Andrew & Kate Blackwell

"You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of many people, just as he's doing today." (Gen. 50:20) Our experience of God's faithfulness in using circumstances for his glory has brought us on a journey to Bulgaria to share Christ with others in difficult circumstances.

In 2013 God placed a specific call on our lives to work in Bulgaria with those who have been, or are at risk of being, trafficked or sexually exploited.  The majority of these come from Roma communities. 

Although we still have a heart for the Roma people, over time God has moved our focus to more international work.  We attend and are involved in the leadership of the International Baptist Church of Sofia.   We seek to equip the church  to grow and be well equipped to be effective disciple makers.

We are also involved in leadership with ECM International.  As Cluster Leaders for Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Malta, we seek to ensure that all our missionaries in these countries thrive and are able to do the work which God has called them to.  As members of the Field Ministries Executive Team, we help to oversee (at an executive level) all the field ministries of ECM.  We particularly have the pleasure of walking alongside the leaders of the Spanish and Portuguese clusters, to help them to help their missionaries to thrive and be able to do all the work God has called them to.  Andrew is also a member of the International Leadership Team, and Kate works with the International Operations team, particularly in the area of leader development. 

It is an incredible blessing to us to be a part of what God is doing in Bulgaria and Europe.

For more information about the trafficking situation in Bulgaria, please look here.

For more information on the plight of the Roma people in Bulgaria watch the following video or look here.