Some of my teammates and I recently took a trip to a national park in Macedonia for our two off days this month. It is such a blessing to get to visit the mountains because they bring so much solitude, tranquility, and peace to a somewhat crazy couple of months. It was also an amazing opportunity to get to spend time with my teammates outside of ministry! Our travel day home from the mountains radically shifted my perspectives on a controversial subject, and I can’t wait to share it with you!
After a day of hiking a snowy mountain, enjoying the sun by a beautiful lake, and sitting by the fire in a cabin in the middle of the woods, my teammates and I enjoyed an outdoor lunch together and then walked to the bus stop to catch our 12:30 bus back to Stip, Macedonia.
Long story short, our bus was four hours late. During those four hours we never left in the bus stop because we were certain that the minute we left, the bus would come, so we sat and sat. We didn’t have a working phone and can speak approximately four words in Macedonian, so we were a little hopeless. Things like this happen almost daily on the World Race, so you learn to get used to them and laugh it off, saying,“TINA” (This is not America). That day waiting for the bus was one of my favorite days on the Race because it showed me how much my heart has changed. If something like this had happened mere months ago, my mind would have panicked about all the things I needed to do but wouldn’t have time for now that I would be home 4 hours later. It opened my eyes to how peaceful and content the Lord is making me.
Anyways, time for the real story! As we were standing at the bus stop, which was seated outside of a couple of the local cafes, multiple people came to chat with us. Being Americans, especially Americans dressed in bright colors, we stand a lot in a town of 500 people.
The first person to come up to us was an 18-year old male who asked if we were hitch-hiking. He was driving through on his way to the Orthodox church and pulled over to ask us what we were doing and where were from. He asked why were in Macedonia volunteering, and we told him that we were sharing the Gospel. His response was that we need to be very careful telling people that we’re here to make Jesus’ name known because Mavrovo, the mountain town we stayed in, is predominately Muslim. Amongst the four mosques that surround Mavrovo, there is also one of the most popular Orthodox Churches on the eastern side of Macedonia. He said that a lot of Christians would be driving by on their way to church, but there were also a lot of Muslims in the area, so we needed to be careful.
After a couple hours of standing at the bus station watching car by car drive by, a few buses pulled up! We were thrilled thinking that our bus had finally made it! Two hours late, but it was here… or so we thought. A 25-year-old man hopped out of one of the buses to ask us where we’re from and what we we’re doing. After exchanging our stories, he told us that these buses were campaign buses for an upcoming election, and they were headed to Stip. He then offered to help us by calling a local bus company and asking when the bus was coming. What a relief – someone with a phone and someone we can communicate with! He politely told us the buses wouldn’t be here for a couple more hours as he was walking off to grab a coffee.
We noticed that there were a few seats on his bus, so I wondered over to the coffee shop to ask if we could pay them to take us. The 25 year old’s boss said no, but our new 25-year-old friend offered to call a couple more bus companies to see if they could come get us. As he pulled out his phone for the second time I saw his screen saver – a Muslim crescent and star symbol. In all honesty, my first thought was that I shouldn’t trust him because that’s what I’d been taught. In the midst of my circling thoughts, he told me that all the other buses would be here in a few hours also. As I was trying to keep my face neutral for the rest of our interaction, he wrote down his name for me and told me to find him on Facebook if we needed any more help.
A while later, a car pulled up with the same Muslim crescent and star symbol, but this time it was on display on a pillow in the backseat. The family got out of their car, turned to us, and asked what in the World we were doing. We explained, again, what was happening, and again, thoughts ran through my head that these people may not be trustworthy. The father graciously offered to call us a ride. Feeling bad, we declined. He said that if we were still here when he came back from lunch, he would still be happy to help.
Friends, car after car of Orthodox Christians drove by and not a single one of them offered to help us. The five people who so graciously offered to help were Muslims. Not only did they offer to help but they wanted absolutely nothing in return. The 25-year-old man didn’t ask for our numbers; he gave us his. The family, like my new 25-year-old friend, simply wanted to help a few strangers make it home safely. I personally believe that in America we are taught by a lot of media outlets to fear Muslims. Before this interaction, I can’t say I welcomed interactions with Muslims because I gave into how Muslims are so frequently portrayed by the media. While yes, I understand that there are some very extreme and radical Muslims, let us not forget all the people who aren’t extremists or radicals. They don’t deserve to have us question their character; they deserve to be loved and respected; they are people who Jesus so willingly died for; they are children of God; they are loved and cherished by the King of Kings; we are no better or worse than them. I pray that we would always, like Jesus, look past what’s people so easily judge and label – race, religion, homelessness, etc. – and look to the goodness of people’s hearts.
These encounters also reminded me of the Parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. A priest and another religious leader walked right by the man who had just been robbed and beaten on the side of the road. The Good Samaritan was the only one to stop and offer to help. Jesus tells us to go and care for others, yet the only people, in my story, to offer their help weren’t followers of Jesus. May we be like the Muslims of my story and the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable and always lend a hand without asking anything in return.
Love Always,
Claire
**Please be reminded that I am not seeking to start an argument, just simply stating that not everyone we question deserves to be questioned. 🙂
