This last week has been crazy and good. I spent my time in Razgrad for a TE class which I believe I mentioned was being taught by a NNU prof, Mark Maddix. I didn't do too much at the beginning of the week except work on some projects and walk muchos many mnogo kilometers around Razgrad (and Razgrad isn't big). I spent a lot of the day time hours with one of the students. Her name was Alexandra, and she was from Romania. We were around the same age, so we had fun talking and walking.
On Thursday, I did go to Varna. I've been there once before with a Work and Witness team, but my camera got locked in the hotel room with the room keys. So this time I got to take pictures. :) It was also Maundy Thursday which was just an awesome experience in Razgrad. I've never been to a Maundy Thursday service before although I don't think other churches have services like this one. Before the service, we all dressed in "Biblical" clothes. They were like the robes that most churches have for Bible plays and such, but there was also the occasion funky tassles and animal prints. We then had a delicious dinner together of lamb, rice, and salad along with other goodies spread across the long table. We also sang songs and had people talk. Then, the ladies went to one room, and the men went to another for footwashing. Now, I'd walked all day, so my feet weren't exactly in their best condition which just made the experience so much more humbling. First, we prayed together. 
Then, you wash their feet, and then you pray together again. Then, when your feet are washed, another person comes, and you wash their feet. So it all goes in a large circle of people. It was just amazing. I have experience footwashings before, but each time it is always something new. I did not feel worthy to have my feet washed by this Bulgarian lady, and yet she did so with such care and love. And her prayers (although in Bulgarian) truly touched me. We then all got together again for communion. Just amazing. Good Friday was another good service of songs and Scripture. This, of course, was much more somber and such a contrast compared to the previous night's service.In these two days, I had several reflective moments. On Thursday, for perhaps the first real time, I thought about what Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. It often gets brushed over as a time where Jesus reached out to God, praying in anguish, and still obeying God's will. However, there emphasis is on the obedience- of doing it right. This time, however, I was comforted by Jesus' fear and questioning. So many times I'm scared and unsure of the future. I continue in what I believe I'm called to do, but I lack confidence in myself because I'm so unsure. And yet I know that Jesus was also scared; he knows (and to a much great degree) about my fear, my uncertainty. With that knowledge and God's strength, I can still continue on. Through Christ, anything is possible. Another thought is about going back to the States. As the weeks dwindle down, I get more and more excited to see friends and family. I only have 4 weeks today when I'll be in Colorado which means just a few days less than that when I leave Bulgaria. I am a person who tries to enjoy the present. I hate countdowns because it cheats the value of the present. Yet I find myself doing just that- counting down. I truly love my time here in Bulgaria, but I am so anxious to be home. And then on Friday, I was reminded of how difficult it will be to leave. I had to say some goodbyes, and my heart was grieved.
This post is lengthy already, but you can't stop at Christ's death. :)
So, on Saturday, Maddix and I caught a bus back to Sofia. We met up with Joe, another volunteer here and toured the center of Sofia. Again, there was much walking, but it was fun. We had decided to attend the night service for Easter at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
We had to be creative with our time since it started later than we thought, but it was a good experience. I would like to experience a smaller setting though (next time). ;) Anyway, around 11:30 pm, the service started. My height limited my view, but the choir that sang was just incredible. People talked everywhere, but it was more the constant picture taking of tourists that bothered me. You aren't allowed to take pictures inside the cathedral in the day, so you shouldn't at night either. I've taken pictures inside of Protestant churches, but even then, I feel awkward. I just like to try and truly experience the moment of the service rather than try and capture it. Anyway, I suppose I had imagined this great spiritual event of the night; it didn't happen like that. However, it was cool to be a part of the passing of the flame from candle to candle. It was also amazing to be walking outside and just seeing everyone with candles. Hundreds of people at the church and many more on their way home. So symbolic!SunDAY of Easter after Joe and I dropped of Maddix at the airport, we caught a bus to a friend's villa. She and her family have a place south of Sofia in a village called Sheroki Dol. We found the bus at the south bus station and even explained to the driver that we wanted to stop before the final stop. However, due to his forgetfulness and our lack of knowledge, we missed the village intersection and ended at the final stop.
It was only 5 minutes away, but it brought another adventure that involved passing the phone off to a stranger (which if you remember I have done before). :) All worked out and I had an awesome time. Lunch was again rice and salad, but this time it was goat for the meat. There was also the head which a cousin of the host finds to be a particularly tasty delicacy. The whole experience was just wonderful, and I'm so glad that I was able to spend Easter with so many people. It was also a cultural experience, for even though everyone there understood and spoke English, they most often spoke in French and Bulgarian which gave wonderful sounds in the kitchen and around the dining table.
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