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.

Kafich; Cafe; Cafe Bar; Starbucks Wannabee...

Whatever you want to call it, we have are getting ready to open a cafe here in Ohrid. We have a long way to go, since we have not even found a place yet, but we believe that the Lord is leading us to do this and we believe it will be. We have asked you to pray about this, but we haven't given you much explanation. Well, that is about to change.

Explanation 1: Macedonians love to drink coffee and sit for hours chatting with their friends. When you sit down to have coffee with someone, you'd better be prepared to sit for a while. We love this part of our new culture, and we find that sitting for hours talking to one person always leaves room for sharing the love of Christ.

Explanation 2: Just about around every corner in our beautiful city there is a kafich (the Macedonian word for cafe bar). They are always full to the brim throughout the summer and maintain a good flow of people during the winter months. This is the hangout for teenagers, parents of young children, middle-aged people and old people. There is no age limit for hanging out at the cafe bars. It is a wonderful place to get to know people of all ages and walks of life.

Explanation 3: There is no place of evangelistic outreach in this city other than our home. We love to open our home and do so daily. But as we begin to share more, start more ministires (such as teaching ESL) or have larger Bible studies groups, we need a place to gather them.

Explanation 4: Not only did we feel impressed by the Lord to look into opening a cafe bar here, our SC who lives in Skopje also felt impressed to do so. So much so that he budgeted the money for it this year.

So, as you can see by these four points, this town needs a Christian cafe bar. It needs a place where people can come and hang out and hear the love of Christ. It needs a place where they can have access to Bibles and Christian literature while at the same time getting their daily shot of Turkish coffee.

We have a goal, lofty though it may seem, to have a cafe bar up and running by spring. We have a tremendous amount of work to do, and we need your prayers. We not only have to paint and furnish a place, but we also have to get through the legal side of opening a cafe-bar in our less than second tongue.
So, what can you do to help???

PRAY!!! PRAY!!! PRAY!!!!
Pray for an available, affordable spot. We have limited funds that are to last us all year. But we are so grateful for what the Lord has provoded through you and your gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. You are helping to make this happen! But please pray for an affordable spot, we are having trouble finding that it, and we know it is out there somewhere. Pray that we will find it.

Pray that all will go smooth with the City Hall side of things. Things could get crazy for us just because we are foreigners.

Pray that the Lord will begin to prepare the hearts of the people who will walk through those doors (whoever they may be) to hear the Truth and that many will come to know Him as Lord through this.

The requests could really go on and on, but this is enough for now. Thank you again for praying. We are excited to see what the Lord is going to do through our prayers.