Ooooo!!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!

This is the sound of women at a baby shower. Last Friday night, some American friends of mine got together to throw me a baby shower. It was great!!! I was so excited!!!! The food was very tasty. We had pigs in the blanket (very appropriate, don't you think?), cookies cut out in cute shapes, chips and dip and a very delicious Betty Crocker cake mix cake with canned frosting. Umm! Umm! Umm! It just doesn't get any better. It was so nice not only to have a shower but to have tasty American treats to go along, every pregnant woman's dream. I got lots of cute stuff and enjoyed time speaking English and fellowshipping with some women who speak my heart language.

Pregnancy Progress

Thought you might want to see some pregnancy photos:

Breath of Fresh Air

Ahhh! The heat wave is over, and I have actually been chilly the last few evenings. I am not complaining though. The breeze is back and it is lovely out!!! Whahoo!!!

Baby Update

We went to the doctor yesterday for a check-up on the baby. Everything is looking great. We were able to see HER little face and she is gorgeous. The doctor says everything is looking great and developing perfectly. I am doing great as well. Please keep praying for our continued health and growth.

Here is a picture of me and my best friend from the states. We went out on the town one night while she was here and as we stopped to pose for a picture, we were attacked by a clown. He insisted on dressing us in some of his.... umm gear.

And getting a coffee

Apex Come and Gone

I tried for three days to get pictures of the Apex team loaded while they were here so you could praying for them. The internet was not cooperating so we are going to try again...

They did a great job and were such an encouragement to us as well as the people of Macedonia. They went to the beach everyday and tried to build relationships with people using volleyball, their good looks and their attractive personalities.

They also hosted an American party Monday night and had a great turn out. They were able to share with just about everyone that came as they treated them to yummy homemade chocolate cookies and chips and dip. My favorite comment of the night came when one of the Macedonian girls asked "What's in this white stuff?" (referring to the dip) and a very wise American, Amanda, answered, "ranch." I had to intervene and explain that to a Macedonian "ranch" translates as the place where you store your horses and cows. Despite some langauge barriers, the party was a success, and the team was awesome!!!

Enjoy the slideshow.

Team from Apex, NC

We have a team coming in from Apex Baptist Church this evening. In fact, they should be arriving in the capital city any minute to catch their bus down here. This team is bringing my best friend, Amanda, and I am so exicted. They will be doing some work on the beaches, ie, playing volleyball and badmitten with people and just hanging out trying to build relationships to help further the Gospel. We are so excited to be having them. Pray for their time here.

On Saturday we will be having a baptism service and then a big party afterward so expect lots of pictures.

AGM and Greece

We did not post this BEFORE we left (which would have helped), but we spent the last two weeks in Greece. Every year we have a meeting with other people like ourselves in Central and Eastern Europe. Last year it was in Poland and this year it was in Greece. We stayed on an island about 60 miles from Athens for the week and it was great. Two days before AGM, we stayed in Athens and did some site seeing. Below are a couple pictures of the Acropolis. Of course, I have about 200 more pictures so if anyone is interested in more, send us an email.

The Parthenon is under construction so there was as much support structure as there was stone!


This is a view of the mountain top from the very end of the plateau.


And this is a picture of theater of Herod Atticus. It is most known nowadays as the place where Yanni plays.

After AGM, we spent 4 days camping on the Peloponnese peninsula below Athens in a town name Tolo. It was borderline too hot to camp, but since we were at the beach during the day it wasn't so bad. One day we found this spot outside of Tolo farther down the coast:



Tolo is a town on the beach but as the town ends, a "real" beach begins. This is a picture of the beach just beside a restaurant.

Overall it was fairly relaxing, but definitely hot. It made us appreciate the air conditioning that we had had at AGM.

English Classes -- Georgia is Rockin'

The English classes are going great! The team couldn't be doing better. They have been able to get to know some wonderful Macedonians and have been so patient with them as they practice their English. Here are some pics of the what the English classes look like for us.



Tomorrow night, Saturday, we are planning on having an American party. There will be dancing (Hokey Pokey, Chicken Dance and Electric Slide) along with yummy American treats like chocolate chip cookies and pigs in the blanket. We may even get wild and crazy and do the limbo. Pray that we will have a good time and that we will have many opportunities to share the love of Christ with the people who come.

It's A...

OK. OK. I guess we have kept you waiting long enough. But we have only waited because we are not 100% positive. The doctor seems pretty sure it is a GIRL!!!! Brian and I have already had quite a few laughs at that cause we never thought we would parent a little lady. To be sure, she will be well trained in soccer, hiking, and rock-climbing. We are so excited and blessed. What an awesome gift from the Lord! We'll let you know if the doctor spots a new development at the next visit.

Sorry, still no pics although we have some really good ones. I can't get the scanner thing to work, and bless Brian's heart, he just hasn't had time to help me. Maybe one day...

Evangelistic Bible Study

Tomorrow night we will be having a Bible study for non-believers who are interested in what the Bible says. Please pray for that to go smooth, and again for our language to be supernaturally understandable. Thanks for praying!

Baby Update

We went the doctor in Skopje for our 20 week check-up yesterday. May I say how grateful I am for good health care there. It was such a blessing to be able to speak to the doctor completely in English, have all of my questions answered and feel like I could trust her report on everything. Praise the Lord!!!
The baby is growing beautifully. She measured the heart and looked as closely as she could to it. It looks perfect as do the kidneys, spine, lungs, etc. Praise the Lord again!!! She was able to take some 3D pictures of the baby, and so we have a beautiful picture of our baby's little face which is only about 2 inches big right now, and we have a great picture of the hand. It was waving to us, and we are both sure it gave the "I love you" sign with its hand. I know, sappy, sappy. But we are pretty excited. Brian sat beside me like a proud father with a big smile on his face the whole time.

We did find out what the doctor believes to be the sex of the baby. We will post on that shortly. We want to keep you in suspense. :0) We are also going to try (emphasis on try) to get the pictures up. We have to scan them in and haven't the time for that right now. Keep praying for safe health.

"For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:13-14

Broken Windows

I use my phone as an alarm clock and it went off earlier than normal Wednesday morning. I picked up the phone to shut off the alarm and I noticed it was not the alarm, but the landlord of the coffee-house. He told me that some of the neighbors called him to tell him that two windows of the coffee-house had been broken and I needed to get there immediately because Police were on the way. So I got dressed and rode my bike to the coffee-house. When I got there, this is what I saw (there is one small hole in the door that doesn't really show up in the picture).

Of course in my hurry, I forgot to grab the keys so I had raced back home grab the keys and the camera. When I got back, I took some pictures, and learned that our neighbors called the police an hour ago and we were still waiting. So as I was waiting for the police many people walked by on their way to work. Since both the window and the door were broken we knew it had to be intentional. By the end of the day, just about everyone who came by said they were sorry and they apologized for "our people." Although things like this happen from time to time, everyone knows this was specificly targeted at us because of what were trying to do. One guy came in and said, "Everyone in this town goes to a church or a mosque and all of them say they believe in God, but when someone comes in to teach what God says, they get all mad. It doesn't make any sense." Needless to say, our presence at the coffee-house is quietly known around town and unfortunately a lot of people don't really understand what we believe. They see us as a sect or "new faith" like Mormons and Jehovahs Witnesses, forunately people are learning the truth as time progresses.

So we got the glass fixed by lunch time and by the time we opened at 5 we had gotten all of the mess cleaned up and we were back open for business. It was the best night that we had. All of the tables were full that night, and we were able to share the Gospel with 6 people, give out 4 tracks and 2 Bibles! What someone may have intented for evil, God worked for his good. Here is the mess before we got it cleaned up:




Here are two pictures of the rocks that they used to throw through the window. We took the four biggest pieces that were left and kept them on top of the shelf for when the culprit(s) return.



So pray for the person(s) who threw the rocks and for all the people who misunderstand why we are here.

Dad and Mom Arrived

My parents came in today to spend the week with us, It is so nice to see them, and we are having so much fun already. I hope this week goes by very slow, but I am afraid it will fly by. Time always flies when you are having fun. :0)

Cafe Discursija -- Cafe Discussion

Last Saturday night we had a special event at the cafe bar. We had some students come down from Skopje to lead a discussion on love. We handed out about 300 flyers advertising it and had about 20 people come. I know that doesn't sound like a big number, but it is actually huge. We were thrilled!!! That means 20 people got to hear the good news Saturday night. Awesome. Be lifting those people up. Ask that they will think about what they heard and that they will accept this offer of love.

Here are some pictures of our big event:




Here is my brother, Jeff, giving his testimony with Kyle translating for him.

Pictures of the Kafich

This was our first customer.


As you can see there are still some boxes in the background. We are going to get that cleaned up today with the help of the volunteer team.

We have had several people stop by and pick up some literature and we have had many a game of chess and cards going on already. GREAT!

Do pray for those who come into this place. Pray that they will be open to the Gospel and that we will be bold in sharing with them.

Also, Saturday night, tomorrow, we are having some people from the church in Skopje come down and lead a "Cafe Discussion" at the kafich. They do this often in Skopje and have seen a huge response to it. My brother Jeff will be giving his testimony. Pray for him and pray for the people who come to be open and reseptive.

Team #2

We have been having a blast this week with our second volunteer team who have come from the Stanly Baptist Association. They have been great! With their help we have just about covered the entire city in prayer and distribution of literature. They have come under quite a bit of persecution as they have boldly handed out this literature, but they have persevered with joy.

This team has brought a special treat. My brother, Jeff, is here with them. It has been a blast spending time with him and showing him around my town.

Brian is attempting to explain to them where to go.

Ron met some kids who spoke great English. He enjoyed talking with them, and I got to talk to the parents about the literature he had just handed them.

Nina on a mission.

Jeff and Brian stop for a picture.

Here is Hal making sure he doesn't leave one house without literature.


They don't leave until Sunday night. Please continue to pray for their time here.

The Name

We finally chose a name for the coffee bar (kafich). After much consideration of all of the wonderful ideas we received, we chose "Ima Vreme." I know, I said we were thinking of something in English, but this just fits the theme of our town. It means "there is time."

Brian has gotten the whole thing painted, and we are waiting on one more delivery of furniture that should come on Friday or Saturday. Thanks so much for praying for this. Continue to pray that people will come!

Team from Missouri

We finished up with our first volunteer team last Thursday. They were incredible. It was a group of Senior Citizens from First Baptist Church, Harvester, MO. Out of the 11 people that came, the youngest was about 65 and the oldest 81, and they worked circles around us. They came to prayer walk and distribute literature throughout the city and managed to cover 5 districts of our city, which would comprise a little less than half the town in population density. AWESOME!!! This is the first time the majority of people living in these five districts heard of the love of Christ. We are so excited!

Here are some pictures of the team at work:
Here they are assembling all of the material for the next day's distribution.

And here they are giving it all out:


Always with a smile...



Loading up their backpacks once again

Here is one woman looking over the material she has just been handed

Even the kids got in on the action as the women handed them Tootsie Roll Pops.

This was their final day on top of the fort after our final time of prayer together. As you can see, they are still smiling.


Praise the Lord for this team and for how He used them in this city. Pray that their diligent labor will not be in vain and that many will respond to the truth they read in the material they were given.

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

Kafich Update 2

Things are progressing with the kafich, but as we close in on legalities, we lost a little ground ... literally. The place that we had sized up and researched for our kafich was just rented out. Today I went by to look at the place with Mandy and low and behold there were computers set up in our spot? We had talked to the owner of the shop and told him that we were looking at an opening date of April 1st. It was a good conversation that ended with "we are interested and we will get back in touch." However, I guess when someone walks in and says "I'll take it" previous open ended conversations go out the door. I can't blame the man for doing so, so it looks like we will be trying to find a new place. Fortunately we have 2 more that we were considering, but we will wait for the legal side to straighten out.
As for the legal side, we are still praying and debating the best way to approach the kafich. Will it be a business or a not-for-profit? At the moment it looks like we (The supporting church in Skopje, Kyle, Mandy, and myself) are going to try the not-for-profit route for at least and year and see if that works. We are a week or two away from confirming all of this, but it looks like sure bet. Now Mandy and I have to hit the streets again to see if we can choose the next best place!!! Please pray for us as we still continue in this pursuit.

One Year Down

March 7th commemorated our one year anniversary on Macedonian soil. It has been a great and exciting year, and we have learned a lot!!! Here are just a few of the things that have been imbedded into our brains this last year and a few things the Lord is still trying to teach us:

Rest can only come in the Lord. Family and friends are awesome and they are truly a gift from above, but ONLY the Lord can satisfy our every need.

IMA VREME!!! It means “there is time,” and while that makes no sense to most Americans, it is the resounding theme here in our town and we have grown to love it.

Southerners know nothing of real hospitality. Sorry guys. The Macedonians have got them beat hands down. There are always drinks and food and a welcome living room to gather for a chat which means, always have food and drinks on hand and a clean living room because you never know when someone is going to ring the doorbell to invite themselves in for coffee.

It takes more than a year to learn a foreign language. We thought this language thing was going to be the easiest thing we had in front of us.. how naive!!! We are still learning, and are told we have several more years of it. Fun times.

Email, skype, msn messenger: gifts from the Lord!!!

A note in your mailbox that says you have a package at the post office can turn an awful day around instantly!!!

There is NOTHING too hard for the Lord!!!! And He brings the harvest.

One day without time spent alone with the Lord is like one day without water and food. We can’t survive without Him!

Trees, walls, sidewalks, are all perfectly good public restrooms. I know you didn’t care to know that, try seeing it. :0)

There is no such thing as too much Turkish Coffee, not for a Macedonian that is

Just saying ‘yes’ and ‘good’ when you have no idea what is going on can get you a long ways.

Everyone (even 12 year old girls) has a home remedy for pregnancy woes.

Life is fantastic on this side of the big blue pond, and the grace of the Lord is sufficient for all of our needs!

And Then There Were... 3

Yep! The Lord decided now would be a wonderful time to bless us with a baby. We are 6 1/2 weeks pregnant! WOW!!! We were very surprised, but are very excited. We would really appreciate your prayers during these next 8 months. Pray that we will have a safe and healthy pregnancy. Pray, as the Lord molds and forms the innermost parts of our little one, that we will enjoy every moment of the pregnancy and that we will count every bit of nausea, dizziness and then into feet swelling and kicking in the middle of the night as pure joy and give our Lord all the glory for it all. Also please pray that we will make a wise and informed decision about where to have the baby. We think we have 3 different choices but there are questions for each place. We have a little time to make this big decision, but do pray that it will be the right one.

Thanks for praying and celebrating with us!!!

We love y'all!!!

Kafich Update

We may have found a place to open the kafich. It is right off the main street in town, and would provide a perfect location. The rent is affordable, and that is a huge answer to prayer. Thank you so much for praying!!! Pray that this works out and that we will we will be able to clear everything legally. We'll keep you updated.

Team Meeting

We just finished up three days of team meetings. The whole team came down Sunday evening and we had a great time of prayer, discussion, encouragement, not to mention board games to top off every night. It was a blast!!! We have just entered 40 days of prayer and fasting (no worries the pregnant lady is still chowing down). Every week we are taking special time to focus in on one thing. This week we are praying for our IMB leadership teams. These man have their hands full with travel, ministry and their own families. Please pray especially for them this week and stay tuned to the blog for updates on prayer.

Here is a picture of our team with our beautiful city in the background. The two on the far right are our newest friends. They are hanging out in Skopje for awhile. Pray for them as they adjust to the culture and language.