MACEDONIA! :))

The past few days have been incredible to say the least. Since we are stuck in the line to get through the border I will write to you all. There is so much to say, so I will start from the beginning. Warning: it's going to be long. Also, I'm sharing my honest feeling, not because I want you to be concerned, but to show that God is in control and taking care of me.

Tuesday morning Tom (one of the main leaders of the house churches here) came to see us unexpectedly and asked if a few of us could come over to help his wife prepare for a children's program she was running in Macedonia. She had just arrived back from the States on Monday night and was leaving early Wednesday morning to travel again. Toms way of explaining what was going on immediately made me think, "Carley, offer to help with the children. You've been praying for a children's program to work with, go for it." But of course, I wanted to check with my leader first. Funny enough, my leader beat me to it and asked if she would like an extra set of hands. Side note: when we were praying for outreach in the beginnings of March, one of the students was praying and got a verse that read "Come over to Macedonia and help us." As you know, neither teams are going to Macedonia as part of their outreach, but when this came up I realized it was Gods way of telling us to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open for Macedonia. Next thing I know my hand is in the air and a phone call is being made. A few hours later, while helping Kristie pack all her stuff for the conference, I found out I too would be going to Macedonia. 

Then the roller coaster began. The doubts came in. What the heck am I doing? What makes me think I'm qualified? Who do I think I am joining a team of older adult women? Why am I leaving my team to go somewhere alone? I had so much joy and peace when I made the decision, and I realized now that the enemy was creeping into my mind and attacking my weak points. I went to my leaders crying from frustration and confusion. Thankfully, God provided me with some fantastic leaders that were able to help me calm down and sort through my thoughts. Another concern was telling my mom because I know she worries and would be much more concerned than necessary. I've been adjusting to this missionary life, and as Luke reminded me "You're God's little kid! He's not going to let anything happen to you." So I talked to my mom, and I fell back into a wonderful place of peace. Everything was ready. Prayers said, team approval, bag packed, mom notified. Go time.

Less than 24 hours after finding out, I was in a little car headed for Macedonia with two women I had met the day before. I must say they are great, and I liked them from when I first met them. One is a long time YWAM-er and the other the wife of our contact here in Sarajevo. I also got to share a humorous moment with them along the journey as I encountered my first "squatty" aka a bathroom that is just a hole in the ground. Yeah, enjoy a slight gasp, then giggle. I couldn't help but laugh.  Anyways, it was a 7+ hour journey to south Serbia to pick up another woman that was a long time friend of theirs and also used to be a missionary in Sarajevo for the conference. She graciously opened her house up to us for the night. We got there, put our bags down, ate, then went to service. They both are very involved with a large Roma church (for those of you that may not know what that means - gypsy is the less nice word for Roma). I loved it. I couldn't understand a lot of what was happening around me, but I couldn't stop smiling. These people have such energetic prayer and worship. It is fun and contagious. There was over 200 people there, mostly women and children because the men were still working. Two things that I thought about during my time there that I will share... First, I only remembered to bring the shoes that were on my feet which were sandals. I realized that probably was a bad move, and that I would probably end up either with something gross on my feet or an injured foot. Into my mind then came the verse that says "Blessed are the feet of those who bring the good news." So I thought, okay God you're right. I should know that you are protecting me, even my feet. Second was the sights and smells I encountered in that tent. It was so strong at one point that I could almost taste it. Then came another reminder, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." He was right of course. It was the sight of His children coming to praise Him, and the smell of work, poverty, and a culture inside of a culture (Serbian Roma). It was beautiful.

The next morning we got back on the road to finish the last 2-3 hour drive to where we would be staying for the next few days. We arrived early afternoon and then got a mini tour from the pastors son. We went into the closest city which was Stip. We eventually went back to the house, and the rest of the team had arrived. I instantly liked the wonderful women that I would be with for the next few days. They were so kind and welcoming to me. We also met Pastor Jimmy who is incredible and so funny. He is from Nigeria, but has been living in Macedonia for almost 20 years. So we had dinner then a meeting for what we would be doing for the first day. We prayed, had communion, then all went to our rooms to settle in for the night.

Day one was busy but enjoyable. We woke up at 7am, left at 8, arrived where we would be for the day by 9 and started within the hour. The first day we had 9 children, and they were awesome.  We had a guy translator that was great with kids and really helped us a lot. I was assisting, so basically on my feet all day. When the kids and Kristie would be over in the circle teaching, I was at the tables cleaning and setting up for the next activity. We were constantly rotating and keeping the kids moving. The kids had a great first day, and as I left I prayed they would all come back because I didn't even think to say goodbye to any of them.

Day two rolled around quickly and again we were up, out the door, then on the road to start another busy day. This time we had doubled in children! We had 18 little ones (which later turned into 20) to herd down the road towards our room, which by the way was about a 8 minute walk down the road. It was another great day of teaching and playing with the kids. We did lots of crafts and games, but they also heard the gospel message. Then when things were coming to a close we gave the kids their gifts of coloring books, colored pencils and t-shirts. We went back down to the main hall and they went up on stage, sang Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Two kids shared what they learned, and it was precious to look at the moms all tearing up. It was an incredible two days, and I felt beyond blessed to have been part of it. Those kids left knowing that God loved them, and that they are special because God made them. We said goodbye, took some pictures then got back on the road. We spent about 6 hours with the kids both days, so by the time Saturday night rolled around we were exhausted. 

The drive home that last day was fun because we stopped to take pictures in the flowers. One thing that I absolutely love about Macedonia is the incredibly beautiful wildflowers that are all over the sides of the roads and throughout the valleys. It left me in awe everyday. Pastor Jimmy made a great point about it. He said, "Are these flowers beautiful? Do you like them?" Of course the answer was yes. He then said, "This world is flawed, full of sin. Imagine what the flowers in heaven will look like." I could have cried.

Our last night we had ice cream for dinner. Healthy, I know. It was so funny though to sit in a group of grown women all having ice cream for dinner like a bunch of kids. We did some debriefing and just talked and encouraged each other for about two hours, then eventually made it to our rooms for the night.

Our last day was spent mostly in the car. It took us 13 hours to get home. Alongside the way though I got a huge blessing in the form of seeing the other half of our team at their base in Serbia. It was wonderful and almost didn't feel real. I've missed them so much!

Anyways, we finally made it back and it was so good to be reunited with my team! Macedonia was a wonderful experience, and I was so thankful for it. God stretched me a lot in that time but in great and needed ways.