Hope, Love, and Friendship

We had a great dinner last night. Nikola took us to an awesome Macedonian restaurant. We got to walk through an older part of town which was cool.

Today was our last with the kids for this trip. We had a great time getting the mural all finished and the kids, and all of us, put our handprints on the Tree of Friendship. It turned out beautiful thanks to Laurie!!! It will be something bright and beautiful for the kids to pass by every day. We hope it will serve as a reminder that we, meaning ALL the past and future NPCC teams, love and care for them, even though we aren't always there.

It was sad to leave them, but I know some of us will return, myself included. Here are some photos of today.

Tonight we had dinner at a local bakery, and just had to get fresh donuts from a vendor here in the City Center.

Then it was off to a Christian concert. Didn't understand a word they were singing, haha, but it was a neat experience!!! Tomorrow we have a fun day touring around Skopje!

Seeds

Well, the tie dye tshirts were a success!!  It was something special that they haven't done before, and they each got to design their own, so they are very excited. We got to help them with the dye, then rinsed and hung them to dry. They all get their shirts tomorrow for our last day.

It's so amazing to see the bonds being made between our team and the kids. It isn't just us showing love to them.  They are showing love in return by their hugs, friendship bracelets, smiles, kisses on the cheek, or even saying "Te Sakam" to us, which means "I love you". It's going to be extremely difficult to leave their sweet faces tomorrow. I know each of us will leave a part of our hearts there with them.

We have a full and exciting schedule for the next couple of days. Tomorrow we will be at the orphanage for a goodbye party. Then we will head out to dinner and a Christian festival in Skopje. On Sunday we will get to see a bit more of the city, do a little souvenir shopping, go up on the mountain to see the Centennial Cross, attend the service that evening at Soulcraft Church, then dinner before heading out early Monday morning.

Our time in Macedonia has been so special. We know that anything that needs to happen here is all in Gods hands and we will do our best to be His hands and feet through helping others. Love is a universal language. By showing love to the kids, our team, and the people of Macedonia, we hope and pray that our time spent here will plant seeds for God to grow.

Ready for Day 3!!!!

Getting ready to head to 25th of May!!  Today we will attempt to do tie dye shirts, rubber band bracelets (Elizabeth, they LOVE your fancy ones!!!!!!), And work on the mural more.  Btw, Gabriella and Olivera are sporting 2 of Elizabeth's bracelets with their pink jackets. :).  Thanks for everyone's support and prayers!!!  It has been amazing so far!!!

Te Sakam

Yesterday was the first day with the kids! Upon arrival at the orphanage we were greeted at the bus by a few of them with smiling faces. They couldn't wait to give us hugs and say hello. We met some of the staff, then got an overview of more about the kids and why most are there. That day was spent playing outside all day, learning games, making bracelets, playing sports, and just loving on the kids.

Very quickly the day came to an end so we went back to the hotel for a little relaxation before dinner.

For dinner, we went to a great place called Trend which has a beautiful outdoor patio.  Our friends Anet and Marina met up with us. Then they walked us around the City Center where we saw beautiful marble bridges, fountains, and a very large statue of Alexander the Great. Overall it was an amazing first day!!!

Today we headed back and had a great day with the kids. We had lots of fun coloring and making more bracelets. The kids were quick to greet us and helped US color and draw. We also realized that we had quite a few amateurs photographers--they loved taking pictures with our cameras. The staff were not too happy that the kids tried skipping school to stay with us but we didn't mind :) We started our murals too and it's off to a really good start. We didn't see the girls again but we will try to reach out again tomorrow.  For dinner we met up with Matt and his wife Sarah, their daughter Sabina, Alexander, Anet and her daughter Gisele Maria. Looking forward to working on the mural tomorrow and playing with the kiddos!

Here are a few photos of the past couple days!

We made it!!!

After around 15hrs of travel we made it to Skopje! Not one piece of luggage was lost, though it certainly all got searched through before we could leave the airport. That was an experience! Haha.

We had a great time seeing a few of our friends today, and having dinner with them. The view from our hotel is amazing! I've attached a photo below.

Not one wink of sleep on the plane for this girl, even though I do have the worlds best neck pillow! :)

Time for sleep now, to be rested up for tomorrow. I cannot WAIT to arrive to the orphanage and see all of the kids!! I had the biggest grin when we landed in Skopje!!!  More to come. Good night all!

Showing Love to one Another

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:1-4 NIV)

I feel so blessed that God has called me back to Macedonia. Can't believe today is the day we leave!!! Thank you so much to everyone who helped us over the past few months! I'm praying for our safe travels, for our teams unity, and that everyone we come in contact with in Macedonia feels the love we have to give.  I am so ready to see my friends!

Skopje... here we come!

Hello everyone, this time tomorrow the nine women above will be on the way to Macedonia.  We are READY!!!  THANK YOU to all the family and friends that are supporting the October globalX team.  This trip could not happen without your support.  Also, many thanks to the anonymous donors that have played a huge part in this trip.  It is greatly appreciated!  We can't wait to see the kids at the 25th of May, and we will give them big hugs from everyone back home.  More updates to come....

Good Luck & Godspeed!

We had the pleasure of meeting our sisters heading to Macedonia a couple weeks ago. Our prayers and support go with them. We are thankful for their service and honestly we kinda wish we were going too! Each of you will do wonderful things for the kids and for Soul Craft Church. Cherish your time, enjoy Skopje, explore and most of all send our love and God's blessings to all of our friends and to these kids who will get so much just from your attention. Travel safe! God bless you!! 

We're Home

We landed safe and sound in Atlanta last night. What an amazing trip! It will take us weeks to process what we've experienced...but for now it is good to be home and to see our family and friends.

Thank you ALL for going on this journey with us. Your prayers and encouragement supported us and kept us going when we were tired. Together we finished the task! Together we loved children who needed to know that someone does love them and thinks they are special. Together we served Soul Craft Church and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Thank you Lord for having the plan in the first place and for sending us to be your hands and feet.

Until the next trip...hugs to you...

Some photos of the day and wow what a team!

"For I know the plans I have for you..."

Today was bittersweet. It was our last day at the orphanage and we spent most of it playing with the kids and saying our last goodbyes for this trip (I say for this trip because I already know that I will be coming back a 3rd time, God willing). There were tears shed by both the kids and us, but it just lets me know that we made an impact in their lives and were able to touch their hearts with the love of Jesus. During this trip my eyes were opened wide, even more so than last time, to the reality that these kids live with day in and day out. For such young kids they go through A LOT, things that I can't even imagine having to deal with as an adult. But you know what? Despite all of the bad I have witnessed and heard about, I still see light. I still see hope. I still see grace. I still see LOVE.

My heart hurts for these children who have been abandoned, abused, and unloved but at the same time my heart is filled with hope because I see some of them who are able to rise above their circumstances and turn down a good path. A path that I know God has planned for them. I'm reminded of the scripture that says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). This is what keeps me going when I start to think about all of the bad that has and is still going on at the orphanage. Knowing that God has a plan gives me peace. Ultimately He is in control and I know that he hears my prayers for them-"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14, 15 NIV). How awesome is that?? I have seen God show up in so many ways during this trip it's crazy! He never ceases to amaze me and show me that even in what people view as a hopeless situation, he is still there.

We accomplished what we set out to do, which was to finish the greenhouses, start planting some crops, and share the love of Christ with the kids, and I couldn't be prouder of my team. I know that God had to have hand picked each one of us because we clicked perfectly and each of us played a unique and vital role in this trip.

Tomorrow we will be touring different parts of Skopje and then going to church at Soul Craft Church, which is a partner church of NorthPoint. I'm excited to see again how people worship in another language. It always reminds me of just how big our God is and how his spirit can communicate and be felt no matter what language you speak. I ask that you all continue to pray for the "25th of May" and Soul Craft Church because great things are happening over here! And I pray for you reading this, that your heart and mind will be open to the plan(s) that God has for you, so that you can be filled with the joy, hope, love, and peace Christ has promised :)

Some of the amazing kids we got to hang with

Love these little guys!

"Best Day and the worst day"

The title credit goes to my co-leader and friend, Jeff Cook.
It's really the only way to describe this phenomena of meeting and connecting with people, that then ends quickly and with some uncertainty about the future. 
Even after experiencing this in the previous 2 years, it still got me. Tears. Tears of so many different emotions. It took awhile this time. I was taking pictures and from my early TV experience I learned to keep a distance behind the camera. That worked until we got in a circle and Teresa prayed for all us. As soon as her voice cracked, so did I. I'm not sure yet if there is tougher vibe at the Orphanage, or if we are now just more aware of what has always been there. I think the increased number of younger kids, both boys and girls has made it feel more desperate, dark and worrisome.
Dustin Kawa though said he saw how soft the kids' hearts are and that therein lies hope.
All these emotions just swirl while you try to make some sense of it all.
I thought today a lot about the verse I chose for this trip. It works on so many levels.

Deuteronomy 24:19                                                          

19 “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.

Literally we actually only planted a few peppers,  but we worked with an Albanian, Muslim farmer and his grandson on creating these huge greenhouses to create food or cash crops for orphans. What I think we did is actually leave a bit of ourselves there. Hopefully, these are  Jesus follower behaviors that send a positive message from today forward about Christians, Americans even family members to our friends in Skopje.

We are taking back so much in the way of compassion, thankfulness but especially the bonds of our shared experiences as a team. I hope God continues to bless us as he has once again on this trip.

Some wonderful photos to post tomorrow morning, stay tuned.

And we know all things work together for good...

To say this week in Macedonia has been incredible is an understatement.  There are really no words to describe the entire experience.  Our team has been absolutely amazing.  Our chemistry has been unbelievable, and the time we've spent getting to know each other, lifting each other up, and picking on each other has been truly special.

The past five days at the orphanage have been life-changing.  What started as a ridiculously daunting task of re-covering three huge greenhouses and planting crops in them ended up as an amazing accomplishment.  We worked together with a seventy-four year old farmer and his grandson to complete the work.  The beauty of the entire project was apparent to everyone by the end of the day today.

Our final day at the orphanage included a delicious cookout for lunch, playing basketball, painting nails, and playing with hair chalk.  Personally, my experience in Macedonia didn't really hit home until today.  We spent five days with the orphans, and I had a special connection with a young girl named Јагода  (pronounced Yagoda), which literally means "strawberry."  Our bond grew throughout the week, and it was so difficult to leave her today. This has been the kind of trip where one really has to focus on Proverbs 3:5 and not try to comprehend everything that goes on. The time spent with these children was so much fun, and I will never ever forget it.

With Јагода

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28