Several Saturdays in March were devoted to regional trainings for student group leaders around the country. The first of them was held at the BCSU office in Sofia and was attended by student leaders from the four groups in Sofia and the three groups in Plovdiv. Participants had the opportunity to learn more about the role of the servant leader, how to build community, and what stages each student group goes through. 

At the Leadership Day in Varna, participants from the three groups in the city looked at passages on the theme of "The Heart of the Leader" and learned through practical exercises how to write and lead creative Bible studies for both groups of believing students and their counterparts who do not know the Word.

The training in Veliko Tarnovo was attended by three new students who were undergoing Word study training for the first time, and together they explored the theme "Pass it On" from the Second Epistle to Timothy with the aim of reflecting on their role in the Mission of God and how to serve their group so that the good news of Christ continues to spread to the next generation of students in the city. Here is what one of the students told us after the training day in Varna:

"I liked that we received not only sample questions, but also guidelines for creating them. My favourite part was the task of recreating the study because it helped me to see different approaches to the same topic. I learned that it's important to have a plan and good structure for the study, but it's just as important to serve with love focused on knowing Jesus!"

And on Saturday, March 22, the international student group iConnect Sofia hosted a wonderful British afternoon tea. The event was specially organised by the newest member of the BCSU team, Jasmine Svanda. Here's how she describes the event:

"We had a great time getting together, socialising with other expats and celebrating different cultures. The event included a quiz on the students' knowledge of Britain, tasting traditional British foods and guessing different British accents. Amongst the culinary highlights, scones and Victoria sponge cake emerged as favourites! We welcomed around 14 students of different nationalities, including one newcomer who was attending for the first time. It was an incredibly fun experience and we are excited to continue to organize similar events for international students."

During the first weekend of April, the international students from Sofia and Varna will have their spring retreat - more about it in the next news!