Biography

Bulgaria is a country of contrast. Soviet block apartments, a reminder of a generation that grew up during the “Cold War” stand juxtaposed against remnants of ancient Greek cities. Young people, dressed in the latest European fashion stroll along 3rd century streets. “It is a gray city” some say, yet others are impressed with its majestic mountains, its beautiful Black Sea coast, and its vast fields of sunflowers turning their heads in unison toward their source of sustenance. Some say she is “the undiscovered pearl of the Balkans”. Along with 8 million other people, the Sunberg family: two parents, 4 daughters, and a dog, call Bulgaria “home”.

Jay and Teanna Sunberg, with Lexi (9), Sophia (6), Lydia (4), and Jenna (2) have lived and ministered in Sofia, Bulgaria, for seven years as Nazarene missionaries. They have been serving the Lord in Eastern Europe for a total of eleven years. So much has changed since that first step onto Moscow's soil in 1994 and into Bulgaria in 1998.

Jay is the District Superintendent for the Bulgaria District, a part of the SouthEastern European Field. He also serves as the director for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries – Bulgaria and as director of the Theological Education program in Bulgaria, an extension of European Nazarene College.

Teanna is a full-time mother and a freelance writer for publications such as “Holiness Today” and for the English speaking newspaper in Bulgaria called, “The Sofia Echo”. She coordinates PR and Volunteers for the District. She is enrolled in the Theological Education – Bulgaria program.

Since January of 2002, the Bulgaria district has seen: growth in membership from 27 to 320, growth in church attendance from 150 to 650, and growth in churches from two to 18. We have seen the Lord move in tremendous ways, such as answering the prayer of Baba Stanka, a woman who prayed for eighteen years for the Lord to send a church to her village. He gave us registration as a legal denomination after eight years of petitioning the Ministry of Religion for that privilege. Most recently, He has worked in miraculous ways to bring us into the Evangelical Alliance in Bulgaria. Indeed, the Lord is at work in Bulgaria in a fresh and exciting way.

We are looking forward to completion of the Razgrad church sanctuary, beginning construction of the Sofia Ministry Center, and building facilities for several of our village congregations to accommodate the open hearts He is calling to himself.

After years of difficult labor, we are overjoyed at the fruit that the Lord is bringing and we are anxious to share the stories with you. We believe that you will be enriched, encouraged and challenged by the lives with which you come into contact as you discover the pearl of the Balkans – Bulgaria.