Bulgaria Trip
The Heights will continue its partnership with the Kazanlak Baptist Church with a construction-focused mission trip to assist in completing the church building. Travel dates are Wednesday, May 2 – Friday, May 11. Cost is approximately $1800. We need skills in electrical, framing, sheetrock, painting. We also need an artist to decorate walls of children’s class rooms. Opportunities are also available to teach men and women’s Bible-studies. Airline tickets need to be purchased by March 25 to guarantee availability and avoid price increases. For more information, contact Cookie Slate at or 972-517-6996.
“Seeing change - change in the lives of orphans, change in the lives of young pastors, change in the spiritual development of God’s people – seeing it, being a part of it – what a great blessing.”–Cookie Slate
Why Bulgaria? As a global Catalyst Place of Engagement, Bulgaria provides The Heights family a chance to maintain support of existing ministries undertaken with our people and resources, and provide additional support for healthcare, orphanages, and other ministries which aid the work done there by our key ministry relationships, Paul and Judy Ridgway and Pastor George Gardev of the Kazanlak Baptist Church.
What are the objectives?
- Continue to partner with missionaries Paul and Judy Ridgway to strive to meet both physical and spiritual needs of Bulgarian people while also working to alleviate suffering in the orphanages.
- Partner with Pastor George Gardev and the Kazanlak Baptist Church to support the growth of the church and the spiritual and leadership development of church members.
- Provide a container of humanitarian aid filled with computers refurbished by The Heights family to include items such as desks, school supplies and mattresses for orphanages, as well as new shoes and socks provided by the Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls program.
- Continue serving in transformational ways through the avenues of healthcare and associated relationships developed in Bulgaria thru the church-based medical clinics.
- Continue partnering with the adoption process of Bulgarian pastors to supplement their salaries in order to keep Bulgarian churches open and functioning.
“…whatever you did for one of the least of these…you did for Me.” – Jesus, Matthew 25:40
What is the strategy?
- Provide direct support for the Ridgways in Bulgaria.
- Provide direct support for the Kazanlak Baptist Church and other emerging Bulgarian church leaders.
- Provide additional funds for special projects such as container shipments in conjunction with Buckner Ministries.
- Send Heights mission teams to work with our Bulgarian contacts, structuring trips to support their ministries and needs.
Occupations, skills projected for this Place of Engagement: Relationship builders, persons who can love an unwanted child, computer techies, persons with the gift of giving, children’s workers, social workers, persons with compassion, good organizers, medical personnel.
