Sofia, Bulgaria

Arrived here in Sophia around 2:30pm local time (7 hours later than J-town). It makes for a really weird day when all you get is a few hours sleep while curled up in a window seat on an A330.

We met up with Stoyko, who showed us to our hotel (very nice). It is wild to drive through the neighborhoods that were built under the socialist regime. Most are looking pretty ragged now. They have all been individually purchased now since obtaining independence from the Communist party in 1990, but it seems many still have a lot to learn about ownership of private property.

It has been a whirlwind this afternoon. Stoyko led us through some of the hot spots (literally, we saw some natural hot springs) and we ended up at Coffee Heaven (it's the real name of the coffee shop) where we talked ministry strategies for the future here in Bulgaria. Later we swung back by the airport to pick up our 4th team member and went out for a Bulgarian dinner complete with Bulgarian dancing.

Our original plans here were to stay for 4 days but at the last minute things changed. This city is filled with history, it is a shame we won't be here longer than 20 hours. Tomorrow we leave for Kiev, Ukraine. Here's a few pictures of Sophia...

The St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Sophia Bulgaria.


Former house of the President, now a museum.


A church building that dates back prior to the 11th Century.

Dinner out with the team.