Meren

Here is “Meren” (form of "Mary"), the beautiful new baby daughter of our friends Severjon and Mamude. They are good friends of ours in Macedonia. I've been praying for Mamude and the baby because there were some health issues.

Meren weighed between 6 ½ - 7 pounds at birth. She has a head full of dark hair. They came home from the hospital today. Praise God for this little baby!

Question 3

In my reflection of my time in Macedonia, I've been answering some questions. Here's question #3. To read question 1 & 2, look under my April posts.

What did I discover about the Roma people during my time in Macedonia?

I discovered that the Roma people are very, very resourceful people. Since they live in great poverty, it is in their instinct to be imaginative with how they use scraps that they find. Eric told me that one of his Roma friends used an old x-ray paper to replace the top on a broken drum head. This is only one example of their resourcefulness!

The Roma are good cooks. They make great soups, bean dishes, pita (a special bread pastry), salads, rice dishes, and meats.

Roma people have an amazing sense of hospitality. They will use their last amount of money to serve guests. They are sad if someone only wants to visit for a short time. The longer the visit, the better.

Roma people are actually really clean people. Despite the filth that we all see on the outside of the mahalas, the inside of their homes are spotless! When they clean their homes, they clean everything. They clear the furniture out of a room and clean thoroughly. They will often paint the inside of the home at least once a year. Their homes are very small, so they want them to be well kept and presentable at all times.

I learned that the prejudice against Roma people by local nationals is deep and long-standing. They are often denied jobs because of their ethnicity. Some of them are very hard workers and want to work and provide for their families. Eric hired some Roma to do a painting job, and they did a wonderful job! They worked hard and took pride in the painting job. Other Roma look for ways to provide for their family; by digging through dumpsters and taking plastic and scrap metals to be recycled. I admire these Roma that work hard.

Most of all, I learned that Roma people are mostly like you and me. Our worldviews may differ but we were all made by God for the purpose of glorifying Him. I was honored to learn more about the Roma people and make friendships with them during our time in Macedonia. Eric and I hope to visit Macedonia again one day, and visit with our dear Roma friends there.

Hard Goodbyes

We are saying some hard goodbyes this week. Friends have prepared special meals for us. We feel so loved! God has richly blessed us to have these friendships here in Macedonia and we will miss them all.

Kemcho's Birthday Party

Click here to view these pictures larger

Mamude

Here are some video clips of my friend, Mamude, while she is cooking bread. Mamude is a very dear, sweet friend of mine. She is pregnant with their third child. I will miss her when we move back to the states.

Zlokukani

A new food distribution project has been started in Zlokukani, a small Roma settlement here in Skopje, Macedonia. Many of the poorest families in Zlokukani are given food every Friday. The foods include eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, and other items. The pictures show the families waiting in line.

Thank you UBC ladies!

Thank you to the women of Union Baptist Church for making many scarves, mittens, and hats and sending them our way! Here is our friend Kevsera. Eric first met Kevsera last year while working at the feeding program that Baptist Global Response sponsored. These pictures were taken at one of the Roma educational sites. Kevsera and many others are keeping warmer this winter due to your generous gifts. Thank you for using the talents that God has given you to bless others!

Sumnal featured on CNN

Sumnal, the Roma educational center that we work with, has been featured on CNN! Some of our friends are on this news clip. Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0e-Xb1Q4Vc

Fun at a wedding

Last night we attended a wonderful wedding reception. It was lots of fun! The restaurant was at Kale (Turkish fortress). Kale was beautifully covered in snow. We danced, ate, and fellowshipped with friends. You will notice in the pictures that some of the ladies are wearing traditional Roma costumes. We were honored to be invited to this memorable occasion.

Lunch Program

Here are some more pictures from the lunch program.

Our weekend

We had a busy but wonderful weekend. There is lots of beautiful snow here but it sure isn't slowing us down this holiday season! Sawyer and Eric made a snowman. I will try to post some pictures of it later.

Saturday there was a yard sale with clothes that have been donated to our team. This yard sale allowed people to buy clothes and shoes for a very low price, which helped them and helped us because the proceeds all go towards the sewing center. The sewing center has a large sewing room and also a room for Bible study. You will see in the pictures that Eric and his friend were trying on ties that were on sale:)

Yesterday was our 6th wedding anniversary. We thank God for 6 wonderful years of marriage and look forward to many, many more!

Last night was a very fun Christmas gathering with some of our best friends here in Macedonia. We enjoyed so many goodies. First we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, which Sawyer thought was very cool, and then we enjoyed Jesus' birthday cake, cheesecake, buck-eyes, white chocolate covered pretzels, oatmeal cookies, and more! And I just finished up my breakfast of gingerbread and oatmeal cookies with my coffee, yum!! 'Tis the season for eating way too many sweets, right?

Lunch Program

The lunch program, where Eric works on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, continues to go well. The lunches are served at a Roma educational center, located in a Roma community that is home to at least 50,000 Roma.
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31466 This article tells a little more about the lunch program.

Sewing

Our team's sewing center just opened this week for classes. There has been a great response! There is a team from America here and they are doing a great job teaching. Women can come to sew quilts or crochet. Ladies of all ages are coming! I even tried to crochet myself but I'm going to need A LOT of practice:)The ladies were teasing me that I should crochet at the hospital while in labor!

Roma children

Here are some recent random pictures I took of the precious Roma children living here in Skopje, Macedonia.

Bajram

Earlier this week, the Ramazan season ended for Muslims and Bajram was celebrated. We were invited to Sheni's mother's home. He and his wife were very hospitable. They have a son, Kimcho, that is four years old, like Sawyer, so they had a good time playing together. Kimcho did some traditional Roma dancing for us. Also down the street was a huge circle of women dancing to band music. We had quite a feast with traditional salads, several meats including goat, and best of all-- baklava for dessert!

Lake Matka and Canyon

Only 30 minutes from our home is this beautiful lake and canyon. The water was really low yesterday because the dam had just released water on Monday. You'll see in the pictures that some of the boats are up on the bank. We hiked up to see the views and then had a nice picnic with some Roma friends.