Memories from Our Childhood in Ohrid

We just got back from an incredible trip to our beloved Ohrid. When we left we really thought it was a forever goodbye. How would one get from Asia to Ohrid without spending their life savings? We had wept so many tears as we packed up our home there and drove out of that city. We spent 9 years of our life there. We've only been married for 12 (almost 13), and 9 of those were spent growing up, becoming parents, growing up, being humbled, and... growing up in Ohrid. Our babies took their first steps in its buildings and learned to ride their bikes in its streets. This insanely beautiful Balkan gem taught us so much. It tore us apart, built us up, and then tore us apart again. The ups and downs of our time there are too many to count.

We were babies when we arrived on that cold March afternoon all those years ago. We had flown into a small, rundown airport, spent a couple of nights in the capital with people whom would become our mentors, our example to follow, and our dear friends, and then we climbed into a white european mini van and crossed two snow-covered mountain ranges to step out into the clean cool air of our new home. Graffiti covered the outside walls of the building we would call our first temporary home in Ohrid. Our mailbox door at the bottom of the stairs had a large gaping hole in it like it had been pulled apart. Our apartment housed the clothes, eye glasses, pictures, furniture and even liquor of the woman who had lived and died there before her place was to be rented out to two tall, young Americans. Our balcony looked out over the most beautiful lake I had ever seen. I may have been in shock, but I knew we were home.

Our boss, ahem, I mean, friend, because he never liked it when we referred to him as boss, left us in our new place still jet-lagged and told us to meet him at St. Jovan Kaneo church the next morning. He didn't tell us where it was or how to get there but that he would be there waiting on us at his favorite spot in the city. We found it (my husband) and as we stood there and looked out over the naturally clear blue lake and the city, I was overwhelmed. This city was ours, now. We were going to love it. We were going to learn it's language, it's culture, it's people. We were going to make the name of the Lord great in that place. We were going to work our fingers to the bone. We had no idea the work God was going to do in our hearts. We had no idea how much that language, that culture, those people would delve into our hearts and become apart of us. We had no idea how much we would be changed.

We look back on those early days and laugh. We laugh with our friends who were there when we arrived. They probably just laughed at us in those early days. We thought we knew so much. We would have never said that, of course, but we had read the books. We had been through the training. We had seen the model of what we were supposed to do and how we were supposed to do it. "Do A, B and C and you will get the new healthy living active church that never has problems, multiples, and sends out its own church planters within one term." Our training may have been a little faulty in that it diminished the reality of what we were sent out to do to a couple of books and, you know... also, pray. And also, there will be some spiritual warfare, and maybe it will be hard some days, you know, culture shock. Totally normal but just keep doing A, B, and C, and you'll be alright. Laugh out loud.

I know now that that training did the best job possible of preparing me for something I would never have been able to understand had they tried to explain it all. This training was just a little kindergarten sample of the real on-the-job training we would receive when we got our feet deep into the throes of the work. And in this kindergarten training, I may have been the kid eating the glue. I just didn't get it. After 9 years in Ohrid and 11+ years overseas, I still have much to learn. 

Our trip back to Ohrid brought back all of these memories. It reminded me of how much the Lord has grown me. It reminded me that He has been faithful through it all, He has done a work in me, and He isn't finished yet.

During our time back in that gorgeous place that feels like home, where we can fluently speak the language (amen), and where friends are many, we climbed back up to Kaneo, now one of our favorite spots in Ohrid and looked out over the lake. We remembered, and we thanked God for all that He had done and all that He is going to do.

For now, we are changed. For now, there is a church there that God allowed us to see planted. There are more people who know him. Three more were baptized while we were there this past week. 

The church that we poured our hearts into still holds a piece of our heart and beckons us to keep praying for its growth. We look back on it as Paul looked back on so many churches, and we understand his words a little better. It's in God's hands now. It always was. And He is faithful to continue to grow it. We give Him all the glory. Our Jesus will accomplish His work.

A Little Macedonian Dancing Throwback

Because it's still Thursday somewhere in the world, I decided to post a little throwback from our last night in Macedonia with some of our very best friends whom we miss immensely!!!

This is one of my favorite memories ever!!! Maybe one day I will get to dance that dance with these precious friends again! Oh I LOVE them so very much!!! I think of them and so many others from Macedonia every time I drink my coffee, every time I read from my Macedonian Bible, every time I breath. Oh! So! Much! Love! My heart is still a little broken from the goodbyes. But man am I thankful for the internet where I can still see their sweet faces and hear their voices.

Don't you just love this?!
So while I may not know the date when I will get to hug them, dance with them, and of course, drink coffee with them again, I will pray for them every single day.  Will you also join me in praying for these precious people, the people of Macedonia?

A Goodbye, A Hello and Some Stuff In Between

We did it. We got on the plane and made our way all the way to warm and sunny SE Asia. The last few days in cold and cloudy Ohrid were every bit of cold and cloudy. It was tough.  We spent every minute we could with the people we love there. It was precious and sweet. Hard, but sweet.

We packed and packed and packed. And this is our junk that we felt like had to come with us.  It's no joke leaving a place you have lived for 9 years and having no where, like your parents' attic, to store anything. EVERYthing had to either be given away or get packed in our 3 cubic meters (100 cubic feet).  It was tedious, and I'm telling you, if you are looking for a good way to organize and downsize your life, this is the way. Just move to another continent. That'll do it. And we did it. We got 9 years worth of baby blankets and sweet baby clothes and souvenirs from Europe and books and toys and toys and toys and shoes and purses and more junk than I ever thought we could possibly own... down to this. It was every bit as icky and awful as it sounds. Praise God it is over!!!

Five days before we left, we threw a massive party and invited nearly everyone we had ever gotten semi-close to. 

We danced the Oro, shared our hearts, and gave out a lot of Bibles and giant hugs.  

We spoke words of truth and words of love, words that probably offended many, but words that give life to all.  It was good.

Brian told stories of our early days there when we learning language and culture, and he had the crowd laughing over some of our early mistakes.  

Bless this child who by some miracle made it through the whole party but only because lots of people who adore him took turns chasing him and feeding him and giving him lots of attention. 

Kate and Thomas had lots of friends to dance and run around with.  

 They had a blast. 

 We all had a blast.  It was sweet. 

We said goodbye to some of our favorite people and places in the world and to a view like this. We cried with our sweet Kate who asked if we could stop saving money for Disney World and start saving money to come back to Ohrid for vacation.  Bless her heart.

We drew closer as a family as all our hearts broke together.  

We said goodbye to these precious people and many more like them--people who took us in as their own, people who loved us and laughed with us and cried with us. People who taught us about their culture, people who let us in, people we did life with day in and day out. We're gonna miss them!

Our sweet church in Ohrid had a special service for us with words of encouragement and thankfulness from its members and members from other churches in Macedonia.  We sang our favorite songs to Jesus in the heart language of those precious people and I praised God for allowing me to hear that sweet sound in Ohrid, a place that didn't ring with His praises when we arrived. 

I kept telling Brian "I don't think I can do this." And we both felt like we were walking through some sort of awful dream for days, but we did it.  We felt the presence of our Lord in very real ways.  As we drove out of Ohrid, there was peace in the pain.  It was a peace that can only come from God.  Sweet all-surpassing peace knowing that He was with us. The One who called us is indeed faithful! I checked my fb on the trip out of Ohrid, and realized that our good and kind God was waking people in America up, out of sleep, to pray for us, to intercede for us and to battle for us. Y'all He is SO GOOD! And some of you got up and prayed, and then let me know you were praying. It was balm to my heart! Thank you!!!    

We made it through a delicious lunch with our team--our second family--with laughter. We didn't touch the topic that it would probably be the last lunch all together at the same table before heaven. We just enjoyed one another around a beautiful feast.  And then we cried as we held hands and prayed together.  Tight hugs and bitter tears, but tears that I am so thankful for. OH! I am thankful for the deep love we have for one another.  I am thankful that it was hard to say goodbye. It is only proof of our bond and anchored love in Christ. To God be the glory for those deep relationships that taught me so much about the Body or Christ and that reflected Him to others in Macedonia.  

And we did the thing I didn't think we could do because His grace is sufficient, His power perfected in our weakness. With smiles and excited hearts, we got on the plane--in our snow boots. The kids did great on the plane.  They slept good on the 10-plus hour flight and sat like little angels on the shorter flights. Some of you were praying, weren't you?! Thank you!

From snow boots to flip-flops and goosebumps to beads of sweat, we arrived in our new home.

There was a stocked fridge and cabinets, a goody basket and a homemade cake waiting for us. The people here have loved on us and fed us delicious meals and spent time showing us around.  B is doing a great job of driving on the left-hand side of the road, and I am doing a good job of keeping my mouth shut as he drives. The kids are loving their new summer wardrobe. K starts school in two days. She met her teacher today and she can't wait to get started.  

I have learned so much through this process. I could write a novel (I guess I kinda have), but the one thing that remains here or there is that He is good, and He knows how to give good gifts to his children. 

Favorites: Breakfast Foods

Today's favorite things is brought to you, in part, by Grease and Carbs. 

Gjomleeze - Oil, Flour, Salt. Thin salty crepe-like layers that are cooked over a wood fire. It's an art, really.  The flavors are about as simple as they come, but the crispy outside paired with the greasy gooey inside, delicious! Macedonians normally eat it for breakfast. And if Brian is out before breakfast, you can bet he is grabbing one of these from one of the outside vendors. 

Years ago, we helped some friends make a pan, and it took hours! 

In the big round pan, on a wood burning outdoor stove, one of the first layers got going. And of course, there was some Turkish coffee (boiling in the blue pot) to get things started right.

And while you're waiting on it to cook, why not bust out the accordion and the drum for a little jam session?!

It certainly is worth the wait and all the work.  

The little bake shops around town are also a favorite. They are about as common as the mini-markets. Fresh baked breads of all sorts fill their shelves. Some pastries are filled with ham and cheese. Some feta-like cheese. Some are filled with sour cream. Some pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms and pizza sauce. Some spinach, and some are plain with just sesame seeds sprinkled on top.  And of course there are a few sweet ones filled with Nutella, apples or cherries. And my personal favorite, the Virshla--the hot dog wrapped in delicious dough and baked to gooey perfection. It's the ultimate pig-in-a-blanket. Yum. 

And then there is the breakfast of champions: BUREK. The far window is full of fresh-baked burek. Burek comes in several different varieties, too.  There is burek with ground meat, burek with feta-like cheese, burek with spinach, and even, pizza burek. We normally stick with the feta or meat filled one.   Pizza burek is a little too exotic for our taste.

In our almost nine years here, this is the first time I have ever had burek in a packet. They normally serve it on a plate with a fork and knife.  

Look at that cheese! Yum! 

Kate and I could only eat about half of it. It's massive and so full of grease that your arteries start hurting about half-way through. But it sure is delicious.

Here, breakfast foods mean lots of oil. And who doesn't need a little grease to start their day?!

We plan on enjoying these favorite things to the utmost the next month, and after that, we will start our detox diet.

Friday Favs

It's been a little heavy around here the last few days. So I thought I would lighten it up a little with some thanks. God has given us SO much to be thankful for. He has given us a love for this place, this people--their culture and their food, and we are blessed beyond measure! Our cup overflows with the fact that He is God! He is good! And He gives good gifts to His children!

"When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, then I remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad." 

So without further ado, a few of our favorite things:

This girl on a daddy-date drinking salep. 

Salep is a magical drink that we just can't get enough of. YUM!  

How this little mister LOVES his big sister!  My fav!

Мекица (mekitza)!!! 

It's fried dough, kind of like an elephant ear, except these are salty. Our whole family loves them! (We won't talk about the amount of grease that drips off of them.)

Рибна Чорба

Fish soup! The kids and I love fish soup. It is SO yummy, and it is a specialty around here.  Massive chunks of fresh fish in a creamy, yummy broth served with garlic sauce and lemon. Yum! Yum! Yum! Macedonians eat it for a late breakfast, and we love to join them for a big bowl when we can!

Rides with sweet friends in thirty year old cars where seat belts are non-existent. Every day is an adventure, and we love it! And that little boy? He and his family make the favorite list too!

Walks by the lake with the littles.

My kids playing in God's beautiful creation, the villages of Macedonia, with their precious friends. 

Rolling down big grassy hills.  

I remember doing that as a kid, and I love that my kiddos have had that fun experience. (May I also add, I love bathtubs and soap. :))

Yummy mini doughnuts covered in chocolate sauce and powdered sugar and fresh out of the grease. Magical!

These three loving each other!

Time in the Word by the beautiful still waters.  It just doesn't get better than that!

Flowers growing out of people gates creating a gorgeous path.

The Macedonian Cappuccino topped with massive amounts of whipped cream. We also love that they bring little cups of whipped cream for our kiddos.

Little fruit and veggie markets on every single corner. The produce just doesn't get any more fresh than this. A kilo (that's 2.2 pounds, America) of fresh mandarins for less than 50 cents! Amazing!

Пастрмајлија

Pastrimalja (say that 5xs fast) is another Macedonian specialty that we love. Chunks of meat, chicken, pork, or lamb, with some seasonings baked on top of a yummy piece of bread. We love it!

Another one of my favs is knowing and being able to literally feel you precious people praying for me and my family!  Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!! 

A Macedonian Taste of Fall

Some of you, ok one of you (but I know more of you are dying to know), asked what the picture of the jar of ajvar was that I put on fb.  Ajvar is the taste of Macedonia in the fall.  It is what you smell as you turn every corner around town.  Smoke billows from giant wood burning outdoor stoves as the Macedonians char their crops of red peppers on it. Kilos and kilos of red peppers are seared on all sides. Then they peel the peppers, grind the peppers and throw the peppers in a big pot to boil with some seasonings. And then you get ajvar--jars and jars of ajvar that are made in nearly every home to eat all throughout the winter months. 

This stuff! with some white feta-like cheese, called sirenje, as it's accompaniment. So SO YUM!

It's a staple in every Macedonian diet. And I guess like some in America would judge the arrival of fall by the pumpkin spice latte's return, it's not fall in Macedonia until red peppers are roasted and boiled down into this yummy paste. And while I don't love everyone's ajvar, our neighbor makes what I am sure to be the best ajvar in the country. Slather a big scoop of it on some bread--not WonderBread, but real actual fresh baked bread that will go bad if you don't eat in 24 hours, cut a piece of fresh sirenje, and you have a traditional Macedonian meal that is magically delicious!

And for a little TBT (throw-back Thursday) here are some more blogs on the deliciousness of ajvar and how it's made and Macedonia in the fall. Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte for me while you read about our little Macedonian world in the fall.

A Little Poem

Almost everyday, Kate has a new poem to learn for school. This week, Macedonia celebrated its 23rd birthday, and so one of the poems this week is all about their country of birth or "Father Land".

(Thomas is waving the Macedonian flag he made at school this week, and while he looks less than thrilled, he really was quite excited to be waving his flag.) 

Technically this isn't Kate's 'father land,' but she was born here. We brought her home from the hospital in this very country. She took her first steps here. She said her first words here. She learned Macedonian right along with English. She learned how to ride her bike on two wheels on these streets right outside. This has been the only home she has ever known. Our beautiful Ohrid is the only home any of our kids have known. We love Macedonia and we are so very thankful for every moment we have had here.

The words of the poem are

The Picture of the Father Land

The picture of the school. 

The picture of the park. 

The picture of the birds.

 The picture of the air.

 The picture of the heart, the soul, 

happiness.

The picture of love is the picture of the father land.

Sweet, right?!  I can't help thinking of heaven. We live for the land to come, the home that Jesus is preparing for us in His Father's house. But here and now, the picture of those birds and the park and the heart and soul and happiness: it all points to Jesus. The picture of love: it IS Jesus. The land that we love so much here on earth can't begin to compare with what awaits us in eternity. We were made for more! And so, I remind myself of that, of Jesus, of His great love for us. And while I'm here, I will strive to tell everyone I can of that heavenly home where they, too, are welcome because they are so deeply loved by the Father. Oh that those around us would just taste and see the picture of His heart, His soul. There is happiness--joy and pleasures forevermore. Oh that they would see the picture of His great love!

The "Great" Day

In Macedonian, Easter is literally translated, "The Great Day." I love that. What I hate is that only a handful of people really understand, have really tasted, why it is so great.  The weekend of Easter is always a good one--full of opportunities to point to the crucified and risen Lord. Because we live among an Orthodox people, they take this holiday very seriously.  It is one of the biggest weekends of the year, and every day is full of traditions that have been past down for centuries.  They start on Thursday morning. Before the sun rises, they get up and dye eggs red to symbolize the blood of Jesus. There are some people who do green eggs, blue eggs, purple eggs, etc, but those people are often regarded as less spiritual than those of their devout counterparts who only do red eggs. They do not hide the eggs around the yard for the children to run around and find for a prize. No, this is serious.  No games allowed. Friday is normally very quiet. Some people go to the church to light candles.  Many people take their dyed eggs to the church to be blessed by the priest.  One lady told me she takes her eggs and socks to be blessed for good health.  Mothers and grandmothers wipe the dyed egg on the faces of the children so that they will have good health. Brian went to the church building on Friday with a friend. There was a table full of eggs and people crawling under it three times. He asked his friend why they were doing that, and he said, "For good health." He wasn't sure but he said that the table, which is put out only out on Friday, represented Jesus's grave and that is why they passed under it.

Here is the table that gets set out on Friday

Easter Saturday is also a relatively quiet day around town. Some people are out buying new clothes (another "healthy" tradition). Others are buying their meat for Sunday lunch. I, too, ran to the butcher shop Saturday to grab something yummy for our Easter dinner and there was a line out the door.  Everyone was waiting to buy their lambs.  There were whole, skinned lambs hanging from the ceiling. Lambs were being chopped into pieces and hauled out the door to meet their destiny on a platter.  You think that is gross, you should've tried smelling it.  It was almost enough to make me forego meat altogether for the rest of my life. I stuck it out, and thought how very appropriate it all was.  I asked one lady why everyone eats lamb on Easter. I was testing, just to see what her answer would be. Maybe she would get it.  Her answer wasn't surprising. "Tradition. For good health." 

It was cold and rainy, so we stayed inside the rest of the day.  It was a great time as a family. On Friday we read the story of the crucifixion and tried to read at the time increments that were given in the Bible.  Kate kept a watch on the clock for us so we wouldn't miss reading about every event on the cross.  We all stopped what we were doing at noon and 3 P.M. to read about what happened at that time on that dark and glorious day almost 2,000 years ago. We, even the four and six year old, were able to stay focused on the price that Jesus paid for us that dark Friday.  We listened  to "Jesus in My Place" by Matt Papa several times all throughout the day, and we talked about the giver of life, laying down his life so that we can have life abundantly.  That's what it is about.  Sure, we want good health. We sometimes even pray for it. But Jesus came that in our fleshly sufferings, there is hope. The question I am compelled to ask everyone here is what if Jesus died so that we could have more than good health? I'm talking holiness, righteousness, LIFE!  Maybe we get do sick with a cold or the flu or something way worse. It doesn't change the fact that Jesus died to give us abundant life so that in life or in death we KNOW we are His. This light momentary affliction is creating for us an eternal weight of glory. Why? How? Because of the cross of Christ through the resurrection! 

A neighbor gave me these eggs Sunday morning (per tradition). 

Исус Воскресна. Вистина Воскресна. 

"Jesus is Risen. Truly He has risen." 

This is what you say when you greet someone the three days after Easter. I love it, but again, most do not know why it matters.  Praise the Lord this is an open door to tell them of the power of the cross and resurrection of Jesus and how it can change their life forever.

Leading believers in worship of our risen Lord.

Sunday we spent the day with believers in our city and in the city nearby.  It was a fantastic time of worship and fellowship. I basically felt like dancing all day.  Y'all, Jesus is alive!!!  Let's get excited! The next few days, we were in homes of close friends making the most of this opportunity of 'The Great Day' to talk about why it is so great--why every day is so great because Jesus paid the price for our sins. He did it all. He finished the work. He satisfied the wrath of God. He died a criminal's death. He died the death that I deserved. He covered my sins. He was buried. But, then, He arose. He's alive!!!  And he has made me alive together with him!!! Good health or not, my Jesus, my Savior, my Lord, he did it all and then he called me His own to the glory of God the Father! We're pretty excited about it! It really does make every day great! 

"This is life. This is grace. Jesus in my place."

It's Fall Y'all!

I miss fall in America. Every single year, when it starts getting a little chillier, jackets come out, cute boots go on, pumpkins are bought, carved and mixed into coffee, cookies, and pies, people sit around campfires on hay-bails roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, the fair comes and goes and football season brings out the competitive in everyone. It is the most wonderful time of the year.  I just love it!!!  But y'all fall is different over here.

While America is busy making pumpkin EVERYTHING (I even saw someone making pumpkin moon sand? Really!?), Macedonians are busy doing the work of the harvest.  The surrounding mountains are painted red and yellow and orange.  Sweaters, scarves, and boots are donned, and there is a fire of some sort going on in every yard in town.  It always starts early in the morning. Mostly women sit around their outdoor stoves on little wooden stools, and the smell of their roasting red peppers fills the neighborhood.

They are making ajvar or pindjur or they may just be roasting their peppers to stock their freezers.

 They are sewing peppers together to dry in the sun.

They are also busy making compotes and jams from plums, kiwis, peaches, even watermelons. The seeds that they sowed in the spring have brought forth fruit, and they are diligent making the most of everything on the vine.

The sound of the wood chopper driving around town is heard every hour or so, and piles of wood lay in the middle of the streets or on the sidewalks waiting to be stored up and burned.

This is a season of harvest and a season of storing up for the winter that is fast approaching.  It is a time when the wise man works from sun up to sun down so that he will have warmth and food in the cold and barren winter.

There are no football games and tailgate parties, cause, y'all, 'ain't nobody got time for dat.' ;) There are no pumpkin carvings (maybe because pumpkins are mostly green (some white) and kind of deformed looking). Pumpkins are for baking and eating by themselves for a snack... with no sugar, no cinnamon, and no pie crust. And no, they do not blend it into their coffee and top it with pretty whip cream. :)

So, while I always miss the delicious tastes and smells of fall in America, I LOVE fall in Macedonia.  So beautiful. So beneficial. So rich. Every year, God uses fall in Macedonia to teach me of making the most of the fruit on the vine. Working hard to plant, so that tomorrow there will be more fruit. Being diligent and serious about the fruit that He gives. Praying that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest to work along side us in the field.  The work isn't done when the tree yields its fruit. The work has only begun.

We are so blessed and thankful for the fruit that we have seen. God has done great things here! And I am confident that He will continue to do great things.

May we be faithful with the increase that God has given and that He will give in the future. It's harvest time, y'all! Let's get to work!