Lake Ohrid

Lake Ohrid is an absolutely beautiful place. I love to walk along the quay and view the majestic mountains that seem to envelop it. Many times the lake is serene, and other days the wind gust changes such tranquility to turbulent raging waves resembling that of the ocean. On these days, walking along the quay becomes almost impossible because the force of the waves can send water splashing up several feet high. I actually find the lake at the peak of its uniqueness at this time, even though I’m often guilty of enjoying it more when the water is calm and the walkway is more suitable.
It often makes me recall the stories in the Gospels where Jesus calms the waters. And you know, in those accounts, he was there with the disciples, either making his way towards them or being right there in the boat with them. No, it didn’t mean that Jesus always kept the winds and the waves from coming, but he allowed such opportunities to deepen the faith of the ones who followed him. I wonder if our hearts are ever like Lake Ohrid. I know at times mine is... calm one minute, and thrown into turbulence the next. The winds and waves will come, but we shouldn’t fear. Jesus is right there, ready to speak the words “peace, be still” to our fretting hearts. The disciples thought the storm showed that Jesus wasn’t interested in their safety. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. The presence of storms doesn’t mean his presence isn’t with us. After the winds and waves died down, the disciples were filled with awe and had a deeper sense of who Jesus was. Trust him during these times. He is using those situations to deepen our faith. In the mean time, cling to the Anchor and trust the Master of the Sea.

The new roommate

Most of you may be aware that Karen and I are getting a new roommate, a girl named Lepa. Today Lepa moved in and will be staying with us through the end of August. Continue to pray for her salvation. Even if she doesn't become a believer while she is under our roof, I pray that God will somehow use this time to point her to Himself and her need for a Savior. We are excited to see how God will work in all of us during this time.

What's in a name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."
-Romeo and Juliet (by William Shakespeare)

This is quite a familiar quote. And lately has become personally applicable to my life. Why is that? Well, there's a lady at the fabric store beside the coffee shop who decided my name didn't sound Macedonian. So she changed it for me. (Wasn't that nice of her?) Oh, but I'm fortunate to not be the only one... My roommate and co-worker Karen got a name change, too.
My new name is now Menche.
And Karen is now called Kate.
At first I would remind her of my name, and then assured her that if she went to America, her name would stay the same. Sometimes she would call me by my real name, sometimes the name she gave me. But then I thought about it and realized that other people have had their names changed. Saul became Paul. Amy Carmichael was called Amma. So after the culture shock wore off, it wasn't so bad. It was probably just her way of showing she cared.

Water, water, everywhere!

Two weeks ago, I was washing some dishes and thought that I heard water running from the bathroom. "No big deal," thought I. "Maybe someone is using it right now." So I dismissed it as something minor, and decided to step across the street to talk to the neighbors. Well, about 5 minutes after I was over there, two people came in, a girl and her older brother. (English speakers, too!) They walked back to where the couches were and said, "Uh, should there be water all over the floor?" I looked back there, and water was coming up from where the hose connects to the bathroom drain at racing speed. We quickly ran back to the bathroom, where the teenage boy turned the water off to the bathroom. I called the boss man Brian to come take a look at the situation and see what needed to be done. During that time, those two teenagers were nice enough to stay and help me clean up the water until my roommate Karen came in. So we started mopping up the water, ringing out the mops in about a 5 gallon bucket. After the 10th bucket, (I only wish I were exaggerating) I lost count. But hey, there's always a silver lining to the gray cloud, right? Well, the floors got really clean, and Karen and I got to go home early that evening. We were so thankful to have helpful neighbors and friends during the water crisis. Oh, and a big thanks to Brian for staying with the people who took care of the plumbing problem until after 8:30 that night, and on his day off, too!

Manna

Psalm 42:8 - "Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."

2 Corinthians 3:17 - "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

2 Corinthians 12:9 - "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Psalm 119:32 - "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free."

Jeremiah 17:7 - "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is."

Exodus 13:21 - 22 - "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people."

John 14:26 - "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!! Sunday is the day when Macedonians and many of the other Orthodox churches will celebrate Easter. I had the chance to observe an Easter service, which began before midnight and lasted until around 3 a.m. (That's if you stayed for the communion service.) It had a lot of the Orthodox traditions in them, such as burning incense, the priest changing hats several times, and the removal of the veil at the front of the church. From what I know, this is the only day of the year when the veil is removed. I do not know all the significances to the traditions. The rest of the weekend is spent visiting people. I'm hoping that I can have an opportunity to visit the ladies from the English classes.

“But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” – 2 Corinthians 3: 14-16

Time for coffee

Most people would probably think that I drink the majority of my coffee at the coffee shop while at work. But actually, that's not the case. I drink more coffee across the street or across the hall with neighbors than I do at work. (Plus, I try to limit myself to one cup of coffee a day, anyway. I don't like to have too much caffeine.) Going out for coffee is a big deal in Macedonia. That's how a lot of people spend their free time. And don't expect it to be like Starbucks where you grab your cup of joe and go. I'll give you an example. Last week I met one of the students from the English classes for coffee, and it lasted for about two and a half to three hours. What did we do? Not much, we just sat around and talked. (Yes, I'm still doing way more listening than talking because my language is still limited to simple things.) No, it doesn't seem like hard work, but this is what I call work. You build relationships, gain people's trust, and season every conversation with salt, in order to plant seeds. Relationships are very important to people here. Everywhere you go people always seem to have time to ask you if you want some of that oh-so-lovely Turkish coffee (yuck!). So if you're ever in Macedonia and drink coffee with someone, expect to stay a while. Who knew that coffee could be so embedded in a culture?