Macedonia

So how do you start to explain a life-changing event like my trip to Skopje, Macedonia. It seems that no matter how many times I go over it my head, I can’t not think about the kids. I guess I should start at the begging; I was sent by my company to Macedonia to film a youth group that volunteered a week of their lives to work in a Roma community. Now the Roma are a nomadic people group that are typically scattered in and throughout central and eastern europe. Largely, they keep to themselves and do not associate with “Godjoe” or none Roma. For the past twelve years, Betty, a missionary living in Skopje has been working tirelessly to set up connections, encourage relationships, and tell the Roma about Jesus. Joined after three years by Karen, who has devoted her life to assisting Betty in spreading the love of Christ to these people. With Karen's medical background, she as been able to set up a program to provide limited medical needs for the Roma people. The Roma are impoverished, largely Muslim, and typically unemployed.



Through the missionaries, the Lord was able to open the opportunity for the youth group to come in. Three Fuge staffers gave their time and planned it down to a tee, while I got sent to document it all. What an incredible opportunity for me. I have been working for the past month and a half in one of the regional offices in Prague and it has been difficult for me just being in an office. They planned a sort of day camp for the kids jam-packed with activities, songs, crafts, and general goofiness. This trip was a breath of fresh air, I spent my days filming, playing football (soccer), dodgeball, hacki-sack, and showing kids something they’ve never seen before, a video camera. Most of the kids wore the same clothes every day, some of them didn’t have shoes, and most of them will never go to school. But their hearts are full, and they just wanted to play, hug, and love on us, which was funny because that was what we were all sent there to do for them.




On Thursday, we visited a playground in the Georgie-Patroff area that was surrounded by a recycling plant. Huge stacks of rusted metal, old cars, steel and iron pieces, and glass encircled the playground. By playground, I refer to a basketball court with a ten foot fence around it, situated on the outskirts of a Roma community where 30,000 live in a place designed for 10,000; overshadowed by the construction of a multi-million dollar American embassy complex. It made my stomach churn to see such needs unmet. Truly, I have seen the face of God in the eyes of those children. Because the law in Macedonia prohibits anyone from using religious propaganda of any kind in the country, our ministry was love, it was the first time those kids have gotten to experience anything like that before. What an incredible witness to us and them...



“Praise God to whom all blessings flow...”

-Bryan