Busy, Busy, Busy!

This Summer is off to a great start! Lots and lots of activities, new friends and good times! Lets see...where to start??
We finished up the English/Spanish semester with a party and certificate celebration for all...

Followed by a week of English Camp presented by our visitors from Carson-Newman College from good ole Tennessee...



The group presented a Teacher Workshop for the local English teachers and any students who are studying to become English Teachers...

And then Melody gave her testimony about purpose at the evangelistic seminar on Monday night. 25 Macedonians came and heard her testimony and following we had a time for focused discussion at our tables...

Followed by another midnight night on the town for dinner, coffee, discussions, and goodbyes.
We headed to Thessaloniki, Greece Tuesday morning for a touristy day in Thess, Philipi and the beach before the group left for Rome...

Then back to Prilep to help with a dance camp Amy, Celeste, and Kaylee held for 5 and 6 year olds at the local preschool while the guys worked on preparing the playground for phase two of renovations which will take place when a volunteer team from Rustin, LA comes later this week...

We look forward to another busy couple of weeks, and are excited to see how the Father is moving and how He is using these incredible volunteers to reach out to our friends in Prilep. We are so thankful for the folks who have taken time out of their busy schedules and have set aside money to come and help, serve, and minister along side of us...despite the tiredness, jet lag, rain, and unusually cold weather! Thank you for the investment you have made!

A New Playground for a Preschool

During March, a team from Indian Springs Baptist Church in Arkansas came to refurbish and improve a playground at a local preschool and to lead in a leadership seminar. The existing playground was old and not safe for the children to play on. OSHA doesn't exist here! The team decided to clear out a section to build and install a new "fort" playhouse. A local carpenter designed and built the fort from scratch! He did a great job! So, the land was prepared and somewhat leveled, concrete boarders set, plastic laid for the gravel, holes dug for the foundations for the fort, a walkway of bricks laid, three benches built and painted, and finally the fort was put in place, secured and painted. Seeing the look on the kids faces as the teachers brought them out for the first time to try out their new playground equipment was priceless! The kids no longer have to fear getting tetanus, but can run wild with no worries! Everyone at the school was very appreciative of the work this volunteer group did to improve the playground.

Later in the week, the group led in a two-day leadership seminar. It was a great seminar with a wonderful turnout and has allowed us the opportunity to follow up with many people.

Ammunition

He met us at the door with a wrapped parcel. Holding 30 Bibles. "We bring you ammunition!" he said with a smile.

We had an amazing opportunity to meet the folks who are responsible for bringing the first Bibles to Macedonia. About 15 years ago, the only Bibles available were in Old Slovenian language (which wasn't the common language spoken) and only the Priest could read the Bible. Still, when people would go to church to hear the priest read, most of the time the ordinary lay person couldn't understand Old Slovenian. This is another reason why Icons are so important to the Orthodox Church. They tell the story in pictures what the people couldn't understand in words.

Lucas Foundation has provided Bibles translated into Macedonian for free distribution throughout all of Macedonia. The neat thing is, each Bible has a picture of the specific city to which it has been given. These "City Bibles" have been distributed throughout all of Europe, and have been for many years, even during the Communist years. How interesting it was to hear their stories of smuggling Bibles into former Communist Yugoslavia (which Macedonia was part of), and how their hearts still race upon approaching the boarder with their van and the precious cargo it holds. Their motivation and determination to continue distribution and production and working their way into closed areas was so encouraging to us. They brought a message of "Jesus says COME TO ME but that He also says GO AND TELL." What a pleasure it was to meet such mighty warriors for Christ.

On Thursdays, between Spanish classes, we have been conducting a "spiritual" type discussion for about 15 minutes. This time is called 2nd Coffee, where the first class' students stay and the second class' students come early if they'd like. The first discussion was about love, and the second was about truth. I (Janae) was able to give my personal testimony in Macedonian and afterwords we gave out 25 City Bibles. The following week, a man who had been hesitant to come to any Bible Studies or outreaches asked for one of the Bibles. He simply asked, "Can I have one of those books?" Isn't God good? We look forward to many more Thursday 15 minute-ers to follow!! 25 Bibles handed out, 475 to go!

Pancakes, Anyone?

In Macedonia, on almost any menu at any restaurant, one can find a selection of desserts. One of these desserts is called Palachinki (translated as pancake), one that we have very quickly picked up as a local favorite!! It consists of a crepe like dough with chocolate, eurocreme and bananas rolled up ( like a burrito) with whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top.

It turns out, pancake is just the English word used for this delicious dessert because English doesn't have an equivalent. But because most Macedonians haven't experienced an American Pancake, there is no way for them to tell the difference. We are asked quite a bit, "Which one is better, American Palachinki or Macedonian?" and we just say they are too different to compare.

Finally, this last week, the American Pancake was introduced to Prilep, Macedonia, complete with a cooking class and demonstration, followed by an all you can eat pancake feast. Here are just a few of the pictures from this cultural experience! One of the challenges was to make sure the pancake was ready to be flipped. Others tried their skills in flipping the pancake in the skillet and one guy was a regular pro!!

The next cooking even will be for women only, in celebration of Woman's Day, celebrated in March. Up on the Menu: Snickerdoodles!!!

Guys Mexican Food Night + Movie

Spencer hosted a guys night at our house this week and introduced some of our friends to the wonderful world of Mexican Food.
It was quite funny listening to him explain the food in Macedonian, explaining how to make a fajita, and the difference between the hot and mild salsa.

On the menu was enchiladas, homemade tortillas, pinto beans, homemade salsa, ground beef, grilled chicken, and tortilla chips.

Following the main course came American Chocolate Chip Cookies (a local favorite) and No Bake Cookies (also a local favorite) with coffee.

The damage done in the end: 8 very hungry guys satisfied, only beans left, a lot of dirty dishes. It was a great time and a full house...we look forward to next time!!!