The What and Why of Sofia, Bulgaria

At a great expenditure of money and time, missionaries in this area are required to leave the country and renew their visas – some countries more often than others and using a different process.  We have seen Rostov Russia missionaries come across the border to Ukraine by train, receive a new visa stamp and return the next morning.  But that doesn’t always work. Sometimes they have been stopped at the border and our missionaries sent to pick them up have watched and waited thru the night, but still lost them.  Also laws are evolving.  Here a new law was recently passed that seemed favorable to foreign visitation at first glance, but then the law has been subjected to different interpretations by each one who administers part of the law. There is continual and ongoing assessment by church lawyers and trial of the laws by in-country attorneys.

In addition to the visa renewals there is continual “ re-registration” of each missionary with the government by landlords each  time missionaries are transferred.  This causes rent prices, already high from an “Amerikonsky” discount, to skyrocket even further. Landlords do not want to reveal their income, their business, and their personal information to the government.  Their immediate past history is too painful and real for them.  This entire process is very frustrating for those of us who work to cause all of this to reach a conclusion beneficial to missionaries and missionary work, and who work to solve all of the problems created.  One missionary serving here in the Ukraine Donetsk mission shared his experience with registration:

The Ukrainian police are out to get us.  Each time that an elder moves to a new apartment, he has to get registered to say that he is living there, so each time we have a transfer, all those missionaries have to be re-registered. Well the police in our area knew about where the missionaries are living . . .one district was having a meeting at the apartment of one of the companionships, and the police showed up, asked to see passports. Since the missionaries hadn't been registered yet, the police took their passports.  So the day after, the missionaries in my area didn't leave their apartments. The next day, Aleksay (he's basically a hero in the Donetsk mission...talked with the minister of religion and I guess straightened some stuff out, so that day we were supposed to be able to get back out on the streets at 1, but around noon, there was a knock at our door and when we tried to look out our eyehole, it had been blocked by something so we couldn't see out. So of course we didn't open it...we sat for about half an hour and then checked to see what was there, and it was a piece of putty. We called our zone leaders to let them know, and then basically they just told us to lay low again.  A couple other companionships have been putty-holed as well since then. We aren't wearing our name tags for the time being, and we aren't doing any street contacting or tracting. Basically we are just relying on appointments that we already have set up and trying to set things up using the area book. It is frustrating seeing the adversary try and keep this work from progressing, but it just strengthens my testimony that I know this area of the world is just going to grow so strong in the church...very soon...as soon as we can start wearing our name tags again.  (Elder Parker Smith)

 Well, the day after Christmas, our turn came.

We went with one other young sister and one elder from our mission then picked up two elders who drove to the airport in Kiev from the Kiev mission and later, two from Dneiperpetrosk in who flew in to join us…eight in our little group. Follow a little piece of the effort – train or bus in to Donetsk from an outlying city, other missionaries have to taxi in to pick up your companion for a “threesome” while you are gone, rent a motel or stay overnight with missionaries, early morning security and passport checks and stamps then fly out to Kiev, board a new plane with accompanying checks and stamps on your passport,  land in Vienna and stamp passports entering Austria, wait in long lines and security check again and stamp visas out of Austria, land in Sophia and stamp our visas into Bulgaria and then find our motel! Then do it all over again on the way home in a few days.

In Ukraine, missionaries are usually sent  to Bulgaria for Visa renewal.  Bulgaria is a great mission-milestone and missionaries always return happy and renewed.  We have sent many this year and when they return we always ask, “What was so good in Bulgaria?”  The answer is always, “the food”!  

The full day in Bulgaria started out with visits to special sites in the center of the city.  

Sofia, the Goddess of wisdom, after whom the city is named.

Unlike Ukraine, Bulgaria celebrates Christmas on December 25.  Sophia is full of history, a very beautiful city, even at this time of year and under a blanket of snow. 

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria

We met up with the five Elders at the largest church there (after they had many breakfasts at their favorite fast food establishments). This church was built on top of old Roman and Greek cities. In fact all of Sophia is built on the ruins of ancient civilizations.  Many interesting places have been uncovered.  

We saw modern underground shops built on top of ancient ruins.

We visited many churches, a synagogue, military museums and shops.

Rotonda of St. George

In front of the Archaeologic Museum is the administrative quarters of Bulgaria's President.  Amazingly uniformed guards of honor stand at the outside entrance and a formal changing of the guard takes place once every hour.

 St. Sofia is the church in whose honor the city was renamed in the 14th century.  This church was built during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian between 527-565.  Glass panels in the floor allow visitors to view excavations of early Christian catacombs.

We saw the Banya Bashi Mosque built in 1576 during the time of the Ottomans.  The Sofia Synagogue, pictured above and below, was completed in 1909.

Early in the day a 21 year old man named Todor heard us speaking English and started to visit with the Elders.  He could speak very good English and wore a fedora hat like Frank Sinatra.  His favorite singer, however, is not Sinatra, but Bobby Darin.  We gradually discovered that he knew Bulgarian history extremely well, including details of every site we visited.  We also discovered he knew more about U.S. History and Presidents, and wars, and generals and movies than all the other eight of us put together. The day was very fulfilling to all of us.  He wanted to speak English and talk about the history he loved so well and we needed to be shown around and taught about Bulgaria.  So, we had a guide for the entire day.

About noon the young missionaries separated from us to continue to gorge themselves in every fast food place they could find. (Other missionaries had given them maps with all the Dunkin' Donuts, Subways, Burger Kings and KFCs).

Todor stayed with us to help us see more and visit more, and so we became quite well acquainted.  It was rewarding all around when Todor discovered that he had established a connection with someone who could "talk-tank" with him.  One of his hobbies is constructing acurate minitures of various army tanks.

The military museum opened a window to another facet of the history of Bulgaria.

We treated Todor to a lunch at KFC. By evening the conversation began to lead into thoughts about the gospel. This young man is a translator for Mitsubishi, translating Japanese texts into English and he has been several times to Japan.  We found out that he has played basketball with other missionaries, has a Japanese Book of Mormon and would really like to have one in Bulgarian also.  Sister Hatch called the local mission and found two missionaries who could join us for dinner.  They just happened to bring a Bulgarian Book of Mormon. Tudor and Elder Brinkerhoff hit it off very well.  The evening ended with an appointment for discussions, a committment to meet at the upcoming young adult activity and an invitation to come to spend a week with us in California to “see” first hand the American history he loves so much. He might also take in a Star Wars convention or something as he is a real “Treky”.

A last comment on Bulgaria.  Was it the food that made Sofia memorable?  We concluded, “Not.”  We agree with Elder Smith's assessment:

Well, I made it back safely from my mini-vacation to Bulgaria, and I now have my renewed visa which allows me to stay here in Ukraine for another year to keep doing the Lord's work. I assume some of you might be wondering what Bulgaria was like … It was all so beautiful (especially those times we got to sit down in familiar restaurants such as Subway and Pizza Hut). At night while sitting in our apartment (nicer than any one that Elders have in this mission), we decided it would be for the best if we talked about the things that Ukraine has that Bulgaria doesn't. We came up with a few things, such as shoehorns (a necessity in Ukraine), nice ties, and the Russian language. As far as cleanliness and friendliness are concerned, though, I think Bulgaria has us beat.  (Elder Parker Smith)

Sofia presented many interesting and enjoyable things but we have to agree with Elder Smith, it was the happiness- the smiles – and attitude the people communicated while we were there.  We think that is why missionaries return to Ukraine renewed. We did too.