I'm headed to the barn!

Well, the journey continues... We've now moved on to another town in Macedonia. This couple lives in a small town, which is more the type of town Glenn and I would prefer to live in if we were doing something other than Member Care. We love this couple and really enjoyed our short time with them.


The Kirkpatrick's


Prilep Elementary School

The Kirkpatrick's have 3 school-aged children and due to overcrowding, they go to school on a split schedule. They attend the local Macedonian elementary school, pictured above.


Jeff and Amy

We also got to visit a little bit with Jeff and Amy (who were also in our FPO group in Virginia, so we go 'way back). Amy fixed us the BEST breakfast before our departure for home. I call it the McWilliams meal. It was two pancakes with scrambled eggs and ham in betweeen! Kind of reminded me of a breakfast from McDonald's, only better!

Two donkeys pulling a load

So far on this two week trip we've taken a train, several buses and a car or two, and Prilep was our last stop. When each of our trips come to an end, I am kind of like the horse who sees the barn and wants to head straight for it! The quickest way home would be to fly, but it would cost us about $800 to fly from Skopje, Macedonia to Budapest, Hungary. In an effort to save money, Jeff and Amy drove us from Prilep to Thessaloniki, Greece, where we caught a flight to Budapest.


Welcome to Greece!

Did Brother Paul walk on these hills?

I was surprised at how rocky the land was. Even though it was rocky, it still held it's own kind of beauty. Still, it didn't compare to the snow in Bulgaria!

To think I was this close to where Paul walked!

Once back in Budapest, we had 2 days to wash all our clothes and to repack for the next leg of our trip! I also spent a full morning wiping the floor in our mud room where the radiator had busted and spewed black greasy soot and water all over the floor during our absence! Fortunately, it didn't ruin anything, but unfortunately, we won't have any heat upstairs until we can get the radiator replaced!

Germany, here we come!

We flew into Frankfort, Germany on Friday evening, stayed overnight in a Holiday Inn Express hotel, and the next morning we were picked up and taken to a Christian conference center about 1 1/2 hours away in a small German village. We are here for the week. This conference is for our personnel who live and work in Western Europe who have been on the field between 4 months to a year. Glenn and I are assisting their Member Care team with short counseling sessions for each of the participants. Next week, their couple that does member care in Western Europe will come with us to Prague to help us with our conference for new folks.

Julie, Jesse and precious little Renae

We don't know very many of the folks here, but we did know one couple and they are very special to us. We met Julie and Jesse a little over 4 years ago when our daughter got married. Jesse is the brother of our son in law, Jonathan! (This is also the couple with whom Kari and Jonathan spent Christmas last month in Spain.) We have enjoyed getting to know them better and hope that we will see more of them in the years to come.

I took a little time off this afternoon from attending the sessions (since Glenn and I had member care appointments into the evening) to enjoy a walk into the village with Karen. Karen and her husband live in Prague, and each time we go to Prague for meetings, we try to get together with them. Karen wrote one of the best books on adjustment to life on the mission field called The Aroma Of Christ. If you live overseas and haven't read it yet, you should!

We are here until Wednesday and then head to Prague for our own CEE Ebenezer. Please pray for the families with whom we are meeting. Also, please pray for everyone's health. Evidently, there is a bug that folks are passing around, and we've already had our share of sickness for this winter!

If this is Dunkin' Donuts, I must be in Bulgaria!

We left Serbia early Monday morning by bus for Bulgaria.



Traveling across Europe is really interesting to Glenn and me, and we are becoming pros at packing for these trips. I can pack for 2 weeks on the road in just one carry-on bag plus my computer bag! (The orange bag is our food bag, and thanks to our days in Africa, we are always prepared for an emergency or famine in the country!) I have to admit, by time we get home-I am ready to burn the clothes I've worn over and over during the trip. Oh, we manage to do laundry on our trips, but I just get TIRED of wearing the same pants and shirts over and over!



There were 2 stops on the Serbian side and four on the Bulgarian side, and it took us about15 minutes total time to cross the border. When we handed our passports to the officer at the first check point on the Bulgarian side, he typed our information in his computer, and then handed us a zip drive and told us to take it to the next booth!! We carried the zip drive to and from each of the four booths!!! We've never experienced that before...


Welcome to Bulgaria!

...and this was our first squatty potty too!



The weather in Bulgaria was overcast and temperatures were in the 20's with about 6-8 inches of snow! It was COLD but not windy. Fortunately, we packed for sightseeing in freezing weather.



Macie, one of our Journeymen that came to Budapest for Christmas, took us out on the coldest day to see the city. We left our apartment about 11:30 am and returned that evening about 9 pm, having walked all but about 30 minutes that day. I burned enough calories to be able to eat a donut.


Sofia, the Greek goddess of wisdom

The capitol of Bulgaria is Sofia, named after the Greek goddess of wisdom. We visited with 5 of our families during our stay in Bulgaria.


City Park


The snow was white in the parks


but brown on the sidewalks and streets


McDonald's ad in Cyrillic and Asian script


Changing of the guards in front of the President's office


A Russian Orthodox church


Glenn gets a call while resting, I mean working...

While we were in town, Glenn met up with one of our co-workers at Dunkin' Donuts for a cup of coffee, a donut and a short visit while Macie and I walked through one of the markets. This is where I got that donut.


Happy Birthday, Josiah!

While on these trips, we usually take the families out to eat at their favorite restaurants or they invite us to their houses for a meal, both of which add to my weight problem! I usually gain about 3 pounds per 2 week trip and then spend the next couple of weeks trying to lose it! We were invited this particular night to enjoy taco salad and birthday cake with Josiah's family. We had a great time with them!


On the road again...

We left Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday by bus and headed to Skopje, Macedonia. The countryside of both countries is quite hilly, and the farther south we went, the less snow on the ground. So far, all of our buses have been on time and our travels "uneventful". PTL!


Less snow in Macedonia



According to our friends here, the children learn English starting in elementary school, so about half of the population understand or speak English to some degree.


Skopje, in Cyrillic alphabet

Skopje (pronounced scope-e-ya), the capitol of Macedonia, is a small city compared to the other capitols that we've visited, and is the birthplace of Mother Teresa! Tomorrow, we are supposed to go see the plaque that is located where her house used to be located. We are likely too far north for Paul-the persecutor turned missionary-to have walked these hills.


David uses the first and ONLY ATM machine in Skopje!


Kaylee reads us a story she wrote and illustrated


We ate a delicious "typically Macedonian" meal at this restaurant


A Roma (Gypsy) neighborhood


Center of the city


Something is lost in the translation!

I have a collection of poor English translations on signs or ads I've seen in Europe, and this sign at the fortress is being added to it!

Glenn and I have one more day here in Skopje before we head "up country" to visit with a couple of other families. We will be heading back to Budapest on Tuesday. This horse is beginning to see the barn.

Snow in Serbia!

We woke up on Thursday morning in Belgrade, Serbia to snow falling!


Finally-snow!

We arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday evening only to find that the gas into the country that comes from Russia was cut off indefinitely, and the apartment of the family with whom we were staying was a bit "chilly", to say the least.


Finally get to use my snow boots!

I want to thank two people here. First, I want to thank my niece, Sarah Borders, for giving me her outgrown snow boots before we moved to Budapest! Secondly, I'd like to thank my husband, Glenn, who encouraged me to bring these boots with me on this trip!!!

Master griller on the balcony in freezing weather

We stayed with Lee and Beth in Belgrade for two nights and while there, Lee suffered through temperatures around 20 degrees to grill some delicious meats for us on their balcony!

Glenn, Beth and Lee infront of the Danube River

We braved the bitterly cold weather one afternoon for about an hour and took a quick tour of Belgrade. The last time we were in Serbia (last May), I wrote about how surprisingly beautiful the countryside of Serbia was. It is even more beautiful covered in snow!

Fortress around the old city

There is a huge stone wall that seems to go on forever at the top of a hill overlooking the Danube River. Today, inside, it is like a park with statues and memorials to an earlier time.

Scarey sight

All too recently bombed out buildings still stand as reminders

Julie and Carl

Friday morning we caught a bus that took us to Cacak (pronounced Chachak) where we have been staying with friends Julie and Carl and their 3 children. I enjoy it when this family comes to Budapest as Julie and I have become friends.

House church at the Bannerts'

While in Cacak, we have been able to visit with the other families that live in this same town and see how they are doing. (I'm sorry, I didn't take pictures of all the families.)

Kristin and Josh

On Sunday we drove the Bannert's car to a nearby town to visit with Josh and Kristin. This is an awesome couple who are involved in sports ministry. The best pizza I've had in Europe in the past 2 years was in their town of Kraljevo on our last trip through here and I was kind of hoping to have some on this trip, but alas! We ate somewhere else and it was as great as the pizza was!

Restaurant on the water

Ice fishing behind the restaurant

While we were watching the folks fishing, we watched someone catch a fish about 8-10 inches long!

We also had the opportunity to meet Steppie, one of our newest co-workers. She arrived just 3 days ago and is still trying to get over jet lag.

When we entered her apartment, I immediately thought of our son Chris who lives in Tennessee. I thought he would enjoy seeing the bright orange walls in her apartment! (In addition to being Tennessee colors, it reminds me of one of his previous cars.)

We head out in the morning for Bulgaria for a few days and then on to Macedonia. I know God called us to this ministry, but I can't figure out WHY He has blessed us with such an awesome job! We receive so many blessings by getting to know these folks and hearing their stories!! These are our heroes of faith!

Up and Running! PTL!!

This past week has been very slow. Well, at least we have! Glenn and I have been swapping germs back and forth and alternating days in which we haven't felt very good. Fortunately, the weather has been frightfully cold and has made it easy for us to stay inside and lay low.



Two nights in a row the fog rolled in and then froze on the trees. It looked like snow, but it didn't have any slush on the roads!



Our house looked beautiful and the yard looked like a winter wonderland!



But this yard next to ours was even more spectacular! We still haven't had any snow to speak of so I'm disappointed but I know the winter is not over yet!



While we were laying low, Glenn spent a lot of time in front of the fireplace working on a puzzle of the Chain Bridge in Budapest while I watched a lot of T.V. and read a book! It was very relaxing.



On New Year's Eve we went to the Doyles for lunch with several other families and then an afternoon of games (Mexican Train).



Some of the group decided the cold afternoon with the warm fellowship and full stomachs made for perfect napping. (Names withheld to protect the guilty.)



Then Glenn had a relapse and spent the evening on our couch while I went on to the next party! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy the Mexican potluck at the Brown's that night!!!



I got home about 10 pm and then Glenn and I spent the rest of the evening watching a movie and watching the fireworks out our front window! Unlike America, the Hungarians will shoot fireworks on holidays beginning when the sun goes down so we didn't have to wait until midnight to see the fireworks light up the sky. However, the minutes around midnight were the VERY BEST, and standing on our balcony, we could see about 7 different places where fireworks were being set off. Cool!!!



Once I got over the worst of my sickness, Janet and I picked back up our daily walk. With long johns and long sleeve undershirts, sweat pants and sweat shirts, and ear muffs and a hat, we stay pretty warm, walking an hour and 15 minutes/ 5 days a week. We can walk as long as there isn't any ice. Once the snow and ice come, it's back to our walk-aerobic DVD again!



And even though Christmas is over and the new year has begun, the presents still keep coming! Glenn got this really neat wool hat that can be folded, wadded, and stuffed in a pocket in the mail today from Chris and Kate, and I might add, he looks pretty sharp in it!!!


We head out on Wednesday to visit folks in Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria for the next two weeks so our computer time will be very limited. I'll try to update at some point though during our trip. Please pray for traveling mercies! We're going to be riding on that bus again in Serbia where the driver kept passing on a hill, and I have dreaded the thought of doing it again since then!!

We hope everyone had a great Christmas and that 2009 will bring you many blessings. As I look toward the new year, setting goals and making resolutions, I am thankful for second chances. I am thankful that Christ gave me a second chance to spend eternity with my heavenly (and earthly!) Father when He chose to die upon that cross IN MY PLACE. I am humbled that He loves me, chose me, and called me. How can I say anything but YES!