For five days In May, five women from Kerith lived in Skopje, Macedonia, supporting our friend Marija Vuletic, leader of VREDNA Women's Conference.
It's such a privilege to serve the ladies in Macedonia - an area of Kerith ministry that we call "International REAL" and is financed by the women at REAL giving each year to support these conferences in eastern Europe.
We had a wonderful time - it wasn't without its challenges (running for a flight and a lost case anyone?!) but a time full of blessing from God, where we learned to lean and depend on Him. The team were so great - you'd have been so proud of them all. Each one rose above the challenges and gave themselves to the women and to all I asked them to do (!) with grace and faith. Let's hear from one of the fantastic team - here are Fran Harrison's reflections.
How was Macedonia, my friend?
This question got me thinking back to those
brief days in Skopje, and as I reflected, I was humbled once again by the sense
of God at work in so many ways – in both the ‘little’ everyday things that one
could almost miss if one wasn’t aware; and the ‘big’ things – the conference
itself and all that went on around that day.
As a first timer in Macedonia, I had gone
with an open heart and mind. Just as
well, as when one’s luggage remains in Luton Airport one is compelled to make
the best with what one has, and what one can find in Skopje. But God, in His wonderful way, turned what
could have been an annoyance at best and a disaster at least, into a time of
building community, cementing friendships, developing trust and sharing
laughter. We made do, we shared
resources, we giggled over late night and early morning room visits, and above
all, we were reminded that we didn’t need the things in our bags too much – we
needed one another and we needed GOD! We
needed to trust Him, to rely on His knowledge of what we were in Skopje to do;
we needed to give Him space to reveal what the people needed from us. And so it was in the everyday, in the little
things, that His presence was so powerfully felt, and we were able to gain a
real sense of His plan for the weekend.
And so the ‘little’ had such an impact on
the ‘big’ – on what we were able to bring to the weekend itself. For me, the days and nights of total
dependency on Him meant that by the weekend we were truly Spirit-soaked, and He
was able to work through us all as we shared, prayed, worshipped, and
ministered with the women of Macedonia.
So – how was Macedonia? I believe it was a special time of being
reminded of God’s continuous and faithful provision and presence, a time of
being reminded to trust Him more than we sometimes do, and knowing all over
again that when we do that, He delivers what He knows is needed, in a mighty
way!
For me, Macedonia was as much of a blessing
as we hoped to be to the people we had gone to serve, and I treasure the
God-moments, the friendships, the prayers that I carry for the men and women in
that country. I know that God began a
work at that time in Skopje that will continue and grow and bear much fruit,
and it’s a joy and a privilege to be able to be a part of growing His kingdom.
