Sick Days

We've all taken turns with a stomach virus this last week. The first one to get sick was Maggie, our teammates' one-year-old who was staying with us while they celebrated their fifth anniversary with a weekend in Greece. Within a few hours, Daniel was also sick and Jackie was too a few hours later. Then we skipped a day and Josh got it; the next day Kyle got a milder version. Rebekah is the only one who escaped. Oh, and Maggie's mom, Amy, got it in Greece! (And dad Jeff got it yesterday.) Needless to say, this was not our most fun week!

You will be relieved to know I am NOT posting pictures!

But here are some pics of a religious festival from the week before we got sick. People hiked up to a particular monastery and near the top there was a carnival then inside the monastery they had a liturgy.
And people brought eggs to be blessed by the priest and then the eggs were redistributed to the people. People also light candles for their health or for mercy for a loved one who has died and fill bottles with blessed water to take home with them, again for good health.

Time to Party
Also of note was Maggie's first birthday party. This was two days before we all got sick! Don't we look healthy and happy?! Who'd have guessed what the next week would hold?!

Fruity Kids
Also here is a picture of Josh with his extraordinarily straight banana – and Daniel showing off some Cheetos that someone blessed us with!!!
Coming Up:
We're off to a MUCH NEEDED team retreat April 22-25. All of our team (here and in Ohrid) have been sick with this virus and/or had various extremely stressful kid health issues, so we are all really looking forward to it. First Baptist Church Ruston is coming to take care of our kids.

Please pray for our team retreat to be a time of refreshment and spiritual renewal as we focus on Jesus. Pray that we would leave behind all burdens, distractions (and strategies!!) and rest in Jesus and His unfailing love.

Thank you so much for caring for us and the people of Macedonia!

Easter Week in Review

But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)


On Wednesday before Easter our living room was jam-packed as Kyle taught about Jesus' death and resurrection! God continues to amaze us as He brings more and more people to study His word. Easter last year we were thrilled to have 11 people join us; this year 23 people came! Seven of those who came had never been to any of our Bible studies!

On Friday night we watched The Passion of Christ at the club. The group was small, mostly our regulars. The film is so intense, and watching it on Good Friday – or Black Friday, as it's called here – makes it even more moving.

Saturday and Sunday were fantastic family days for us! Saturday we drove about an hour away to a mountain on which we had camped several years ago -- the trail winds through pastures and follows a meandering stream. With the snows melting, the stream was deeper and wider than last time, with more white water and new side-streams finding their way down ridges to meet the rushing waters of the bigger stream. Absolutely beautiful!

We hiked

and picnicked

and waded in the icy stream

and played chase

and read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Josh is sitting on our own Stone Table)

and cloud-watched (sorry no pic; I guess I was too engrossed in the cloud!)

and wrestled.

We just feel like God gave us a glimpse of heaven that day!!! Wow!














On Sunday we went out to a nearby mountainside to hide (and hunt) eggs. Jeff, Amy and Maggie Williams went with us. We hid eggs around a couple of huge boulders and the kids found them all. Then the kids took turns and re-hid them for us. I think there was only one egg that's still hiding up there!

Sunday night we had an Easter worship time with friends at Jeff & Amy's house. Some friends from Skopje (who are from Prilep) were home for the holiday so they joined us and brought some friends too.