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.