Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas!

We wrapped up our English and Spanish semesters with a celebration Christmas party and certificate ceremony last Thursday. 74 Certificates were earned this semester from English and Spanish classes--Spencer and I also earned our Macedonian Certificates..and we celebrated in stlye...traditional Macedonian style!

Our good friend Irena arranged for students to each bring some sort of Macedonian food, and several came in traditional Macedonian costume and preformed the Oro, a traditional Macedonian dance. There was so much food, and it was all delicious!
I am continuously encouraged by the friends who have come alongside us to help us and support us for His purpose, and I thank the Father for these dear friends: Irena, Boro, Mario, Tomas, Aneta, Hristina, Alexander and Vale. Your help and support throughout this last semester at Izgrev has been such a blessing to us!
Only two semesters left for Spencer and I to teach. Three if you count the summer. Time is running short. But, a lot can happen in one year. A LOT.

Macedonian Charades

Since Spencer and I have finished our formal language classes, we have determined to speak more and more Macedonian and less and less English.

In attempt to answer a challenge from some of our new friends, we hosted a game night last friday night during which Spencer and I could only speak Macedonian.

It was quite comical, but also challenging at times. Some of the words used were English cognates, like "altar" and "bazooka" but others referred to Macedonian movies or Turkish words.

Needless to say we were clueless most of the time, but did have lots of fun trying. Because both of us being on the same team would prove to be a pretty big handicap, we were on separate teams...in the end, I'm not sure who won.

We did have lots of laughs and enjoyed the challenge.

Enchiladas + Salsa + Karaoke + PlayStation = Fiesta!

We hosted an outreach at our house this last Thursday to try to get to know some of the students in the Spanish class a little better. It was a "Girls ONLY" event, and was announced only to the girls who had been coming to both Summer and Fall Spanish classes. Out of the 20 or so girls who had been coming to class, we were expecting 8 at the most, but we weren't sure because we hadn't done anything like this before.

I prepared some enchiladas, hot and mild salsa, rice and beans, as well as some Crystal Light Lemonade. The tortilla chips came from a local grocery store which imports them from Spain; so, we just waited on the 7pm hour to roll around.
It turned out we had 14 guests and we were so excited to be able to have more than what we initially thought. We started the evening off with a round of Crystal Light Lemonade (who would have known Crystal Light could be such a ministry) and EVERYONE wanted to try the lemonade from America.

Next was the unveiling of the enchiladas and tortillas, hot and mild salsa as well as the rice and bean mix. Then the explanations began of what was in what and how to make it and so on...It was the first time for most of these girls to try Mexican style food. One of the girls remarked, "I'm in love with enchiladas!" It made me laugh!

The HOT salsa was more popular than the mild, the enchiladas, tortillas, and chips were gone before the night was over.

Cue dessert, a spread of NO-Bake Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies. The NO-Bakes went in a flash...as we all enjoyed the company and sheer silliness of watching friends Karaoke to English songs as if there wasn't a care in the world.

Everyone has asked for the recipes, so I look forward to sharing those in the near future. It was suggested to have another party but next time to invite people over before the cooking starts so they can learn the art of Mexican food too. Others suggested a "Girls ONLY" movie night...so I look forward to future events as I get to know this group of girls even better.

The Great American Pastime in...Macedonia?

YUP.
That's right. The Great American Sport has been transplanted to the soccer fields of Prilep, Macedonia where it was welcomed warmly.

Participants of all ages gathered to learn the basics of this "new" game and actually got the hang of it pretty quickly!

There was basic discussion about how to hold a bat, where the strike zone is, what a foul ball, ball and strike look like...

what happens when there is a pop fly and when it is caught in the air...

what it means when there is a full count, and what it means to be "out"...

and occasional reminders to RUN, RUN, RUN when the batter hits the ball.

Over all, it was a great first time trial, and here's hoping that the people who came will bring a friend to the next "game". Right now American football is taught on Fridays and baseball on Sundays in accordance with the time the field was available for renting. The end goal is to be able to gather enough people to be able to conduct a game or even a tournament, while providing the rules of the game, applications to life, all the while developing relationships and friendships. Please remember the people who attend and will attend, even if it is just to watch.

Once more, we'd like to thank Tree of Life Church in New Braunfels, Tx who provided us the equipment to be able to conduct events like this!

Greece: Living out Acts 16

The remaining summer months have been our busiest, preparing for the fall, meeting new people and getting to know friends a bit better. Before September's English and Spanish classes as well as Spencer's sports began, we headed south to Greece.

We played the role as tourist, viewed the ancient ruins of Philippi and walked where Paul and Silas and Luke walked.

We first came to the amphitheater of Philippi. It was HUGE.

We stood in the same river where Lydia was baptized (Acts 16:11-15) and if the water was as cold then as it was now, wow.

We walked up the same steps Paul and Silas walked up before they were imprisoned for casting the demon out of the fortune telling slave girl

and looked into the prison where Paul and Silas sang praises to God just before the earthquake occurred.

We saw the forum market where Paul and Silas were publically beaten before their imprisonment despite the fact that Paul was a Roman Citizen (Acts 16:16-24),

and saw the buildings which once housed the magistrate who ordered their beating and eventual release (Acts 16:35-40). Notice only the doorframe stands.

We walked through rows and rows of houses, one of which could have belonged to the Philippian Jailer who pleaded with Paul “What must I do to be saved?” after the earthquake (Acts 16:30).

We then headed back to Thessalonica (Thessaloniki) by way of newly built intersate rather than the Egnatian Way as Paul, Silas, and Luke would have (Acts 17:1) The Egnatian Way runs parallel to the Forum (market place) through Philippi. It was one of the only structures which still remained pretty well intact after the city fell victim to several earthquakes and the Turkish rule. It was still mostly flat, paved with large white marble stones, and was wide enough for a wagon or two horses to pass side by side.

Spanish, Español, Шпански!

As many of you know, I (Janae) am an ESL teacher. But, before ESL, I taught Spanish. When we first found we were coming to Macedonia, it was bittersweet for me to pack up my Spanish books knowing there is a chance of not needing them again. I came here to teach English. But, the Father had something else in mind.
I was approached by several people about teaching a Spanish class, but had written it off as just "several people wanting to learn something other than English." But, when the desire spread, I asked our team leader if this could be a possibility. After being given the "green light"--here's what happened:
We have almost finished the 6-week introductory Spanish course through Izgrev. Although this was a trial run to test the water, we were very pleased to see the response from the local community. 6 weeks ago we had registration complete with 26 names on the list (after the classes were advertised in the local newspaper and through flyer distribution) which soon grew to 35 by the first class. Because of this number and a lack of space, the class was split and offered at two different times twice a week. Each class continued to grow as friends told friends and family told family...
In the end there were 71 students on the roster! It was a blast as I was able to meet many new friends and get to know others who aren't in the already existing circle of friends.
I was especially appreciative of several of my close Macedonian friends who came along side of me in support, staying for both classes, serving drinks, washing dishes between and after classes (which is no small chore) and being willing to explain in Macedonian any grammatical concepts that I couldn't show with a picture or with actions. This would not have been successful without them! (Thank you Irena, Aneta, and Boro!)
So, many would wonder how such a class is taught if I am not yet fluent in Macedonian? Well, I taught completely in Spanish, using photocards, drawings and actions to relate the meaning. The biggest challenge was on the part of the student as the Macedonian language is in Cyrillic, and Spanish is not. So, if one didn't have a knowledge of the Roman Alphabet (such as we use in English), one had to learn pretty quickly! This way of teaching isn't traditional--textbook, pen, worksheets, etc--and I think it worked to my advantage!
The main group of people drawn to these classes are 20-somethings, single, in-and-graduated-from college students. There was some roll-over from students of the English classes, and some Americans!!! (NY, CA, FL)
Spanish classes will resume again the 3rd week in September, and I am so excited as Tree of Life Church in New Braunfels, Texas has partnered in ministry with us to provide the curriculum needed to be able to present Beginner and Intermediate Courses! Praise the Father for such a gift to us, and we are excited to see how He will use it for His glory!

Letters from Texas

We received such a surprise in the mail this past week. 55 letters from fellow Brothers and Sisters at First Baptist Church Andrews, Texas arrived in a small flat-rate Priority Mail box. What an encouragement they were to us as we read each one, and each one reminding us that we truly are one body in Christ. Now, even though I (Janae) am from Texas, I haven't been to this church nor do I know any of its members. However, this effort of love is testimony of a church without walls, a bond that stretches across the ocean from Texas to Prilep, Macedonia. Praise the Lord He does not leave us in this battle alone!
One of the letters came from Pastor Clayton, who had found our blog and emailed us to introduce himself and ask for our address. Here is what he wrote in his letter we have just received:
"Dear Spencer, Janae, and Kate,
Our church is praying individually and corporately that your ministry in macedonia will be richly blessed by the Lord. I am the youth minister here at our church and I have traveled to many foreign countries on short-term mission trips. Each one of our youth are reading about your story and you are an inspiration to us all. Love the Lord with all your heart and live it out!
In Christ,
Clayton"
What a blessing, to have a youth minister that is instilling in the hearts of our youth the importance of missions and of prayer! For those of you who know us, you know that Spencer and I have such a big heart for youth...now instead of ministering to them, they are ministering to us. What a joy!
One of the letters which really stood out was printed in black ink and not signed. This is what it stated:
"Thank you for everything you're doing in your service to the Lord. Know that we are praying for you and that you are not alone in your missions. You have God and a whole church behind. So again thank you."
These letters couldn't have arrived at a better time, as I had been in and out of the doctors' offices, had blood work done, and had to travel to the capital city to see a specialist. The doctor has diagnosed me with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, for which I will be treated a year and a half. As a part of this disease, I literally feel as if I am running marathons back to back, no matter the level of difficulty of activity, be it walking down the street or sleeping at night. Feeling kind of down about this news, we were really in need of encouragement. Isn't God good? He knew exactly what we needed! We give thanks to God for our Brothers and Sisters in Andrews, Texas. We hope that one day we will be able to meet you and thank you in person for your letters. May God bless you all.

Pivo Fest and Visitors from Rustin, LA.

Last week was the start and end of Pivo Fest here in Prilep. This "Beer Fest" drew 250,000 extra people to our city for 4 days of festivities, beer, all the meat you can eat, as well as a smashing concert to wrap it up on the last day. The crowd was literally shoulder to shoulder in our normally sleepy town. The main streets were closed down, restaurants spilled out into the walkways and streets with extra tables, chairs and umbrellas. Stages and fair rides and grills went up in no time. Hotels were booked not only in town, but the surrounding cities. People came from all over--just for Pivo Fest.

A volunteer group from Rustin, Louisiana came to help us during this time. Taking advantage of the crowds, a few animated and energetic volunteers performed a short drama to get attention. Afterwords, we handed out bottles of water and invitations to the seminar entitled, "How to fill your heart".
We achieved capturing the attention of many, including some local police officers who gave us two minutes to "wrap it up' and move on. Thursday and Friday nights were good turn outs for the seminar, and Chris from Rustin did a great job. We were also able to meet some new people.
Saturday night, we had a ladies seminar and were able to meet several new women. Melodye did an awesome job sharing her heart and following the leading of the Lord to minister to the ladies who were present.
Over all, it was a great week. Now our town is back to its usual sleepy self, the stir reverting from the streets into the coffee shops. We look forward to meeting the 30+ people who signed up for the upcoming Spanish classes for the intensive Summer course and to the friendships that await.

Center Prayer Walk

Dying without Jesus

As we walk through beautiful Prilep, we often see posters advertising plays or concerts coming up posted on telephone poles or windows of shops. Many times there are political banners and signs also, promoting a political figure or party. However, we continued to see a certain sign around town and couldn't figure out what it was for. These signs were posted on the front of peoples' houses and gates, on apartment buildings and on telephone poles. Many of them were posted outside the hospitals. Each one had a different person's picture on it, often with a cross, and then some writing in Cyrillic that I couldn't read. So, finally, we asked our language tutor, and she informed us that it is a notice of death. Everywhere one is posted, someone has died close by. Now I don't understand why this is done, but I can tell you that it is a sure reminder of how many people are dying without Jesus.
So many of these people were religious people; I'm sure each one claimed to be Orthodox. However, the problem therein lies that Orthodoxy isn't the ticket to heaven. Neither is being a Baptist. One of my favorite sayings is: "Going to church makes you just as much of a Christian as sitting in your garage makes you a car. But at least in going to church you may learn how to be a Christian; whereas in sitting in your garage it's impossible to become a car."
The true salvation message is what is lacking here; it is what we bring. It is not tradition, a ritual, or a repeated prayer. It doesn't come from nationalistic pride or from genetics or from being associated with a church. It is a personal decision out of recognizing a need for a Savior. But how can they believe whom they haven't heard?

Market Prayer Walk

Please pray as you feel led...

Dumpsters

Our City: Prilep

There is a grocery store really close to our house. We actually live kind of behind it so when going to the store, we walk the full length behind and then to the side to get to the front doors. We also pass the store's dumpsters, which often harbor several stray cats and a skinny dog. One day, as I was walking past the dumpsters, a cat jumped out and scared the living daylights out of me!!! I had to laugh, thinking I will walk a further circumvent around next time!

Just a few days ago I was making the familiar journey to the store to buy oatmeal for some cookies. In taking my usual notice of the dumpsters, I saw no cats, no dog. But this time I saw two older Gypsy women. One had a bag full of tomatoes (it was market day) and the other woman was searching through the garbage. I was immediately struck to the core. I was making cookies-I went to the store to find the ingredients I needed. These women were also hungry. The dumpster was their store.

I was reminded of what Jesus said to His disciples in John 6:35: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." My Jesus is my daily bread. He is the One who gives life. It it God who satisfies man's ever aching desire for something more.

Please remember the Gypsy people of Prilep. They are the poor, outcast, and beggars. And they are looking for Bread.

Going for "Coffee" With Friends

Last week I was asked to go for some "coffee" with some friends. Now, when you say "coffee," what is meant is that you go sit in a restaurant or sidewalk cafe, and order any drink, not just coffee and talk for a few hours. So, Spencer offered to watch Kate while I went out for a while. We went to a restaurant in the city centre and I ordered a Pepsi, and then later an Iced Coffee. I laughed as we spoke in Spanish for a bit and then Macedonian and then French. Spanish soap operas are broadcasted in Prilep, so Spanish is learned through the TV! I didn't understand the French, or most of the Macedonian, but we enjoyed eachother's company and laughed hard! I look forward to more "Coffee" invites and hosting my own, and anticipate opportunities to share my testimony and hear others' testimonies. We are to host a team worship at our house tomorrow, and hopefully soon a Bible study.

"i" before "e" except after "c"

Our Macedonian language learning continues with our brave teacher Irena. She teaches us for three hours each day and then Spencer and I have the opportunity to go practice. Yesterday I practiced buying sunscreen, but was unsuccessful in finding some, even after going to three pharmacies. It is sold here, its just not the season for it yet. Monday night, Spencer kept Kate while I went out with Irena for some coffee. In Macedonia, you say you are going out for coffee, but you don't necessarily drink coffee. So, Irena had a Pepsi and I had an orange juice. It was a very nice break to have fun English conversation with a friend!

Sick, Sick, Sick!!!

Spencer and I were officially initiated to Team Macedonia: we caught the same virus everyone else on our team had before we arrived. Kate got it first, then me, and then Spencer who got it the worst. We had a few late nights with a crying baby, which if her stomach hurt as much as ours, I don't blame her. She cried through the night so much that our landlord "baba" came down to see if she could help, which was interesting since she speaks no English and we speak little Macedonian. We went to only liquids, and Kate was going to be on American Tylenol, but all three bottles and the one bottle of Motrin I had were all on the recall list. So, off to the hospital to see the Pediatrician. Amy, or team leader's wife went with us to translate, and boy am I ever glad, because there is no way I would have been able to manage alone. The hospital was interesting, very institutional-like, white walls, benches in the halls, people waiting, going in doors and coming out of doors. All the writing and posters was in Macedonian. It was like walking into a very old school, the classrooms being different doctor's offices. We waited for the doctor, a very nice woman, who then sent us to get blood work done. Amy then went to the first floor to pay for the blood work and brought the receipt back to the second floor so we could get the results of the blood work to then take back to the pediatrician. We waited again, and then the doctor gave us three prescriptions: one antibiotic for Kate's ear, nose drops and ear drops. She recommended some Macedonian type tylenol also. Amy helped us get the prescriptions filled, and then helped us get a taxi too. Back to our house we go. The "tylenol" helped Kate sleep, just in time for me to get sick. Then, both Kate and I slept while Spencer went to help with the Samaritan's Purse wheelchair distribution. But, an hour later, in comes Spencer, sick as a dog too. We all stayed pretty close to the bathroom, needless to say. I finally felt good enough to go to the store to get some Sprite and chicken noodle soup in a packet. I made some soup, but I was the only one able to eat it. Later, after Kate went to sleep, our team leaders called and offered to bring us some American Jello from their stash of "things you can only get from the States"--which is HUGE! How selfless of them! So, we took them up on the offer and happily ate some orange Jello, which satisfied our hunger for a bit. We rested most of today, but made a trip to the store to buy some diapers. Baba brought Kate some orange juice and cookies, which Kate ate happily!
We are continuing our language training; our first week was cut from 5 days to 2 due to sickness. Hopefully it will be a better week next week! But, on a brighter note, Spencer was invited to a "Name Day" party. Name day in Orthodoxy is when you celebrate the specific day for your saint that you are named after. It is celebrated like the opposite of a birthday party, instead of the birthday person being served first, the name day person serves everyone else. It is customary for each guest to bring something like candy or chocolate, so Spencer bought some to take. He said it was all very neat and he met a lot of new people!

14 Century Monastery

We went on a hike with our friends from Skopje and Prilep, both American and Macedonian. We began at noon on Saturday and returned about 8 hours later. Kate went on Spencer's back as we climbed up the mountain. We had a personal tour from the monk in residence--he told us the history of the church building, and how it is the oldest in Macedonia, it is dedicated to Mary and some would even say Mary originated from this area (highly unlikely). We walked on 4th century stone floors and were within inches of paintings that were 100s of years old. We were not able to take pictures inside the church, but were able to take some of the outside.

Our New House

Here is where we live in Prilep. We are just a block away from the city centre, where the majority of the restaurants and shops are located. Monday I went with Amy to the grocery story to locate familiar items as most labels are in Macedonian. Jeff and Spencer went to the meat market to get meat for a few days. Amy then took me to a boutique to buy some clothes; the owner's name was Lydia, and she imports most of her inventory from Greece and Turkey. She did show me a purple shirt, but I bought two others. I wondered if she was related to Lydia in Paul's day, the seller of purple from Turkey. I told her I'd come again to buy from her.
We went to English classes last night and met a whole bunch of people. We look forward to getting involved with teaching as soon as our Macedonian classes are over. Irena is our Macedonian teacher, and Kristina is Kate's sitter for now. Irena is a great English speaker, and Kristina is at an intermediate level. I asked Kristina to speak Macedonian to Kate so she'll learn too!
We had a team celebration lunch today at a local Thai restaurant-funny that it is the first time I have eaten Thai food. I was able to meet the other team members from all over Macedonia...12 in all. We had a great time!
We'll continue our language learning for 3-4 months and will gradually get involved and perhaps take over some responsibilities for our teammates who are going state-side this summer.
Please continue to remember us as we learn and practice, and en route meet new friends. We must learn the language well before we can serve well.

Our House

We live in the bottom floor of this house. We have two bedrooms, a bathroom/laundry room, a galley kitchen and living room. Our street is one street over from the main street that goes through the city centre.

Home Sweet Home

We arrived yesterday in Prilep, Macedonia, our new home!! Our friends Jeff, Amy, and Kyle picked us up at the airport in Skopje and drove us over the mountains to beautiful Prilep. A cross stands on the mountain directly above the town and can be seen from anywhere in Prilep. It is a great reminder of our task of telling how mankind's problem was solved on a cross so many years ago. We settled in our house, unpacked and met our landlords. Thankfully Jeff was still here to tell us we should invite them in for drinks. So, we did and they sat down while Jeff played the host so we could learn. Baba (the landlord's wife) gave me a box of chocolates and asked me to open them, so I did and offered everyone one, even Kate. Amy served as the translator for our conversation and mid-sentence broke into English to tell me the chocolates may have liquor in them. So, I carefully took Kate's away and discretely put mine back. As they were leaving they wished us happiness in our new home and Baba kissed me on both cheeks and they left. My mind was spinning after listening to so much Macedonian--and only caught two words: cat and good. Jeff gave us a key and told us to lock the door although it's very safe, the cat knows how to open the door if it isn't locked. So, we did. Later that afternoon Jeff and Amy brought us pizza as we continued to settle in. Sleeping was easy as we were so tired. We got a phone call at 11 this morning. It was Jeff saying we had 24 hours to get to the police station from the time we arrived in Macedonia to register, so we made the walk across town to the police station and a few other stops. Kate and I played at the park while Spencer and Jeff took care of legal matters. We ate dinner at Jeff and Amy's house. We walked about 20 minutes to a restaurant in the town center close to where Spencer and I live. We met Kristina, Turo, and Tomas who ate with us. We had a delicious dessert that is classic Macedonian called "palachinka" which tasted like banana pudding inside a flour tortilla with whipped cream and chocolate on top. I looked around as the center lit up at night with couples walking hand in hand, families with strollers, kids playing and others eating and the task ahead of me seemed so great. We were all at one time lost in the dark; someone once came along and helped us see the Light. That person is either like a bitter taste to those who are perishing or a sweet tasting lifesaver to those who chose to believe.

To the Embassy...

We got a call Monday morning confirming that our Visa was ready to be picked up in Washington D.C. We called our team leaders to see about when they would like for us to fly out, but it really came down to when Europe was clear of re-booked flights from the Iceland ash. Wednesday was the first available day, so we took it! We were also advised to pick up our visa ASAP, so we headed to DC Tuesday morning at 5, dropped Kate of at Vickie Walkers house, and continued on, arriving in DC around 2pm.

We parked out in front of the Embassy and walked to the fence gate, pushed the call button and were let in. We opened the big wooden door and stepped onto a marble floor; closed doors in front and to the right of us, and only a staircase to the left. We didn't know to knock on one of the doors or go up the stairs, so we were "peeking" around when a woman came down the stairs and said, "Please wait here." in a stern tone (yikes) and I felt as if we had our first cultural taboo.

Shortly thereafter, a Macedonian man named Mile came down the stairs, introduced himself, shook both Spencer's hand and mine and gave us two pieces of paper. He asked where we'd be living, and when we told him Prilep, his eyes lit up and said that Prilep was his hometown and that it was very beautiful. He shook our hands again, and said "best wishes" and he turned to go up the stairs as we turned toward the wooden door. That was it. No ID check, or signature, nothing.

We walked back outside toward the gate and reached to pull it to exit, only to find it locked again. We didn't know if it would be automatic or if we had to push the call button again on the other side. So, we just stood there for a moment, as the people inside probably got a good laugh. After a few minutes, Spencer reached over, pushed the button, and the gate opened. It's funny how awkward someone can feel in their own country! We walked to the car, called our team leader in Macedonia, and confirmed that was all we needed. Sure enough, so we headed back to Tennessee.

We confirmed our airline tickets now that we had our visa in hand, and soon thereafter received our e-tickets. We depart from Knoxville on Wednesday afternoon, layover in Austria, and then will arrive in Skjope, Macedonia Thursday afternoon. Now begins the rush to do everything we haven't done since we've been waiting!

The Visa Saga Continues

The one important piece of paper we needed for Spencer's visa was approved on the Macedonian side; that was all he lacked for a complete application to submit. It was submitted 3 weeks and two days ago and we were told in the beginning it would take 21-25 days. Our Macedonian counterparts are doing everything they can to get us there. And yet we wait. Meanwhile, as we wait, we are very blessed to be staying in a very comfortable log cabin on the lake with mountains all around us. I can't help but relax here and enjoy some down time with Spencer and Kate.
We have also enjoyed visits with the GA girls and the youth of FBC Greeneville, as well as with the ladies of WOM. How very fortunate Spencer and I are to be surrounded by such great prayer warriors. I look forward to opportunities we will have working with these groups in the future!

The Waiting Game

So, we still lack one small but important piece of paper for our visa to be able to be processed. We are hoping to get that by the end of this week. 21-25 days later our visa should be approved, and then a two week period for ticketing and travel. Sometimes we don't understand why we are delayed, or why we must wait. At times I get impatient. BUT, I must remind myself that I don't have to be overseas to do His work. I wonder what awaits us back home in Greeneville?

Visa

Thank you to all of our friends and family who have been praying for our visa process. We just received an email today stating that the documents we need will be here by next week!!! Please still be in prayer for our state-side process as we still have many hoops to jump through. We continue to thank God for His perfect timing in all of this.
We learned about the persecuted church this week. I was greatly convicted of the many times I had a chance to share the Gospel and I didn't, either because it was inconvienent or because I was intimidated. We heard of followers of Jesus who were and are persecuted because they won't keep quiet when warned by government or religious officials. These officials try to silence the testimony of the people; and yet how many times do I side with the persecutor because I remain silent instead of sharing my faith. And, something I never thought of before: one should expect persecution to come with being a Christ-follower. It is evident in the book of Acts through and through. If Paul had it, why should I expect to be any different? So, what has been my biggest persecutor here in the US? What has kept me silent? Self. An age-old trick of our enemy: Get us to serve self and therefore God won't be glorified in our lives. We become disqualified as Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. I must die to self, take up my cross, and follow Him.
2 Thessalonians 3:1 Pray that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and that He may be glorified in Macedonia.

Equipping of the Saints

We have never been so challenged to dig in and pursue a deeper walk with the Lord. How humbling it is to sit in a room with such Christian giants; those who not only know the Word, they've written books and curriculum on it, taught in seminaries, served previous years overseas. We've heard testimony after testimony of how God has delivered, provided for and made Himself known to the lost of the world. We hear stories of men and women who have lost their lives so that others may hear. Lives given, not taken. When they answered the call on their lives, they laid their lives down, a sacrifice to the Lord. "For it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" Gal. 2:20.

Tears run down my face as I hear a story of a woman who just lost her husband and daughter in a drowning accident; after her husband's body is brought ashore, natives gather to see; like Peter in Acts 3:12, she saw her opportunity and preached the Gospel to them, asking them where they would be if that was them laying in the sand. These people heard of God's love for the very first time from a woman who had every reason to think only of herself at the time. My prayer is that I would only be so strong, and that I would not let even those small moments go by when I can share His love, hope, atonement, and light with someone in the dark.

The Journey Begins

We've said goodbye to our house, cars, animals and most possessions and are about to begin our missions training for 8 weeks before heading overseas to Macedonia. We have 6 suitcases in our possession. God has once again proven Himself faithful to us as we watched in amazement as He provided buyers for our house, furniture, and other items. God's timing is perfect, and we know His timing is now; knowing that gives us great peace.

We are excited of things to come at our missions training and are humbled that our Great God has called us to Him.