Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland June 2009 Day 3

DAY 3
June 13

I awoke—for the last time—at 3:00am, and proceeded with my morning routine: 50 pushups, a shower and morning devotions. These days I’m combining several Psalms with a few chapters in John to form the base of my time with God. Since I’m in London, I decided to make myself a cup of tea to enjoy while reading and praying. That’s one nice thing about hotel rooms. They usually have a teapot or coffee maker right in the room. Very convenient. Especially for guys like me who don’t easily go out of our way to make a meal. I had my cup of tea in a few minutes without even going into a kitchen!

At 5:00am I walked back to Paddington Station and took the Express Train to Heathrow Terminal 5, the very nice, new terminal for all British Airways’ flights. Though I didn’t have a 1st Class ticket to Sofia, I am the highest level of Frequent Flier (“Sapphire”) which meant I could access the 1st Class Lounge—and its full complement of breakfast foods, snacks and drinks! That meant I enjoyed eggs, mushrooms, toast and marmalade along with more than one cup of coffee. You’d think I had been starving for the last few days the way I put all those goodies away.

I read the paper, did lots of email work and ended up having to depart the lounge in a hurry so I wouldn’t miss my plane because I became so absorbed in my work. The flight to Sofia was uneventful except I ended up in a row in front of the emergency exit row, and that meant my seat wouldn’t recline. Good thing I was almost too tired to notice the inconvenience. Since Bulgaria is two hours ahead of London, I didn’t arrive in Sofia until 1:30pm. That plus the three-hour drive from Sofia to Stara Zagora meant I wasn’t in my hotel until 5:00pm.

Khalin drove me from the airport to Stara Zagora, and just before we left Sofia, he suggested that we get lunch. Here we are eating at a famous Bulgarian restaurant! We talked on the way. I napped a couple of times—at least one of those times was unconscious!

Whenever I feel a bit exhausted by the long travel to get to my friends, I try to remember how Nehemiah traveled such a great distance, across many provinces, to reach Jerusalem. I certainly don’t class myself with him, or with Paul who traveled about strengthening and encouraging the churches, but I do see the pattern for ministry in their lives. It often takes a lot of traveling (translate that inconvenience) to get to where people live. At this season in my life, most of that distance is physical. But throughout my life in the Lord, I’ve felt such a calling to “get to” where people really live.

I think it’s an important lesson for new/young ministers to learn—the onus is on us to “go the distance” and get beyond the barriers that people put up as defenses against (more) disappointment. Even with the coffee and the naps, I usually feel a bit disoriented on these trips and, like Nehemiah, I suffer the perpetual battles with ‘nay-sayers’ in my mind and heart. They challenge the very basis upon which I choose to travel; they question the worth and efficacy of what I’m here to do.

“It’s not much, granted. But it is the loaves and fish I offer to Jesus for His use and distribution. If what I have only feeds one other person (i.e., with no miracle of multiplication) then, at least, I’ve shared my meal with a hungry person who would have otherwise gone hungry another day. So, I console myself with this simple truth: whether Jesus multiplies what I bring for the sake of many, or whether He simply allows me to share what I have with one other person, that’s His call—not mine. Either way, I’ll open my sack lunch and travel as far as I have to travel to do just that. Share.

At 7:00 Mitko picked me up and we went to his house to have dinner with Vania, Niki, James and their kids. It was so comfortable to be with good friends, talking and laughing. We discussed the recent Foursquare Convention, the difficulties we’re all encountering telling unchurched people about Jesus, etc.

By 9:00pm, however, I was finished and ready to go to bed. Mitko walked me back to my hotel, and I turned in for the night!