My team and I this month are in a town called Shutka right outside of the capitol of Skopje, Macedonia.
We are working alongside a gypsy camp and church and partnered with two different pastors here in Macedonia. Toni is the pastor of the church we are staying at and Sasha who church plants throughout Skopje. They may be separate churches, pastors, areas, but they are together in the kingdom, meeting together every Monday with a group of other pastors. Which is why we are working with both of them.
It is so encouraging to see pastors of the church coming and meeting together in fellowship, especially when when you may know all of the believers in your country.
Toni’s main ministry’s heart is for the gypsies in Shutka. Sasha’s ministry’s heart is for airport region in Skopje.
Both are awesome. Both are reaching people. Both are loving Jesus in such a real and tangible, life-changing way.
We as team Nani get such a cool opportunity to work alongside these two guys.
So what does this month looks like you may ask?
Well, let me tell you!
We are all sleeping in a room together where we have our tents set up because there are signs of rats and bugs everywhere. Everywhere? Everywhere. (Frozen reference).
Our bathroom is outside of our living quarters, so we have to go through 3 doors, 3 locks, and sometimes clingy (possibly creepy) children. We go 2 by 2, always with a partner. So when midnight pee breaks come around, it becomes a tad inconvenient to wake everyone around you up. Which is when the pee bucket became a thing.
Yes, the pee bucket. Its about a 3 gallon container with the top cut off and we pee in it and then empty it in the morning. Yup.
Then we wake up, and do our bible study through Hebrews together, which has been a really sweet and challenging time together as a team. We do this at 8:30.
At 11:00, Alija and her brother, Sebo, who help run the soup kitchen come to begin preparing lunch. The children begin showing up at that time as well.
There is a preschool behind the church, which is why a lot a children each lunch here, but I’m not sure why some of them do, a lot of it is a mystery, but that’s ok.
Lunch gets served around 12ish.
It’s cool because then we get to hang out with the kids, who range in age from like 7 to 18. And they are all so different, with so much spunk and sass. Gypsy culture is very different. There doesn’t seem to be many, if any, rules. But man, is it cool to be able to just love on these kids.
In the afternoon after the kids leave, Toni may have some jobs for us. Like today, we painted doors and windows blue. And man did that brighten some things up!! We also go and pick up trash around the property and water some plants. And clean up after the meal from the soup kitchen.
Then, we do prayer walks throughout the evening. We take bus 19 or 20, depending on what part of town we want to go to, or a taxi, and we pray. We pray over the Orthodox Church, over the mosques, the gypsy community, over the people, the streets. We pray.
And we build relationships with people. This is something that is just everyday life, but we talk to people and share life with them, love them like Jesus loves them. And maybe, you’ll get to share a little bit about yourself. Maybe, you’ll get to share some of the greatest news ever.
I’ve been here less than a week, and I leave December 2nd, and that seems sad because this place has already latched onto my heart.
I am so pumped to see what is going to happen this month in Macedonia. To see the Spirit move in the crazy way that He moves. I am pumped to see dry bones come to life!!
Please be praying for my team, that we go hard, unwavering, that when we get tired we won’t back down, we will keep charging ahead with the Spirit of the Lord as our Strength!
Praise Report!! I am fully funded!! Thank you so much for supporting me this far!! I could not have done any of this without you! This trip is amazing and God is working in such incredible ways! Some tangible some not so much, and that’s ok! He is moving! Wow. That’s a good word for it. Wow.
Love you all!!
