Showing posts with label Macedonia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Macedonia. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Bruce's Summary
To read Bruce's report and views on the trip look under misc. pages and click on 'Bruce's summary". I had some problems with the formatting as he sent it from his computer to mine... and, well, we had some technical issues complicated by jet lag meltdowns... so it may look a little weird... to enlarge the size you can click on the 'picture' of his words and it will get bigger. sorry it's funky!!
Picture of the Day
In honor of our 12 days in Macedonia and Greece I thought I would post my favorite picture for each day there. I hope I haven't set myself up for failure. LOL> toooo many to choose from but I'm gonna try!!
the castle in Dusseldorf~ how long did it take for all that ivy to grow all over it?
the castle in Dusseldorf~ how long did it take for all that ivy to grow all over it?
the day I met Mary she showed me her pig. the pride in her voice and face as she conveyed to me that this was HER pig really impacted me. In the face of extreme poverty and a land where women are often looked at as of lessor value, the hope and power that owning her own pig provides her was very humbling to me.
this may seem like a strange photo to pick as a favorite BUT this was after a difficult day where many of us were feeling the effects of stress. dinner at this restaurant was not only a veritable feast but provided much comic relief!
On Wed. I was given access to the office and internet! whoot! Whoot! This allowed me to really concentrate on my position as official recorder for the team.
we walked around down town on thursday evening, doing a little window shopping and enjoyed dinner with Jyl.
we sat in on bible study with Ryan and his coaches on both Tuesday and Friday and it was really neat to hear the words read in Macedonian, and to hear personal stories and their thoughts and feelings about the work of the Holy Spirit. It was a special gathering.
this is Tony and he is a very special guy. He gave up his day off to drive us to Bulgaria, ensured we had a very special lunch, drove us to the waterfall and just went out of his way to make sure we had a day filled with good memories. He has a heart of gold!
Sunday was a visit to Skopje birthplace of Mother Teresa: this handwritten note by Mother Teresa was powerful and moving.
Our last day in Strumica and at the Sports Center; these 2 ladies work at the sports center and have the sweetest spirits! Fena on the left and Bosil on the right. I think they are sisters but I was never quite sure. (darn that language barrier!)
the drive to Greece. The fields are just filled with the brilliant color of poppies. they sum up for me the colorful and rich experience our visit was.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Our last night in Greece and Our first day Home
I won't have pictures to upload at this time because of a dead battery in the camera but I will post when I get copies of pictures from others in the group.
We walked around Kavala, following windy narrow cobblestone streets that took us up high into the hill of the city. We eventually came out at the top where an ancient fort is still standing. Oh wow! 360 degree view of the city and the Aegean Sea below. We enjoyed the experience of squatty-potties- my first ever and I think I would rather get a kidney infection than do that again but sometimes you just gotta do whatcha gotta do and when you gotta do it....
We came down from the fort on the other side and meandered through more windy streets. Bruce bought me a little trinket-- bracelet-- at a sidewalk shop. We eventually returned to the port and debated where to have dinner. the proprietor of a very nice eatery used persuasive powers to eat at his place rather than the one right next door. dinner was fabulous so I think we were all glad he did. I feasted on the Moussaka. (when in Greece ....) on my it was divine!!
We finally were ready to climb back on the bus and rode sleepily back to Thessaloniki to our hotel room. Very nice accommodations-- only too bad our stay was so short. Up early the next morning to catch the shuttle bus to the airport.... and so began our longest day. Since we have been operating 9 hours ahead of our home time, now as we traveled west, we traveled backwards in time!
From Thessaloniki to Munich, to Washington DC/Dulles to Seatac, the longest being that 8 hours over the ocean. Some of us were able to sleep as we flew, but it's not ever a real deep sleep. I did more napping than I ever have however, thanks to a Benadryl.
Arrived in Seatac at a little after 8pm Wed. night and finally parted ways. Arrived home in Deming around 11 pm to find one very happy cat. Toddy has been pretty much glued to my side since we got home.
Watch for some follow up blogs as each of us does some processing of the trip and of course, for more pictures!
At the Name of Jesus
I don't know if I am ready to write about our trip to Philippi yet. It was such an emotionally intense day...
It began, of course, with saying goodbye. Many good byes had been said the night before at the farewell dinner. The Roma children who met us morning and night outside the hotel had worked their way into many of the teams hearts and those may have been the hardest goodbyes.
Ponce, our helper at the sports center, arrived that morning on his motorcycle for his farewell to us. At 22 you might not expect as many tears but he was genuinely heartbroken to see us go. We prayed for him and hugged him and with tears freely flowing he declared he would miss us all so much; we are all in his heart.
Even our waiters at the hotel lined up outside to see us off, which told us without words we had made an impression on their lives. The people we met were all truly outstanding!
We were a sober sniffling group as the tour bus wound its way out of Strumica. No one spoke for quite some time, each lost in his or her own personal reflections. It was Wendi's turn to lead devotionals and she delayed it until she was able to work words around the choked up feelings in her heart. It was okay. we were all feeling that way.
When she was ready she asked each of us to share what did we feel was our small personal victory during our time here. I have asked Wendi to share about this in her own words and will post that at a later date. Suffice it to say, our small victories are actually large ones for each of us.
The drive to the border of Greece was without incident and the day was lovely; warm, breezy. We arrived in Philppi (south of Thessaloniki) around 12:30 and had gyros (authentic gyros!!! oh my goodness!!) at a little roadside cafe. then we drove on to the Ruins of Philipi.
It took my breathe away, literally. the very first glimpse of the stone amphitheater rising up on the mountain side made my heart pound. We had agreed earlier in the week that we would visit the amphitheater first off and would each read a section from the book of Philippians. Knowing we were standing in the center of a place where Christians were martyred for their Christian beliefs made reading this joy filled letter from Paul much more deep. the words lept off the page, making the statement about how the word of God is living/breathing very clear.
It was a tremendously powerful experience. Each of us took a turn and so the whole book was read aloud. Reading certain passages were especially moving. There was much emotion as verses like ' at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord" "forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize..." "fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." and of course, "for I am convinced that I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me." were read.
At one point i found myself no longer able to stand, I had to sit. the feelings were just too strong and the tears were just too heavy. I am not fully able even yet to put this into words but the living presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong, so real, that I was overwhelmed in it. I could do nothing but let the tears flow. Why it was so strong I can not answer but I knew I was to submit to it and let the Spirit just move in me as He so desired.
Eventually we each meandered our way through the ruins beyond the amphitheater. The 'town' stretched out over quite a large area. We saw the jail where Paul was said to be held when he was arrested (Acts 16). We contemplated what it must have been like to have lived in those times. It was a very warm day and hot breezes blew over the dry grass. We wrapped up our time there with iced coffee in the shade back at the cafe near the entrance.
Then it was back on the bus and over to what I am calling "Lydia's place". The river here is where it is said that Paul and Silas met and witnessed to the towns people and a woman named Lydia, seller of purple cloth, came to faith in the resurrected Jesus Christ. She was then baptized in this river and went on to help establish the first church in this town.
Under shady trees with a berm , the river has a monument constructed in her honor and a place for baptism constructed of concrete, has been built over the river. Just beyond the river is a beautiful small cathedral. We sat at the river and listened as Jyl read from Acts 16 about Lydia's conversion. We sat in contemplative silence each processing our thoughts.
I was baptized when I was 14 and it was a very special time in my life. But sitting there in the shade that day, reflecting on what had happened for me at the ruins, I knew God was speaking to me, calling me. For what purpose i do not yet know fully but what I did understand was a compelling desire to be baptized again, here in this river at this time. I turned to Kate and quietly voiced my desire. She was affirming and encouraging.
We worked out the logistics.... I could either go in fully clothed and enjoy the rest of the day with cool wet clothes on, or pretend my under clothing was a bathing suit....
We asked the men to go over the little berm and make sure my privacy was maintained. Then with the ladies looking on, Kate and Bruce stepped down to the river with me. Kate asked me if i had anything I would like to say. I teared up and found it very difficult to speak, but I managed to croak out that I had been baptized at age 14 but after what I had experienced at the ruins this day, it seemed right to do this; it was imperative that I do this.
Kate spoke of my faith, my calling to minister to women, through my writing, being reaffirmed and that this re-baptism was to demonstrate that. That I was being cleansed of anything that was weighing me down in my Christian walk. Then Bruce put his arms around me and with a voice that resonated into my heart, said those beautiful words; "Robyn, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
I came up out of the water, refreshed and renewed. There was cheering and clapping and laughing and crying. I dressed and joined the rest of the group over by the church. We entered this beautiful cathedral and stood in a circle inside under the rotunda.
Have you ever stood in a rotunda? And sang? Oh my. We sounded like angels. LoL! the acoustics were incredible!! We sang "Come thou fount of every blessing" and "amazing grace", 'how great thou art" to name a few. Of course there were more tears as we sang, or couldn't sing. what an absolute Holy Moment. Pure. Simple. Profound. Holy.
It began, of course, with saying goodbye. Many good byes had been said the night before at the farewell dinner. The Roma children who met us morning and night outside the hotel had worked their way into many of the teams hearts and those may have been the hardest goodbyes.
 |
| Bruce with Ponce |
Even our waiters at the hotel lined up outside to see us off, which told us without words we had made an impression on their lives. The people we met were all truly outstanding!
We were a sober sniffling group as the tour bus wound its way out of Strumica. No one spoke for quite some time, each lost in his or her own personal reflections. It was Wendi's turn to lead devotionals and she delayed it until she was able to work words around the choked up feelings in her heart. It was okay. we were all feeling that way.
When she was ready she asked each of us to share what did we feel was our small personal victory during our time here. I have asked Wendi to share about this in her own words and will post that at a later date. Suffice it to say, our small victories are actually large ones for each of us.
 |
| authentic gyros for lunch~~oh my~~!! |
It took my breathe away, literally. the very first glimpse of the stone amphitheater rising up on the mountain side made my heart pound. We had agreed earlier in the week that we would visit the amphitheater first off and would each read a section from the book of Philippians. Knowing we were standing in the center of a place where Christians were martyred for their Christian beliefs made reading this joy filled letter from Paul much more deep. the words lept off the page, making the statement about how the word of God is living/breathing very clear.
It was a tremendously powerful experience. Each of us took a turn and so the whole book was read aloud. Reading certain passages were especially moving. There was much emotion as verses like ' at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord" "forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize..." "fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." and of course, "for I am convinced that I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me." were read.
At one point i found myself no longer able to stand, I had to sit. the feelings were just too strong and the tears were just too heavy. I am not fully able even yet to put this into words but the living presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong, so real, that I was overwhelmed in it. I could do nothing but let the tears flow. Why it was so strong I can not answer but I knew I was to submit to it and let the Spirit just move in me as He so desired.
Eventually we each meandered our way through the ruins beyond the amphitheater. The 'town' stretched out over quite a large area. We saw the jail where Paul was said to be held when he was arrested (Acts 16). We contemplated what it must have been like to have lived in those times. It was a very warm day and hot breezes blew over the dry grass. We wrapped up our time there with iced coffee in the shade back at the cafe near the entrance.
 |
| the 'jail' where Paul was held prisoner |
 |
| looking down over the Basillica |
Then it was back on the bus and over to what I am calling "Lydia's place". The river here is where it is said that Paul and Silas met and witnessed to the towns people and a woman named Lydia, seller of purple cloth, came to faith in the resurrected Jesus Christ. She was then baptized in this river and went on to help establish the first church in this town.
Under shady trees with a berm , the river has a monument constructed in her honor and a place for baptism constructed of concrete, has been built over the river. Just beyond the river is a beautiful small cathedral. We sat at the river and listened as Jyl read from Acts 16 about Lydia's conversion. We sat in contemplative silence each processing our thoughts.
I was baptized when I was 14 and it was a very special time in my life. But sitting there in the shade that day, reflecting on what had happened for me at the ruins, I knew God was speaking to me, calling me. For what purpose i do not yet know fully but what I did understand was a compelling desire to be baptized again, here in this river at this time. I turned to Kate and quietly voiced my desire. She was affirming and encouraging.
We worked out the logistics.... I could either go in fully clothed and enjoy the rest of the day with cool wet clothes on, or pretend my under clothing was a bathing suit....
We asked the men to go over the little berm and make sure my privacy was maintained. Then with the ladies looking on, Kate and Bruce stepped down to the river with me. Kate asked me if i had anything I would like to say. I teared up and found it very difficult to speak, but I managed to croak out that I had been baptized at age 14 but after what I had experienced at the ruins this day, it seemed right to do this; it was imperative that I do this.
Kate spoke of my faith, my calling to minister to women, through my writing, being reaffirmed and that this re-baptism was to demonstrate that. That I was being cleansed of anything that was weighing me down in my Christian walk. Then Bruce put his arms around me and with a voice that resonated into my heart, said those beautiful words; "Robyn, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
I came up out of the water, refreshed and renewed. There was cheering and clapping and laughing and crying. I dressed and joined the rest of the group over by the church. We entered this beautiful cathedral and stood in a circle inside under the rotunda.
Have you ever stood in a rotunda? And sang? Oh my. We sounded like angels. LoL! the acoustics were incredible!! We sang "Come thou fount of every blessing" and "amazing grace", 'how great thou art" to name a few. Of course there were more tears as we sang, or couldn't sing. what an absolute Holy Moment. Pure. Simple. Profound. Holy.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Good Byes
Good byes are never easy. Everyone of us, has in some way, connected with someone here. We will never forget them and we will never forget our time here.
Today after all the work was done and cleaned up, we prayer walked the Sports Center. We each prayed over a specific area. prayers for cleansing, in the name of Jesus, against the terrible things that have taken place inside those walls. We prayed for fertile soil, in which to plant seeds and reap a harvest. We prayed for more workers for the harvest. we prayed for walls to come down and hedges of protection to go around. We prayed for peace, for safety, for salvation's, for the workers and the people who will fill the halls. May they all be touched by your presence God.
We had dinner this evening with our new friends at the restaurant at the top of the hill. incredible view of the city with its lights twinkling and the breeze blowing. we started outside on the huge patio in order to take advantage of the view but it actually got so cold that eventually we moved our party inside.
We leave EARLY tomorrow morning so, its time to shut this down and do some prepacking and hit the rack. We drive to Philipi tomorrow to visit the ruins. take in some other sites and then we'll spend the night in Thessalonki and catch an early flight Wed. morning for home.
Gotta admit, home sounds pretty sweet. Even if those good byes are never easy.
Today after all the work was done and cleaned up, we prayer walked the Sports Center. We each prayed over a specific area. prayers for cleansing, in the name of Jesus, against the terrible things that have taken place inside those walls. We prayed for fertile soil, in which to plant seeds and reap a harvest. We prayed for more workers for the harvest. we prayed for walls to come down and hedges of protection to go around. We prayed for peace, for safety, for salvation's, for the workers and the people who will fill the halls. May they all be touched by your presence God.
We had dinner this evening with our new friends at the restaurant at the top of the hill. incredible view of the city with its lights twinkling and the breeze blowing. we started outside on the huge patio in order to take advantage of the view but it actually got so cold that eventually we moved our party inside.
We leave EARLY tomorrow morning so, its time to shut this down and do some prepacking and hit the rack. We drive to Philipi tomorrow to visit the ruins. take in some other sites and then we'll spend the night in Thessalonki and catch an early flight Wed. morning for home.
Gotta admit, home sounds pretty sweet. Even if those good byes are never easy.
Worship
I'm coming back to the heart of Worship and it's all about You, it's all about you Jesus...
That was the song that was in my thoughts last night as we attended Sunday night service at the Bible Club. The Adonai Band was rocking! They have some strong musical talent and great voices! Audrey did one song with them, as she had taught it to the band earlier in the week " I'm trading my Sorrows". She did a great job even though her allergies have really compromised her vocal range this week. But the Spirit of the Lord was upon her as she sang and it was truly powerful.
The band sang several songs; some the of the tunes were familiar but in truth, I was glad to NOT know the words. It allowed me to just be lost in the moment; in the presence of God. I didn't have to know the words to let my heart and mind and body and spirit join in praise to our Lord and King Jesus Christ! it was freeing to let what ever words of praise and adoration I was feeling be the words of the song. I could lift up my hand in awe and just be in the Holy Presence of the Almighty! Hallelujah!!
Ryan introduced Don who shared a short testimony interpreted by Slave. It was well received and to the point : we all need Jesus.
Ryan's sermon was on the tongue; how it can bring life or bring death by the words we say. I particularly enjoyed his Frog Story about two frogs who fell into a deep hole. They both began jumping, trying to get out, but no matter how high they jumped they fell short of the goal. Other frogs came along and shouted down at them "Give up and die, you will never get out!"
the first frog grew weary in his jumping anf after many futile attempts, did just that; he gave up and died.
But the other frog kept jumping. the Frogs on the outside continued to yell down at him 'you can't get out. there is no hope, give up and die!" but the more they yelled this the higher he seemed to jump! and then,eventually by some miracle he jumped high enough that he was able to escape the hole and land on the outside of it!
the other frogs were amazed. They said 'didn't you hear us yelling that you would not make it?"
but the frog admitted that he was mostly deaf. he thought all their yelling were words of encouragement and that spurred him on to jump higher until he escaped the hole.
You see, our words can bring life or bring death.
On the day of judgment we will be asked to give an account of every word we said. Every word we said that brought death to a person's soul. that is a sobering sobering thought.
BEFORE we left for church however, we experienced how we can bring life to another! the dance troupe that has been here at the hotel for the last couple of days, has allowed some in our group to converse with them. Wendi in paticular has been able to talk with Solomon, a young man in the group. Solomon is Turkish and Muslim. He was curious about seeing us pray at meal times and in particular for Ryan the other day when we laid hands on him and outstretched our hands as a blessing on him.
As the team was explaining about praying to Jesus he was more intrigued. He talked about his curiosity with the bible and Jesus and the conception of Mary. He said he has read the bible on the internet; the Book of Mark. Wendi told him he needs to read the whole bible. Just about this time Bruce and I joined the group, our bibles in hand. When we heard Solomon say he reads the bible online and can read in English, I pulled the papers and notes from my bible and gave it to Solomon. (Bruce and I had each brought a NLT paperback bible for the trip) Solomon's face lit up! he was very excited with the gift and promised he would read it from front to back! he asked us if we would read the Koran.
We are praying today that as they travel back to Turkey on their bus, that not only would Solomon be reading but that it might spark interest to the others on the bus. Lord we believe we planted seeds this week in Solomon and you will bring others along to water and sprout and bring to full bloom!
This morning we met for breakfast and Audrey lead us in devotions, talking about the prayer of Jabez and how she has prayed that prayer every day while here, for herself, for the team, for the Bible club and for Strumica. Yes, just traveling outside of whatcom county enlarges our territories. and asking for God to bless us, can sometimes feel intimidating. that we might aks Him to bless us, who feel so undeserving. Yet that is our God, he delights in giving us good things. He wants to bless us over and over again.
today is our last full day in Strumica. One last day of work at the Sports Center. The team will be finishing painting in the cafe area. I stayed behind at the hotel this morning to blog and then I will be walking to the sports center later. My mission is to find a stationary or card store and buy some thank you cards for the group we worked with this week. Tonight we will gather with them all for a farewell dinner. And have to say good bye to these new friends, our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world.
Early Tomorrow we will leave and head to Philipi. We will spend most of the day in Philipi, spending the night in Thessaloniki. We fly home Wed.
I leave you with this photo with the words of Mother Teresa....
That was the song that was in my thoughts last night as we attended Sunday night service at the Bible Club. The Adonai Band was rocking! They have some strong musical talent and great voices! Audrey did one song with them, as she had taught it to the band earlier in the week " I'm trading my Sorrows". She did a great job even though her allergies have really compromised her vocal range this week. But the Spirit of the Lord was upon her as she sang and it was truly powerful.
The band sang several songs; some the of the tunes were familiar but in truth, I was glad to NOT know the words. It allowed me to just be lost in the moment; in the presence of God. I didn't have to know the words to let my heart and mind and body and spirit join in praise to our Lord and King Jesus Christ! it was freeing to let what ever words of praise and adoration I was feeling be the words of the song. I could lift up my hand in awe and just be in the Holy Presence of the Almighty! Hallelujah!!
Ryan introduced Don who shared a short testimony interpreted by Slave. It was well received and to the point : we all need Jesus.
Ryan's sermon was on the tongue; how it can bring life or bring death by the words we say. I particularly enjoyed his Frog Story about two frogs who fell into a deep hole. They both began jumping, trying to get out, but no matter how high they jumped they fell short of the goal. Other frogs came along and shouted down at them "Give up and die, you will never get out!"
the first frog grew weary in his jumping anf after many futile attempts, did just that; he gave up and died.
But the other frog kept jumping. the Frogs on the outside continued to yell down at him 'you can't get out. there is no hope, give up and die!" but the more they yelled this the higher he seemed to jump! and then,eventually by some miracle he jumped high enough that he was able to escape the hole and land on the outside of it!
the other frogs were amazed. They said 'didn't you hear us yelling that you would not make it?"
but the frog admitted that he was mostly deaf. he thought all their yelling were words of encouragement and that spurred him on to jump higher until he escaped the hole.
You see, our words can bring life or bring death.
On the day of judgment we will be asked to give an account of every word we said. Every word we said that brought death to a person's soul. that is a sobering sobering thought.
BEFORE we left for church however, we experienced how we can bring life to another! the dance troupe that has been here at the hotel for the last couple of days, has allowed some in our group to converse with them. Wendi in paticular has been able to talk with Solomon, a young man in the group. Solomon is Turkish and Muslim. He was curious about seeing us pray at meal times and in particular for Ryan the other day when we laid hands on him and outstretched our hands as a blessing on him.
As the team was explaining about praying to Jesus he was more intrigued. He talked about his curiosity with the bible and Jesus and the conception of Mary. He said he has read the bible on the internet; the Book of Mark. Wendi told him he needs to read the whole bible. Just about this time Bruce and I joined the group, our bibles in hand. When we heard Solomon say he reads the bible online and can read in English, I pulled the papers and notes from my bible and gave it to Solomon. (Bruce and I had each brought a NLT paperback bible for the trip) Solomon's face lit up! he was very excited with the gift and promised he would read it from front to back! he asked us if we would read the Koran.
We are praying today that as they travel back to Turkey on their bus, that not only would Solomon be reading but that it might spark interest to the others on the bus. Lord we believe we planted seeds this week in Solomon and you will bring others along to water and sprout and bring to full bloom!
This morning we met for breakfast and Audrey lead us in devotions, talking about the prayer of Jabez and how she has prayed that prayer every day while here, for herself, for the team, for the Bible club and for Strumica. Yes, just traveling outside of whatcom county enlarges our territories. and asking for God to bless us, can sometimes feel intimidating. that we might aks Him to bless us, who feel so undeserving. Yet that is our God, he delights in giving us good things. He wants to bless us over and over again.
today is our last full day in Strumica. One last day of work at the Sports Center. The team will be finishing painting in the cafe area. I stayed behind at the hotel this morning to blog and then I will be walking to the sports center later. My mission is to find a stationary or card store and buy some thank you cards for the group we worked with this week. Tonight we will gather with them all for a farewell dinner. And have to say good bye to these new friends, our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world.
I leave you with this photo with the words of Mother Teresa....
I forgot some things!
Here are some of my favorite pictures from Sunday!
Mother's Day in Skopje
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there! Today we spent the majority of our day in the city where one of the greatest Mothers of all time was born. Skopje (pronounced scope ya) Mac. is the birthplace of Mother Teresa. Not only did we see the plaque marking the spot of where her home was, we toured the museum that was built in her honor.
With Ryan at the wheel, we traveled to Skopje this morning, to cheer on Giorge who was running in a marathon there. Giorge is one of the coaches with the Sports Center.
it was a 26 mile marathon! He came in 7th over all. Good job Giorge!! (center)
Once we arrived and parked, we walked downtown to where the race would end. since it was still in progress we had some time to explore the city. there is this amazing cement bridge that crosses over the river and that seemed like a good place for some group photos. with us is Giorge's wife. (L-R, G's wife, Kate, Audrey, the love burkes, Mike, si, Wendi, Don)it was a warm day so some of decided to dive in the river and cool off....
After this, Bruce and I, and Don, set off to see the ruins of a Fort across the
We toured the Mother Teresa Museum as previously mentioned. As beautiful as it is, i admit i felt that this lavish monument to a grand lady is probably not what Mother Teresa would have wanted money spent on. HOWEVER, IF the place helps inspire others to DO for others then....
We got back to Strumica (by the way the C in Macedonian is pronounced as an S sound) and headed up a narrow windy dirt road into the hills. This is where Ace (accent on the e) has his summer home. Ace is the project manager for the sports center renovation and he also owns several hardware stores. He is a Believer and has a huge heart and a great sense of humor! He and his wife provided lunch for us at the summer home. We sat outside under a covered patio and ate roasted chicken, pork. beef and had tomatoes and cucumbers. Have I mentioned that Cuke's and Tomatoes are grown here and are served in abundance! And my oh my... if you like tomatoes, you would go wild over these! SOOOOO good!!
After eating Ace's brother showed up and brought his guitar. it was passed around and those who can play plucked out some tunes. Si sang for us some Johnny Cash songs and we all joined in. We finished with a rousing rendition of "Home, home on the range". then it was time to head back into town as Ryan needed to get ready for church tonight. He will be preaching. The bible club meets at 8 pm. I am really looking forward to attending the service. Ryan says his topic will be in the tongue and how it can cause such problems when we speak without love. so more on that next post!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Recreational Day
Saturday is a play day! It was raining when we woke up! A bit of trouble falling asleep last night as a traveling dance troup of mostly young people arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon. NOISY!!!
We had breakfast this morning at the Bakery. chocolate croissants and ham and cheese rolls. Tony arrived at 9 as he would be our chauffeur for the day. We went into downtown Strumica to do a little shopping. visited Global Mall and window shopped along the streets for a couple of hours. bought some souvenirs. bought some snacks for the road. drippy rain all morning. we're used to it so it didn't stop us.
It takes about 30-40 minutes to get to the border of Bulgaria from Strumica. 4 check points in which passports were carefully scrutinized but strangely it did not feel intimidating in the least.
We saw a lot of goat herders and sheep herders in the fields. We saw families working the fields. passed a lot of horse drawn carts. Very rural and agricultural as is Strumica.
By the time we arrived in the town of Petrik (sic) the sun was shining and it was lunch time! We found parking and with Tony leading the way, found a delightful restaurant to dine in. Tony ordered for us and we feasted! First plates of french fries with feta cheese melted on them, and sauted mushrooms also sprinkled with cheese. two huge platters of salad type items: tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, eggplant, olives, cole slaw, lettuce, and several types of cheese (goat, sheep)
then the main course: roasted lamb served with rosemary sprinkled roasted potatoes. We were stuffed! it was all so good! (all of our meals have been good experiences)
After lunch we broke off in small groups and wandered around the town. Being Saturday it was open market day so lots of street vendors. One thing I can't get used to: how attentive the shop keepers or employees are! We are so ignored in the states when we shop. here is you look more than 3 seconds at an item or pick something up, the employees are right there to sell to you.
We had agreed to meet up by 5 but at 4 we had all pretty much seen enough and since we were all back together we went for coffee and enjoyed the outside seating at a cafe. Euro-techno music blared around us and we just sipped our cappuccinos and macchiatos and people watched.
At 5 we were back in the van and headed for the border. Still can't believe we got to visit another country!! This and the time spent in Dusseldorf were certainly serendipitous!
Back inside Macedonia, we went to Bosco to see a waterfall. I find this interesting because when we have company visit us we take them to see Nooksack Falls. the waterfall was simply beautiful and we could have waded right in and stood under it if it had been a warmer day-- and we had our swimsuits!
After leaving the waterfall Tony drove us back to the hotel. Some of the group headed back to downtown as there was some sort of festival going on (which is why the dance troupe was here) the rest of is opted for a quieter evening.... except as I write this there is another large band playing in the middle of the street about a block away and they are a happy marching band! Wow, the excitement just never stops!
It takes about 30-40 minutes to get to the border of Bulgaria from Strumica. 4 check points in which passports were carefully scrutinized but strangely it did not feel intimidating in the least.
We saw a lot of goat herders and sheep herders in the fields. We saw families working the fields. passed a lot of horse drawn carts. Very rural and agricultural as is Strumica.
By the time we arrived in the town of Petrik (sic) the sun was shining and it was lunch time! We found parking and with Tony leading the way, found a delightful restaurant to dine in. Tony ordered for us and we feasted! First plates of french fries with feta cheese melted on them, and sauted mushrooms also sprinkled with cheese. two huge platters of salad type items: tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, eggplant, olives, cole slaw, lettuce, and several types of cheese (goat, sheep)
then the main course: roasted lamb served with rosemary sprinkled roasted potatoes. We were stuffed! it was all so good! (all of our meals have been good experiences)
After lunch we broke off in small groups and wandered around the town. Being Saturday it was open market day so lots of street vendors. One thing I can't get used to: how attentive the shop keepers or employees are! We are so ignored in the states when we shop. here is you look more than 3 seconds at an item or pick something up, the employees are right there to sell to you.
We had agreed to meet up by 5 but at 4 we had all pretty much seen enough and since we were all back together we went for coffee and enjoyed the outside seating at a cafe. Euro-techno music blared around us and we just sipped our cappuccinos and macchiatos and people watched.
At 5 we were back in the van and headed for the border. Still can't believe we got to visit another country!! This and the time spent in Dusseldorf were certainly serendipitous!
Back inside Macedonia, we went to Bosco to see a waterfall. I find this interesting because when we have company visit us we take them to see Nooksack Falls. the waterfall was simply beautiful and we could have waded right in and stood under it if it had been a warmer day-- and we had our swimsuits!
After leaving the waterfall Tony drove us back to the hotel. Some of the group headed back to downtown as there was some sort of festival going on (which is why the dance troupe was here) the rest of is opted for a quieter evening.... except as I write this there is another large band playing in the middle of the street about a block away and they are a happy marching band! Wow, the excitement just never stops!
Friday, May 7, 2010
More Pictures
the shower in our hotel room. there is no shower curtain so every time we take a shower we also wash the floor. guess that makes it easier for housekeeping. note the hand held shower. if we use the installed hook above, we flood the toilet. so the hand held shower is really hand held!
this pictures break my heart. these are Roma children (Roma gypsies) who come each day to the hotel and beg for money. it's beyond sad that they live in such poverty. Can you imagine if we could bathe them, clothe them, feed them and keep them healthy how beautiful they would be. Inside and Out. again, it's just heart breaking and there is so little we can do in the short time we are here.
we drove through the Roma community the other night. I can only imagine what the insides of these homes look like...
"fired" from the tile job, we were moved to the 'cafe' area to paint. Here's the team hard at work. There is hope that the cafe will be up and running by the first of June. Looking at the place it seems a very tall order but we serve a VERY BIG GOD!!
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