If you believe that world mission is only for other people, and not for you then take a closer look – but be prepared for the possibilities of mission.

US Volunteers (click here to read more)

Deborah (US Volunteers)

Coming here was not what I expected... I came here knowing I needed to give these babies love and care. I have grown attached and I know now it's going to be hard leaving them. They have become my babies. I am leaving here, knowing that Love really is the greatest gift God has given us. I'd rather starve than be deprived of love and care. I can
eat and drink, but not being loved and hugged and kissed-- I know I could not survive in this cruel world...

Megan (US Volunteers)

Volunteering with the Cedar Foundation has been a remarkable experience. Working in the Buzovgrad home for children has opened my eyes to the reality of the plight of Bulgarian orphans, and has helped me to associate REAL people with the term "orphan". Prior to volunteering here, I heard the term "orphan," but never was able to really feel for them the way that I felt I should...

Cecily (US Volunteers)

I worked with the Cedar Foundation briefly last summer, and I returned to Bulgaria on February 1 to work again with the children at the orphanage in Buzovgrad.  I have been spending a lot of time with ten children who have severe disabilities...

I am so grateful for the opportunity to work in partnership with the Cedar Foundation...

 

GLOBAL  ACTION  TEAM 2007 & 2008

Pauline Foster (a member of GLOBAL  ACTION  TEAM 2007 & 2008)

“We were excited about going to Bulgaria but neither of us really knew what to expect.  I thought it would be wonderful to see the children and Paul was thinking of the challenge of decorating a room from scratch in three days.  What we didn’t realise was that the experience will probably change the direction of our lives and our future holiday plans! The memories will stay with us no matter what happens and the mental pictures we have of all the babies and children, and one little girl in particular, will certainly take us back to Bulgaria."

 

 

David Mayne (a member of GLOBAL  ACTION  TEAM 2007 & 2008)

“The team managed to accomplish a significant amount of work given the short length of the trip. At the Saint Maria Luiza orphanage / hospital, a home for special needs children from the ages of about 0 to 4 years old, some of us painted the ducts covering the new heating system, installed recently by The Cedar Foundation, while others spent time feeding and playing with the children."

Richard Hiscox (a member of GLOBAL  ACTION  TEAM 2007 & 2008)

Over the days we worked and played and we all formed relationships with different children. My lasting impression was of , Neli a young deaf girl with intelligence beyond her years. If only she was in this country who knows where she would end up?  She was hard working and a keen observer, with a desire to protect us from being bothered by ‘troublesome children’. She became both our protector and slave driver. If we didn’t work hard enough we were prodded into doing more, as Paul and I can testify when we helped her lay the laminate floor!

 

 

BMS ACTION TEAM

When the first-ever Bulgaria Action Team arrived in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, at the beginning of October 2004, everything began according to plan. The team, made up of Emma Broom, Abigail Perrow, Kirsty Allan and Sylvester (Sly) Harrison-Henderson, moved on to Kazanlak, a city 125 miles east of Sofia. Their remit is to help BMS personnel Mark and Penny O'Sullivan in their work there, assisting in orphanage projects.

Flexibility and teamwork have always been key characteristics emphasised throughout the Action Team programme, and just two months into the programme, the Bulgaria Action Team has had to put this into practice.