Today we’d like to introduce you to Hadassah Treu

Hi Hadassah , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

I grew up in Bulgaria, which was a communist country at that time. Religion was forbidden, and people were going secretly to church. This was a subject that was not discussed openly. My parents were nonbelievers. I had a tough childhood because my father had problems with alcohol and violence. I didn’t feel safe and loved except with my grandparents. The parents of my mum lived in a village nearby and there, when I was in their care, I truly blossomed. My other grandma, however, was a secret believer. She had a New Testament at her home and I loved reading it, especially the last chapters of the last book (the Revelation). I didn’t understand what I was reading, but I felt a powerful longing in my heart that moved me to tears.

As a teenager, I heard the Gospel for the first time and committed my life to the Lord. This set my life on a completely new foundation. My faith has been my solid rock and guiding light ever since. Most importantly, it carried me through the darkest periods of my life and birthed new life, new growth, mission and purpose, and ultimately my writing and speaking ministry.

I experienced a couple of prolonged dark periods in my life that led to transformation and change. The first challenge was my struggle with infertility, anxiety disorder, and panic attacks for at least 5 years after I married the love of my life and moved from Bulgaria to Austria.

Our failed attempts to become parents had a huge impact on our marriage. Pain is a powerful opener of hearts – it helps expose these deep buried parts (the hidden part of the iceberg) in both our hearts, and bring them into the light, so they can be healed. I needed to learn to recognize controlling desires and to learn to submit my desires and so-called rights to God. It was a long and painful dying to a self-centered life and a self-centered marriage. I am deeply grateful for these years of intense suffering because these were the most intense years of spiritual formation too.

At the end of this period, I felt called to start a writing ministry through my blog onthewaybg,com. I aimed to provide encouragement, inspiration, and helpful resources to keep the faith for all who want to know and apply biblical truths in their lives. Soon my writing ministry grew, and I was featured on many popular sites and contributed to over a dozen award-winning devotional and poetry anthologies, I began writing poetry again and published 2 poetry books in Bulgarian.

Then, I faced the greatest loss in my life, the biggest tragedy and heaviest blow: the unexpected loss of my husband. I decided to move back to Bulgaria after 15 years of living in Austria and start my new unwanted life as a widow there.

The loss of my husband set me on an uncharted journey of deep grief and sorrow. At some point, I decided to use my pain for good and let the Lord shape me into a trusted grief companion to my fellow sojourners. This place of death became also the place of birth – the birth of my book “Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings” which was released in March 2024. My book is already changing lives. I am humbled and grateful to all my readers and their touching reviews. It brings joy and satisfaction to see the fruit of my labor and suffering.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

My road was not smooth, I encountered numerous challenges and struggles, for example:

– dealing with wounds from the past
– entitlement mindset and controlling desires
– anxiety disorder and panic attacks
– infertility
– loss of a loved one
– dealing with discouragement and disillusionment in faith
– major life transitions
– rejection
– betrayal
– loneliness

However, I am grateful for all these hardships and struggles because they helped me grow, and become more resilient, loving, and wise. They also made me capable of helping others.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I am an award-winning international author, blogger, poet, speaker, motivator, and hope-lifter. I am the Encouraging Blogger Award Winner for 2020 and the Literature Award Winner of the Municipality of Pazardzhik, Bulgaria for 2024. These awards are such an honor for me.

I write in English and Bulgarian mainly faith-based content and poetry, You can find my writings on my blog, Medium, and many other faith-based popular platforms. I have been a guest on a lot of podcasts, too, and have my own YouTube channel.

I am a regular contributor to Devotable, Koinonia, COMPEL Proverbs 31 Ministries Blog. My writing appeared on The Upper Room, (In)Courage, Proverbs 31 Ministries, Her View From Home, Living by Design Ministries, Thoughts About God, Aletheia Today, Today’s Christian Living (Turning Point), and other popular sites.

I am also a contributing author to over 12 devotional and poetry anthologies, and the author of 2 poetry books in Bulgarian: “A Guarantee for Another Life” and “Memories Keeper.”

My first solo nonfiction book “Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become a Birthplace of Blessings” with Calla Press Publishing was released on March 15, 2024. You can find it at the site of the publisher, on Amazon, and all other online major book retailers.

My mission is to help others draw near to God in the darkness of pain and suffering by trusting God’s faithfulness, love and strength.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?

As an author, I keep a closer look at the publishing industry. It has changed radically in the last 10-15 years. Nowadays to be an author, you need to be actually an entrepreneur. You need not only to write or produce content, but you need also actively to promote and market your content, implement sales and marketing strategies, and manage a business.

Self-publishing will become more and more trendy, I think.

Besides, the usage of AI can bring even more profound changes in the next years. A lot of authors are already using it actively to generate ideas and outlines. There is a lot of grey area there, so I am curious how all this will develop.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://onthewaybg.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hadassahtreu
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthewaybg/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/onthewaybg
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hadassahtreu-author
• Other: Read a chapter for FREE from my book: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/845254/125671914833184079/share