Missionary Update: Lance and Julie Clemens
Lance and Julie serve with GEM in a disciple-making ministry in Bulgaria
Lance recounts his experiences as he visited various villages in the Kardzhali region with Hari, a Bulgarian national and gifted evangelist:
We prayed together, asking the Holy Spirit to lead and show us where to go. We prayed that our hearts would be aligned with the Father’s heart and that our words for the day would be His words. We also prayed that we could be a blessing to the people we would encounter today.
After our time of prayer, we went to our first village and stopped at the local spring. We asked for a drink of water and struck up a normal conversation with a farm owner. It didn’t take long to share our testimonies and the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Spirit was truly at work (see John 16:8). During our spiritual conversation, this man shared that he had just had an adulterous encounter 30 minutes before we arrived. His whole demeanor changed after our testimony. Although he was not ready to repent and follow Jesus on the spot, he did allow us to pray for him and to return again soon.
We traveled further and stopped at the next farm where people were working. Again we struck up a conversation and asked if we could pray for them and their crops. They were very happy that we would do this for them. The head of the household invited us to return to their house another time and spend time together.
We prayed together as we traveled from village to village. That day the Spirit had us speak with over fifteen adults and children. We learned a lot about each village and its respective inhabitants. We shared our stories (how we became followers of Jesus Christ) and the Gospel over and over. We prayed before, during, and after meeting with people. We were invited back to two households and started many new relationships. We interacted with many children and their parents. We prayed and thanked the Lord for His glory and grace. Our day ended at 9:00 pm.
Does this sound like an excerpt from the book of Acts?
It was truly a blessing to go out together with Hari (in the pattern of Luke 10:1–16) to various villages in the region.
Recent Update: During the past ten months, 245 people have become new believers, and are all participating in one of thirty-seven discipleship groups throughout this region! Three of those groups are functioning as churches. Their goal? To reach and train 1,000-plus! Please pray for the Holy Spirit’s leading in this movement to bring many more people to Christ.
