Coffee House Update

The coffee house is coming along beautifully. We have purchased all of the furniture to go in it and we are just waiting for delivery of it all. We still have to buy a refrigerator, games (chess, backgammon and checkers), a stereo, and of course cups and coffee. We still have a long way to go, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you so much for praying for this coffee house. Pray that it will be a place that people can come and hear the of the love of Christ. Pray that this will be an effective ministry for our city.


We Love you Guys!!! Thanks for your prayers!!!

5 Fingers and a Heartbeat

We were in Skopje Sunday through Tuesday and so we took advantage of the opportunity to check out the private hospital there. It was great!!! I am so pleased with all of the facilities and our doctor was wonderful. She spoke beautiful English (try understanding medical terms in another language after a year). She did an ultrasound and we were able to see the baby's fingers on one hand and the heartbeat. Beautiful!!! We are so excited and I am fallng in love with this little life. We still don't know whether it is a boy or a girl yet, but we will let you know soon.

All of that to say, I think we have definitely decided to have the baby in Skopje.

Praise God for Dr. Stankova!!! and Remedika Hospital.

Praise God for life. Praise Him for your every breath and heartbeat. They come from Him for He is the creator and sustainor of life!

"Not Quite the Feather..."

This should make some of you laugh. The other night, walking down the stairs of someone's apartment building after having dinner and coffee with them, my knees gave out on me before I got to the bottom of the steps. (I have arthritis in my knees and they give out on me often. Its ok, you can laugh. I do.) I hit the ground and immediatlely busted out laughing. Brian made sure I was ok, and put his very strong, manly arms under mine to help me to my feet. He got me about halfway up and couldn't lift me anymore. He let out a grunt, and I hit the ground again. I started laughing again, and he says, "uh, you are not quite the feather you used to be." That's ok. I am pregnant, I am not supposed to be a feather. So, we laughed about it all the way home. If he doesn't think I am a feather now, he is in for a treat in the next few months. :0)

Name the Kafich

Some of you have a much more creative mind than Brian and I do put together (Mrs. Potts, Amanda, Dad and Dadio, just to name a few). So, send us your ideas for the name of our kafich. All of the Macedonians we have talked to say it needs to have a name in English, and the whole time, we have been thinking in Macedonian. Either way, our ideas are lacking and we haven’t the time to sit around and think of names. So post a comment and tell us your ideas.
Keep it clean please.

WHOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!!

We have wonderful news!!!! We have found and rented the place where the kafich will be. We are very excited about this location and think that it will work out perfect for what we are planning to do. As soon as I can get over there, I will take some pictures for you guys so you can see what your prayers have done. Thanks so much for praying. We have lots of work ahead of us, ie, painting, picking out and buying tables/furniture. Please continue to pray that we can make this idea a reality and that many will come to know the Lord through this place.

Pregnancy

Well, I am 12 weeks along. We still haven’t quite decided where we are going to deliver yet. As for now, we have narrowed it down to two choices: either in Skopje at the private hospital or in Thessaloniki, Greece. As far as we know, the private hospital in Skopje does not have neo-natal care. So, that is a deciding factor. We, of course, may not need any neonatal, but if you know me at all, its always better to be safe than sorry on health care. The morning sickness has subsided a little, and I feel great! My belly is starting to pooch and I am having to do the rubber band trick on my pants for now. Thanks for praying for us. Please continue to pray that we will have a safe and healthy pregnancy and that we will make a wise decision on where to have the baby.

Vacation

We just got back from a 5 day vacation in Thessaloniki, Greece. We had a blast. We realized last week that we just needed to get out for a little while, so the next day, we hit the road. We have been having a blast in what I like to call a “little America.” We went shopping, ate a place called Pizza Hut (I dunno, maybe you have heard of it), saw a movie in a theater with buttery popcorn and candy, and even went to a Starbucks. We did some Greek stuff too. It was great and much needed. Here are a few pictures of our wonderful time. Enjoy.
Here is Brian enjoying a Caramel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks

This is a shot off of the Halkidikki Pennisula overlooking the Aegean Sea

And, my personal favorite, sheep grazing on the side of this hill. Their shephard is in there somewhere if you can spot him.

CEE Comes to NC

Hey guys!!! From April 21-24, representatives from Central and Eastern Europe will be at Salem Baptist Church in Apex, NC holding a conference for your benefit. The conference will include overall information about this region, ways you can pray and get others to pray, and ways you can volunteer. We would love for some of you guys to come out and enjoy the time with our colleagues. Here is a link so you can find out more information: http://hope4cee.org/join/summit/northcarolina/events.html