It’s been a long while since the last update. Sorry for that. It seems that “summer” means “vacation” only on the TV screen. Althought we hadn’t had much rest lately, we’re still alive and kickin’.

July 2nd, 2009 – Petra became a nurse (see images below). A long awaited break from studies has come her way. It’s also a relief to have completed what she started. Currently, she’s working as a nurse almost full-time. She does home care for elderly people in our area – something that’s apparently making her happy. This will be her job till we hit the road for trip number two in October.

Road trip number one went rather well. We were stopped for drugs check on the car and ourselves only once (in Bucharest, RO), the car didn’t need to have a major service, for some reason there was very little back pain for the two of us, and I only fell asleep once on the road (almost drove straight through that 360-degree highway exit lane). We left for Bulgaria on July 9 and were back in Holland on July 19 – pretty much a week back from the time I’m writing this. We managed to get all the paperwork that needed to be done in time and this gave us a couple of days extra with friends and family in Sofia. Read more…

After well over 70 hours of driving in total and a little over 2hrs of sleep during the trip we went to Sofia… and soon thereafter came back. Our stay amounted to a total of 3 1/2 weeks. Much of that time was consumed by the search for an apartment which we wanted to purchase (and we did – just keep reading). Every now and then there was some free time that we could spend with friends and family, but it was far from what we actually needed in order to really enjoy these meetings. As for rest – Petra did get some, but I (Petar) am still in need of it. To put it better, I actually need more than the time before the trip. That will come too – in a few weeks.

Now, the apartment. We were able to purchase a 2-bed-room apartment (~51sqm) for the optimum of our budget and in a good area. It’s a newly built building of 5 floors and about 15-20 other apartments. It’s got a nice little yard and a view to the Vitosha mountain. We get the apartment with plain walls and floors, so upon arrival next fall we’ll have two weeks of good work before we can actually sleep there. While it remains a material possession and a sign of comfort we are still thankful that God has allowed us to experience this blessing. We hope that it will enable us to serve Him better through our lives in Sofia.

Thanks to Google’s SketchUp software I was able to quickly make a 3D model of the apartment so you can visualize it with us. The real photos aren’t quite useful if you don’t have a detailed explanation, but the images below should suffice. Read more…

Yes, it’s been a long while since our last update posted here… We thought March was busy – yet, April went even further. Pretty much both of us are ready for a vacation – not that we’ll get one any time this year, but at least I can mention it. Petra’s high pace internship and studies are leaving a mark on her in the face of an almost permanent tiredness. With me it’s more of an anxiety issue – I’m way too eager to do the things I don’t really have the time for: take lots of photos, read some books, scan the nearby parks and outing areas… And as you can guess that ticks off my sleeping schedule quite often.

But – there’s only a little left till the summer begins and we head for Bulgaria. Not that it will be very peaceful and restful, but at least we hope that the change of environment will energize us a bit… besides the excessive Bulgarian heat, perhaps. This also means that Petra has only a few more weeks of busyness, which is good. For me, this summer will probably mean working at a slower speed for a few weeks and taking more photos instead. We’ll see how all this will work out. Read more…

Dear friends,

Happy New Year! As for Christmas – I think we ought to always celebrate Jesus’ coming daily, so – be thankful and rejoice today because He came to save us!

Here’s what’s new since the last update (which I don’t even remember when it was…):

Petra and I managed to get some break. Not much, but we were still able to stay home and do just little things we enjoy. I’ve been taking quite a few photos (but more on that later), while Petra has been resting, cooking, helping out her parents. She was very sick at Christmas (for 2 days), but now she’s all fine. And he school & work don’t start till two days from now. She needed that rest.

We didn’t go anywhere for Christmas/New Year’s. The plan was initially to escape somewhere quiet (or not so quiet) for a weekend or so, but we figured it will still be quite expensive, then she got sick, the bank transfers were delayed around the holidays… So we spent both holidays at home with her parents – nice and easy (see some photos below). Perhaps the escape experience will occur some other time. Read more…

Dear friends,

It truly has been a long while since the last personal update from us on our site. Well, life has been busier than what it probably should have been… Things seem to be more stable now, but then again – the December celebrations bring along quite a load of additional tasks.

Anyways, here’s how we’re doing in brief: both of us are still working. Petra’s also studying and continuing to take driving lessons – her driving exam is on Dec. 19 – your prayers and support are much needed – it’s a stressful event having in mind all that’s invested into getting there. Me being able to finally drive our car has given us quite some freedom concerning the little free time we have. So that’s nice – at least we know we’re not stuck at home permanently.

Having that freedom we also found a church to go to for the time we’ll be in Holland. It’s called New Life Christian Fellowship, an affiliate of Church of God, Cleavland, Tennessee, USA. It’s a very alive young church which is active in the community and we feel very welcome to. The services are in English although the people attending are from all over the place. And, of course, we do like that it’s international – it’s always an eye- and mind-opener. More about the church you can learn by visiting their site here: http://www.nlcf.nl/index.html. Read more…