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!!