Desiring to follow Christ

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

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!