Healer... Live in the Light

The other night I saw the breaking news story on CNN International about the pastor in Australia who has done the hard thing and come clean with the truth. His body was being wracked with some illness that was eating away at him. For two years he'd convinced people that he was dying of cancer. He'd even written a song about having faith in the One who could heal him, called "Healer." His story and that song inspired so many.

Now the testimony that once inspired so many has now brought many of those same people to disillusionment. As we all know now, it was not cancer that was ravaging him. It was sin. Such was the power and the shame of that particular sin that he kept it well hidden, in the darkest places of his heart, and went to extraordinary measures to keep it out of the light.

That was the part of the story that stood out to me and is the focus of this blog. His story illustrates so tragically, so painfully, the power of sin and the importance of living in the light.

There are consequences to his coming clean. Sin never is just about us... it hurts others, and many people are now hurt, angry and feeling betrayed by his deception. Many people will struggle with forgiving him and not holding on to the anger or bitterness. I wonder if he too will struggle with forgiving himself? After watching an interview, it's not clear what finally motivated him to come clean, but one thing's for sure, he's living in the light now, facing it all. And that's the thing: since it IS now out in the light, healing CAN happen.

When I first heard about this I thought: "Well, God has answered peoples prayers and is indeed bringing him healing... though just not in the way that we/they all thought He would." By coming clean and bringing the sin out into the light, or rather letting the light shine into the dark places, the sin and shame no longer have power over him and he can be healed.

Now this brings me to the song. Much has been said about pulling it, that it's a fostering of a lie... yet I respectfully disagree. Sure, when I first listened to it, I couldn't help but taste the bitterness of the lie that stood behind it publicly. But then I listened to it again.... and I heard the desperate cry of a man, who knows he's sinned greatly and needs a Healer. I believe that song perhaps came from the most honest part of his heart. A cry of faith at it's deepest for his Savior to heal him, to set him free from that sin that so entangled him.

Something about that cry must resonate in our own heart. For I wonder how many of us have lived where that pastor did, putting on a public mask, hiding from others in our struggle against sin, living a double life, burdened by guilt and shame? How many of us are there now? When faced with our sin, don't we too cry out, "Oh Lord! Heal me! Please set me free!" What about those who can't even bring themselves to pray for the weight of the guilt and shame of having failed again... and when they do finally turn to their Healer all they can get out is, "Lord, please.... please help me." In that song I hear the baseline of those cries and faith that placed firmly in the One who saves and yet in the melody there is also the tone of victory sounded out in great promise for He has set us free!

There is such freedom that comes as we let the Light shine into the dark places of our heart. Yes, it is painful. Yes, there are consequences. But it's so worth it to break free from the bonds of sin and shame that would hold us in darkness rather than in the Light.

I believe there's a challenge to each of us in this. First of all, are we truly walking in the light? In humility and repentance, honest with ourselves and God that we are "ragamuffins" (to use a Manning term) and trusting Him to complete what He's begun in us. Then, do we have someone with whom we can be real? Accountable? Someone who will pray with us through those struggles? Are you such a person? Are you a safe place for another, where they can be real with you?

If you don't have such a person in your life I strongly encourage you to pray the Lord bring such a person into your life, that you find one. Frankly, I'm very grateful for two ladies with whom I can be completely honest about everything. They challenge me, encourage me, pray for me as well as keep me accountable. I can't begin to express what a blessing it is to have them walking with me... and I pray for you such equal blessing.

Let us be such encouragements to one another, that we may all live in the light and in freedom.

My heartfelt prayers for the pastor, his family and the congregation... indeed for all those who've walked a similar path. May the Lord bring them healing and restoration.

"Dead bodies" & Supersitions

I couldn't believe my eyes. Was that a... a... body hanging off the roof of that unfinished house?? This was last month while I was in Albania with a friend. I thought, "Surely my eyes are playing tricks on me," but I was driving so I couldn't use my hands rub the image away.

As my friend in the passenger seat had grown up in Albania, I blurted out the question to her, "Did you see that... uh.. what looked like a dead body on that house??"

"Oh yes," she stated in bemusement at my wonder, "they are all over. It is a tradition." And as she said this I spotted many more.. uh.. scarecrowish things gracing the houses we past in rural Albania. I was so facinated that I simply had to stop and take pictures. This amused my friend even more because I was reacting to something that she knew as commonplace. While to me it was something we'd see in the US only at Halloween.


My friend then patiently explained to me the superstition and tradition behind these (though she herself does not believe this way). Basically, the placing of dolls, straw dummies, stuffed animals, garlic and/or flags is believed to scare ghosts away. You'll find them on houses in the building process as well as on finished homes to protect the property and people who live there. Kind-of like a sacrifice of sorts. If it's not done and something happens, it's blamed on the fact that the talisman was not posted.

This reminds me a lot of the practice known as "kurban" here. Basically, the workers/contractors will kill a goat (or lamb) and sprinkle it's blood on the buildings foundation. Then the meat will be grilled and the meal shared amongst themselves. Then the bones are buried into the foundation. The belief is that this will protect the workers, the property, as well as the future inhabitants from evil or harm.

I wonder if the placing of the dolls and flags in Albania is part of that tradition, only perhaps morphed over time. Or, maybe the kurban is done as well? Honestly, I don't know, but I find it all quite fascinating. On the other hand, I wonder if that's why so many flags fly in Kosovo, specifically in Kosovar Albanian towns and homes. Yes, it's more true that now-days the flags are flown for national and ethnic pride, but I wonder if originally, perhaps generations ago now, that they were flown with the same purpose as the ones my friend and I saw in rural Albania?

Superstition runs deep in the culture here. My friend and I had an interesting conversation about all of this and what or Whom we place our faith and hope in each day and voiced concern and prayer for those who live with the fear that superstition brings. Personally, I can't imagine the level of fear one must live in, thinking things like:

"Will this doll be enough?"

"Should I place just one more flag?"

"Will my family and I be protected from evil?"

"I'd better knock on wood just to be sure."

People put all their faith in these things, all their hope, to protect and deliver them from evil. Yet what happens to that faith and hope when these things fail? What new level of fear is introduced?... Would you pray with me that people be set free from these fears and that they would know eternal hope, where their faith can confidently be placed.

Six Years Ago Today

Six years ago today I....

• Was on a plane with 4 (or was it 6?) suitcases
• Was a little emotionally exhausted after the previous months of transition, language school, PFO and many many goodbyes
• Was thankful for the many who were part of the journey along the way
• Lost a day by crossing timezones from the US to Europe
• Spent 4 hours on layover in Vienna
• Tried in vain to stay awake on that layover after having already traveled 20+ hrs
• Had a mix of emotions: excitement & anticipation as well as a healthy dose of fear & trembling
• Arrived in Skopje with 2 of my four bags (or 4 of the 6?)
• Listened and marvelled at my new colleague, Mark (one of 5), who schmoozed his way into the airport terminal to help me with the lost luggage people
• Had a moment of disbelief that I was actually back in the Balkans, and this time to stay much longer than a few months
• I knew maybe 5 words in Macedonian: Здраво, да, не, фала and чао... though not in the Cyrillic, so more like: zdravo, da, ne, fala and chow
• Got welcomed to Skopje by the police on the way back from the airport -- aka, we got pulled over (for having tinted windows, of all things)
• Wanted to crawl under the seat after said pull-over as the conversation sounded so heated
• Worried that my first night would be spent in jail.... only later did I learn that normal Macedonian conversation between men just sounds argumentative
• Settled into my colleagues spare room where their daughters had lefts me a sweet "Welcome to Macedonia" sign
• Went with my colleagues and their daughters to Ljutes (the best grill in town) where we celebrated my first day and their 2-year anniversary of being here
• Enjoyed meal with new colleagues and getting to know them
• Donned a skirt and headed to church, excited to see friends I'd met two years previous on a short-term trip
• Had to stand and say hello (a rite of passage for all newcomers)
• Collapsed into bed, completely exhausted and a bit overwhelmed by all that had transpired in the past 36 hours.... from a tearful goodbye to family to a new world and many hellos

It's so hard to believe that it's been six years. I've learned so much, yet know there is still so much to learn. Still, it's my privilege and joy to be here and to serve as the bookkeeper for an amazing team of people. Thank you for your faithful prayers, encouragement and support over these past six years. Thank you for being a part of this journey with me.

Picture Top: One of my last sunsets in California... taken while sailing on Folsom Lake with my Mom, brother and his family. The end of a perfect day.

Picture Below: One of my first sunrises here in Macedonia... I think this was during jet-lag adjustment, so probably about 5am. The start of a new life.

GCF Walk: Blues Brothers & Little Gems

He looked at my camera, shrugged his shoulders, and said with a note of amazement: "This is the first time I am seeing these paintings." Zoran, my market guy, was really surprised to find out that they were only a small block away from his store in an alley off of a main street he drives every day to go to work.

Truth-be-told, I've walked and driven by that alley hundreds of times, knew the "Blues Brothers" caricatures were there, but never really paid attention to them. How easily we miss the little gems right in front of us because we're so quick to get from point A to point B!

As I've mentioned before, this GCF Walking has been good for me in that I've been more observant of the things around me. One of the things I've noticed a lot of is graffiti and random pieces of artwork. So, in preparation for my next tally I thought the "Blues Brothers" caricatures would be good ones as they were cool-looking and fit with my graffiti theme for my tally updates...

Imagine my astonishment to enter the alley and to find these gems of art right next to them! How did I miss them all these years?? There was a sign for "Blues Brothers" next to a door and I wondered if this was in fact a blues cafe or something. That brings us back to showing the pictures to my market guy, Zoran. He wasn't even aware of these paintings' existence nor that of the club. Needless-to-say he's intrigued and says he's going to investigate and get back to me about what he finds. What fun if it turns out to be a blues/jazz music club.

Again, like myself, Zoran has passed by this alley for years and never noticed these little gems that have been there all along. As I think of my life lately, how busy I've been in the office, how many late nights and how many rushed transits to work, I wonder how many gems I may have passed by in regards to people, relationships, etc? Just a little food for thought.

On another note, though, I have to say that I'm really thankful for locals like Zoran and his wife who teach me so many things about the language and culture as we interact every day. Would you join me in praying for them? Thanks.

*******

These past two weeks I've only been able to walk minimally due to heat, work responsibility, etc. I was able to drive a good bit, but now that the city's filling back up and parking spaces are once again non-existent at my apartment, my driving days are once again on hiatus. :(

All that said, here's the tally:

8.5 miles walking, 12 driving, Week's savings: $14.98
Sub-total for August: $23.43 and counting

Thanks for walking this walk with me.

Turn up the heat!

The office supply store owner walked in and asked his employees, with a touch of odd curiosity and disbelief in his voice, "Why do you have the heat on??" Not an odd question when you consider the outside temp was already into the upper 90's at 9:30am!

As I'd scurried around the store this morning to purchase binders, dividers and A-4 paper for the field office I'd thought it was a little warm, but since the AC-unit was on I simply thought it didn't work that well. Well, it turns out that the gals honestly thought it was on cool, but as the owner pointed out (literally on the remote) that they'd actually had it on heat! Then to add insult to injury, when he switched the AC back to cool it wouldn't kick in!

Le Le!

Honestly, the whole situation was very funny--especially since the government has been issuing heat-warnings for today through this weekend as the temps are expected to top 40C (100+F)... the poor girls were smiling, a bit embarrassed by the whole thing, yet you could tell they all thought it was pretty funny/ironic too.

I did successfully (though barely) hold my laughter until I reached the taxi and shut the door. Then it was all I could do to blurt out the news through my laughter to my driver. "Oh! It's so much cooler now," I chuckled while wiping the sweat from brow.

He too immediately burst out into hearty guffaws and commented that today of all days was not a day to make that mistake. "Ha ha! And they even had the front door closed so that the heat would not escape," he joked and then continued. "You will find the heat escapes quite nicely from my cab... it much cooler for you, I'm sure." I continued to fan my face as we chuckled about it all the way to the office. He's one of my regular drivers, so I'm sure we'll laugh about this for months to come. :)

Don't you just love those funny moments in life that happen so unexpectedly? It's great to have a really good laugh once in a while, and this one just made my morning. :)

On a side note, just to give you a GCF perspective on the items that I purchased this morning: Week 2 of my GCF Walk more than covered the items pictured. :) Thank you for your giving to the GCF that makes purchases like this possible.

Figs

One of my favorite seasonal fruits to be found here in the Balkans in August are figs. Since the first leaves appeared in the spring I've been watching the fruit slowly mature, and today they were ready. :)

Now here's the funny thing about me liking figs at all: as a child I really disliked them (hated even). As a family, besides picking August blackberries (another favorite), we'd pick ripe figs from a tree that grew in the wild near Folsom Lake. My Mom would then spend hours preparing them into a sweet cooked/candied dessert... that I refused to eat and, consequently, spent many an hour at the dinner table with a plate in front of me long after everyone else was done. There was just something about the texture and sticky sweetness that triggered my gag-reflex... I guess figs to me were like broccoli to other kids. It wasn't until years later, when my brother coaxed me with a fresh fig from the tree in his backyard, that I started to like them.

Now, having tried the fresh figs from the tree here in the Balkans, I'm hooked. I still don't prefer them cooked and so you can imagine how ironic it is that it just happens to be a favored specialty here in Macedonia! I used to say that it was one of the few items that I might actually refuse if offered some by a Macedonian friend... but quickly found I couldn't bring myself to be that rude last year when the family I stayed with in Dojran proudly served me a portion. It was wonderful... but if you say I said that I'll deny it! Still, my favorite is when they're fresh off the tree and still slightly on the tart side of ripe. Exactly what I found today on the way to work and later enjoyed for breakfast!

I wonder if Jesus was anticipating enjoying that juicy sweet flavor when he was hungry and looked for fruit on that tree that only had leaves? There was no fruit, he said, "May you never bear fruit again," and by the next day it was withered. I always wondered about that until I read that the fruit actually grows with the leaves? That means if you see leaves on a fig tree there should be fruit. Because there were leaves he was expecting there be fruit. Interesting application here, but I'll leave that to the theologians. :) I've also read that fig trees are supposed to have two crops as well: one in the spring and the other in late summer. Maybe that's for a different type of fig tree because the trees I've seen here have had only one crop each year: in August.

Anyways, if you've never tried figs, I highly encourage you too. If you're like me and don't prefer the cooked variety, try them right off the tree... they're amazing.

The Waning Days of Summer

This morning as I walked to work I couldn't help but notice the hints of Fall in the air. It was a warm morning yet there was also a light, slightly crisp, breese rustling the once rich green leaves that now are in fading into earth tones. Then, stopping for a moment in Vero to grab some lunch-making items for the office, I noticed the matted yellow-orange of the butternut squash in the produce bins... and smiled. They are one of the first major signs that summer's bidding farewell.

Other signs that summer's almost over include:

• The city's slowly coming back to life after a month of people vacationing out of the city.
• The cafe's are once again lively, though not quite until the wee hours of the morning...yet (which is good for my ability to sleep--without ear-plugs).
• School is starting next week locally and my colleagues kids are enjoying their last few days before heading back to boarding school.
• Summer teams are wrapping up and heading home
• Student camps/retreats are in full swing this week
• Colleagues are coming back from vacation
• Church attendance is increasing as people return from vacations and other new arrival expats come to begin their term
• Conversations are turning away from "where are you going on vacation" to planning ahead for the next few months like: "When will home groups start up?"; "What about beginning a new ladies study?"; and "Ready for an audit?"

While I enjoy summer time (not the weather, though, unless it's between 75-85F) this one has been particularly busy for me. Considering our fiscal year ended in June and we've also had some huge field transitions take effect it's not so surprising. Though closing one month just in time to begin closing the next one has been very wearying. (The delays in closing are 90% due to the field structure change and people's summer travel.)

Frankly, I'm looking forward to Fall as that will mean we'll have a couple months behind us bookwise in the new field structure and I'll be caught up on filing. Then maybe I can take a few vacation days (the 1-week trip to Albania seems sooooo looonngg ago now). In many ways I'm really glad that my busiest time of year has come when everyone else is in their slowest time. I dread to think how many more late nights I might have pulled had it be our busy season!


Throughout the summer, though, Wednesday nights have been the bright spot in my week as it's when we have worship team practice. It's so nice to set everything aside and, together with a talented group of musicians, to sing songs so rich and meaningful in praise to our King for anywhere between 1-2 hours in the middle of the week. Ahhhh... We also have such a great time fellowshipping and praying with one another. Sometimes we even extend our time together by heading to a cafe for coffee and/or ice cream and chatting about life. What a fine group of friends they've become. :) [Picture is from December]

Today is Wednesday and so there's practice tonight, but right now I'm in the office taking a break from closing July (yeah!) to reflect a little on these waning days of summer here in the Balkans. As we all look ahead to the coming Fall and busy season (that interestingly enough tends to coincide the school-year) please be praying for us and for the things that lay ahead. Thank you for being a partner in this with us in this way.

Strange Fruit -- anyone know what it is?

On any given day while walking to work in Skopje I pass dozens of different fruit trees: pear, apple, plum, kumquat, apricot, peach and fig. Just to name a few. Then there's this tree. The fruit looks like miniature apples, but they grow in clusters like a cherry. For the last couple months I've watched this fruit mature--from blossom to the beginnings of little green fruit til now and the luscious ruby-colored orbs. This morning as I walked by it was quite tempting to try one... though I'm not that adventurous!

Anyone out there know what these are? And if they're safe to eat, do you think they'd make a good pie?

Recipe: Burek/Pita aka Balkan Pie

When preparing to come here to the Balkans I'd read about a local specialty known as "meat pie" that was typically served for breakfast. Meat pie?? It conjured images of a double-crust American-style pie with meat filling. Or I imagined that maybe it was rather like a chicken-pot pie. Ha! Was I surprised when I arrived here and saw this:

The version pictured above is made in a 1-1/2" deep, round, baking pan and was first introduced by a Turkish baker from Istanbul in Nis, Serbia, in 1498 (according to Wikepedia). In Macedonia, a version called "pita" (Пита or "pie") is prepared by layering ingredients in filo-dough, rolling into a pin-wheel and baked in the round pan. Burek* (Бурек) is pretty much the same as pita except that the layering is done directly into a 1-1/2" deep round pan with no rolling. Personally, I prefer the Pita version because it's a little less oily and breaks off into easy bite-sized pieces--though a Macedonian lady told me that if you make it yourself you can make any of them less oily. :)

Here's the basic recipe for pita:

Filo-Dough, about three sheets (give or take)
Filling (choose one from below)
Oil

Work quickly so that the dough does not dry out. Simply place a little oil and filling in between the layers and roll into a pin-wheel. (Or layer in baking pan for burek using a bit more filo dough and filling.) Heat at 482F (250C) for 20 minutes until golden brown.

The salty versions are served warm with a bottle of plain yogurt to drink.

Filling Options:
Quantity depends upon how much you want to make. :)

Meat: browned meat with onions and a little Vegeta (a use-in-every-dish-under-the-sun seasoning)

Spinach & Urda cheese
My best description for urda is that it's like a dryer cottage cheese (some places online give Ricotta cheese as an substitute). Here's a basic recipe: bring 1 liter of milk to a boil and then add 1 tsp lemon juice into 1/2 cup warm water and add to the boiling milk. Reduce heat and Stir constantly until curdles and whey are completely separated. The curdling should happen fairly quickly, but if it doesn't, increase heat and add more lemon juice. Strain mixture through cheese cloth (or tea towel) and rinse with running water for 1 minute. Squeeze out excess water. Voila! Homemade kinda-cottage cheese. Season with salt and mix with spinach for fill.

2-4 Eggs & Urda cheese
Beat eggs and mix together with the cheese. Personally, I'd probably add some onions as well... ok and maybe a little ham too to make a breakfast pita. :)

Pictured: Sarafina making Bosnian burek with eggs and urda. It was so fascinating to watch her make the filo-dough by hand. Such hard work, the dough so thin and delicate. Amazing!

Leeks or Cabbage & Urda

Sweet versions (like strudel):

Pumpkin, seasoned with sugar and cinnamon
Apple, chop fine and cook with a little lemon, sugar and cinnamon
Cherry or Raspberry (or any berry, really), cook with sugar and small amount of water and corn starch to thicken

The versions called "burek" and "pita" here in Macedonia are a bit different than in other places. In Bosnia and Kosovo they're still referred to as burek, but they are generally not done in the huge round pans. They're simply rolled into tight oblong pinwheels and baked on a flat baking pan. Here's a link to Wikepedia that has a great little article on all things Burek as related to it's Turkish roots and different variations found here in the Balkans.

Americanized Version: I'm tempted to try making a "meat pie" using a thin pizza dough to roll the ingredients into rather than filo-dough to get more of a bready version. What do you think? Worth a go?

Balkan Shopping: Meat Markets

The meat is really really fresh here.... I mean so fresh that it's hanging in the window for all to see! Simply go in and ask what cut of meat you want and the butcher will promptly hack it off the poor thing for ya. Honestly, it took me a while before I could walk past a butcher shop without averting my gaze from the pork butt literally hanging in the window, or the piles of "tripe" for the local specialty soup with the same name, or sheep or goat heads with eyes and tongues...

ok, I'll stop. ;)

You know, my Mom used to tell me stories of when she was a child in the early 40's and having a fresh chicken dinner for a very special occasion--that is, after having to catch it in the back yard. Somehow I think we all think that the meat we eat was created right there in the neat, sanitized plastic-wrapped packages and sitting pretty in a fridge. My wake-up call was when I was in Kosovo in 2001 and the family our team stayed with slaughtered a cow in their backyard, sold off a majority of the meat to local restaurants, and served the best bits (including the tongue--eeek!) to us that same night at dinner. I must say, that was the most difficult meal to eat... it was delicious, but difficult all the same... I mean, it was the cute cow I'd seen the day before and referred to as Bessy. ;)

Over the years I've gotten used to seeing the sides of beef or whole lambs hanging in butcher shops or the fresh chickens occasionally sold in the open market. Only when visitors come from the US am I reminded of how strange this can seem and even of my first reactions to this site... something like shock and awe. lol. One thing's for sure, though. The meat here is delicious and the Macedonians are experts at grilling it! :)

[Pictured: my roommate from 2004, Brittney, and our Regional Bookkeeper, Val. We'd taken a break from her audit of the books to have dinner at Ljutes, the best grill place in town]

Balkan Shopping: Markets Big & Small

In sharing about shopping here in Skopje, I thought I'd start from the big stores and work my way down to the smaller ones. There are three main supermarkets here in Macedonia: Tinex & Tediko (local), Vero (Greek) and Ramstore (Turkish). By far, Ramstore is the largest store, while Vero, Tinex and Tediko have the most locations.

Ramstore is the newest addition to supermarket shopping here and most welcomed as it widened the variety of available items significantly. Frankly, it rather transformed things a bit. The supermarket came as part of a huge shopping center located near the old train station and is named "Ramstore Mall." In addition to the supermarket the mall has:

• a movie theater (with $4 new-release movies!)
• many coffee-bars
• internet free zone
• bookstore (with amazing cookbooks offered in English)
• name-brand clothing and shoe stores in addition to the regular clothing stores (though the prices are so high I never buy from there---I seriously wonder how the locals do either?)
• food court with a wide offering: Chinese, Mexican, McD's, FingerFood (best burritos and giros in town), Doners, burgers, sandwiches and pizza in addition to ice cream and Stellas (the most amazing dessert place ever)
• Bank and exchange
• Cell phone dealers, watch stores and touristy curio shops
• Artwork by sketch artists, painters
• Florist, jewelry, etc etc. etc.
  

When I first came here in 2000 on a short-term trip, I didn't know about Tinex or Tediko and there was only one Vero (and one McD's, incidentally). Basically it was just a bigger version of the corner markets and didn't offer much difference in selection. Eight years later and there are at least five Vero's around Skopje (and as many McD's) and the selection has widened and grown in variety over the years and competes quite nicely with Ramstore.

Tinex and Tediko fall in between the supermarket and the smaller corner stores and tend to have the best prices. The variety of items available is really good and also has kept getting better over the years. These stores are also great for finding items that are more specific to Macedonian cooking that may not be found in the larger markets. While the supermarkets Vero and Ramstore can be numbered together on one hand, Tediko and Tinex have a number of locations in various places around town.

The really nice thing about stores here in the city is that they're all within walking distance. I really like that--especially compared to the US where I'd have to use the car to go anywhere. It's really nice to be a block away at most from several options, from large to small. My daily shopping for items is done at the little corner market in my building much like this one pictured. These markets are literally everywhere and in them one can find anything from boullion cubes and eggs to TP and batteries.

Trips to the larger markets are made usually 2-3 times a month for other items like: spices, olive oil, cottage cheese, tortillas, brown sugar, lemon juice, frozen food items, shampoo and other toiletries. Sometimes I go just for the convenience of having everything in one place. Trips to Ramstore are also fun with friends. We have lunch or dinner in the food court, watch a movie, window-shop and then head to the supermarket... or any one or combo of the above.

The shopping picture was much different several years ago... Even then, though, the items I missed were more wishes or "treats from home" than actual needs. Honestly, we have it pretty good here in Skopje now-a-days... everything we need is available and within walking distance.

Recipe: Homemade Chunky Salsa

Being a true California-girl I adore Mexican food, but since there's not much here I've had to learn to make things from scratch like tortillas, guacamole and salsa. And since I mentioned "salsa ingredients" yesterday, I thought it would be fun to share my personal Balkan-adapted recipe for homemade chunky salsa.

Carolyn's Balkanite Salsa

Proportions are general, flexible and a guesstimate of what I actually use. Basically I throw stuff in that I think will be good and adjust quantities for flavor and heat. :)

3 large, ripe tomatoes, finely diced
2 med, hot onions, finely diced
1 large, sweet onion
3 med sweet peppers (long and skinny are the type we get here instead of bell peppers. see pic)
1 hot pepper, finely diced or,
3 T jalapenos, finely diced & crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon
2 T cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste

Chop tomatoes, onions and peppers as fine or as chunky as you prefer. Or, if you like, you can do what I do and chop them into chunks and place into a spin-chopper (pictured above). When mixed well to preferred blend or chunkiness, add minced onions, lime and lemon juice, cilantro and hot peppers (or jalapenos). Important: add hot peppers a little bit at a time to control level of heat and to not end up with salsa so spicy that it could rival Thai-food.

Taste test (it's just a good excuse to dip a tortilla chip to test the combined flavor.) You may need to test it a few times just to be sure. ;)

Add salt and pepper to taste. Taste test again with the helpful hand of another tortilla chip and adjust ingredients if necessary. If the salsa is a little hot, you can always add a sugar cube, a little more lemon and a little tomato juice (or paste) to help offset. Otherwise, be prepared to drink a lot of milk (water only makes it hotter). Or, if you're allergic to milk like I am, the only recourse is to go to a mirror and watch the steam escape from your ears and pray the tingling sensation in your lips goes away and your taste buds recover. ;)

Place in air-tight container and chill for at least 2 hours for best first-use flavor. Enjoy!

Alternative Preparations:

Option #1: Roast all vegetables on a grill (including garlic) before blending together in the spin-chopper. This adds a different dimension to the flavor and is especially nice on fajitas or Spanish omelet.

Option #2 (pictured): Finely chop 2 tomatoes, 2 hot onions, 2 sweet peppers, 1 hot pepper (or 1 T jalapenos), 1 garlic clove, lemon juice and a dash of salt. Add all ingredients to a skillet. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 hour. Finely chop remaining fresh tomato, onion, pepper (sweet and hot) and garlic. Combine fresh items with the stewed portion in large airtight container with lime juice. Add cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Chill at least 2 hours before use for full flavor.

Option #3: substitute 1 cup stewed tomatoes and 1/2 cup tomato juice for fresh tomatoes. I use this option usually in the winter when fresh tomatoes are in short supply.

*******

As you can see, ingredients are adapted to what's available here and items you can't get here (like jalapenos) were wonderful gifts from friends. :) Fresh cilantro, a must-have ingredient for salsa, is something that has only recently shown up in the produce section of Ramstore (local supermarket) in the last year. Sadly, they were out when I made this recipe, but thanks to the generosity of a friend in the US I had that big bottle available.

Many thanks to those who sent care packages with the above specialty items as well as for the many packets of taco seasoning. They will come in quite handy for my next girl's night out: "Taco Night." At the last one I had the salsa was a big hit--some gals just chose to fore-go the tortilla chips and to just eat the salsa straight! :) As I have a couple jars of jalapenos now, I'm thinking of trying my hand at a green salsa as well for the party. (I've tried making it with the local hot peppers, but it's just not the same.) My brother showed me a quick recipe he learned when he was in Mexico last year, but if you know any recipe's I'd love to hear them! It's always fun sharing these different things with my Macedonian friends--especially since many love spicy food! Though I suppose I should offer some milder options too. :)

Recipe: Breakfast Bundt Cake

This weekend I made a type of bundt-cake that I first watched a Macedonian lady prepare for Alpha several years ago. She wrote the recipe on the back of an envelope for me and it's since become one of my favorites.

It's name, Куглов, refers to the pie pan (a bundt) more than it does to the type of cake. As this particular recipe includes breakfast items like ham and eggs, I've decided to give it the English name: Breakfast Bundt Cake. I like this recipe a lot because the cake can be cut into individual servings for breakfast-on-the-go. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


Breakfast Bundt Cake

5 Eggs
15-20 T Flour
25g Ham, finely diced
25g Feta, finely chopped (use a plain, crumbly, cheese like Greek Feta but with low sodium)
3-4 Carrots, finely diced
1-1/4 T Baking powder
1 T Parsley

Mix eggs with blender until smooth. Add baking powder and mix well. Add the flour evenly and until the consistency is a bit thicker than cake-batter. Add ham, cheese, carrots and parsley. Blend well. Batter should be chunky and slightly sticky. Put into a lightly greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 20-25 minutes at 292F. Remove and place on wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

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Carolyn's California-girl-who-misses-Mexican-food variation: Substitute salsa ingredients, cheese, cilantro and a bit of jalapeno for the ham, feta, carrots and parsley.

GCF Walk: Week 5 Reflections

Today is Saturday, my day to catch up on all things domestic. Besides cleaning the kitchen, mopping, re-arranging cabinets and changing sheets, I pulled out a stack of ALife magazines. I tend to hang on to them and over six years I've collected quite a few. It was time to purge. So, with the sounds of the Olympics and men's gymnastics coming from the TV as background noise, I started the project.

This week is a reflection less on a GCF walk than a pondering of those feet who've gone before me as well as those with whom I'm walking now.

At first I was just going to toss them all, but couldn't do so without perusing them and even clipping a few. As I leafed through the pages I paused on one story after another. Soon what started out as a quick project became a quiet-time of sorts: reading again the stories, challenges and prayers of so many and marvelling at the testimony and rich history represented therein. As I read on, pondering, praying, there were moments of tears and many smiles. Most often, though, my heart beat faster with a sense of passion, of call, of determination, of renewed desire to press on and to keep walking. Only half-way through the stack and I'm completely humbled by such a great cloud of witnesses, to be even a small part in this legacy of faith.

Now here's a confession: "I'm just a bookkeeper" is something I've often said... sometimes I say it just as a statement of actual job, but other times I've said it with meaning, having let in the lie that somehow what I'm doing is not real ministry... that somehow it doesn't stand up to the real work of my colleagues. Now don't get me wrong, there's no doubt in my heart that I'm exactly where Father wants me and doing what he's gifted and called me to do... it's just that working in the four walls of the office day after day I sometimes lose track of the bigger picture....

As I prepare for my next home assignment, I do struggle a bit with what I should share. What stories do I even have to tell? I sure don't want to bore people to tears with refried beans. Then today, as I read the stories shared by my colleagues and the lives that have been touched because of their ministry, the Lord chastened me... He reminded me again that I'm here doing what He's called me to do so that they can do what they've been called to do... and together we are His team... it's His story and that's a story worth sharing!

Can you hear it? It's the sound of the "four walls of the office" crashing down and my again seeing the bigger picture.

Rather than simply tossing the ALife's, I had the idea to clip all the articles, life-stories and snippets of info or prayers related to our field and to put them into a scrapbook. I think I'll also add some quotes or short stories from my colleagues email letters. Then, to finish things off, I think I'll add several of my photos (if you haven't already guessed, photography is one of my hobbies). The end product will be a coffee-table book that I can go back to on those days when I may be discouraged, or feeling like the four walls are closing in, to remind myself of the bigger picture. It's also something I can take back with me on HA to share with you, to share His story.

Thank you for so patiently and prayerfully walking with me.

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GCF Walk: Week 5 Tally
July Total: $46.51
Aug So-Far: 8 miles, $8.45 and counting (it was a really hot week)

Balkan Shopping: 8 Facts for 08-08-08

One of the things I'm most often asked is, "What's the shopping like in Macedonia?" Well, on this second day of a series of blogs to answer that question, and in honor of it being 08-08-08, I thought it would be fun to share 8 little facts about shopping here in Skopje:

1. Upon entering a store you will be greeted, "Повелете?!" ("povelete" meaning "hello may I help you?"), and then promptly followed around the store... closely like a shadow. This is purely out of polite courtesy so that they're there to help you or answer any questions you may have.
2. At Vero (one of the supermarkets) you have to insert a coin to get a shopping cart... you get your money back when the cart is returned.
3. Fruit and veggies don't get weighed and priced at the check-stand, you have to get it done in the produce section of the supermarket.
4. The best place to get fruit and vegetables is in the green markets (like farmer's markets) located in several key areas around town.
5. Speaking of produce, every different kind of fruit and vegetable gets its own plastic bag... that means you can leave the green market with 20 different items in 20 different bags... vendors don't really like to consolidate
6. Little stores tend to specialize in one thing and several different types tend to be grouped together. For example, the picture with red car includes: 2 fish markets, a mini-mart, a cheese & deli-meat place, a butcher, a hardware store and an appliance store... that is, in addition to the street vendor selling brooms, dried flowers and gourds among other things.
7. Most clothing items are sized the US equivalent of 0-7 and the stores usually only have one size/color available of each item.
8. The secret to insuring that "specialty items" (aka. things that we really like from back home) become regular? Be sure to buy a couple of the items when they first appear in some small corner of the store. If enough people do this, the owners realize that the item will sell well and will order larger quantities, put them in a more predominate place, and drop the price. Here's just some of the items for which this strategy has been a success: tortillas, Chinese food items, brown sugar, dried cranberries and fresh cilantro. :)

This is just a brief introduction to some little facts of shopping here in Skopje. More detail and interesting facts will be included in upcoming blogs... just wait until I take you to visit the butcher! :)

Balkan Shopping: Beverly Hills-Macedonia

Did you know that I can shop in Beverly Hills every single day if I wanted to? The prices are really reasonable too! Actually, it's a shopping center called Беверли Хилс and right here in the middle of Skopje.

Now being a California girl (Northern CA, that is) I am familiar with Beverly Hills, though I've never shopped there. I think the shop girls would send me packing like they did to "Pretty Woman"... but I digress. ;) Anyways, when I first moved here 6 years ago and needed to get my first cell-phone, Mark, my colleague (one of 5 Marks, btw) said, "No problem. I'll take you to Beverly Hills tomorrow."

He and his wife chuckled at the the blank, confused and admittedly way-jetlagged look on my face and patiently explained to me that it was the name of a shopping mall here... oh, and that shopping malls in general are much different than I'm used to. Just off the plane two days their explanation sort-of punctured the fog in my head and I was intrigued.

The "mall" was located in the middle of several apartment buidings. Being a country girl (so-to-speak) this was so new to me! Inside Beverly (the short-hand name used by locals) there are all types of shops imaginable: clothes, electronics, accessories, music, florist, shoes, mobile phone, computer, Apple Store (don't know if it's official, but I know a few Apple-lovers who drool over it.... I'm not one, though ;) ) and others. There are also several different coffee-bars in the inner courtyard of the upper floor--one of which is where I would occassionaly meet my language teacher for conversation practice. Additionally, there are pizza-shops, restaurants, a bank, a post office and a currency exchange place. Everything you could possibly imagine.

Six years on and it's not such a novelty for me anymore. It's become part of the pattern of daily life for me here in the Balkans. I don't actually shop there as it's in a different neighborhood from where I live, and each neighborhood around town has it's own shopping center. Can you guess how many shopping centers are "hidden" in the above picture??

Over the next few weeks I'll share some of the other centers as well as different types of shopping experiences to be found around town, ones that once seemed so very new and different to me, yet now I find to be quite normal. Just wait until I show you the Пластична Улица --also known as "Plastic Row!" Ha! Since this has become normal to me, you can just imagine how confused I get when I go back to the US. Seriously, you should have seen me the first time I saw the "self-check-out" line at the local grocery store! But that's a blog best saved for my next trip back across the pond. :)

Anyways, thanks for being a part of this journey with me. :)

Symphony of Peace

This statue has always fascinated me. Why was such an seemingly terrible piece of art in the middle of town? It just seems so violent, the birds crushing one another against the world. The image always reminded me of seeing birds fighting in mid-flight or of the little bird that would follow and torment a crow while flying. It wasn't until this past January 1st, while strolling around town in the new-fallen snow, that I actually stopped to read the plaque.


"Симфонија на Мирот" when translated means "Symphony of Peace." Knowing the given name of this piece of art simply confused me more. It just seemed so incongruous with the image of doves pile-driving each other against the planet.

Yesterday after I picked up the mission vehicle from the repair service I again passed this statue and again pondered it's seemingly mixed message. Then it hit me. Doves are widely viewed as symbols of peace. There are three of them, and as this is an Orthodox community, most likely represent the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The fact that they seem to be crushing each other against a globe is more likely meant to be a pressing of peace into the world, perhaps as if to infuse mankind with eternal peace from God Himself. And further it then makes sense to me that this artistic "prayer for peace" be situated in the center of a city, where East meets West, in the middle of the Balkans where there has been millenia of conflict.

People long for peace to transform their lives and their communities. True and ultimate peace comes from the Prince of Peace who can renew and fill hearts and transform lives eternally. Would you join me in praying for such peace?

Anatomy of Filing --> in a Binder

I sincerely thought Trent's nose must have grown longer when he informed me that we only had one filing cabinet and that we rarely used it. I further imagined a leaf sprouting when he said that we filed in binders instead.

Huh. Er... Come again?

A tilt of my head and a look of disbelief were all it took for my new boss to launch into a patient explanation to assure me that he was not spinning a tale (indeed a talent of his), that in fact the use of binders is the preferred way to file here in Europe.

Honestly, I was really stumped by this way of filing. I'd been working for almost 20 years in several different office environments and in a range of industries and the filing was all done the same way: in a cabinet with pull-out drawers. Then I moved overseas and my filing-life was turned upside down! That was six years ago now and I honestly cannot imagine ever going back to a filing cabinet. And no, my nose did not just smack my monitor and bear fruit! ;)

The first thing I had to get used to was using a 2-hole punch rather than the 3-hole punch I'd so dutifully packed with my outfit. The last time I used a 2-hole punch was when I worked in the mortgage industry and we used the 2-hole to bracket loan docs into client portfolio files (aka. manila folders). At this point I must confess that I can count on 1-hand the number of times I've used my 3-hole punch in 6-years.

The next thing to get used to was using clear plastic sheet protectors in place of a manila folder. Aside from college, my only experience with these slippery little things was in the set of family recipes that my Mom had compiled and given to my brothers and I for Christmas. She used sheet protectors so that the recipe could be pulled from the book and placed on the counter during cooking while being protected from food splashes. And since they are plastic they're easy to clean as well.

The next somewhat familiar items were the dividers to separate by category, person, account or other designation. Again, the last time I'd used a divider was in college to separate my Strategic Management class notes from the ones for Christological Epistles.

Then there was the binder itself. It had a funky bracket inside to secure the pages, sheet protectors or dividers as well as an external box-like thing that is called the "archive." When filing in a binder is complete, the whole thing fits into the archive and then sits nicely right on the bookshelf.

Here's an example of how the binders are organized:

• The color of the binder tells what budget year is covered (Green=2008, Yellow=2007, Black=2006, etc)
• Petty cash - binders by country, dividers by currency and reconciliation documentation
• Reimbursement reports - binders by country, dividers by worker, sheet protectors by month w/receipts
• Monthly work papers - binders by quarter, dividers by month, sheet protectors for approvals and monthly backup
• Reports - binder by year, dividers for major categories, sheet protectors for reports grouped by month
• Permanent documents - binder by year subdivided by category for the permanent records, reports, journals, etc. A backup disk with all the years data (both accounting program backup and report backup) is stored in a pocket taped to the inside binder cover as well.

By using the binders, previous years documents are stored on bookshelves and easily identifiable from their color and binding label. My binders for the current year are on a bookshelf right behind my desk and so, literally, at my fingertips. Additionally, by using a specific code at the beginning of an expense description when entering into our bookkeeping program I can easily track exactly what binder will have the hard copy backup for that entry.... a proven asset to have for an audit. :)

Now you may be wondering what on earth would inspire me to write an "Anatomy of Filing" blog. Well, the reason is simple: I'm knee-deep in filing at the moment due to the field-structure change that went into effect during the last two months of the fiscal year. I've had to re-organize the filing system to accommodate the change, and in the process it struck me how differently I file today as compared to when I was in the US.... and how filing in binders of all things is normal for me now and so I thought it'd be fun to share. :)

Now I must confess that I'm not at all a fan of filing (in fact it was number 3 on my list of things I don't like to do--right behind doing dishes) but I have found that re-organizing things is much easier since our "books" are filed in binders. Hmmm... I may just have to add "filing in binders" to the "If you told me 10 years ago I'd be doing this I would have thought you were crazy" list. :)