Newsletter #1

Dear Friends and Family,

Hello!  We hope this finds you well and full of joy.  We enjoyed seeing many of you over the recent holidays, and we hope to see many of you soon.

We are writing to let you know about what has been happening in our lives.  Several months ago we felt God calling our family to the mission field.  We began a series of interviews and weeks of  information gathering, considering and praying about positions in several different countries, with several different organizations.
Last week, we accepted a position serving as missionaries in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.  We will be beginning a 2-year term there in July, 2013.  We are so excited to begin our ministry there!  Here is a summary of what we will be doing as missionaries to Bulgaria:

• We will be working and serving in New Generation Church, alongside Pastors Plamen and Debby Tzolov.  Yes, this is the same church that Alyssa served with in 2002.

• We will be working to develop a new ministry for foreigners living in Bulgaria.  This includes people from across Europe, South Africa, and several other locations who have made their home in Sofia for a variety of reasons.
• Alyssa will be working as Administrative Assistant to Debby Tzolov, assisting with work both in the local church and in the Bible School.  The Bible School provides training for pastors, missionaries, and other students feeling a call to ministry or a desire for deeper Biblical knowledge and ministry training.
• Don will be working as a construction advisor for the church’s building project(s).   There are several projects underway, and others nearly ready to begin.  Someone with Don’s skills is needed to help oversee the project and insure that these projects are completed as smoothly as possible.  
• We will have opportunities to visit Bulgarian orphanages and minister to many of the nation’s neediest children and those that have dedicated their lives to caring for these precious little ones.
• We will at times be travelling across Bulgaria to assist other local churches and pastors in their church plants and outreaches.
• In addition to the above projects, there are ministry needs in the area of men’s ministry, children’s ministry and others.  Once we arrive, we will be seeking God’s direction about which areas we can serve in most effectively.

Our planned departure date is July 2, 2013.  We will be purchasing tickets and applying for our visas soon!  We need to raise $80,000 to cover all of our expenses for this 2-year term, and we would like to ask you to prayerfully consider how God is leading you to partner with us in this ministry to the people of Bulgaria, and around the world.  We believe wholeheartedly that those who support us with prayer or finances are part of the work God is doing and reap equally of the rewards.  We are very excited to see how God will work in Bulgaria and meet the souls that will come to Christ as a result of our ministry there.

If you would like to be on our email newsletter, please let us know by adding your email address to the right of this post.  This is the easiest way for us to keep you up to date on our travels and all that God is doing. 

With much love,
Don, Alyssa, Milena, and Elijah McGrew

P.S. If you want to support our ministry, the fastest way is to make an Online Donation via www.WorldOutreach.org/donations -- and select Don and Alyssa McGrew from the list.  The system can process USA & International cards.  You can also set up automatic Monthly Gifts with your credit card if you choose the "Monthly" option.  Or simply mail your check to:  World Outreach Ministries, PO Box B, Marietta, GA 30061 and designate for Don and Alyssa McGrew #214.  We will be in touch with many of you over the upcoming months, to share our vision further and see how God is leading your hearts to partner with us.  Thank you for your love and support!