“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30

People in ancient times built walls around their towns for the same reason we lock our doors at night – protection. Ezekiel is shown by God how the wall of righteousness that protects the people has been destroyed and, for that reason, the nation is in trouble. The same is true for Bulgaria. After five hundred years of Islamic rule and fifty years of communism, the wall of righteousness that guards Bulgaria is in shambles.

I have a small, stone wall in our village that needs to be rebuilt. Over the years it has slowly fallen apart, and now is more a pile of stones than it is a wall, so it needs to be restored. For those of you who haven’t had the privilege, building a stone wall is not a quick nor easy task. I think this is one of the reasons why there are not a lot of stone walls around our houses in the USA. The most important part of any stone wall is the foundation. Without a solid base the wall will eventually top over. However, foundation work is the most unsatisfying part of the job because no one will ever see it – the most important and most underappreciated.

The IM team in Bulgaria and the members of the five churches in Bulgaria are building back the wall of righteousness. But the work is neither quick nor easy. Honestly, at times I get discouraged, because it is mostly foundation work – not seen and not glamourous. But I want you to know that men and women here are building the wall and standing in the gap, at great costs to themselves, for the people of Bulgaria. I also want to thank you for sticking with us as we dig out the foundations and prepare the base of a strong and lasting wall. Thank you for not giving up on us when things don’t seem to progress as fast as we would like. Thank you for helping us chisel and place each stone in its proper place. With God’s help and your support, we are restoring the wall of righteousness that protects Bulgaria.