The Online Diary of Ian Symondson

Our Wedding

2010-07-20T20:23:00.001+02:00

Our wedding was a relatively short time in planning - we started in about March 2009 and had the wedding at the end of August. It was made more difficult by the fact that I was in one country, Masha was in another and the wedding in a third country (Macedonia).

There were many preparations: finding dress for Masha, suit for me, hotel, flowers, cake, transport, invitations, flowers, etc, and we were nearly exhausted by the day of the wedding.

I woke up in the morning of the wedding at about 6:30 (having gone to bed about 2am) and I looked awful - I thought "this is my wedding day and I look terrible". But somehow I cleaned up OK!

Masha, meanwhile, had only had about 3 hours sleep. We had travelled down to Ohrid the day before and had lots of last minute preparations, and then in the morning there was the make-up, hair-do's, dressing up etc. I narrowly missed seeing Masha as she came out of the hair-dressers just as I was entering.

The hotel was decked with flowers and the guests had been arriving from Skopje by a special coach. finally I was ready and together with Rob, my best man, we went out to meet people.

As I waited while the bridesmaids came down the aisle, I was rather nervous. And then, coming down the stairs into the gardens, with her begloved hand on her father's arm, came Masha, looking absolutely stunning! She looked truly like a princess, regal and beautiful.

The wedding day swum past with food, dancing, champagne, caviar, friends and family. The band who played consisted of some famous names in Macedonia, amongst the best musicians, a real treat. There was a wonderful joy about the event and the hotel staff noticed that our wedding was different and commented on it. All the plans came together so well and it was a great blessing.

Reawakened

2010-07-14T15:02:00.002+02:00

The long silence lasted for nearly two and a half years.
I've fallen in love, got married and moved country.
And now I am starting my blog again.
To be continued...

Nations

2008-02-28T20:56:00.003+01:00

This region has once again undergone some turmoil as Kosovo last week announced it's independence from Serbia. Sometimes the news seems so far away, but other times it is close to affecting us personally. I travelled to Novi Sad in Serbia last Friday, wondering whether I would be allowed across the border, after the British embassy in Belgrade had been attacked and burnt. But despite having several Kosovan stamps in my passport, there was no problem at all. I assume they have nothing against me personally, and I try not to express sides, even though I've heard a lot of the arguments for and against, both from Serbs and Kosovan Albanians, as well as from Macedonians.

Bosnia, another former Yugoslav republic, has a very large Serbian part, and I hear some are calling for it to break apart from Bosnia. Also, the northern part of Kosovo itself, which has a Serbian majority, has been having demonstrations to break away.

And here in Macedonia, two issues that have never been fully resolved since it's own independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, have been rearing their heads again. The first issue is that of it's name - officially and temporarily called "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", the Greeks have objected to the use of the name Macedonia for this country of 2 million people. The reasons are tied up in history and too long to mention in this blog, but now they are proposing that use of the word "Macedonian" for the language spoken here and for the nationality of the people should be removed, as a part of the conditions of the country entering NATO (it's more complex than that in fact, I am just simplifying it somewhat). So yesterday, in the centre of Skopje, there was a huge gathering of people to protest this change.

The other issue is that the ethnic Albanians, who officially make up 23% of the population of Macedonia, have some who want independence from Macedonia. This would be very difficult to do as they are spread around the population of Macedonia, and needless to say this is strongly opposed by the Slavic Macedonian population. There was civil war in 2001 between these two ethnic groups. Thankfully there is not such a strong tension currently, and it is hoped that the independence of Kosovo will not rekindle a conflict here.

Tract

2008-02-28T20:04:00.000+01:00

I have been busy for some time producing a little booklet in Macedonian. It contains three short life stories from three students, telling how they became Christians, and then at the end a description of how the reader can receive God's forgiveness personally. It has been a labour of love, and has taken some considerable time to produce, not least because Macedonian is not my native language. This is the main reason that I have been so slow to write anything new on my blog. And now it is awaiting the final hurdle of printing before it can be put into people's hands.

Banica 3

2008-01-17T17:13:00.000+01:00

Last week I again went to Banica with several others and I thought I'd take the opportunity to say something about the place.

It is known in Macedonia as a rather lawless place, and I heard that even the police were reluctant to go there. People from Banica travel throughout Macedonia as they take produce to sell (the villages around Strumica, or which Banica is one, have very fertile ground), and it is not uncommon to find them in Skopje in the summer, even though it is a long drive (it takes us about 2 hours or more each way).

In the village there are side roads of mud, and as we drive through there are always lots of people standing by or walking down the road. People with horse and carts go past and stray dogs are in the streets (although that's quite usual here in Skopje too!).

The people themselves are generally fairly darked skinned, and their ethnic roots are not clear to me - some say they are from Egypt (note that Cleopatra was descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals), someone else said Kazakhstan, or some similar area. They generally have Macedonian names, and speak only Macedonian, unlike other ethnic groups like the Roma (to whom they look similar).

Until last year they had no evangelical church in the village of 1200 people, and when missionaries had gone before, the children would throw stones at them. All the more amazing then that last week we had a group of 40-50 sitting for some half an hour listening in almost silence as the gospel was being preached.

Quote

2008-01-13T15:02:00.000+01:00

I just found this quote from Jim Carrey:
"I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."

White Christmas

2008-01-08T13:10:00.000+01:00

Pad, pad, pad, went our feet as we crunched through the snow, coming down from mount Vodno in the dark. All the sounds were muffled, and a slight moisture hung in the air. The ambient light from the city of Skopje below us enabled us to see enough to pick our way down the slope. The day was 5th January 2008. Because of the Julian calendar, still used in Macedonia for the Orthodox holidays, this meant is was two days before Christmas. So having spent Christmas in England, two weeks later I was able to celebrate it again in Skopje! The snow even persisted until the morning of 7th, so I managed to have a white Christmas after all!

About Being English

2007-12-28T01:04:00.000+01:00

Chips by the seaside. Wind off the sea. Old houses, pubs and churches. For all the countries I've travelled in, all the different cultures I've sampled, today was a chance to experience being English again!

We travelled to Westgate in Kent, through grey clouds which lifted to reveal a sky that somehow seemed higher than usual - framing the coastline. It could hardly be described as a beautiful day, yet somehow the bleakness of it made it feel all the more English. Today was something of a homecoming: my mother had been born in her grandparents' house just a few miles away and had lived her childhood in this town. I too had often visited here as a child, getting ice-cream all over my face and swimming in the sea with my brother.

We walked down the road and the wind kept our hair dancing around our heads. Several hardened seaside dwellers were out walking their dogs. In summer the town is busy with people, barefoot children padding along the waterfront, families sitting on the beach, little shops selling beachballs. Today, however, we escaped from the cold by entering one of the few cafes that is open all year round, where we ordered a bucket of chips and doused them in salt and vinegar.

Somehow the mundane simplicity of the day, coupled with the untamed wildness of the wind and sea, captured the essence of Englishness. Here my sister lies buried, here past generations of my family were born and lived, and here for a day I was able to remember my roots ... of being English.

Friends

2007-12-23T16:55:00.000+01:00

Gezim. The moment I saw him again after maybe 2 years, and we both broke into big smiles. We ordered a coffee and sat down together in the cafe, and the passage of time melted away. He's got married since I last saw him, and other changes have taken place, but the pleasure of sitting and chatting made me feel relaxed and happy. So much to talk about, and 4 hours weren't enough. It helped me realise that friends that you can relax with are so important.

And Robert. I met him first over 3 years ago, as I travelled from Montenegro to Albania, meeting him in Shkodra. We made instant friends, and have visited each other several times again since then, in Albania and Macedonia. And now England. Gathering at an old-fashioned pub in an old-fashioned village in the Kent countryside, Robert and his parents, together with me and my parents, sat down to a meal by the log fire. And we nattered. A lot. Our parents happily engaged in conversation, having been friends longer than Robert and I, whilst we also caught up on life and events, like his wedding engagement. And then the time was over far too quickly and we went our own ways, hoping to meet up again soon in some country or another...

Family

2007-12-23T16:48:00.000+01:00

Sunday last week, some 14 of us from the Symondson clan gathered together for a pre-Christmas party. I see some of these relatives only once a year, and the few hours together never seems long enough to have a meaningful conversation with everyone. But good food, good surroundings and good company made for an enjoyable time. How time passes: the oldest of my second cousins is now 25 - I remember when most of them were born...

#5

2007-12-14T23:04:00.000+01:00

Standing at the bus stop, waiting for a #5 bus is a regular occurrence, but today it was different - I was feeling excited. The bus journey took the same route, but today was not usual; I was looking ahead to being in another 2 countries this day, and suddenly the mundane things were transformed.

Changing buses, some 40 minutes later I was at the border, with snow coming down. Kosovo. Arriving in Pristina I took a local bus as close to the airport as I could get and then started walking. There I was with back-pack and guitar, walking through the cold and snow, cars sliding slowly passed me, faces bemused looking out at me: a foreigner on foot, trudging along. About two thirds of the way there a car stopped for me and the driver offered me a lift.

And then a plane ride later and I was thrust into the world of England before Christmas. Decorations, fancy shops, lots of people moving with intent to some destination, dressed in dark coloured clothes and wearing scarves, looking like they've walked out of some TV series. And then I see my dad, faithfully waiting by the 23 year old red Audi 80, smiling as he sees me, and we drive to Bromley, catching up on news. My mum's still-pretty face greets us at the door, and I am welcomed into the warmth...

Cafe Night!

2007-12-07T09:48:00.000+01:00

OK, I've been slow at updating my blog. Often when I have the most to write about (because I am busy), I have the least time to write it!

Last Thursday we had a cafe night with students; we'd been doing questionnaires recently and everyone who said they wanted to get involved with something we were doing, we invited. None of them came!!! However, others came and we had in total (including people from church and foreign guests) over 20 people.

Then on Tuesday at cell group one of those girls came along, and brought a friend. One of my friends at cell group told how she had grown up through difficulties and been depressed and even tried to kill herself. She had later on ended up at a Christian thing, and found herself crying because she realised how dirty she was before God, and she wanted His forgiveness. After, another girl came and offered to pray for her, and God said something to her, through this girl, which showed His love for her - how He wanted to stroke her hair to comfort her - something that was really meaningful to her, but which no-one else knew.

God used this story to reveal to the new people how much God loves them. Great!

Students

2007-11-16T14:04:00.000+01:00

It's a little crazy that the main thing I am doing in Skopje, namely working with the students, gets very little mention on my blog!

Well, in the last month we have started a regular prayer meeting with students, having it actually in the faculty, which is a significant thing. People need to be blessed and prayed for - there are thousands of students at the faculty who don't have a meaningful relationship with God and don't know about His amazing love for them.

A group is forming, with whom we can organize other events as well, such as meeting in a cafe to talk about God with several of the people we know - focussing on some area where they feel most need; or having a band playing on the campus - also doing some fun things for the students as very few people are organising that sort of thing, simply to be blessing to the students.

Banica 2

2007-11-01T14:38:00.001+01:00

Yesterday in Banica: We arrived to see a large group of people already there and as we opened the doors, they pushed in, eager for the front row seats. Although these were first taken by some of the children, the older ones physically picked them up and removed them, taking the seats for themselves! The place that we are renting was completely filled, even by the time of the meeting, and more were coming later. We spent a bit of time getting some "order", then after some worship songs, we prayed for some who were sick. Next came a fiery preach and a call for those who wanted eternal life to stand up and pray. I think almost everyone stood, although I'm sure some of them had done so before. Many people took Bibles afterwards, and I told them to read them through. It's still early days for this church, and almost everyone has heard the gospel for the first time during this year, but we are starting to plan the way to develop the people into strong disciples for Jesus.

Banica

2007-10-30T16:35:00.000+01:00

Banica is a small village in the south of Macedonia, near Strumica. There are 1200 residents and earlier in the year there were about 600 of them at a screening of the Jesus film. We now have a church there of about 50 people. I went for the first time to last Wednesday - over 9 hours out from Skopje for a one and a half hour meeting! But it was worth it. There has never been a church in the village and it is all so new for them. But they are learning and experiencing God. Nearly everyone was prayed for at the meeting and lots came up to get a bible - many were asking me to sign theirs (so I put a bible reference: John 3:16). What we need is for maybe 3 people to go and live in Banica and serve the people there, instead of twice a week taking a group down from Skopje. "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field".

Love = Value

2007-10-26T14:56:00.000+02:00

When God says that He loves us, it means that He values us. In fact He values us as highly as His Son, Jesus. I used to think that loving someone meant I had to do something for them, so I was often trying to find out the things I needed to do. But now I've had one of those "aha" moments, when it has dawned on me that to love someone simply means to value them. And when I value another person I will naturally treat them differently.

Sometimes I have found my sense of self-worth from what others think of me - if I do something well, or look good, people treat me well; but if not, they may ignore me or treat me badly. But as I value (love) God, I also value what He thinks, and one of the things He thinks is that I am so valuable that He would send Jesus to die for me! I am in incredibly valuable, no matter what others say or think about me. And you are incredibly valuable too. And so is everyone else.

Pictures from Skopje and Surroundings

2007-10-24T12:51:00.000+02:00

Following a comment from a friend (Emma-Jane, it was you!), I've decided to add some photos from Skopje and Matka:

The Passing On of Tose Proeski

2007-10-24T12:37:00.000+02:00

Over a week ago Tose Proeski, probably the most popular Macedonian, died in a car crash. Only 26 years old, and a very talented singer, likened to the "Elvis of the Balkans", his death has been a big shock to the people of Macedonia and neighbouring countries. His death seems as significant for the people here as the death of Diana Princess of Wales was for England, and some still seem to be in shock.

On Monday, at the Alpha course, a couple of women turned up almost by accident, not knowing we were having an Alpha course. They stayed and heard the talk about "Why did Jesus die?". One of them asked the question so many are asking: "Why did Tose die?". People at this time are asking the important questions of life and death and does God cause people's suffering. The woman who asked about Tose said that she had been talking to someone about how Macedonians are supposedly Christians but that she has never even read a Bible. She now has a Bible and she is open to knowing more. Maybe there is an opportunity now here to give people some answers to their questions...

Autumn Snow above Tetovo

2007-10-17T14:18:00.000+02:00

The thin bright rays of autumn sun
shine on the mountains where snow's begun
to garnish the peaks like icing sprinkled
upon their craggy faces so wrinkled
as years gone by, like watchers observing
time's twisting tumults of fey policies swerving -
the whims of folk following false agendas
so ignorant of the great and mighty plans
of their Creator.

Freshers

2007-10-01T13:07:00.000+02:00

The throng of people milling around in the courtyard at the front of the university created a buzz of excitement. Today is the first day of term for the students here in Skopje and there were thousands of young people gathered together. For some it was the first day of their course, and I found myself drawn to go inside the Law Faculty. Once inside I saw a multitude sitting on the stairs and lining the walls. As I looked around, my heart was so full of feeling I almost felt like crying. So many people, who will tell them about salvation through Jesus? I walked and prayed that God would send Christians to speak with them and befriend them, and show them the way of life. I'm very glad that on Saturday a team of 10 from Norway will come for 5 days to work with the students...

Glasnost Weekend Away

2007-09-17T12:17:00.000+02:00

Just had a good weekend away with guys from Glasnost, 15 of us in total. The village in the mountains was really beautiful, there was lovely weather, and we had good times of worshipping God together and praying for each others' visions etc. Especially good was the fact that of couple of the group got baptized in a little river near where we were staying.

Bonus Trip

2007-08-23T17:55:00.001+02:00

Just as I was thinking I should be getting back to Skopje, I was invited to go to Vienna for 3 days! We went by van, and it involved meeting people, lots of travel (including 6 border crossings), collecting items for orphans, and a sightseeing trip around Vienna itself.

My whole holiday was a lesson in trust for me. I left from Skopje, having been given some money to go on holiday (of which I had about 100 euro available), knowing that the money was not a lot. I had wavered about whether to go (because of the money), but decided to step out, thinking that I would trust God and would find a way!

Well, God certainly did help me. Through the kindness and hospitality of friends, I think I managed to stay more or less within budget, visited 3 countries, 9 towns, had all sorts of adventures, (including spending the night with three others in a van by the side of an Austrian road!), and had three days at the end to learn something valuable.

I hadn't even known what the trip to Vienna was about, I just said yes. And in the waiting, while fitting in with other people's plans, I saw the importance of simply trusting that God will do what He wants to do. It's not about me rushing around, pushing myself forward, but about God being in control and me submitting to that. And His good plans are not always what I expected.

The lesson I learned is that I can trust God.

Hungarian Outback

2007-08-18T15:14:00.000+02:00

I've spent the last few days in a couple of villages in Hungary. In the first one I helped filter vegetable oil because the pastor's car runs on it! However, when you stand behind his car, it smells like you are in a chip shop! With this same pastor I went canoeing on lake Velence, trying not to capsize the boat and drench the 3 children who were also with us!

Now I am on a farm in the south of the country. It is great, people come and go, there's lots of food, someone is in the process of making a boat, others are putting manure down on the roses and 6 new piglets arrived today. And I'm glad the wild looking dog is tied up.

Budapest

2007-08-13T13:21:00.000+02:00

I like this city. I've been here maybe 6 times and it's so beautiful. I've met up with 3 other people - Phil, Andrew and Katie - who are also sleeping at my friend's place. They are doing a tour with marionette puppets, going across Europe (Poland, Hungary, Romania, Switzerland and Germany), sharing the gospel through their performance, and lots of people have become Christians through it. We've had a good time together, and here's one amazing "coincidence":

Last year I was travelling in Istanbul and I had been wanting to meet some other Christians. There are only about 3000 Christians out of 70 million people in Turkey, but I prayed anyway that I'd meet up with others, and trusted God to do it. A few minutes later I met a whole group doing an outreach (which is very rare in Istanbul). This in itself was amazing, but even more so was the fact that Phil, who I met this week, was with that team last year!

I can recommend coming to Budapest. I've walked the castle and palace, been to 2 museums, and various church buildings, seen the parliament, visited a market, watched live music. Yesterday we went to church in the morning, soaked at the famous baths in Budapest, then watched the Carmen at the Budapest Opera House! And there's still so much more to do.

Kisszállás!

2007-08-10T02:00:00.000+02:00

The train pulled in to a station, with one building, a car and two people. The name of the place, Kisszállás, means "little place with not many inhabitants". It kind of sums up travelling for me!

I'd woken up in Belgrade, Serbia, having taken a night bus from Skopje. A short time there and on to Subotica in Voivodina (Serbia), once one of the most beautiful towns in the Hungarian plains. Meeting a Hungarian guy we toured the town and talked about God (he wasn't a Christian). My journey was so last minute (I'd been sitting talking to a friend and then suddenly I got up, packed a bag in 20 minutes and we went to the bus station together where I'd caught the bus!) and I hadn't even sorted out a definite place to stay for the night. So I took a train to Budapest in Hungary, arriving about 22:30.

A friend in Budapest, at short notice took me in and let me stay there, after they got back from a music festival (Sziget) at about 1:30 in the morning. A long and exciting day!

Miscellaneous

2007-08-07T17:07:00.000+02:00

The temperature has fluctuated wildly in two weeks between 45C (113F) to 18C (64F).

It seems that about 70% of the people in Skopje were away last week. It becomes very quiet here in August.

And finally, the winner of the Bulgarian (Pop) Idol contest gives an insight into some of the Balkan culture for those unfamiliar with it:-

"Happy Birthday to Me!"

2007-08-06T16:33:00.000+02:00

Well, today's my birthday. A bit of a sad tinge to it as I've just said good-bye to one of my best friends - he's gone to England to work for some time.
But I've had some nice things - greetings from various people, and I've been given some presents: a slinky spring, a recorder (musical instrument) and a bobble head picture frame. Maybe they think I'm getting younger :)

Ohrid Mission

2007-08-03T12:41:00.000+02:00

Went to Ohrid with the Glasnost guys again. I intended to go for a few days and ended up staying eight. It was a good time, great weather, a bit of beach, swimming, and mission thrown in. I don't know if I should say it on the blog, but it started, as each year, with some friction between us, but by the end we all wanted to stay together and not separate. Now I'm back in Skopje, I miss the community living and friendships of everyone.

We also had a great team of 8 from Texas with us. I miss you guys (if you are reading this, leave me a comment!!)

Me with a couple of the Texas team.

Where we were staying (some of the group anyway)!

Me and an Orthodox Monk! Some heavy metal afficionados came by and started asking questions about God.

One Big Family

2007-07-13T16:36:00.000+02:00

On my visitors book I had a message left from someone called Amy, and she said could we meet up as I was the only person they knew in Skopje. I was trying hard to remember who it could be (I could only think of two Amys and I knew it wasn't either of them). Anyway, she was passing through on a mission trip to Kosovo. I sent her an email, gave my mobile number and got an email reply saying when she was coming, then heard no more.

So today, as I was going to the office, I stopped at the youth hostel and discovered this Amy was there. I'd never met her before! She had found my blog on the internet and discovered I was a Christian and that was all. Anyway, at least I was able to help her catch her bus and send her on her way; and prayed for her mission in Kosovo. It made me realise that God's family is one big family all over the world, and sometimes your paths cross with other family members.

N. Irish Team

2007-07-09T15:55:00.000+02:00

We've had a team here from a church in northern Ireland, serving with our church. I took them to the University to see around - now most of the students are finishing so it was quite quiet.

They also went to Ohrid, so i thought I'd include a couple of their pictures. A traditional Macedonian dance:

Some general shot of Ohrid, looking beautiful as usual:

YWAMers

2007-06-30T16:58:00.000+02:00

We had a YWAM team with us for a week, helping evangelise the students and serving with the church in other ways. They included people from Macedonia, Poland, USA and Germany.

A few pictures of them:

Scorching Haiku

2007-06-20T11:00:00.000+02:00

This is for my Macedonian friends. There has been a spate of Haiku poems posted on blogs (e.g. Alek's), so here is my offering:

Жежок градски ден
Автобусот клима нема
И јас се топам

Translation to English:
A scorching city day
The bus hasn't got air-con
And I'm melting

Changes in Albania

2007-06-13T16:41:00.001+02:00

Having just spent 6 days in Albania, I was able to see the changes that are taking place there. I was last in the country about 15 months ago and things seem to be changing very fast. The roads are being made up and the towns of Elbasan and Tirane are really different. Even George Bush paid a visit while I was there (not to me personally though).

It was so good to see my friends the Wakeleys again (there's a photo of Nick below). They, as always, welcomed me in and treated me so generously, as did the others there. I was also at a conference at their church, and there were opportunities to be built up spiritually, which I wanted (and needed!).

Global Gatherings

2007-05-27T16:37:00.000+02:00

Today there were about 600 Christians meeting for prayer at the Holiday Inn in Skopje. Coming from various different streams, this number was over a quarter of the evangelical Christians in all of Macedonia. The gathering was part of the Global Day of Prayer, bringing millions of Christians together world-wide. I found it very encouraging to see so many Christians together in one place.

And amazingly, the day before in Banica, a small town near to Strumica in the south of Macedonia, the Jesus film was shown and about 600 people turned up to watch it. Sashe preached briefly and I understand there were people who decided to follow Jesus. :o)

Reactions of Students

2007-05-25T16:27:00.001+02:00

With a team from Blacksburg, Virginia, we had a two week evangelism amongst students in Skopje. A varied range of reactions to our conversations. Some were open, one claimed to be a Christian only to reveal they believed in the "prophesies" of Sai Baba (a Hindu guru), some had other confused ideas, some Muslims were clearly against what we were doing, another one interested in Jesus. One guy took a new testament and a week later told me he'd read it all! (I have trouble getting through a few chapters in that time - normally something stops me and makes me think a lot).

It's important for people to hear the message of our sin and condemnation, and God's grace and reconciliation through faith in Jesus. God loves us and so we are sharing this good news.

Pioneer

2007-05-09T11:47:00.000+02:00

Abraham dug wells. It was the first time anyone had dug wells in that place before and he had to put a lot of effort in to dig down to water. He was doing it by faith, believing there was water there and digging down until he found it.

There was a missionary in a remote part of China. When he arrived, there were no Christians in those tribes, they'd never heard the gospel before and some were violent towards him. He called on people in England to pray and together they believed for 100 families to be saved. It took a long time, but over 100 families were converted and it was the establishing of the church in that region.

Lighting a fire. Getting the wood together, it doesn't seem dry and it takes a long time to get the fire started. After a long period of time a flame springs up and burns for a while and then goes out again. More work. Finally another small flame comes and this time the kindling catches. More wood is added to the fire and a small blaze is produced. As more wood, this time larger branches, is added the blaze turns into a raging fire.

Photos from England

2007-05-08T12:13:00.000+02:00

Seeing the Harvest!

2007-05-03T12:55:00.000+02:00

We are having a team coming from Virginia next Friday, and they'll be here to evangelise to students.

Right on our doorstep here in Skopje we have around 25,000 students. They come from all over Macedonia and they can be found in relatively small parts of the town - whether living in the student dormitories, or studying on the campuses.

All they need is Love!!

Sometimes as I walk through the campus, or just sit there watching people, I find it hard seeing all these students, knowing that most of them don't know where their lives are going and are lost, and for me to not share with them the gospel. My heart is bursting out to reach these lost people.

Oh, that we had more workers in the harvest field - I have found that in a fairly high percentage of conversations we are able to talk about meaningful spiritual things, and I would love for us to be able to make more of these opportunities - the harvest is ripe.

People are coming from other towns of Macedonia to study in Skopje and many of them are getting into groups that are influencing them for bad. Couldn't we do the opposite and bring them into relationship with God and into an active, godly community, and change this whole country?

Nothing Interesting

2007-04-27T15:54:00.001+02:00

I'm so sorry, I don't have much interesting to write. Oh, I suppose I could mention my Dad's 70th birthday party on 7th April, or Nic and Vikki's wedding on 21st. Or I could talk about giving Emily (my niece) guitar lessons. Or maybe I could say about arriving in Pristina on Monday and finding I'd missed the last bus to Skopje and so I had to spend the night there. Sadly I don't think it's the inspiring kind of stuff from which blogs are made. Ho hum...

See the photos

Kosovo

2007-04-05T15:02:00.000+02:00

Kosovo - a name evocative of war and tension, not top of most people's tourist list, is a place I've wanted to visit for over two years. And when I arrived yesterday, it was not all I expected.

Reaching the border I encountered high fences, barbed wire and a plethora of KFOR and UN army vehicles and personnel. Security was tight, it seems, and I felt an air of tension at the border. It continued for several miles into the country as our bus followed behind a KFOR tank.

Pristina was different. A friend of a friend met me at the bus station and we toured around the town, as he showed me the sights and told me about life in Kosovo. There was a relaxed and "European" feel to the city, and even though I was obviously a foreigner (with my looks and backpack), it did not draw unwelcome attention.

My guide, Ilaz, is an ethnic Albanian who had fled the country during the war in 1999. He told me how when he was in Albania at this time, he heard about Jesus and started going along to a church, although he had still been a Muslim. When he returned to Prizren, his home town, he got paralyzed in the legs through standing in very cold water to help some cows; he remembered about Jesus, prayed to him, and was healed. He told me how before the war there were 5 churches in all of Kosovo, now there are dozens; one church that had 12 believers now has about 100. On Sunday, 800 Christians in Pristina will be meeting together for a joint celebration.

The hospitality of my guide and the friendliness of others I met was great. It was a little surreal travelling through the city on the way to the airport - again the ubiquitous presence of UN/KFOR/NGO vehicles, maybe 1 in 3. Once at the airport, almost all of my fellow passengers were working for some international organization.

I enjoyed the day, and as I was on the flight to London, I had my highlight. The passenger on my left hand side was a Kosovar, but who was married to an English woman and living outside London. We got into a conversation and started talking about the possibility of a personal relationship with God. He was hungry and wanted to know how it was possible, so I explained that he needed to recognise that he had turned away from God and sinned and that Jesus's death and resurrection made it possible to come to God, and that he needed to accept Jesus both as saviour and Lord. He'd reached a point in his life where he wanted to do get to know God. His simplicity of faith and open attitude is a challenge to others.

On the Streets

2007-03-27T14:51:00.000+02:00

Chained to bring people's attention to the problem of the modern slave trade: 200 years from the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, there are now more people in slavery than during the entire 450 year period when it was legal.

A group of about 20-30 people fired up with a vision: armed with 5000 flyers, sound system, banner and petitions, we managed to get about 2500 signatures over 4 days! Meeting young, old, men, women, executives, students and tradesmen, the message went out.

Somehow I just fell into the whole thing. Others were organising it, but as I got more and more involved, the importance of the campaign hit me. And there's been the realisation that this is something God really cares about - freeing the captives. Even the weather, which the forecasters said would rain all day on Saturday, was glorious sunshine all day - and Tuesday to Thursday the rain held off until after we finished the petitions.

And now I'm feeling that it doesn't stop here. I already believed in evangelism - people's souls to be saved - and I'm starting to believe more and more in social action as well - people being freed here on earth too.

"Let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!" - Amos 5:24 (NIV)

Getting Signatures

2007-03-23T12:38:00.000+01:00

So far we have collected about 1200 signatures as part of the Stop the Traffik campaign in just 3 days. I've personally talked to hundreds of people over the last 3 days.

Modern Slavery

2007-03-20T15:25:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I was watching the film "Human Trafficking" about women being tricked into slavery, resulting in being forced into prostitution. It was a disturbing film, but I'm glad I saw it because it's given me a deeper insight into the issues and makes me really believe in the Stop the Traffik campaign. There was a Russian school girl, only 16, who thought she'd been successful in becoming a model and arrived in New York all excited at the new prospects. The shock she got was horrific, when she, along with others, were told they owed lots of money for the expenses and had to work as prostitutes to pay back. She, along with the others, were raped and then set to work as prostitutes. The film was very moving, and I recommend everyone (adult!) to watch it to understand the problem.

Stop the Traffik

2007-03-19T09:10:00.000+01:00

This week we have a series of events for the Stop the Traffik campaign (see the website) - a global coalition against the buying and selling of people (modern slave trade). We will be at the university on Tuesday and Wednesday getting people to sign the petition, which will be given to the UN, and on Saturday we have an event in the square, with Vanity Fair playing.

Sunday is the day when Alpin's dreadlocks will be massacred (i.e. cut off), to raise money for Kelly in Boystown, Mexico, to help build a centre for the women she works with (who may not be slaves but they certainly aren't free either). Anyone who wants to donate can do so through PayPal to mork.mindy@lineone.net.

Roses

2007-03-08T20:17:00.000+01:00

Everywhere. Women walking with roses. The bus was full of them. Today is 8th March, and for those in England and other "unenlightened" places, that means it is Women's Day. I'm probably meant to give a rose to someone, but I doubt it's a random thing. Any suggestions?

Greece

2007-03-08T16:50:00.000+01:00

Saw My Big Fat Greek wedding in Greece. It has to be done.

Conference in Serbia

2007-03-08T16:40:00.000+01:00

A group of 11 of us from Macedonia went to a leadership conference in Novi Sad, Serbia on 23rd-24th Feb. A lot of travelling (about 6 hours each way, and only one day there), but I think it was worth it.

Long Silence

2007-03-08T16:30:00.000+01:00

I like blogging. I must admit that sometimes when there is most to write about, though, there is the least time to do it! It seems I have neglected my blog for a whole month. So I going to make up for it!

The Virus

2007-02-08T20:29:00.000+01:00

The computer was infected. Connected to others in the network, it went about utilising their weaknesses and infecting them as well. They became compromised and vulnerable to further attacks.

Then I realised! Having spent hours tracking down the viruses and trying to clean up the computers, I saw the spiritual parallels. Like a network of computers, a community of people can be open to receiving both good things and bad things from one another. We need a firewall around us to protect us from attacks from the outside. But if we are already infected inside, we may be infecting one another in the group through their vulnerabilities.

We each need to have an antivirus program 'installed' in us - first to clean up the infections that are already in there, and repair us, and secondly to protect us from further infections. The spiritual viruses in our lives come about by wrong thinking and wrong beliefs, which make us malfunction. "Be transformed by the renewing of your minds" (Rom 12:2) - we need the pure truth of God's word in our lives (John 8:31-32) that can show up the problems (James 1:22-25), clean us (Eph 5:26), and protect us from further problems (Eph 6:13-14).

One of the viruses I've found in my life had been causing me problems. I was looking to others to make me happy and so if things went wrong, I felt down. Now I see that "rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil 4:4) means that I can find my strength and joy direct from God, in every moment. This is good protection from attack and viruses.

Низ Македонија

2007-02-06T17:03:00.000+01:00

The day started in Skopje, and was to include a lot of travelling. I had volunteered to be part of the group going around Macedonia to encourage believers in various towns. After the morning meeting in Skopje, we drove to Veles and met with two of the leaders there.

From there to Kavardarci and meeting with a couple of Roma Christians who have a church meeting in there front room (which is about 3 metres by 5 metres), at which they get about 30 children! We met later with another Christian, then a brief drop in to a couple who told us they are atheists, but who were really interesting people to spend time with!

Down to Gevgelia, where we were at the evening meeting, and Zoran preached. The others stayed there the night, while Zoran and I went down to Thessaloniki in Greece and spent the night there!!! (that's a long way to go for the night).

Next day, back to Gevgelia after an early morning meeting with Tommie in Thessaloniki, then to Bitola, where we met two more believers who have recently started meeting together and were in need of encouragement.

Afterwards to Struga, via Ohrid, having dinner with some from the church there.

Finally we went to Gostivar, and held a meeting there with a group of enthusiastic and persecuted Christians in that town. This was about the only place where I spoke at all!! I met a girl there who is a student in Skopje and is enthusiastic about being involved in the student work with us here.

And then back to Skopje. Whew!

Storm

2007-02-01T16:03:00.000+01:00

The wind roared and the rain beat down, but the house was not moved because it had good foundations. I have had a rather stressful few weeks, like being in a storm. Yesterday was the closest I have felt to being in a depression for quite a while. But the solution is to have my house built on solid foundations. To trust in God and not be moved; to hear Jesus' words and put them into practice (Matt 7:24-29). God is near to those who call on Him. It's hit me how much of the Bible has been written for and by people who are having a hard time.

Today the sun is shining again...

Mountains and Skopje

2007-01-30T17:47:00.000+01:00

Throwing off everything that hinders

2007-01-24T17:06:00.000+01:00

Sunday night at "Glasnost", Alpin rallied the troops with a battle cry to get fired up with the vision for God. It inspired me. Hebrews 12:1 says "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out before us." (NIV) Sometimes we need to just reclarify where we're going and throw off everything else that gets in the way. To go with passion.

Mad Journey

2007-01-10T14:45:00.000+01:00

29 hours, 4 countries, 2 cars, 2 trains, 2 planes and 2 buses, 15 hours waiting at airports, a bus breaking down in sub-zero temperatures and I returned from Holland to Skopje. Rather tired. And disorientated.

The English are Coming

2007-01-10T08:48:00.000+01:00

In England there was some concern at Bulgaria joining the EU as it might mean many of them flocking to England to find work and money. So I was a little surprised in Sofia to see a headline on a Bulgarian newspaper: "Помощ! Идват Англичаните!" - i.e. "Help! The English are coming!" Apparently lots of English people are going to Bulgaria and buying property there. I met several on the plane. I guess the EU works both ways!

Throughout Holland

2007-01-09T12:32:00.000+01:00

Well, I travelled a lot around Holland and had a great time with great people, especially my friend I was visiting. We went to Andijk, Enkuizen, Appeldorn, Veenendaal, The Hague, Volendam, Marken, Andijk. I'll try and add photos later.

Nederlands

2007-01-04T18:30:00.000+01:00

I'm in the Netherlands now. I like it here. However it is very flat and there seem to be lots of canals and bicycles (probably because it's so flat). But that's not a critism!

Roaming

2007-01-03T20:58:00.000+01:00

In the next week, four countries, three flights and a bus journey: England -> Holland -> England -> Bulgaria -> Macedonia.

On Sunday I went to Fareham to visit and at about 1am on 1/1/2007 I wasn't sure where I was going to sleep! I had prayed earlier in the evening, something like: "Lord, I feel too tired to organise something, please help me get somewhere to sleep!". In actually fact I had three offers, but for one reason or another I turned each of them down (e.g. getting in too late after a party, sleeping on the floor of a church building etc). So at the party I asked one of my friends, could I sleep there, which he was happy with. In fact, the next morning he remembered how a couple of days before he had been feeling so lonely that he prayed "Lord, please bring me some company!". So it was nice being an answer to prayer! A good start to 2007!

More Christmas Pictures

2006-12-30T21:21:00.000+01:00

The visit of the Magi to the young Jesus - homemade decoration!

The cracker contained a bottle of Macedonian wine (T'ga za Jug)!

Christmas!

2006-12-23T22:05:00.000+01:00

I've arrived in England expecting to have the same sort of culture shock that I had last year when visiting, but it hasn't really happened, except that I've felt tired all week. But Christmas in England in soooo different from in Skopje! All the lights, trees, media excitement, people in shops etc. There's been a nice atmosphere in Bromley, people seem to have been quite happy, especially on the first day I went to the shops. Christmas isn't all bad! And most important it is, of course, a celebration of Jesus' birthday, and that is worth celebrating.

Fog

2006-12-21T14:11:00.000+01:00

In Skopje I sometimes get comments from people about the weather making me "feel at home" (i.e. like that in England) - especially with the fog that has been hanging over Skopje for about 3 weeks. Some seem to think it's always foggy in London (blame TV series like Sherlock Holmes for that I guess). Needless to say I assure everyone that London doesn't get much fog these days.
So I've been in England for three days and there's been fog each day! My flight was redirected to Birmingham due to fog. British Airways has stopped all domestic flights at Heathrow due to fog. Hmmm...

(By the way, the picture above is not actually fog...!)

Young Love

2006-11-29T15:43:00.000+01:00

My mum and dad just came back from a holiday around the middle east. Here is a picture of them looking lovingly at each other!

Well done, Mum and Dad!

Grafitti

2006-11-15T12:17:00.000+01:00

As a celebration of 18 months in my apartment in Skopje, here is some grafitti scrawled at the entrance to my building. Is the spelling mistake deliberate or accidental?

Matka Autumn

2006-11-11T18:51:00.000+01:00

What a great way to spend a day off in beautiful Macedonia!

Sofia Revisited

2006-11-07T12:19:00.000+01:00

I went to Sofia in Bulgaria again last week to collect a visa. My previous photo from Sofia (when I was there in August) was not very flattering, so I thought I'd include a new picture.

Stages to Learning a Language!

2006-11-03T12:59:00.000+01:00

Having been here in Macedonia for some time, I thought I'd share some stages I've encountered whilst learning a foreign 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 say "yes", "no" and "I don't know".

3) Making use of the above words - this leads to much more advanced communication as you learn to let a person talk and occasionally nod or shake the head and say "да/si/oui/po etc." or "не/no/non/jo etc." 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 "разбираш?/ capisci?/ comprends?/kupton? etc." which reveals you've been found out.

4) Once passing stage 3, one can engage in more expert conversation - the weather, the 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 excercise the abilities reached in stage 3...

Norwegians

2006-10-17T16:20:00.000+02:00

Phew! Just finished an exhausting but great mission with a team from Norway that has been with us for 10 days.

We went into the university and were meeting lots of people and building on the relationships we already had. It has been a good time. We had "Elvis" performing for us at one point, the idea being that we attracted a crowd. We had gained permission the day before and had set up the sound equipment and Elvis had just appeared for us, when the security came and told us to stop. The permission we had been given was over-ruled and we had to put everything away again. However, we managed to get into conversation with a number of people and they'll remember the time Elvis came!

Together with a strong desire to preach the gospel and the sense of fun that the team from Norway brought proved good combination. After meeting people in the day, we invited them to join us in the evening at various cafes, etc around Skopje. One evening we went to a jazz club and we were all dancing and the bar staff brought us free drinks because we'd improved the atmosphere in the place!

On Sunday a number of people we had invited came to Glasnost - the new congregation of our church, which is aimed at a different culture (mainly young people who like contemporary music etc). Diane spoke about God looking at what is on the inside rather than the outside and afterwards one of people we'd invited was talking about this, so it obviously had an impact on him. The new people we've met seem to have accepted us well, so we're praying that they'll fully accept the gospel in their lives and grow in Jesus.

Quote

2006-09-19T09:04:00.000+02:00

"If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ." - Martin Luther

Which bit is being attacked at the moment, do you think?

Shutka

2006-09-12T19:05:00.000+02:00

I've been in Macedonia for over a year and only went to Shutka for the first time last week. It is the largest Roma (gypsy) settlement in Europe. It was a pretty wild experience and reminded me over going to one of the villages in Albania.
We have a German team with us for about 10 days, so the presence of these 25 Germans attracted lots of children and adults to the meetings. It was fun being surrounded by all the children in a kind of happy chaos.
The best part was last Wednesday when Nikolce preached - he clearly presented the gospel, told people he'd give them a chance to think about it, and then asked people who wanted to give their lives to Jesus and receive salvation from Him, to come to the front. One teenage lad boldly went forward, and then his three friends followed, as well as an older lady, and then another lady later on. It was great to see, the humility in these lads' eyes as they turned their lives over to Jesus.
I was also pleased to see the guys again when I went on Sunday evening. Great joy when people turn to Jesus and receive Him.
I suspect I will go to Shutka again...

Hot in the City

2006-08-28T16:06:00.000+02:00

Bulgaria and Turkey were hot. However, on returning to Skopje it was humid, no wind and 42 degrees C! After a day working in doors with the air-con switched on, I escaped to Prilep where it actually got cold at night! It also meant I had slept in 13 different beds in less than a month. One 6 day period I was in a different bed each night (except one night which was on a coach). Disorientating.

Now I've started planning again for the new term with the students.

Travel Stories

2006-08-15T21:58:00.000+02:00

On Saturday my bank card was eaten by a machine! I managed to get some money out but then it didn't give my card back. The bank said they couldn't do anything until Monday, by which time I had planned to leave Istanbul.

Anyway, the city seemed to be able to keep me there for a couple more days. When I went to the bank on Monday they said to come back at 16:30. So I went for a boat ride, but unfortunately got stranded on an island and wasn't able to get back in time for the bank.

So next morning I had wanted to catch a bus at 10 am for Bulgaria, but bank opened at 9, giving me little time. I ran to the bank, only to realise I'd left a bag behind, had to run back and forth, losing 15 minutes. Bank gave me card and then it was a rush to get to the bus station, withdraw some money and buy a ticket. The minutes ticked by as I waited for the metro. It looked unlikely I'd make it as I arrived at bus station at 8 minutes to 10, and I prayed for help. Quickly I got to a bank machine and withdrew money.

Then the amazing part happened. As I went to look for the bus, very little time left, I man asked where I was going. When I told him, he ran with me to find the ticket office. He helped me buy the ticket and then ran with me to the bus. It was already after 10 but the bus was still there. The man who helped paused long enough to see I was OK then walked off. I don't know who he was or why he helped, but I was still amazed and praising God that I had managed to catch the bus as we were driving off!

Istanbul

2006-08-13T23:09:00.000+02:00

Standing on a bridge over the Golden Horn, the wind blowing through my hair, looking out from the edge of Europe over to Asia, the Muslim call to prayer sounding out from various "camii". A vibrant city, my introduction to modern Turkey. Lively bars and restaurants, and laid-back community-feeling, nestled in the walls of the old city - Sultanahmet - surrounded by such historic sites as Ayasofia and Topkapi Palace.

I had come to Istanbul, having wanted to meet other Christians and then deciding to simply trust God to direct me, instead of waiting around for it to happen. Walking back from the bridge I remembered again this decision and continued to trust. Minutes later I encountered a group playing music and quickly discerned that they were Christians. I discovered that there are very few Christians in Turkey (a country of 70 million), so the chance of that meeting was very small. I could see God's hand in it.

Veliko Turnovo

2006-08-08T11:56:00.000+02:00

This is a pretty town in Bulgaria, once the capital of the country. It is nestled in hills around a twisting river valley, with some great scenery. I can recommend it!

Half Way to 70!

2006-08-07T22:51:00.000+02:00

It was my birthday yesterday! I was celebrating it in Veliko Turnovo in Bulgaria. I was staying in a private room with a view out over the gorge. Very nice!

I've met with various people from different countries, and today went for a walk with a French guy who lives in Uganda, an Albanian living in Canada, and Argentine girl living in Scotland and an American who used to live in France. Very international!

Tip of the Day

2006-08-05T19:23:00.000+02:00

Don't eat chocolate while lying on your back wearing a clean white shirt.

Food

2006-08-04T19:21:00.000+02:00

I like food. I don't like being food. I was bitten over 200 times by bed bugs and it itches. I've considered adding a photo but I'm not sure you'd want to see.

Sofia

2006-08-03T10:41:00.000+02:00

I'm in Sofia, Bulgaria! I've come on a holiday, and already it's been interesting. Fortunately I was not left behind by the bus this time (see previous post) and arrived at the station OK. Whilst looking for an ATM, I met another British guy who welcomed having some company. We had a great day together, talking most of the time. He was interested to hear about my faith in Jesus and it was a pleasure to talk with him about it. In fact we were so intense in our conversation that we saw very little of the city. He's now gone off to Belgrade.

It's been nice to realise that I can actually communicate here - Macedonian is so similar to Bulgarian that I can talk to the people and understand their answers (mostly!). When a couple of English guys who I was with heard me speaking they said they thought I was a spy!!

As for where I go next - well, I don't even know!

Nicest photo of Sofia (in fact my only one)

Stranded!

2006-08-01T17:27:00.000+02:00

So I was traveling back from Ohrid by bus. I sat down next to someone praying for an opportunity to speak to him, while at the same time also wanting to sleep. Anyway, he started talking to me and we continued the conversation at the half way point, at the mountain pass- miles from anywhere, but a popular stopping place. As we talked we saw the bus leaving without us! After unsuccessfully try to hitch a lift from various cars, trucks and a tractor (the latter would have been a mistake anyway!), another bus stopped for us, and when we told what had happened, gave us a lift for free! And there were two empty seats as well. I eventually got to Skopje and went to the bus garage and managed to recover my guitar and backpack. An interesting journey.

Ohrid

2006-07-28T17:15:00.000+02:00

In Ohrid again for a mission. We seem to meet a lot of the alternatives - punks, metallers and goths. We've been reestablishing relationships made in previous years. I met one friend called again, and also a whole family (two sisters and the husband and son of the older sister). Their openness and hunger for the Lord have been inspiring. There were others who also were seeking God. We ran an Alpha course for five nights, and there were on average 9 people there in addition to our team (which was about 20 people). The hunger of one person was especially inspiring - one morning she came to our meeting, having worked all night and only having had one hour's sleep. I think some of our guys might have missed the meeting under the circumstances.

Other highlights from the time in Ohrid have been the baptism of Dean and the sense of closeness that we have had as a group.

Healed Wrist

2006-07-19T14:59:00.000+02:00

Three and a half weeks ago I was skating and fell and badly hurt my left wrist. It wasn't broken, but I don't know what it was. It has been painful since then, and then last week I hit it again when running up stairs - I heard a crack.

I had been prayed for a few times. I had not been to the doctor about it. I asked a physiotherapist friend today what she thought I should do - I was planning on going to the hospital. She checked it and said maybe put something on it. Then she offered to pray. Even though I'd been prayed for, this time I "received" the healing - allowed God to do it and trusted Him. When I said to the others that this time I had received it, I felt a cold feeling go across the place where it had been hurting and the wrist loosened up!

I've been really happy about it. I've been trying out various things I couldn't do before and now I can do them! Even little things, like I keep my phone in my left pocket but was having to use my right hand to get it out before - now I can do it with my left.

Praise God!

Photo!

2006-07-13T16:35:00.000+02:00

At last! I have got a cable so I can download photos from my camera to the computer! So now I can put more photos on my blog!
So, to begin with, here's one of me and my mum, taken when my parents came to visit in June. She is pointing out that I am wearing an England football shirt!

Barry

2006-07-03T17:06:00.000+02:00

About 3 weeks ago, Barry Graham, who had been spiritually fathering me, died. He was the pastor of Fareham Community Church in England, and was also overseeing 2 other churches and involved in missions work around the world.

I first met Barry in Albania in December 2004. He had become pastor of FCC after I left England to go travelling, so I hadn't met him then. He was the kind of person who made his presence felt, not by being overbearing, just because he had vision, was definite when he spoke and had a genuine concern for people. He would say what he saw, preferring to confront issues instead of letting them fester. The kind of person who changes things.

During the time in Albania when I met him (he was visiting Nick and Sar, the missionary friends I was staying with), he preached one Sunday morning. During the time, he picked out people from the congregation and prophesied over them, and I'm told he was very accurate. He picked on me - I needed to be spiritually fathered. So I spoke to him about it, and he volunteered to do it. Such was his attitude.

I saw him last in January. He was talking about meeting up again in Albania in March when he visited. But he had a back problem. It lasted a long time, and then in hospital he was discovered to have cancer. It took hold fast and with shocking speed he died.

So I was left with a sense of loss, as many have been. I believe he was good for Fareham and I prayed for his healing, as did others. I was looking for God's victory and that's where my faith was. His death was not something I was expecting, and personally don't think it was the "best" outcome (to say it was for the best is one way of rationalising what happened) - however I still know that God will bring the victory, in whatever form that will take. "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him..." (Romans 8:28)

May others follow after God in faith and commitment to God's Word as Barry seems to have done; and may we all enjoy closeness with the Lord. May Your Kingdom come...

Catching Up

2006-07-03T17:01:00.000+02:00

Two blog entries in two months...hmmm!

The last month turned out to be more full than I'd anticipated - my parents came to visit for 13 days; Barry, who was spiritually fathering me, died; new tenants in my house in England; work; meeting with students and organising things.

So many things to say...

It Doesn't Rain but it Pours

2006-06-06T16:50:00.000+02:00

My last post was a bit predictive - sometimes I'm too busy doing things to write about them on the blog.

Anyway, we had a team come from America and they've helped with outreach to the students. We had a good time and talked to a large number of people. We had an event on the Saturday night - Glasnost the Show - which had a large number of new people there.

And now, after a busy time, comes a time for praying about the way ahead. Students have exams now, and July/August are holiday time for them, so there is some breathing space to plan and do all those things I've not had time for before (such as learning Macedonian better).

Busy

2006-05-11T15:16:00.000+02:00

Just to correct the balance of the last few posts - I do other things than just have fun! I don't always like to write about the day-to-day things in case it gets boring for people to read! But have been busy - planning evangelism, visiting people, student team stuff, computer things, etc.

Anniversary!

2006-05-11T15:13:00.000+02:00

I've been here a year! Or rather I came up here (Skopje) a year ago! Wow, that's gone fast!

Greece

2006-05-08T15:08:00.000+02:00

Went visiting in Greece for a weekend, seeing Tommie etc. Met with a group of Christians there on Friday evening and we were welcomed from the start. Prayer, worship and conversation took place in at least 6 languages - Greek, English, Swedish, German, Macedonian and tongues! And there were only 3 nationalities there! It was good to see this group of people who are excited about God. They've invited us to come back with a group of Macedonians.

Red Nose and Bruised Bone

2006-05-01T23:05:00.000+02:00

Went out all day, enjoying the holiday and managed to get sunburnt. And then an unfortunately chosen wrestling match with a friend resulted in an elbow in the ribs - we both heard a crunch. But it was a great day!

Student Team Weekend

2006-04-24T18:21:00.000+02:00

After several weeks planning, the student team weekend in beautiful Ohrid has come and gone already. From the moment we started it was clear to me that God was with us. Things went smoothly, plans worked out, we all got on well together. We worshipped God together, prayed, listened to God for each other and had teaching brought to us by Andy who had travelled from Marburg in Germany just to be with us for the weekend. A good time.

Cell and New Life

2006-04-13T02:00:00.000+02:00

Despite initial protestations from me, we had Cell Group at a different venue this evening. And someone became a Christian! Definitely worth it when God does that!

Bitola

2006-04-12T13:56:00.000+02:00

I felt a bit run down. Sashe the pastor said "Go away!" - he meant for a few days in another place, not as an insult! So I went to Bitola in the south of Macedonia. I was told about a place where I could stay - in the house as part of a church. Bitola is a nice place and I got some rest and re-focus.

The Heavy Load

2006-04-06T18:47:00.000+02:00

I had been organising a weekend away for the student work team, but things weren't working. First the accommodation I wanted turned out to be unavailable. Then the speaker contacted me to say he'd delayed in getting his plane ticket and now it had increased out of his price range. Hmmm.

So I got together with another one of the team and we prayed together. I asked God to do one of three things:
1. Make the organisation smooth
2. Tell us clearly to continue even though it stays hard to organise
3. Tell us clearly not to try and continue at this time.

Instead, God showed one thing. It was too heavy for me to carry. Yep! That was actually simple and yet deep.
The next day, Joska returned from Croatia and offered to help with the organisation! Then I checked to see if I could find a cheaper flight, and yes I did! So it's started going smoothly now.

Price of Integrity

2006-04-05T17:14:00.000+02:00

A friend emailed me this. Don't know if it's true, but it gives an insight into the importance of integrity:

Several years ago, a new preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, "You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet."

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

The driver with a smile replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday"

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, "Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

Skating

2006-04-01T16:22:00.000+02:00

Went skating. Got a suntan. And it's only just April.

7+3 @ Cell

2006-03-30T17:09:00.000+02:00

Last night's cell was great. We had 7 people - three were not yet Christians, and another only recently became a Christian. We arrived at 8, started at 9, finished at after 3am! We had bread and wine together - for those still there at 2am and Irena, one of Zlatko's room-mates, listened to the gospel message again and was visibly touched - she was in tears several times. Her attitude towards God is changing for the better.

Winter, Spring, Summer Melee

2006-03-29T16:21:00.000+02:00

Winter had been lingering around. It had lost its sense of purpose but since no-one had come to replace it, it had been drifting aimlessly around, blowing wind, occasionally throwing some snow around and generally being cold. Suddenly, with almost no warning, Summer decided to get in on the action and the temperatures shot up to at least 21C this week. However, Spring suddenly woke up and realised it has missed the invitation to the party and so it gate-crashed. It has been shoulder to shoulder with Summer, each one jostling for position. Suddenly blossoms appeared, and the trees sprouted leaves; meanwhile the temperatures rose and people have started to walk around it shorts.

In the meantime, paling into insignificance from the glory of the summer sun, Winter packed it's bags and started on it's a journey to another place - hardly anyone even noticed as it shuffled off, throwing the occasional breeze at Spring and Summer as they continued their squabble. Winter knew a rest was what it needed, so it could return again next year with renewed strength.

Student Cell

2006-03-28T16:51:00.000+02:00

We started the student cell - it's been going for more than a month now.

we are meeting in the room of Zlatko in a student hall of residence called Stiv.
it's been good; we've been worshipping together, having teaching and studying the Sunday morning preach together.
one time we went around the student dorm to meet people and share the gospel.
one of the room mates of Zlatko was there in the cell group and she heard a lot of what we were talking about. There has been a change in her and she was asking questions about the Lord this week. Her name is Irena.
one next door neighbour has become a Christian (through another group) and his room mate is also interested, so we are meeting with them
another girl has joined the cell - she is from a different hall of residence and we are praying about/planning on starting another group in that hall in a timescale of about 9 months.

Skiing

2006-03-26T16:12:00.000+02:00

I had been trying for about 5 weeks to go on a Saturday, but for one reason or another it didn't work out - e.g. one guy thought I'd left the country and went without me, another few weeks couldn't find someone to go with who had transport etc etc.

Finally on Friday night I said to a friend we should just go, so we went to bus station, took a bus to town nearest to ski resort, started walking and eventually managed to hitch a lift from a Greek couple who were going snowboarding. Had a great time there -skiing for 4 hours - and hitched a lift back down again. For the day it cost about £11 for transport, ski rental, lift pass and food!

Lesson - pray and then act!

Leadership Training

2006-03-24T16:40:00.000+01:00

I was on a leadership training seminar (21st to 23rd March). It was very good. We covered things like vision, values, goals and strategy. Before I have not liked all this talk about "strategy" as it didn't seem spiritual, but now it makes sense - it talks in the Bible about planning as well as about trusting God.

Prov 21:5 - If you plan and work hard, you will have plenty; if you get in a hurry, you will end up poor.

Flat Mates

2006-03-21T16:49:00.000+01:00

In the last six weeks I have had two flat-mates move in: Gjoko and Rinche.

Gjoko is Macedonian, a nice guy; we have a rule to only speak Macedonian in the flat, to give me practice.

Rinche is a little yellow canary.