The End is Near

 "As the priest came out from the altar, he reached up to close the heavy curtain behind him and it caught and then the whole rod came tumbling down!"  In a frenzy they tried to rehang it, then eventually had to call someone else to climb up with a ladder to return the curtain to its place separating the people from the holy altar.

A typical Orthodox Church has an ornate iconostasis behind which is the altar.

Eva told the story with animation as we sat in our Ladies' Bible study tonight.  We were continuing our study in 1 Corinthians 15 and had reached verses 24-25 about the end of the world when Jesus will destroy "all dominion, authority and power."  We should always be ready, we agreed.  How?  By helping others get ready -- by telling others what we're learning in the Bible.  Eva had been on a field trip with a retired women's group touring a monastery and old church when the curtain fell.  And she jumped at the opportunity to share.

"I didn't say anything when it happened; we all just waited in silence," she continued, "but once we were outside sitting on a bench I told [my friend], 'We read about this in the Bible and how when Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross the curtain in the temple tore open from top to bottom.   It means that the door is now open for us to approach God directly through Jesus.  There should be no curtain.'"  She said her friend, whom she described as one who presents herself as very religious, said nothing and only changed the subject. 

Eva with her niece (who now comes to Bible study) and Jackie

Eva has been coming to our group for almost two years now and she laughs to recall that she was warned by neighbors to stay away from us because we are surely with the CIA!  On our first meeting she tearfully accepted her very first Bible and then showed up at her first Bible study with hand-made tabs carefully taped on the first page of each of the books of the Bible.   By November she was able to tell us with confidence that Jesus now lives in her heart and she knows that He will never leave her.

Pray for Eva as she shares with others what she reads in the Bible.  Pray for her to continue to be bold and enthusiastic, always ready for each opportunity -- and pray for hearts ready to hear the good news she's sharing!

Indian Springs comes to Prilep

A team from Little Rock, Arkansas, (pictured above with three Macedonians) arrived Saturday night and are here renovating a preschool playground by day and leading seminars by night.  Russell (the guy who taught our kids to play a song on the harmonica a few years ago) is back for the third time, and has brought Mark & Christi Cox and four youth from their church to spend their Spring Break in Prilep!

We hiked on Sunday (not everyone made it to the top!) then had Bible study with our usual group on Sunday night. 

Last night we had a party during our normal English class time to let our students practice their English with real Americans (if you can call Arkansans "real!"  Tonight the seminars begin.

 

Get Along, Little Peacock!

A peacock and four pea-teenagers (not quite chicks anymore!) came a'calling a few days ago!  They live in the yard of a blue jean factory that is about two blocks from our house and the weather was so lovely, they decided to take a walk on the wild side!  They waited so patiently at this neighbor's door but no one was home!

Daniel helped to round them up and send them back to the factory.  He discovered how hard it is to chase a peacock without stepping on his tail-feathers!

Women's Day, 2011

March 8th is Women's  Day and it is celebrated across Europe, especially in the Balkans.  It is similar to Mother's Day in America except that you don't have to have children in order to celebrate!  Friends give friends gifts and often women co-workers go out together for dinner and an evening of folk dancing.

Last night we honored our ladies by hosting a cooking class just for them.  (Many of you may be wondering what kind of an honor that is, but they WANT to try new dishes!)  Our teammate Amy organized us with three different types of American cookies to mix up and then the PLAN was for us to have a speaker while they were baking.  Unfortunately the oven kept blowing fuses, so we mixed the batter and then listened to our speaker -- and never baked the cookies!  (Thankfully we had other food we could snack on!)

We had a great turn out and were so pleased at the wide range of ages that came.  The cooking class was a great way to have people of all ages mix and get to know one another. And it was a lot of fun -- would have been more fun to eat them too, but we'll work that out for next time!

Our guestspeaker was Lile Toevska, a believer from our church in Skopje.  Lile gave her testimony and God really spoke through her.  Several of the women came up afterwards, some with tears in their eyes, to talk with her.  In her testimony, she mentioned a book that had been integral in her decision to follow Christ -- it was unplanned (by us, but certainly planned by Someone Else!), but we had copies of that book and were able to offer them to those who wanted them.  Many women were pleased to accept it.

Both Amy and I commented this morning that we were so excited that we had trouble sleeping last night!  But it was a good opportunity to pray for the seeds that were sown!  God is so good.  Thank you for praying for the people of Prilep to "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"

Light Shone in the Darkness, and the Darkness Could Not Overcome it!

Sunday night we had gathered in our living room for Bible study as usual.  There were nine plus me and the kids (Kyle was in Bosnia).  Suddenly, about half-way through, the lights went out -- as far as we could see in town, the lights were out.  There was no storm; just no light!  We lit some candles and then our teammate Jeff, who was leading the Bible study, asked what everyone wanted to do.  It was unanimous: continue!  So we continued another 45 minutes and finished by candlelight.  It was such a blessing to see that darkness could not deter them!  Thank you, Lord, for Your Light that shines in the darkness!

Daniel hits double digits!

Yesterday was Daniel's birthday and he is now TEN years old!  (How on earth our youngest is now ten, is beyond me!)  Unfortunately, Kyle is in Bosnia for a conference, so we celebrated with presents before Kyle left, we celebrated with the traditional pancake breakfast yesterday and we will celebrate with cake and friends after Kyle gets back!  We know how to have a marathon celebration!

Daniel, you were a surprise but now we are so glad you are part of our family!  We are so proud of the young man God is forming in you.  We love you so much!!!

Thanksgiving

We had two Thanksgiving celebrations again this year.  The first was on Thursday night when we invited some Macedonian friends: three other couples and their children to join us for dinner. 

Since it isn't a holiday here, dinner was at 8:00 pm, after all our guests got off of work!  We had a great time introducing our friends to traditional Thanksgiving dishes; they particularly love our sweet potato casserole (though we make it with pumpkin since sweet potatoes aren't available here) -- but they eat it for dessert since Macedonians do not eat sweet and savory together!  We shared a verse from a Psalm and ask everyone to write down what they are thankful for; then we read them aloud and try to guess whose is whose.

Then on Friday our teammates from Ohrid and a few other friends poured in for our American (post-)Thanksgiving celebration!  (Lee and Brandon came from Albania and Jan & Ethan came from Bitola.)

 We were twenty all together and watched football games, played some football, and ate lots of food! 

It was so great to be together.  Our Thanksgiving celebrations have become really special as we are family for one another, when our own families are so far away. 

Thank you, Lord, for such blessings!

On the Road Again

So sorry for not updating -- things have been crazy.  We're on the road again right now but will update as soon as we get back!

Don't give up!

Ladies' Night and Dog Days

Friday Night is for Ladies (and one son)!
There are several women who came occasionally to Bible studies in the spring, but with the start of homeschooling and without my teammate Amy Williams here, I haven't been in contact with them recently. So Friday I called them all and invited them to a Ladies' Night at our club. 
Talking to them on the phone they were all very friendly and eager to get together and only four of about 20 said they couldn't come.  Unfortunately though, they didn't all show up.  (I found out that night that an NGO was also hosting a seminar on abuse among families and several of our women had gone to that.)  Still, we were able to reconnect with some and since the group was smaller, it was more intimate.  We also had three who had never been to one of our seminars before.

Biljana, a believer from a nearby town, came and shared her testimony.  It is so good for our friends to hear from another Macedonian who has taken that step of faith; it is important for them to know that this is not a foreigner-thing, but rather Biblical, directly from God!  I am so thankful for those who came and for all Biljana had to share with them.  Pray for God to continue to use her words to work in their hearts.
No one responded when invited to join a new Bible study, so the time I had set aside for the weekly Bible study I will use instead to get together one-on-one with some of these women.  Please pray for my time with these women.  Time spent together over coffee is extremely important in Macedonian culture, so pray that it would be fruitful for God's glory in their hearts and mine!

Saturday in the Park at the Dog Show!
Kyle was in Serbia for the weekend, but the kids and I headed down the street for a REAL dog show here in Prilep, a town of only 70,000!  I spoke with people who had come from Russia and France and was told there were people from several other countries!  I was very impressed! 
Our friend who helped organize the show said that the show was part of the European Circuit and that often people choose to come to a small show (like in Prilep) because there are fewer people and they are more likely to place higher!
 If you know me, you know I had a blast -- I met many more dogs than people!  And the kids enjoyed it too.  Here are some pics.

Miss Fancy Schmancy graces Prilep with her presence!

Some of us were so relaxed with the  judge, we just laid down on the job!

Such character.  I just love him!

And in this corner: three St. Bernards!

 Here's the BEST part: The dog most frequently seen was probably the Sarplaninec, which is our (Macedonia's) national dog.  They are HUGE and are used for shepherding.  You can also see one below on our one-denar coin.

Rebekah with Macedonia's National Dog: the Regal Sarplaninec!

Missing in Action or Gone Fishin'?

You may have wondered what happened to us. Well, I think we have mostly been missing in action, though God is gracious and we were ''gone fishin' '' a bit too! I'll give you a brief update with a few pics.  (Bear with me: it's a brief update of a long time!)

Home Schooling

We started homeschooling the kids in mid-August, and that's mostly why I was MIA. It was  overwhelming at first; it felt like I had read books about how to swim and even talked to people who are good swimmers, but when I plunged in the water it was shockingly cold and swim-theory wasn't helping much! In fact, I was struggling to keep my head above water. Thankfully, God provided an opportunity for me to meet with a home-schooling friend in Slovenia, and she showed me how it all works. (The record-keeping part was what scared me the most and being able to SEE examples was tremendous!) Suddenly I realized that the waters weren't so deep afterall and if I'd just stand up, I was not in danger of sinking! We are now approaching the end of the first 9-weeks, and I am feeling so much better about things. Thank you, Joan Bell, and thank you, Lord, for making that happen!

August: Serb Team Retreat and Volleyball Back in Prilep

Kyle is interim team leader for the Serbian team and some long-time team members returned from the States in August.  A retreat was the chance for many new team members to meet each other, meet their new team leaders through Skype (they'll arrive in January) and also to say goodbye to some whose term has ended.  It was a good time to be together.

It was still warm in August and one of our regulars had the idea to play volleyball in the park as a way to strengthen friendships with those we only know casually through English and/or Spanish classes.  We were so encouraged at his initiative!  We had a great turn out and a really good time together!

Vacation

In early September, Kyle's parents met us at the beach for our family vacation. This is a great time to go because most people take their vacation in August so the beaches are emptier. However it's also risky time to go because you never know what the weather will do – September is when it all changes to cold and rainy.

We had a great time. (Here we are with our beach vacation tradition: roasting marshmallows!)  The weather was really great! We had a couple of days that were cooler, but still sunny and we were still able to enjoy beach time – and the boys braved the sea despite the cooler wind! The place that we go is to a small village on the second finger near Thessaloniki, Greece. It is not very developed and most people are locals – and since we went after the close of the season, the rooms were inexpensive. The beach is exquisite and calm. There is a small rock island about 15 yards off the coast and it's fun to swim out to it and climb the peak. And just one bay over (about a three-minute drive around a ridge), there is another bay whose direction points to the open sea so the waves are HUGE at times (for this mom, anyway!)


I was about to say there was no TV in the room, but there was, we just never turned it on! We read lots of books and played lots of cards and just plain vacated! What a blessing and fantastic place to rest!
 
We've been in the Balkans so long, but this was our first trip to Philippi!  If you look closely over Daniel's shoulder, you'll see some of the ruins.  It's was cool to see, but to be honest, it looked like a lot of other ruins around here!

Birthday and Holiday Cookout

September 8 is Independence Day for Macedonia. We had told our Bible study group to have plans for an Independence Day activity so when we returned from vacation we could just step in and celebrate. Well, we returned from vacation on Monday and on Tuesday learned that they had planned a cookout for Independence Day (the following day) – and it was going to be at our house! We just had to laugh! Anyway, we had the cookout and it was great because Kyle's parents were still with us and so were our teammate Janae's parents. Also September 9 was Janae's birthday so we combined the celebration to include a birthday cake for her. So, Happy Birthday, Macedonia! And Happy First Birthday, Janae – First Birthday in Macedonia, that is!

Wedding in Serbia

In September, Kyle performed a marriage for a friend from Skopje. Vlatko married a young Serbian girl, so we went to Serbia for the wedding. Vlatko and Jelena met while at a Bible college outside of Belgrade and have now decided to live in Skopje. We look forward to see how God uses them in there!

Slovenia

After the wedding we continued on to Slovenia for a retreat with friends whom we've known for years as we've all worked in the Balkans. Fred Dallas, a former IMB missionary in Norway and the Canary Islands, and our former supervisor – and most importantly, our very dear friend – came from Houston to lead the weekend. It was a really special time to be together and though the drive was long, it was worth it!

Next Time
There's lots more to catch you up on but I'll catch you up on this month in the next few days!  (Really!) 

Summer is for Cook-Outs!

Sunday night we had a cook-out at our house. The food was fantastic (Thanks, Kyle!!!) and we had a great time eating and hanging out! Most of those who came are those who come to our Wednesday night Bible study, though there were a few who are still on our "prospective" list!

 

Also we are in our second week of Spanish classes. Our teammate Janae is teaching and we had more than 45 people register to take the classes!

Offering Spanish classes is something new here in Prilep; in fact I don't think there is a single other school offering Spanish! Our English and Spanish classes are used as tools to meet new people and then offer them the chance to also study the Bible with us.

So far God has really blessed our English classes and many of our students have also joined our Bible studies. Pray that our Spanish students will also show interest in studying the Bible.

Happy Birthday, Joshua!

Last Wednesday was Joshua's 11th birthday! He celebrated with friends the day before since his best friend was heading out of town on Josh's birthday.The tradition in Macedonia is to pull the ears of the birthday person to help him grow! Rebekah was happy to show Josh's friends how we "honor" the birthday boy in America!Then we had our Kirkpatrick traditional birthday breakfast of pancakes followed by a lunch celebration of homemade corndogs with family (including teammates Spencer, Janae and Kate) on Wednesday.
We love you so much, Josh, and are so proud of the young man you are becoming! May this next year see you grow daily in Jesus' love and wisdom, even as you grow taller and taller (possibly shooting up past your ole mom?)!