Andrew and I have learned so much in our time here. If you haven't visited our blog before now, I encourage you to look through some of the former posts to see what the Lord has done in our hearts and with those around us. God has been at work, perhaps not in ways that we expected, but we cannot deny that seeds have been planted and that hearts have been drawn closer to the Savior. I am filled with so many emotions as I think about the past several months as well as what is ahead. I am sad to leave, yet excited for what is next; regretful of things I wish I'd done differently, yet grateful for the Lord's grace; certain of what we are to do, yet daily struggling to put all my trust in the Lord and in His plan for us.
Andrew and I have decided not to return to Strumica, Macedonia next fall. Here are some of our reasons: (1) The Lord has done an incredible work in Andrew's heart regarding his desire to play basketball. A year ago, Andrew was praying something like, "Lord, I want to glorify you by playing basketball. Please, show me a way for this to happen." Now his prayer is something like, "Lord, I want to be obedient to whatever you call us. Please, make it clear where you want us." Andrew still loves basketball and I know would love to stay connected, but his heart's desire is simply to obey. As the leader in our family, I believe it's important that he be 'all in' with whatever the Lord calls us to. I praise the Lord for the transformation that has happened in him! (2) The future of ABA as well as Andrew's potential role on next year's team is very uncertain. Andrew hasn't been offered a spot on the team. ABA has struggled financially and no one can be sure that there will be a team next year. (3) Financially, the Lord has given us a different vision for doing ministry. We would love to follow the example of Paul. He did work for the Lord, yet was self-supported.
Andrew and I will be flying back to the states on April 14th. We have less than one week left here in Strumica. Please pray for our remaining time here: that we would make the most of every opportunity. We will be living in the Kansas City area and are praying that the Lord provides job opportunities. We've been applying for jobs more and more lately; pray that we would be patient as we wait on the Lord. He is faithful and His timing is always perfect!
We are so thankful for all of you. We've been encouraged to know that you've been praying for us. The Lord has brought us through many trials; He's given us clarity and a solid perspective when our way has been unclear and Satan has threatened to cause us to doubt the Lord. For those of you who have supported us financially, thank you. You all have been so good to Andrew and I. Our needs have been met and we praise the Lord for your generosity. On another note, I encourage you to make contact with the folks at Faith and Learning International to make any necessary changes with the time you will be supporting us.
We look forward to a reunion with many of you soon. Please, feel free ask us any questions. We would love to share more details about our decision making, as well as stories and experiences from our time here.
Much love,
Andrew and Halee
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
What's new?
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind around here. The basketball playoffs for ABA Strumica met it's halfway point with ABA sitting in 5th place and virtually no chance of making it to the final four. ABA has three games left to finish off their season. Coach Jakus gave the team one week off after hitting the midway point; there were two weeks between games. Unfortunately, Andrew and I spent this week mainly apart, but still had a good time. : )
Anna Buchberger and I were invited to Sofia, Bulgaria to host a dance class at the English Club some American friends of ours lead. We had a blast teaching them the Cha Cha Slide, Cotton Eye Joe and the ABA Dance Team's dance to Jump Around. The following day we enjoyed some sweet fellowship with friends in Sofia and then took a bus to Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria to visit Fifa. Fifa is a Macedonian who is finishing her degree in languages and translating in Blagoevgrad; she's also dating one of the American players, Marcus. She showed us around her town and the Lord provided good conversations with her. That was a big answer to prayer...Praise the Lord!
Andrew's freshmen team's season ended, though they are still practicing. We're not entirely sure why, but other teams are still practicing so why shouldn't we? Welcome to Macedonia. : )
Andrew and I traveled to Skopje yesterday to see our friends Dean and Renata, and help them celebrate their son Victor's second birthday. It was quite the celebration, complete with a whole roasted pig and a birthday cake with fireworks!
An update to come soon about our plans after this!
Anna Buchberger and I were invited to Sofia, Bulgaria to host a dance class at the English Club some American friends of ours lead. We had a blast teaching them the Cha Cha Slide, Cotton Eye Joe and the ABA Dance Team's dance to Jump Around. The following day we enjoyed some sweet fellowship with friends in Sofia and then took a bus to Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria to visit Fifa. Fifa is a Macedonian who is finishing her degree in languages and translating in Blagoevgrad; she's also dating one of the American players, Marcus. She showed us around her town and the Lord provided good conversations with her. That was a big answer to prayer...Praise the Lord!
Andrew's freshmen team's season ended, though they are still practicing. We're not entirely sure why, but other teams are still practicing so why shouldn't we? Welcome to Macedonia. : )
Andrew and I traveled to Skopje yesterday to see our friends Dean and Renata, and help them celebrate their son Victor's second birthday. It was quite the celebration, complete with a whole roasted pig and a birthday cake with fireworks!
An update to come soon about our plans after this!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Decision-Making Time
Just wanted to thank all of you who have kept us in your prayers and who have been so great at providing for our needs. Andrew and I have been so humbled and led to praise at the generosity that has been shown. Thank you for coming behind us and believing in what we are doing here in Macedonia. We pray that the Lord would find us worthy to be used by Him.
Andrew and I are still uncertain about where the Lord would have us be next year, or even next month if we're being honest. Our time here is dwindling down. As hard as it is to believe, we have just over 5 weeks left! We are praying for direction and clarity with the decision that lies ahead. I just wanted to leave you with an update on where we are in our decision-making process with the hope that you'll continue to pray for us in this.
About a week ago we met with John and Sara Jakus to talk about where we were with our decision. The Jakus' came to Macedonia through Athletes in Action. Andrew met John in the fall AIA tour of '09 and was our connecting point to coming here. They have both played a major role in our time here. John asked us to read through a number of Scripture passages; things that the Lord highlighted in each of our hearts were discussed. John was very intentional about encouraging us and speaking words of life into us. We also talked about what it would look like if we returned to Macedonia next fall. IF Andrew was offered a spot on the ABA team, he would likely play off the bench in a 1 or 2 position. We'd likely receive a salary that would be enough to pay for our loans and cover flights, but would need to raise support to cover the rest. We won't know if a spot is available until May at the earliest. Andrew and I have been job searching since early February. We are looking into either temporary summer jobs or more permanent positions. A summer job would give us more freedom if we decided to come back to Macedonia next fall or if another basketball opportunity presented itself. Andrew is currently in communication with a basketball agent on the reality of him getting a position on a pro team. We're hoping this conversation provides further direction. We also have friends who are also in transition that we'd love to do ministry with, so we are being mindful of their plans as well. Right now there are too many variables to consider to make a decision. Our desire is to be obedient to whatever the Lord calls us. We are seeking the Lord with what exactly that is; please pray for us!
Andrew and I are still uncertain about where the Lord would have us be next year, or even next month if we're being honest. Our time here is dwindling down. As hard as it is to believe, we have just over 5 weeks left! We are praying for direction and clarity with the decision that lies ahead. I just wanted to leave you with an update on where we are in our decision-making process with the hope that you'll continue to pray for us in this.
About a week ago we met with John and Sara Jakus to talk about where we were with our decision. The Jakus' came to Macedonia through Athletes in Action. Andrew met John in the fall AIA tour of '09 and was our connecting point to coming here. They have both played a major role in our time here. John asked us to read through a number of Scripture passages; things that the Lord highlighted in each of our hearts were discussed. John was very intentional about encouraging us and speaking words of life into us. We also talked about what it would look like if we returned to Macedonia next fall. IF Andrew was offered a spot on the ABA team, he would likely play off the bench in a 1 or 2 position. We'd likely receive a salary that would be enough to pay for our loans and cover flights, but would need to raise support to cover the rest. We won't know if a spot is available until May at the earliest. Andrew and I have been job searching since early February. We are looking into either temporary summer jobs or more permanent positions. A summer job would give us more freedom if we decided to come back to Macedonia next fall or if another basketball opportunity presented itself. Andrew is currently in communication with a basketball agent on the reality of him getting a position on a pro team. We're hoping this conversation provides further direction. We also have friends who are also in transition that we'd love to do ministry with, so we are being mindful of their plans as well. Right now there are too many variables to consider to make a decision. Our desire is to be obedient to whatever the Lord calls us. We are seeking the Lord with what exactly that is; please pray for us!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Obedience
Hey! It's Andrew here. I want to share an experience with you to encourage you. The Lord prompted me to take the guys that I coach out for pizza about a month ago. I knew I wanted to do it, but kept putting it off. It ended up taking me a whole month to obey what Jesus' Spirit put inside me.
Fast forward to this past Monday, I finally took the team out for pizza after practice (a group of 9 young men ages 14 to 16). The Lord spurred my heart to share with them about my Jesus. I felt as if this time God would give me an opportunity to share. Towards the end of our time at Bonita (a pizza restaurant near the center of Strumica) I shared the story of the Good Samaritan using images that would be meaningful to them by substituting the man who got beat up with a Roma. Romas (also called Gypsies) are a minority population in Strumica that is looked down upon similar to the Samaritans. Some of the guys seemed concerned others maybe a little guilty. One guy replied that they want to help but can't because they can hardly help themselves. I considered addressing his statement, but thought that doing that would unnecessarily distract everyone.
I then told them about my journey with one of my teammates this year. I shared that this teammate does many things that make me think very poorly of him. I told them things I want to say to him and how I want to treat him, and then I explained what I should do with him. Luke 6 came to mind. It says that we should bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us. Basically, do good even to our "enemies."
I thought that this was the last story that I would tell, but a few of the guys wanted me to tell another story. The Lord brought to mind some experiences I had while playing for the AAU basketball team Martin Brothers. I played for this team as a young buck, 16 and 17 years old. It was a collection of some of the best basketball players in Iowa in our age division. We traveled all over the country and spent a lot of time together on the road. For almost the entire first summer I was on this team, I was thought of as kind of weird or at least a little different. I said that I was looked at this way because I would not do some activities my teammates were doing and I didn't talk about things that they talked about. By the end of that summer and into the second summer we were together, my teammates began asking me questions as to why I acted the way I did. The Lord produced so many opportunities for me to share about Jesus and his effect on my life. I then concluded by saying that 2 or 3 years later, when we were all in college, I found out that 2 of the guys had also become "weird." The boys got a laugh out of that, and realized that when I said "weird" it basically meant I was following Jesus and it just seemed weird to my teammates.
After that we all left and as I was walking home one of the boys waited and walked home with me (he lives near us). He shared that he goes to church and that he believes in Jesus. He is Catholic and said he has read through the whole Bible. I encouraged him and he said his pastor has used the same words that I used to encouraged him with. He shared that he gets made fun of sometimes because of what he believes. Pray for Flesh; that is his nickname.
Halee and I thought that I should share this. I pray that it might encourage you to be obedient. It is another example of the Lord's blessing when we step out in obedience. The amazing thing is that I wasn't obedient for a whole month. Despite that, God still used me.
Praise be to God, His son Jesus, and the Spirit that He has given us! To Him be the glory always and forever!
Much love
Fast forward to this past Monday, I finally took the team out for pizza after practice (a group of 9 young men ages 14 to 16). The Lord spurred my heart to share with them about my Jesus. I felt as if this time God would give me an opportunity to share. Towards the end of our time at Bonita (a pizza restaurant near the center of Strumica) I shared the story of the Good Samaritan using images that would be meaningful to them by substituting the man who got beat up with a Roma. Romas (also called Gypsies) are a minority population in Strumica that is looked down upon similar to the Samaritans. Some of the guys seemed concerned others maybe a little guilty. One guy replied that they want to help but can't because they can hardly help themselves. I considered addressing his statement, but thought that doing that would unnecessarily distract everyone.
I then told them about my journey with one of my teammates this year. I shared that this teammate does many things that make me think very poorly of him. I told them things I want to say to him and how I want to treat him, and then I explained what I should do with him. Luke 6 came to mind. It says that we should bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us. Basically, do good even to our "enemies."
I thought that this was the last story that I would tell, but a few of the guys wanted me to tell another story. The Lord brought to mind some experiences I had while playing for the AAU basketball team Martin Brothers. I played for this team as a young buck, 16 and 17 years old. It was a collection of some of the best basketball players in Iowa in our age division. We traveled all over the country and spent a lot of time together on the road. For almost the entire first summer I was on this team, I was thought of as kind of weird or at least a little different. I said that I was looked at this way because I would not do some activities my teammates were doing and I didn't talk about things that they talked about. By the end of that summer and into the second summer we were together, my teammates began asking me questions as to why I acted the way I did. The Lord produced so many opportunities for me to share about Jesus and his effect on my life. I then concluded by saying that 2 or 3 years later, when we were all in college, I found out that 2 of the guys had also become "weird." The boys got a laugh out of that, and realized that when I said "weird" it basically meant I was following Jesus and it just seemed weird to my teammates.
After that we all left and as I was walking home one of the boys waited and walked home with me (he lives near us). He shared that he goes to church and that he believes in Jesus. He is Catholic and said he has read through the whole Bible. I encouraged him and he said his pastor has used the same words that I used to encouraged him with. He shared that he gets made fun of sometimes because of what he believes. Pray for Flesh; that is his nickname.
Halee and I thought that I should share this. I pray that it might encourage you to be obedient. It is another example of the Lord's blessing when we step out in obedience. The amazing thing is that I wasn't obedient for a whole month. Despite that, God still used me.
Praise be to God, His son Jesus, and the Spirit that He has given us! To Him be the glory always and forever!
Much love
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Coach Stimson
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| Andrew and Marcus at his right coaching at an away game. |
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Ohrid with the Vegov's
Andrew and Dean (DEY-awn) met in late October when Andrew was trying to get on the Millenium division II team. Things ended up not working out for Andrew with Millenium, but he was able to recommend that Dean come and play for ABA. Since then, the two have become really close and Andrew has had a number of meaningful conversations with Dean. Dean's had a rough last few years, has a soft heart, and we are hopeful that he will come to know the Lord.Dean invited us to his wife's home town, Ohrid, to spend the weekend celebrating her birthday and their anniversary. They have been living apart from each other since Dean joined ABA. An apartment hasn't been found for Dean, Renata and their son Victor to move into. It was a real treat for us to meet his family and spend a weekend in such a beautiful city with such wonderful people. Please be praying for Dean and his wife; that they'd discover the saving grace in Jesus Christ, and that we would show Christ to them.
Here are some pictures from the weekend!
Andrew and Dean
Feeding the birds!
An archaeological dig. A fortress encloses the old city,which you can partly see high in the background.
Amphitheater; still in use.Sunday, February 27, 2011
Big Upset
ABA basketball team has now entered playoffs. The top 6 teams in the super-league qualify. Each team plays the other teams twice for a total of 10 games to determine who the top 4 teams will be to compete for the championship. Last night was the first round and ABA (5) played MZT Skopje (3). One of the Americans, Marcus, suffered an ankle injury in Wednesday's practice so Andrew was asked to step in. It was unfortunate for Marcus, but I was happy to get to see Andrew play. One of those bitter-sweet kind of deals. : ) ABA played a great game. Solid team work and game play by a number of players. They won 75-72; it was a really exciting and fun game to watch.
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| Hard to tell, but the clock says 9:18 in the 1st quarter... and MZT players are having a re-warm-up. Officials stopped the game to regulate the MZT fans! |
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| Andrew and Coach Jakus |
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