Wow. Putting into words how incredible the time in Macedonia and Greece was seems almost as impossible as containing Christ's love in a single box. My words will never be sufficient, but I'm learning that the greatest things in this life are like that- impossible to accurately describe. So, I'm holding on hard to the images of soft, broken, desperate-to-be-loved little faces; the sweet sound of kids' laughs; the different words sung to the same tune when macedonian-speaking lips and english-speaking lips worshipped the same awesome God; the feeling of a little girl's hand clung tight to mine- despite the fact that she could hardly pronounce my name (I had even more trouble with her's).
We had quite an itinerary this year: we did four Young Life clubs, in hopes of introducing local school's in and around Strumica and Skopje, Macedonia to what a Young Life club with their kids would look like. For those of you who haven't been to a Young Life club before- we played games with them, did a silly skit, and Martin (a local YL volunteer) gave a short Jesus-talk (or in school's where we weren't allowed to speak the name of Jesus Christ, a talk on God as creator, love, the value of community, etc.) in Macedonian. It was so so so fun. Kids laughed with us (or at us), and after, followed us all the way to our van with big smiles and waving hands, not ready to see their new American friends leave. How excited they were to be noticed, to be loved on. Even more important, directors and teachers of these school's (most of which are full of muslim or poverty-ridden families, or both) were EXCITED for their kids to be involved in this organization. Again, I'm at a loss for words to say how incredible this is. This is where the eternal impact begins, as Young Life is essentially given permission to pursue friendships with kids of these middle schools and high schools, bringing them to the love of Jesus. THAT is our goal, as leaders who only spend a matter of days each year on the ground- our hope was to help PLANT SEEDS and encourage local believers to get involved in Young Life so they will pursue kids year-round.
We also visited a Roma village (if you aren't familiar with that term- the Roma people migrated from India- known as "gypsy's", and are very very poor). This was one of my favorite experiences of the whole trip. We played several games with them, despite their inability to understand english (duck-duck goose was a huge hit, and hide-and-go-seek turned out to be universal!!!) There was so much joy that day. Precious little girls wouldn't leave my side, and I delighted in every second their hands latched onto mine! They were simply desperate for love. I truly felt like we were the face of Jesus Christ in those hours spent laughing with them. It was an experience I will hold near and dear to my heart forever.
A lot of time was spent getting to know local believers and sharing with them about Young Life's mission in their communities. Some of these believers included high school students from an International School's bible study, eager to evangelize among their peers. Others were local pastors, and elders of churches. One evening, we got to present Young Life to a congregation, sharing how this ministry had impacted the eight of us individually, and how we hoped to partner with them to impact the youth of their city. We also got to share a meal with some of the college students from Skopje we met last year. I was over-and-over overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to go before us and pave the way in every place we were in, and for every conversation we had.
Our time in Greece the last two days was AMAZING. Needless to say, I fell in love with that country. We visited Thessaloniki and Phillipi. I walked the same grounds as Paul and some of the first-ever followers of Jesus Christ. Mind-blowing. We hiked to the acropolis of Phillipi, where Paul preached the grace and truth of Jesus Christ thousands of years ago. I must have had a thousand 'pinch-me-this-experience-is-
If I had to pin all the Lord opened my eyes to during this into a single strand of words it would be this: His Love transcends ALL boundaries of culture, language, and ethnicity; He is desperate for his children in our own country and to the ends of the earth to know the riches of his glory. If we all live with that truth in our hearts, imagine the difference that would be made.
Once again, this is just a glimpse into what this experience was and is to me and the rest of the team that went on this trip. We are so thankful to have had this opportunity, and hope you all feel apart of our Father's work across the world.
Lauren Bevan
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