Friday & Saturday

Saturday began with a little bit of free time. David spent the morning climbing Vodno Mountain to the cross that overlooks the city. To us the cross represents a great symbol of our Christian faith but to the people of Macedonia it is only a symbol of traditions. The women all went shopping in Olde Town but bought very little. Kenny was able to spend some time with Kyle helping him prepare for his move to Prilep.
This is a close up view of the cross atop Vodno Mountain.

This is a view from atop Vodno Mountain looking down on the city of Skopje.
At 5:00 PM we had a cultural American Birthday Party for Janet (today is her birthday). We invited all of the students that we have been working with all week. We sang Happy Birthday, ate both American and Macedonian birthday cake, opened presents, and even shared in some Macedonian dancing.
Macedonians love to dance and have a good time.
Here are some of the Macedonians that were in the ESL classes and attended the party.

On Friday, we went to a fort that is in the center of town. From this point we were able to pray for all of the different areas of the city. There are not many people coming to know Christ in Macedonia at this time but we pray that seeds have been planted while we were here.

This is a picture of the Macedonian flag at the fort. Please pray that this nation will become a nation that lives for Christ.
We visited the Church of the Holy Savior, which was built in the late 17th or early 18th century. Inside is the most unbelievable iconastasis that any of us have ever seen. It was hand carved by 3 men and took over 7 years to complete. The iconastasis separated people from God and only the priest can go beyond it. Please pray that the people of Macedonia will understand that they can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
This is a picture of one of the ESL classes. The young man in the blue shirt is Albanian and we ask that you pray for his acceptance among the other students.
Another picture of one of the ESL classes.
After class and home visits, we were all invited by Irena (one of the ESL students) to her home for a traditional Macedonian dinner. She cooked all day and prepared a wonderful meal for us. The Macedonian people are extremely generous and love to fellowship with each other. Dinner began around 9:30 PM and did not end until midnight. What a wonderful day.

Thursday's events

We split into teams again on Thursday with Team A staying in Skopje and Team B heading down to Prilep. In the morning, Team A was able to visit the church and prayerwalk the surrounding neighborhoods, see some of downtown and visit the medical clinic. That evening, Team A taught ESL classes and then made home visits. During the home visits each member was able to share his/her testimony and have some spiritual conversations. Most of the people here are very open about their "faith". They believe they are christians because they are Orthodox and because they occasionally visit a church. Their hearts are so hardened from just following traditions. It is difficult for them to understand that God is personal and that He wants to have a personal relationship with each one. Click below to see more pictures from Team A's day.

Skopje, Macedonia

Team B was able to prayerwalk downtown Prilep and pray not only for the people, but for the new ministry that will be starting. Kyle does not know of any believers in this city of 70,000. After prayerwalking and lunch, we went to Kyle's new home to paint. We were able to help prepare his house for when they move in a couple of days. At the Thai restaurant that we ate at for dinner we got to see a "squatty potty" for the first time (see below pictures).

Prilep, Macedonia

We have begun to make some relationships, please pray for the following:
Viki (works in hotel) - that her heart would be softened and that God would call her name and draw her to Himself
Vesna (owns a restaurant) - that her business would prosper and that God would call her name and draw her to Himself
Nazir (father of a hotel guest) - that God would continue to heal him (he had heart surgery 2 weeks ago) and that he, his wife and daughter would have safety Monday as they travel back to Albania, also pray for their salvation
Kyle and Jackie - that God would organize their time as they try to pack up their home for moving on Monday

Technical Difficulties

The internet service at our hotel has been down. It has just now started working again and we are heading out for a little shopping. Look for a post a little later.

Too tired

We had a long day and returned to our hotel at midnight. We will update sometime after we have some sleep! We went seperate ways again today, but all have some amazing stories to share with you.

Praying for His people

Today we split up into 2 groups. Team A went with Kyle to Ohrid to prayerwalk the city and meet Brian and Mandy. Ohrid is a beautiful, tourist city with a population of approximately 70,000 people. However, there are only 5 known believers in Ohrid. Brian and Mandy have set up a free coffee house with many opportunities to share the gospel. Pictures in the following slide show are of the city and the coffee house.

Ohrid, Macedonia

Jeff took Team B to an overlook of the city of Skopje. Skopje is a large city of approximately 700,000 people and probably about 500 of those are believers. From the overlook we were able to pray for the city and for the ministry of the missionaries there. We then went to the church where Kyle and other missionaries are members. We prayer-walked the surrounding neighborhoods and met some of the church members. We then visited a Christian medical clinic that provides care for free and shares the message of the Gospel with every patient. They also partner with churches of Macedonia and do mobile clinics. Team B also taught ESL classes this evening and invited attendees to the cultural American party that will take place on Saturday night. Pictures below are from Team B's experiences for the day.

Skopje, Macedonia

Please pray that the hardened hearts of the Macedonians will be softened and that they will dust of their Bibles and begin reading them. They are rich in culture and traditions but do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Paul states in 1 Cor. 12 that we are all given spiritual gifts just as God has determined. What is the spiritual gift that God has given you? And are you using it?

For the sake of the Gospel

Today we began our first full day of work in Skopje. The day started with a bountiful breakfast of bologna, tomatoes, white cheese, boiled eggs, and peach flavored little debbies. Some also drank coffee (Janet had at least 3 cups to start the day).
When then headed off to receive orientation to the ESL school and met Gef (above). Gef is a vivacious 75 year old lady who is a native of Macedonia. After a quick orientation to the ESL classes and what we could expect, we broke up into groups and did some prayer-walking around the ESL school and adjoining neighborhoods.

When then headed to lunch where we meet up with Ethan and Jan Schrader (current missionarries in Bitola, Macedonia). Ethan and Jan went to Tech and also attended FBC Ruston during their college days.
Team A (Kenny, Brenda, Ellen, and Kay) helped with the ESL classes this afternoon and were able to have some interesting conversations in English with the students. Team B (David, Elaine, Melanie, and Janet) went with Kyle to visit the Pastor (Bore) of the church we will be attending on Sunday. We will actually be going to the river for some baptisms that day and celebrating with them afterwards.
Here is another picture of some Macedonians in the ESL class.
After a long day, the team is feasting on hamburgers and hotdogs with fries. The fries are actually a part of the hamburger or hotdog and served with mayonnaise and ketchup.

I Corinthians 9:22-23 says "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." Paul was willing to give up everything for the sake of the gospel. What are we willing to give up?

Arrival in Skopje, Macedonia

We arrived in Skopje, Macedonia about noon on Monday and we were welcomed by Kyle Kirkpatrick and his fellow team member Jeff. They drove us from the airport to our hotel. The city of Skopje is located in the valley of two mountains and overlooking the city is a huge cross. The cross is a symbol that basically has no meaning to the people of Macedonia. Macedonia's Orthodox Church is based primarily on tradition.
This is the cross overlooking the city of Skopje.

Our team meeting with Kyle and getting a quick overview of the city.

This is a typical Orthodox Church in Macedonia. We were able to go inside and see the many traditions that they follow. Unfortunately, many of these traditions and symbols do not lead to Christ.

We went to dinner with Kyle and his family (Jackie, Joshua, Daniel, and Rebecca).

It has been a long last two days and everyone is off to bed early. Tomorrow we have orientation at the ESL school, prayerwalking, ESL classes, and home visits of church members.