This month was an incredible month. We had the opportunity
to choose our country of ministry in a mission appropriately titled “Challenge
Europe”. We were given a list of five different countries from which we were to
choose a destination, establish a contact, and determine our own ministry. My
team chose Macedonia. After a 33-hour train ride from Ukraine, my team and I
arrived in Tetova, Macedonia for our second to last month of this year long
journey.
When we arrived to Macedonia, we met up with our awesome
YWAM contacts, Ryan and Robert. They helped us get situated in our new home for
the next month and took care of our meals. After we had a while to rest, we
talked about all the opportunities we had this month. Ryan shared with us that
there was a university just beyond the center of town that he frequently
visits. So, we decided that spending time at this university and building
friendships that could be sustained by YWAM would be the best way to spend this
month.
did not expect much as many of the students had already gone home for the day;
however, we wanted to make an effort. When we arrived at the school, Jordan
(another contact from YWAM), Brook, and I met a man named Omer from the coffee
shop on campus as he was closing up and throwing out the trash. Jordan began
talking to him a little in the Macedonian language and a few minutes later we
were walking towards another coffee shop to sit down talk. After an hour or so
of getting to know Omer, he paid for our drinks (the hospitality here is
amazing!) and invited us to come back to his shop the next day. So, we went
back to the campus the following day and met up with Omer, who introduced us to
some of his friends: Besar and Armend.
Before you knew it, we were hanging out almost everyday
playing pool, throwing darts, spending time at Omer’s coffee shop, and
experiencing the town. Ryan was telling us that it is not common to be invited
into the home of an Albanian family (we are near the Albanian border so there are many Albanian families), yet while we were in Tetova we met two
different families, Besar and Armend. After Omer’s coffee shop closed on
campus one day, Besar invited us to his shoe store on the main road to meet his
mother and see his shop. His mom was very hospitable. During normal business hours,
she pulled up stools for us to sit, as Besar order coffee & tea from the
place next door and then he went to get us cookies. We spent the next couple of
hours talking to his mom and developing a solid friendship with Besar. A little
while later, his dad came into the shop and so we had a chance to spend some
time with him too. Besar and his family are incredible people with great
hearts. A couple of days later, Armend told us that his mom invited us over to
their house to have tea. So, a few days later, Armend’s brother picked us up
from town and drove us halfway up the side of the mountain to their beautiful
home that over looked the city. Again, in typical Albanian hospitality, his
mother offered us tea & coffee. While we were waiting for the drinks to brew,
she set out cookies and pastries to eat and gave us cold drinks as we waited
for the other warm drinks. After finishing the coffee & tea, we thought we
were going to head out but then she offered us food. She went out to a local
restaurant and ordered us all burgers (The burgers here are amazing. They have
huge burger patties with all the essential ingredients you would expect but
then they throw the fries into the burger and you eat all of it at the same
time). After eating lunch, Armend asked if we wanted to watch a movie. So, we
spent the next hour watching the Book of Eli with Armend and his family. Yet,
his mother felt that we needed to have snacks for the movie to she offered us
fruit and pretzels to eat while we watched. Honestly, the hospitality here is
truly amazing from Ryan and Robert to Omer to Armend and Besar’s families. I
only hope that I have learned a thing or two to bring home with me and share
with others this amazing care.
One night, we went out into town to hang out at a local coffee
shop. Somehow, our friends from Macedonia found out that it
was going to be my
birthday the next day, actually it was going to be my birthday in an hour or so
because it was around 11:00pm at the coffee shop. Unbeknownst to me, they began
talking about what they could do to celebrate my birthday…that night. Thoughts
were proposed to yell “Happy Birthday” at midnight but that was not enough for
them. As they were talking, they realized that we didn’t have a cake. So, at
11:00pm at night they all got on their phones and began to find bakeries that
were open this late. All the while, I had no idea that this was happening
because I was talking with some other friends at another table. I saw Besar,
Armend, and two of my teammates head out as they said they would be back
shortly. While they were gone, midnight passed and it became my birthday.
Shortly thereafter, they came back with a cake in hand singing happy birthday
in a crowded coffee shop. And at 12:30am on my birthday we began celebrating.
Honestly, the people here are absolutely amazing. They hardly knew me yet they
were determined to make my birthday a great time. Thank you to them, the
messages from family and friends, a call with my amazing parents, a surprise
party thrown by my incredible girlfriend (which, by the way, she planned in
America by contacting my team in Eastern Europe. I know right?!?! That surprise
was the evening of my birthday. So, I had the cake surprise and then the other
surprise from Melody), and a rededication baptism, I had my best birthday ever.
The month was an absolutely incredible time, from the
location to the people. Thank you Lord for the chance to meet some new friends
and to experience your creation a bit more in the beautiful country of
Macedonia!
