Plamen is the “maintenance contract employee” who keeps the Church Buildings in Sofia repaired. I met him the second day I was in Bulgaria. He speaks very little English and you know how little Bulgarian I speak, but I asked him through a translator why he was not baptized. He said he was not good enough to be a Mormon. Well, he and I get along very well (two fix-it men together usually hit it off).
We became “buddies”. We e-mailed each other pictures and I sent him e-cards for fun. Well, in the middle of March this year, I was in the hall with Plamen and I said, “Plamen, when are you going to get baptized?” He said soon. I said when? He said on his birthday. He came in the office then and pointed to April 16. We marked the date for his birthday and baptism! He was baptized on that date with a big spread of food to celebrate his Birthday too. It is tradition in Bulgaria for the birthday person to provide the refreshments (not the other way around).
Well, there have been a lot of people working with Plamen, but I am the one who got him to set the date. President Bennett has been talking to him about it, Diana (our visa clerk) talked to him, and then the APs got busy and taught him the gospel lessons after I set the date with him. President Bennett had been practicing his Bulgarian and did the baptism in Bulgarian. It was a neat day in the Mission.
Charles and Plamen on the afternoon of April 16
President Bennett and Plamen
Plamen with his sister's family (left to right: his sister, Plamen, his niece's son, his niece, his brother-in-law)
Congratulations, Plamen!
1 comment:
Charles, what a great story and what a great example you are!
Love,
Trudy
P.S. You probably heard that Tori was in a serious car accident on April 13. She has a broken pelvis but is up and going again.
Post a Comment