“My life so far is a story of ups and downs” says Iliya Marinov in his introductory article in the latest edition of Vision of Europe. He continues: “However… I am not the main character of this boy’s life; God is!”
Iliya had a fair share of troubles from a very early age. A birth that almost cost his mother’s life, a troubled family, being abandoned by his mother, caring for his much-loved father in his battle against cancer, and eventually losing him at the age of 15 are more than most of us have had to endure during a lifetime… No wonder that when he started attending an evangelical youth group in 2006 Christina remembers a “tough boy” whom she avoided speaking to. “He always created chaos, annoying people and just like that walking away. I didn’t like him. He was always the centre of attention.” The girl who attended church from an early age was happy when Iliya left to study in England, and continued to live her life without thinking about him.
Regeneration in Christ means that Christina and Iliya are now happily married and enjoy their beautiful and lively two-year-old daughter, Vera. Iliya is leading a church plant in the centre of Ruse, their home town. They joined EMF in January 2023 to be supported financially, as well as in prayer. God in the centre of a life…
Iliya and Christina live in Bulgaria, a country with fascinating nature and beautiful scenery, but with a sorrowful history. Iliya introduces his homeland as “one of the Orthodox countries where many Bulgarians would identify as Eastern Orthodox. People are harsh and cold regarding religion. The prospect of evangelicalism is very grim. But we live with the hope of the gospel conquering this stone-hearted country for the Lord’s glory and our joy.”
Iliya was converted during his theological studies in England. “Having learned theology for almost a year, conviction of my sin was ever deepening and with that I started to see my need of the Saviour. After my first year I went to work at a place called Lee Abbey in North Devon for the summer. After finishing my shift one evening I came back to my room and began reading my Bible. I read Romans 1-3, and when I arrived at 3:24 and read the words: ‘being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus’, my eyes were wide open to see the Saviour for the first time as exceedingly precious.”
Having turned down an invitation to be an assistant pastor in England, he returned to Bulgaria a changed man. Christina was at first suspicious of his kindness and interest in other people’s wellbeing, thinking “What a hypocrite!” It was only in 2015 when she herself got saved that she realized what (or rather Who) caused the change in Iliya, and that this change was genuine and there to stay. Christina’s spiritual growth led her to have deep conversations with Iliya; they prayed and studied the Bible together. It soon led to a different level in their relationship. “Since we started dating I knew that I would be a preacher’s wife. I had no doubt that I would support him and be with him in everything. After 8 years of ministry I feel more and more convinced that we are on right path. I always pray for him; we discuss his sermons and help him with organising church life in a practical way. At the moment our daughter is 2 years old and I spend most of my time looking after her. This is my prayer request – to have more time to share the good news with other women.”
Their journey is not an easy one. In Bulgaria there are not many evangelical churches, and the existing ones are mostly charismatic. Iliya says that after returning from England “I wanted to preach, teach and live the pure Gospel of Christ. I was very much involved with the youth ministry, and my home became a hub for most of the youngsters to come and share and be taught biblical principles. However, after a while there was tension because of my strong beliefs in Reformed theology … after long and prayerful consideration I thought that it would honour God if I left the church and began something new.” In 2015 they started to meet in the living room of a very kind elderly lady (90 years of age) and her daughter.
Early 2016, inthe home of the elderly lady (She is still alive, 98 years old and lives in theUSA.)
Later, Iliya joined a Presbyterian fellowship who provided them not only with a framework for the work but also with a building on the outskirts of Ruse. Unfortunately, it was in such a disastrous condition that the presbytery decided to sell it. “I was in real estate sales and for me there was no problem to sell it. Immediately after selling it I found a nice two-story building right in the centre of Ruse, and a few months later we bought that building.” This is where they meet now, reaching out to the people of Ruse with the good news of Jesus Christ. Iliya is a great testimony of the regenerating power of the gospel he is preaching so faithfully.
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