Friends,

Greetings from Romania and what a joy to tell you of the workings of our God through 2021.

2021 was a strange year for our world and despite the confusion produced by the price of gasoline climbing to over six dollars a gallon, now we watch as many food items, along with construction materials double in price. Normally this should slow our ministry down, but as in 1 Kings 17, the widow’s barrel never stopped yielding flour nor did the cruse of oil fail from providing all the days of the famine. We have seen God provide for the ones that have opened their homes to God’s men and children. It is exhilarating to see God provide for his own, as the world shuffles around in panic.

Through our feeding centers God has made a way to reach the poor, who would have no other way to acquire the necessities to survive. We provide meals and food, clothing, children’s diapers and medications for cleanliness and healing. We do this graciously to provide an open door of help and as the Lord leads. We also share the gospel and invite them to church for service and prayer. We feed a lot of children as the parents are struggling to make ends meet with the increasing costs of electricity and heating. As things grow stricter, I believe many will be forced to come to these feeding centers for help and we will be able to share the gospel more clearly to those who have seen no need for Christ in earlier days.

We have been blessed by our mission board church to receive shipments of supplies for our feeding centers. Churches and individual families have been bringing supplies to Brookside Baptist Church in Bristol, TN. which has shipped them to us. Because of this we were able to afford to give the children in the villages a very blessed Christmas packet this year. We had winter socks, hats, gloves, scarfs, candy, fruit, toys, and coloring books with markers. They were so excited to receive these gifts. It always makes our year complete when you see the smiles on their little faces. They would receive absolutely nothing if God didn’t provide and send us to give it to them. It is a lot of work, but nothing to compare to the joy that floods your soul. This verse comes to mind from Acts 20:35 “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” We are now in the process of giving winter coats and heavy jogging suits to all our school age children in the villages. We were told we would be able to give socks and shoes soon, as Brookside has received over 1,000 pairs of new socks and around 400 pairs of new shoes. If you would like to help in this part of the ministry, please contact Pastor Mike Nixon at (423) 646-1352 for more information.

We are happy to let everyone who has helped us with the buildings know that we are in four of the six buildings. It has been a real battle at times, with the lock-downs and rise of prices it truly looked impossible to complete. By prayer and many sleepless nights, God would touch someone, and you came through at critical times. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It is so wonderful to see the people and children coming into a clean and warm place to find all they need spiritually and physically provided from the Lord. The most recent building is in a village where we have wanted to build in, for over 20 years. It has been impossible because of the strong Muslim opposition. Around the first of February we will have a dedication and ordination service for two of our national pastors. These faithful men have served their Lord for many years and have shown themselves faithful by keeping the testimony of God through many oppositions. Looking forward to coming together with all the brethren and missionaries from Bulgaria and laying hands on these men and blessing them and the church at the same time. Please pray for our protection and for the blessings of God to fall upon all of us who need a refreshing time of fellowship in the Lord.

With the ordination of these men, they will be receiving more commitments and I really need to get one of them a Van. It really helps to have a faithful vehicle for traveling as much as we do and truly helps to have one that can carry supplies and construction materials when necessary. We still have two large building projects to undertake in the spring and could use a van to help transport materials. It can save you a lot in transport fees. We will also be able to carry the food supplies to some villages and transport the evangelistic teams at the same time. Gas is very expensive and to make several trips is hard on the vehicle. Most of our villages are at least 3 to 4-hour round trip drives. I can’t explain how important it is to have a team to go into these almost all Muslim villages and sing, preach and pray with power. Many times in a van on the way home they have another meeting, as they sing all the way home, for the joy they have received from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the meetings that day. The children, who travel with us if we have a van, are the ones who get it started most of the time. To be driving in a van and hear their little voices singing to the Lord is almost more than you can take. So please, if you want help with this project just send the money to my name and address and designate it as Van for Romania. We would like to buy one as soon as possible and we will need around twelve to fifteen thousand dollars for a good used one.

From Romania,
Nathan, Teresa, and Nate

----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:17-18

Our praying friends and family in the Lord,     November 2021

Have you ever read stronger verses, verses brimming with assurance and comfort, verses that engender hope and infuse love; verses that burst forth in song in the face of the devil’s fury; verses that provide ointment and anointing, a balm and blessings? Every inspired line, authored by God, penned by Paul overflow with an all-persuasive peace, and testify both to the nature and nurturing care of our great Redeemer.

As to His nature, He is God: eternal, immutable, unchangeable; the same yesterday, today, forever; unaffected by time or the tides of men; tested, tried, true; terrible and triumphant. As He is, so is His word: inerrant, inviolate, and, in the person of the Lord Jesus, incarnate; full of glory, grace, and truth; given by God to man that they might trust in Him.

As to His nurturing care, He is willing. Think about that just for a second, or an hour, or lifetime. Of all that He is, of all that He has, of all that He can do, it wouldn’t mean anything to you or me unless He was willing. But not only is He willing, He is willing “more abundantly.” It is His all-consuming desire that we rest securely, sweetly in the knowledge He cannot lie and His word cannot fail; that though our vessel be tossed to and fro, the anchor holding us will not move the slightest degree.

What a thought! The great I Am condescended to the woeful cannot and offered eternal refuge. Though the world, flesh, and devil conspire daily to discourage us, to disqualify us on the basis of our merit, our inability, the author of eternal salvation reminds us, it is His promise – of which He has sworn, and taken an oath to uphold – that secures our souls and succours our spirits. The oath and covenant are both unnecessary, given He cannot lie, but for our sake, that we might rest in Him without the slightest alarm or worry, He cheerfully swears.

Are you happier after reading those verses? Goodness gracious, I am. It might be a gloomy and gray November afternoon, but it’s eternal springtime wherever Jesus is. What a good God!

Where am I? Oh, that’s right, Bulgaria. Things have been on the slow side here for the last little bit. Bulgaria is still in pandemic mode, combating the fourth wave of COVID. Everyone is sick of it (accidental pun intended). The government introduced a controversial measure akin to COVID passports: green certificates. Basically, if you want to shop in larger, non-grocery stores, you have to show proof that you’re not a risk. Bulgarians immediately protested it, but the alternative is complete shutdown again. Thank God for Heaven: no sickness and never a shutdown. And there isn’t a single restriction in place, as there isn’t any need for them; everyone’s free to worship God.

One unintended, or perhaps very much intended, consequence of the unrelenting barrage of COVID coverage, (yes, we get it here, too) has been the subconscious fear instilled in people. It has become the new boogeyman, so to speak: Its specter haunts every potential gathering. Now a sniffle, a cough, or a cold chill threaten to close down entire communities. Where once we took care, now we take cover. For weeks on end, we’ve not been able to attend certain meetings due to flu and rumors of flu. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not downplaying this virus or its effects. What I am saying is we’ve become more health conscious than heart conscious, safer but less spiritual; more afraid of assembling than forsaking the assembly; more apt to trust science than search scripture; more concerned with spreading the virus than spreading the gospel. You’d think, being surrounded by this potentially life-threatening illness, people would prioritize being ready to meet God, but they’re doing everything they can to avoid Him, saints included.

In addition to fighting the flu’s influences, the entire work has been accosted with car troubles. Y’all know about the ongoing struggles with my vehicle situation. If you don’t, I’ll mention it in a minute, hang on. A few weeks back, Bro. Mitko’s wife, Monika, was in a serious car wreck that totaled her vehicle. Praise the Lord she escaped with only a mild concussion, as the driver’s side roof was caved in completely. God spared her and her daughter Eliza, who was with her. Just after that, Pastor Nasuf, while returning from service alone, lost control of his vehicle and wound up upside down in a field. Thankfully, God spared him, as well, and apart from soreness and bruising, he escaped without injury. My brother Zach’s vehicle suddenly started having transmission trouble last week. (I haven’t told him yet. We’ll see if he reads my prayer letters.) Help us pray, please, and believe God to provide what’s needed.

As for our vehicle, I don’t have bad news; I have an opportunity to see God work. We received a letter from our insurance company stating we defaulted on our claim, not having turned in the required documents within the prescribed time. Since the car was stolen in April, I have been to the main adjuster’s office in Varna at least once every three weeks. Each visit they set another task, another document to obtain, and each visit we did what was asked. It soon became evident that what we were doing was the equivalent of “buying blinker fluid.” It was busy work with the seeming intent to divert and stall us. When we pushed back, we were given the number of our case worker at the head office, who then sent us on another wild goose chase. So today, I took the letter to an attorney to see if anything can be done. I told you before, and I think some of you thought I was joking, that after the collapse of communism, all the car thieves transitioned to car insurance.

Where do we stand on a vehicle? At present we don’t have one, but I’m not complaining. God’s provided. Other missionaries have graciously allowed us to use their vehicles, for which we are very thankful. For the last few months I have been using Zach’s (see two paragraphs above). Now he’s due to return just after Thanksgiving. When he comes back, the Lord will work something else out. Today we rode the train to town to meet with the attorney. I thank God for the train. Since we’ve been in this valley, they’ve started road work on just about all the roads leading into Shumen, where we live. That means, for Ahmed to go to his mountain meetings, he now has to drive right past our apartment to avoid construction, and he picks me up on his way. God provides. We live in the center of town, surrounded by stores containing anything and everything we need. God provides. Whatever happens, God has, is, and will continue to meet every single need as it arises. Bless His name.

We’d like to wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving. We love and miss you, and thank God daily for you.

Because of a living Savior,

The William LeFevre Family

------------------------------------------------------------------

October 2021

Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Galatians 1:3

It is certainly our heart’s desire to see God’s grace and peace poured out on each of you. We are without a doubt in a season of time where we are in definite need for His grace and peace each day. We continue to see restrictions and limitations placed on us because of the pandemic. They now require everyone to have a green certificate in order to enter businesses, restaurants, and malls. There is also a 15-person limit in our meetings. We will adapt to each of these and ask that you pray for the villages where we go. Several meetings are on hold because of Covid in the villages. This is something we are dealing with constantly.

The Lord continues to bless us to which we are thankful. While we were back in the states, to get Kylie, we met a young lady from Bulgaria. She is from the town of Shumen and somehow made it to living in Murphy, North Carolina. It is really a small world. We were able to meet with her and her husband while enjoying a wonderful time of fellowship. They also discussed their burden for Bulgaria and their own desires for ministering in the Murphy area. We are thankful to God for allowing our paths to cross and are amazed at His providential hand. Through our meeting them we have seen God’s hand in a couple areas of our life. We were able to get a gospel tract dealing with the pandemic translated, and we hope to get it formatted for distribution soon. Also, this dear couple has committed to buying us a van for the work, and we should be getting it sometime in November. God is so good. It was such a blessing for us to hear her testimony of coming to the states and truly hearing the gospel for the first time. It still amazes me to hear the testimonies of those who might have had religion and a form of godliness but never knew the truth. Please pray that the Lord would guide us in reaching her family who still live in the Shumen area. It is on her heart for her family to hear the same pure saving gospel that was able to change her life. Pray that God would grant us this blessing to share the gospel with her family.

We really enjoyed our short trip to the states. It was great to be around family and to see the arrival of our 14th grandchild, Presleigh Jane. We also enjoyed spending time at our home church. We were grateful to be there and preach while our pastor dealt with Covid-19. I am thankful that he has recovered and is getting his strength back. We also spent time with my parents and are grateful to have been able to do so.

We, like all of you, are looking forward to the holidays and are soon approaching my wife’s favorite time of the year. Thanksgiving! We certainly have much to be thankful for as we gather this November. We also want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and thank you in advance for your prayers and Christmas gifts. As we end this year and look into the next, I am so grateful that each of you have been such a vital part of our lives and ministry.
In closing we do ask that you remember the people here during the harshness of winter. Many have faced hardship and sickness this year. We ask that you pray for the needs here as we approach the time of year for the yearly flour and oil distribution. We trust God to provide this once again and ask that you pray earnestly about this. God bless you all and a Happy New Year!

The Blalocks

---------------------------------------------------------------------

“…and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? “(Esther 4:14)

After the wicked Haman conspired to destroy God’s people Mordecai made this proclamation to Queen Esther knowing that her life would be at risk to deliver God’s people. We certainly are living in a time for our Country that is perilous and more worrisome than we have ever known. Yet for the Christian our hearts desire should be to be a light in the darkest of times, we have hope, we have a future no matter what comes our way here. God has been so good to us and we have so much to look forward to, for this I praise his name!

Since my last letter, we were able to spend some time in the states due to Covid-19. We really enjoyed the time with family and with our church. Usually when we are in the states, we are terribly busy on the road but due to the restrictions we spent more time with our children and grandchildren. We thank God for this blessing of extra time with family that was unexpected. We were able to return to Bulgaria on June 9th and we thank God for safe travels and only a few delays on the way.

We returned to Bulgaria with the country still holding to a lot of restrictions. These have hindered us from keeping our normal schedule in the villages. We are thankful to know that while we are not able to go as normal that the faithful are still gathering until we are able to go as usual. We also have been able to have our English church service each week at the home of fellow missionaries. We have seen God move greatly in these services including the salvation of one of our fellow missionaries’ youngest son. We also are grateful for each opportunity he gives us to reach one person at a time as we have handed out many tracts on our evening walks here in Shumen. We also ask you to pray as we cultivate relationships that God has allowed us to begin with individuals here and that we would lead them to a relationship with our Savior. Each month we wait to see if the restrictions will be lifted. I pray that as you read this letter that these will have been lifted.

We did have an opportunity to help Brother Matt Welch with a building project. One of our faithful believers this past winter was burned out of his home. Brother Malcho who is in his 80’s greatly desires to get back in his home. Brother Welch made it possible to put a new roof on his house and only needed a little help. We are thankful to be able to help this dear brother and thankful for Brother Welch’s expertise in building projects. It was fun to help.

Our family is doing well, and we are so grateful to be back where God has called us. We have just a few things we ask you to pray about. We ask that you pray about Kylie’s Visa situation. Due to travel restrictions for Americans into Romania we are not able to go to the Bulgarian Consulate in Bucharest to continue with her Visa. Please pray about this need. We also ask that you pray about the restrictions to be lifted on the meetings here and that we will be able to reach our churches as we normally would. We also ask that you remember our youngest son Riley as he will be getting married in September, please pray that God would really bless Riley and Christin.

In closing, I want to say thank you all for your faithfulness. I know that these are difficult and trying times for churches and I thank God for every church and person who have been faithful to give to missions.

May God bless you all.  The Blalocks,

www.blalockstobulgaria.com - blalockstobulgaria@gmail.com