Uncharacteristically blue eyes sparkle in a traditionally beautiful Bulgarian face. Charming femininity and an easy smile disguise the inner strength of this woman determined to plant seeds for the future in rocky terrain.

Maya Pencheva directs a school several kilometers outside of Sofia in Bulgaria. Her students are predominantly Roma, or Gypsy, from families who do not encourage organized education. Yet within the classrooms of the school, respect and discipline reign regardless of students' ages or ethnicity. In a world where bloodline is reason for prejudice and material wealth the highest goal, what is this passionate educator doing in a village school?

Maya's journey of faith is redolent with the landmarks of an Orthodox religion unfamiliar to most westerners. The gold-encrusted icons and candle-scented atmosphere whisper on the wings of tradition to an Eastern European's heart. The mystery of God was present in the icon that graced the corner of Maya's home. It was tucked into the smiles and the character of her godly mother during an era when practicing faith was forbidden in her country. When Maya was a young mother, she entered a friendship with the wife of the Orthodox priest in her city. Through that relationship, Maya learned her need to confess sin. She experienced the miracle of personal salvation.

Years later, Maya began directing a school that her country's race toward democracy had forgotten. Faced with uneducated Roma children who had no financial resources, she requested help to keep the school open.

God provided resources through an unfamiliar brand of Christianity—Protestantism.

As Maya accepted this help, she sensed a new awareness of God's presence and activity in her heart. When she faced a grave issue with her only child, she sought counsel and prayer from her new Protestant friends. From those shared prayers, Maya realized that the God of her Orthodox church was the same God active in the hearts and lives of these Nazarenes.

In the past two years, Maya's spiritual growth has spoken volumes within the school.

The seeds of her faith are reaping a harvest in the lives of her colleagues and students.

The teaching staff has noticed the changes in Maya and are now asking her to help them deepen their faith, too. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul reminds us that some sow and some water the seeds of faith but God brings the growth. In a country like Bulgaria, where the traditions of religion are deeply rooted in a landscape scarred by centuries of religious skirmishes, Maya's life is a beautiful testimony to the wisdom of Paul's words. The new birth she experienced within her Orthodox roots now bears fruit from the soil of an evangelical heart. The harvest is here.

Teanna Sunberg and her husband, Jay, serve as missionaries for the Church of the Nazarene in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Holiness Today, November/December 2006 

Please note: This article was originally published in 2006. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.