Dear Members,

 

            Thanks to the compassion of our church and our commitment to missions – both at home and abroad – four of us were able to participate in this year’s trip to Macedonia. We met up with groups from Planview, TX and Clinton, MS. In all, there were 29 of us, including Dr. Rick Shaw; his wife, Martha; and their two younger children, Benjamin and Grace.

 

            We participated in the following areas of mission:

Ø      Repair work to a home in Matke village

Ø      Home visits in Matke and Konjare

Ø      English classes in Konjare, Matke, and Shutke (Roma, or Gypsy, village)

Ø      Clothes distribution. Thanks to the generous hearts of FBC, we took four LARGE suitcases from Monroe, each stuffed with clothes and shoes.

Ø      Interviews with the majority of women from the Roma church in Shutke (more about the purpose for that at our presentation in a few weeks)

Ø      Worship with the Congregational Church of Skopje, the Roma church in Shutke, and the fledgling church in Rahovac, Kosovo

Ø      Song ministry at worship services and with children in Shutke

 

God uses the most ordinary of tasks, when we let Him, to make the most impact on our lives and the lives of others - meals shared we shared in locals homes with Muslim hosts, singing with children who don’t understand the words but love the music, listening to women who shared their struggles with poverty, a lack of health care, and not enough food to last the month – connections with people where THEY are. God made us all with the same basic needs and for reasons not yet clearly known He brought us together from opposites sides of the world.

 

We are reminded to love everyone with Christ’s love and to take care of our brothers and sisters in Christ. In that spirit we went, and in that spirit, the body of Christ in Shutke sends to each and every one of you their love and gratitude, and we do, too.

 

In Christ,

 

David, Sara, Taylor, and Denise.