Our last holiday in Macedonia

Here Olivia is wearing her beautiful Easter dress from Grams. I can't get her to smile when I'm taking pictures because she is looking very intently at the camera. :)




Pepi gave Sawyer this chocolate Easter egg. There was a toy car inside!


Neighbors brought by red Easter eggs for the children. The red coloring stands for the blood of Jesus.



With only a little more than three weeks left for us in Macedonia, Easter was the last holiday that we will celebrate here. It was a very non-traditional Easter for us but it was still nice. We had a great Easter service with the Lifeway team that is here. The worship and teaching were led by our dear friend B. Afterwards, we ate sandwiches and chips with the team and then headed home for a picnic in the back yard with our landlords Evka and Blaze.

The custom of the Orthodox Macedonians is to go to the church the night before Easter. They walk around the church three times and then crack and eat eggs. That is what my neighbors were doing Saturday night.

This year, once again, our family continued our tradition of using the Resurrection Eggs with Sawyer. He absolutely loves them and we are just hoping that the truth of the gospel is sinking into his little heart.

Sawyer with our Jesse Tree

Here is Sawyer with our Jesse Tree. He wanted to put a train around this tree because Grams always puts a train around her Christmas tree. We are enjoying reading the passages and hanging up the ornaments on the tree. The Jesse tree teaches the genealogy of Jesus Christ, starting at Isaiah 11:1 and ending with Luke 2:6-21.

Jesse Tree starts today

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." Isaiah 11:1

This year our family will use the Jesse Tree devotionals for the first time. It is a type of Advent devotional to use at Christmas. I'm hoping ornaments for each day will catch Sawyer's attention. I remember last Easter that Sawyer LOVED the Resurrection eggs that we used. Each night he looked forward to opening up a new one!

We will use a small artifial tree. Most of the ornaments will be simple paper ornaments that I have printed from the internet but a few will be nicer felt ornaments that my mother-in-law, Sheila, sent us last year.

First is listed the date, then topic, then verses, and lastly an example of what type of picture to use on your tree for that day. This reading calendar is found on http://jesse-tree.com/jesse_tree.html and I made my own adjustments. Here's another great site that uses a slightly different reading calendar http://www.rca.org/Page.aspx?pid=1628.

December 1 Creation Genesis 1:1-2:3 Dove or earth

December 2 The fall of Adam & Eve Genesis 2:4-3:13 Tree with Fruit or serpent

December 3 The flood Genesis 6:11-22; 7:17-8:3; 9:8-17 Rainbow, dove with olive branch, ark or pair of animals

December 4 Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9 Tall tower or language book

December 5 Promise to Abraham Genesis 12:1-7; 15:1-6 Dark sky with stars

December 6 Sodom & Gomorrah Genesis 18 & 19 Cloud of smoke or pillar of salt

December 7 Abraham & Isaac Genesis 22:1-19 Ram

December 8 Jacobs ladder Genesis 28:1-17 Ladder or stairs

December 9 Joseph Genesis 42:1-45:15 Colorful coat

December 10 Moses & burning bush Exodus 1:1-14; 3:1-12 Green bush with flames

December 11 Passover Exodus 12:1-39 Door frame with blood

December 12 Ten Commandments Exodus 19:16-20-20:20 Stone tablets

December 13 David I Samuel 16:1-23,II Samuel 5:1-5, 7:1-17 Lyre or harp

December 14 Elijah & prophets of Baal I Kings 18:17-39 Alter (wet) with fire burning

December 15 Isaiah Isaiah 6:1-13 Tongs with hot coal

December 16 Wise and just king Isaiah 8:11-9:7 Crown

December 17 Exile II Chronicles 36:11-21 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Stalks of grain

December 18 Jonah Jonah 1:1-4:11 Big fish or whale

December 19 Waiting on the Lord Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4 Watchtower

December 20 Son of Righteousness Malachi 3:1-5, 4:1-6 Sun

December 21 Baptism Luke 1:5-17,Matthew 3:1-6 Shell with water, or water drop

December 22 Mary and the Angel Luke 1:26-38 Mary

December 23 Joseph Matthew 1:18-25 Carpenters tool or Joseph

December 24 Journey to Bethlehem Luke 2:1-5 Scroll

December 25 Birth of Jesus Luke 2:6-21 Jesus in manger

Resurrection Eggs

Thank you UBC ladies for sending me the Resurrection Eggs! Both my friend and I were able to use them to share the Easter story.