Crazy seasons and more to come pt.2

Part 2 of ATL and debrief

Monastery in Debar 30th

As we were praying about when to leave the hostel and where to go next we felt like God was telling us pack up and leave the next day. So we did! We decided to go to an active monastery in Debar to learn more about the Greek Orthodox culture. We get dropped off at the bus station by our host and left around 6pm for Debar. Once again the bus drops us off in the middle of town. After shoving into two taxis, we make our way through the mountains of Debar to the monastery of St. John of Bigor. What a nice place! It almost felt wrong and to nice to be there, but God is so sweet and reminded us that it’s ok to have nice things! We wake up to the beautiful mountains and crisp air! Surrounded by so much beauty it’s so sad that there are active nuns and monks who don’t know the full truth of Jesus. Sitting in the church and looking up there was so much beauty but also so much idolatry and legalism wrapped up in tradition. So many different point of views with no set way. I sat there in thankfulness that I know the father’s truth. His truth is for all who want it. Am I going to share that?

We left there with thankful hearts and prayed into where God wanted us to go next. We hopped on short bus ride to visit a nunnery and then walked back into Debar hoping to find a place to stay for the night. At this point we have found a system of taking our packs off and splitting off to find potential places to stay. Debar is not a very touristy place so we find nowhere in our price range to stay. We decide to get pizza, shake the dust off our feet and go to a potential bus stop to catch a bus to Struga at 7. Find out there is actually no bus so we start walking like a bunch of chicken with their heads cut off. We walk to a grocery store and ask for help. They give us a taxi option that is way out of our price range so we keep moving. Just to throw it out there, this is probably the coldest night out of all the nights we are in Macedonia. We are walking and praying and asking God to show us where he wants us. We’ve all had it and our communication is crazy. We find a 24/7 gas station and two people go in to ask for some sort of help. They come back out to tell us we can hang out in the warm corner of the gas station. We set down our packs in this small gas station, had the guitar out singing worship, and sent up silent prayers. In between the cashier running around helping people he’s also calling people he knows to possibly give us a ride. After close to an hour of people coming in and out a man comes in with a big smile on his face, introduces himself and joyfully says he can take us to Struga for €40. We immediately say we will take his ride. We walk out of the gas station to a 7 passenger, little car, with no trunk. Perfect! The 8 of us and our big packs can totally fit in there. He has a plan, takes initiative and gets us all in there. I’m shoved in the back with two other people, little packs and two guitars on our laps. Bags are shoved on peoples laps and two are strapped on the top of the car. After what feels like two hour ride we tumble out of the car into Struga, say goodbye to our friend and set out to find a place to stay. How often can you say that New Year’s Eve you are shoved into a small car with 7 big packs and 8 people on a cold night? Haha! When we get to Struga we hunt for a hotel or somewhere to stay like usual. We meet this family who points us in the direction of a cute little upper room that gives off grandmas basement in the early 2000s.

Starting the year off in Struga 31st- 2nd

Spending new years in this cute upper room was so sweet. We had a balcony that overlooked the city and got to watch the fire works go off for new years. One of my teammates came up with a great idea to start off the new year doing a prayer burn and fast. We were able to give the first of the year to the Lord. During our fast I decided to read through Matthew, Mark and start Isaiah. I also asked the Lord more about what my next steps look like after the race. I wrote out all my options out and prayed over them. God has been highlighting to me squad leading for the fall and as I was praying I felt so much peace about this next step! It brings me so much excitement too! I hope to fill out my application to squad lead gap year and see what God continues to do with that little step of obedience. Pray that God continues to bring peace to this next step. Thank you!

Bitola 3rd

After our fast we got a nice breakfast and decided to take a bus to Bitola in hopes of finding a train that would take us to Skopje. When we got to Bitola we stopped to pray. As we prayed I asked God to give us little treasure hunt/ fun things to find. When we listened we got a waiter, the color yellow, a pelican, a man in a blue hat and lasers. Unknowingly we follow yellow things all the way to a restaurant where we are able to leave our bags and search for a place to stay. We also find out that there is actually no train so we will need to take a bus to Skopje. We find our little treasure hunt things as we are looking for a place to stay. At one point we get split up from two of the boys. Two of us see a cross and go check if there is a something in that direction. As we are waiting the two boys show up to tell us they found a place for super cheap. Seconds later the other two come back and tell us they found a cheap place. They had both found the same place and we got confirmation from God to stay there! Such cool confirmation! That whole night just reminds me of how God wants his children to have fun. To enjoy things and to see God so purely and sweet with a fun child like faith! It was just a fun night! Before getting on the bus the next day we stopped by the restaurant again to say hello to our waiter and to share Jesus with him! God brought us to Bitola for such a sweet reason!

Skopje 4th-13th

We get to Skopje and of course head to the middle of town to find a place to put our bags and split off to find a place. Skopje is such a beautiful place but it does have a lot of poverty. A lot of people trying to get money and food. We find out that one side of the river is the European side and the other side is the Muslim side and that they intentionally segregated. I stay back and watch the bags with a teammate as the rest of our group goes and searches for housing. As we wait we get to talk and do cartwheels with a couple of kids who are selling things in the streets. When the team gets back together, they each share that they found a hotel on the Muslim side and a hostel farther down the road on the European side. God made it fun and gave us a decision. After talking it over we end up going to the hotel in old town Bazaar. It is such a fun place with all sorts of places to eat, have coffee and talk to people. We actually made a lot of friends with the widows and kids on the street. Each time we saw them we were able to love on them even if we didn’t speak the same language. It’s so cool how we can love beyond words. Old town is surrounded by mosques that have a call to prayer four times a day. Each time they go off we start reciting the Lord’s Prayer to help  set our minds back onto the Lord. It also gives a sweet opportunity to pray for the Muslim people group.

Debrief and teachings

Right before starting debrief our hostel fell through. We were going to be homeless for debrief. The day before starting our logistics team found out that the hotel we had been staying at was able to accommodate all of our squad for a week. God had led us to our hotel so our whole team could have a place to stay for debrief. God provides!

Christmas celebration

We got to sort of celebrate Christmas in Ohrid with a nice dinner (thanks mom!) but we also got to celebrate with our whole squad in Skopje. One of our other teams met a couple of missionaries, Jammie and Allison who hosted our whole team for a Christmas dinner. They have been living in Macedonia for 10 years and recently started a prayer room. They also disciple and come alongside teens and young adults. If you feel called to Macedonia or would like to serve in Macedonia +2 years let me know because they are looking for people to partner with them! Anyway it was so sweet to meet them and to be invited into a home with a home cooked meal. We made cookies, decorated ginger bread houses, had a little debrief time and had a time of worship. It felt like home and was such a peaceful place. So thankful for our time with them!

Teachings

Lisa, who is one of our sweet coaches, taught about the Holy Spirit. Here are a couple of points from her teaching!

• As we behold God we become more like him. What we behold will become who we are.
• The Holy Spirit is the one who can take us from glory to glory. We can’t do it on our own. Acts 1:7-8
• We are Gods witnesses and commissioned to share our testimony
• The Holy Sprit is poured out for all. Act 2: 1-4, 38-39
• The gifts of God are for the people of God
• 

We also had an overview of the Old Testament from Lindsey, who is our world race mentor. We went over 11 different movements that happened in the OT and how they play into society today. Not only that but seeing how missions doesn’t start in Matthew but it’s the heart from the very beginning. Missions is created for all people and exists because the world is broken not because God is distant. We also dug into how the kingdom is for all people because of the promise made to Abraham and later fulfilled through Christs blood. We are to go to all people with the good news of Jesus. It was such a good teaching. If you’d like more notes on it let me know!!

Squad fun day!!

We had a fun day in the mountains of Macedonia! Such a beautiful river running through a valley! We took a boat to a cave too! Although it was a bit cold it was so much fun!!

New teams

At the end of our time in Macedonia we found out our new teams and had a nice dinner with our whole squad/leadership! Crazy that it’s that time again! Meet the Chiquititas! I am so excited to get to know these girls and go through Greece with them this season!

People in order from left to right: Olivia, Kayla, Me, Ressie Mae

Greece (ATL) 13th

Three days ago we took a bus to Greece and are in Thessaloniki until tomorrow, Saturday the 17th! Crazy! We are living with our squad, right next to the Mediterranean Sea right now! It’s beautiful and smells like the salty ocean! During our time in Greece we don’t have a specific ministry. We are doing an ask the Lord trip. As my team has been asking the Lord where he wants us, we feel led to Athens. We plan to take a 6hr train ride bright and early tomorrow morning. Please pray for our travels and that we find a place to stay that’s in our budget. I am so excited for this new adventure! While being here we have been exploring the city and getting ready to leave. Today we went on a prayer walk. As we were walking God brought to my mind to pray about someone inviting us into their house. It felt kinda fun so I shared it with our group and we prayed about it. After having a lunch of a hard boiled egg, peanut butter sandwiches and an orange we started to pray into our next steps. As we are praying a man, Sabbaus, with a fun looking hat and a staff comes towards us. I greet him and he starts talking with us. He invites us to his house where his wife Anna greets us with some bread, water and nuts. We get to talk and laugh with them through google translate and broken English. We also got to just share the love of Jesus with them! We left with a guy and a wave from the terrace. It was so sweet of God to send us to them and to be able to love on them! There is going to be so many more opportunities like this and I look forward to them!

What I’ve been learning through all of this

• What does it look like to listen when things are loud or when you have to make a quick decision? During ATL I started to learn and listened for Gods voice. My team cultivated a space to allow God to speak even when we were surrounded by busyness. We were able to take action in what we felt like God was saying and also align it with what scripture said. God speaks so clearly and I’m learning to not overthink his voice but to act in confidence.
• Going off of confidence, God has grown me so much in my confidence and boldness. During our time at the hostel I was able to share my faith and my love of Jesus with the people there. About a month ago we watched a documentary called “sheep among wolves” for one of our team times. It essentially talks about sharing the gospel with unreached people groups. God is showing me more and more that I have nothing to loose. Why aren’t we living out what we believe more without this lingering fear of man? What can man do to us? We have nothing to fear!! Writing this out and even speaking it over myself and others gives me so much excitement for people to know the name of Jesus. If you want to watch this documentary, it’s streamed on YouTube for free!
• The first week of ATL I was living in a mindset of not having enough, a poverty mindset. I was worried about money and honestly I’ve had a hard time sharing food or things with people during my time on the world race. God convicted my heart and showed me that this mindset was hindering me from loving the people around me well. Not only that but also loving myself well. I was so encouraged by my team and prayed over. God set me free from this poverty mindset. I was reminded that “what’s mine is also yours and what’s yours is also mine. What’s ours is all God’s!” I was being selfish with something that wasn’t even mine and I learned it kind of a hard way but was surrounded by so much grace! Going off of this I want to thank those who have come alongside of me financially! What’s ours is Gods and he blesses us still. After sharing this testimony at debrief I went out to eat with Lindsey. She had to leave early and I sat there eating my meal, on a little date with Jesus. After asking for the check the waiter told me it was on the house. Not just the generosity of the waiter but of a loving father in heaven willing to pay for a meal with his daughter! So sweet to have a meal with Jesus. If you haven’t done that, you should!!
• Ok now going off of seeing God as father. We received a book at our last debrief called “healing the orphaned spirit” such a good book!! Everyone should read it because we all struggle with some sort of orphaned spirit. We don’t have to work for our relationship with God. He’s the one who loves us before we make any effort at all. Our belonging comes before our behavior. We don’t have to preform. Our identity in him comes before an assignment. There isn’t a list of rules we have to follow. To heal from this orphaned spirit mindset we must recognize lies, repent from any of the lies we have come alongside and be open to receive the father’s love. To not overthink or try and control and that’s what I’ve tried to do for so long. God has showed me how to receive and how to sit in his love and in who he is as father!!

Prayer

• Continue to pray for boldness. My team has all agreed that we want to grow in our evangelism and it’s so exciting!
• Pray that we find a ministry here in Greece that future teams can partner with.
• As we enter into this next season pray that we would be unified in our decisions and that we would listen to Gods voice well. That he would lead us to where he wants us and who he wants us to meet.
• Pray that God to continue to speak and that I wouldn’t overthink his still small voice.

I truly appreciate you getting this far in my really long update. I am so thankful for you and your prayers! God is at work and it’s so cool to be apart of. I love and miss you all a lot. I hope everyone had a sweet holiday season. May God bless you as you step into this next year!

With much love

In Christ,

Sydney <3