The Vardar

Have you ever need sometime to think and be alone without really being alone. But is you are around people they start asking why you are so quiet. They seem to think there is something wrong with you because you are being quiet. When I get that way, I go for walks. I am around people, but I am alone with my thoughts. There is a walkway right along the Vardar that I like to walk on or sit by and think. Today was one of those days. I just needed to walk and clear my mind. The best thing about clearing my mind is that then I can hear God speak more clearly.

Negotino Children's Church

We sang the song, "The foolish man built his house upon the sand in Macedonian.

Busy weekend

What a busy weekend. Birthday on Friday, and then on Saturday I was asked to speak at the youth service. I give my testimony and encouraged the youth to hold fast to God even when ill treated by classmates at school. Today I spent travelling to two different churches. This morning, I was able to travel to Negotino and attend church there. I sat in on the children's church and watched as they practiced a skit for an outreach they will be participating in later this year. I was even able to see a new building in a small village that is going to be fixed up and used as a church. The building was given to the church in Negotino to be used for reaching the village. There is a lot of work to do, but I am excited to see what God is going to do in this small village. This evening I was able to attend the largest Gypsy (Roma) church in Macedonia. It was a very exciting experience, and I enjoyed it.

26 on the 26th

Friday was my birthday! Can you believe it 26 years old. When my sister turned 11 on the 11th, I thought it would take me forever to turn 26 on the 26th. Now the day has come and gone. I went to see a movie with the youth group and some friends. We then relaxed at my house and ate cake. It was a very different birthday, but I had a good time and enjoyed the company of my friends.

Visitors from Kosovo

We had visitors from Kosovo came to Eddie and Patti house. Three missionary families from Kosovo came to Macedonia and paid a visit to all of us missionaries here in Skopje. We had great time of fellowship and prayer for each other. We ended the night watching the Saints and Bears game. It was very interesting since half of the group were cheering for the Saints and the other half was cheering for the Bears. Not a particular fan of either team, I cheered for both sides.

Ministry in Southern Macedonia

I took a trip down to a town near Greece called Strumetza (I think that is how you spell it in English). There is a team coming later this year in March to help with the construction of a church. Eddie White, Ed B., Tim, Sonja and I were able to see how far along the building was and to see the plans for the church. Afterwards we attened church there and were able to minister to the people through preaching and fellowship. Sonja even talking about the ICI classes that the people can take to learn more about Christ, the church, the Bible, and other important topics. We got back around 10:00. I have a great time meeting other Christian here in Macedonia and seeing new places.

Chicken Sandwich?

Yesterday Patti and Eddie took Caleb to see a doctor about his rash that he has. Daniella and I spent the day together. We took the bus to the Bit Bazaar and did a little shopping for things that I needed. It was lunch time and we decided to get a sandwich.

I took her to the little place that I usually get a sandwich at. The man there speaks a little English and I like the chicken there. When we walked up, the man smiled at me and said "Chicken sandwich, yes?" I was so excited; he remembered me and what I like to eat. While this may seem like something little or insignificant, I felt like it was big step toward my acculturation process here. As well as making feel important enought to be remembered.

Learning a Language

I stole this from my friend Ian here in Macedonia. He is from England. This is the best realistic example of learning a language that I know of. I am currently at stage 3 most days.

Stages to Learning a Language

1. Not having a clue what anyone is saying. They could be laughing at you or anything, but you have no idea.

2. Being able to “yes”, “no”, and “I don’t know”.

3. Making use of the above word – this leads to much more advanced communication as you learn to let a person talk and occasionally nod or shake the head and say “Дa/si/oui/po etc. “ or “He/no/non/jo ect.” so that people think you understand. Note, this stage can last a long time, even as the vocabulary increases. However, one word that you don’t want to hear during this stage is “paзбиpaш?/capisci?/ comprendes?/kupton? etc.” which reveals you have been found out.

4. One passing stage 3, one can engage in more expert conversation – the weather, football, politics, salvation etc.

5. Being proficient and fluent in the language. Note, however, don’t assume you have reached this stage too soon. You may be able to have great conversations about the speed of light and the condition of your soul, but then you speak to a friend’s parents and you feel like you are back at stage 1 again. This is when you again exercise the abilities reached in stage 3.

Not as computer literate as I thought!

I said I was not computer literate person. I can figure out most things on a computer after trying for a couple minutes. But recently, I am not sure if it was because I've been been felling a little ill or because I am just busy, I could not figure out how to log back in to my blog. I has taken me five days! So much for any confidence that I improving in this aspect of my computer skills.

Beginnings

There is no better way to start the New Year than with a new experience. Not computer savy as most people are, when my friend suggested staring a blog I was less than excited. Ever the persuasive person she convinced me. So here I am starting the New Year with a new experience.