From Bitola to Resen, Ohrid, Struga, and back to Skopje

The last few days of our mission trip to Macedonia were packed. We met so many wonderful servants of God and heard so many amazing testimonies.

From Bitola to Resen, Ohrid, Struga, and back to Skopje

"And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them."

(Acts 16:9-10)

The last few days of our mission trip to Macedonia were packed. We enjoyed a nice dinner with Pastor Joli and his wife Billie. This sweet couple, who also serve a local church in Bitola, love Jesus, each other, and the church they serve. They were such a blessing to be around. After dinner, we walked the streets of Bitola and enjoyed some gelato.

Here is a picture of Joli and Billie:

Tevek gave us a tour of the church he pastors in Bitola, then Tom and I toured the remains of a place called Heracles. This city had a large theater which seated 2500-3000 people. In the first three centuries AD, this was a place where Christians were martyred. But that changed when Constantine the Emperor of Rome signed the Edict of Milan in AD 313 which granted Christians the freedom to practice their faith without persecution. A basilica, or Christian church, was unearthed from the 4th century.

We then drove to the city of Resen and visited Pastor Dragon and Bilnia. They have worked seven years mostly among Muslims and have seen no converts to Christ or baptisms. We talked with them about being faithful and serving the Lord in hard seasons of ministry. Adoniram and Ann Judson labored for seven years in Burma in the 19th century before they saw the first Burmese come to faith in Jesus.

Next, we traveled to Ohrid in the western part of Macedonia near Albania. Lake Ohrid is nearly 1,000 feet deep and is the oldest Iake in Europe. Ohrid is a beautiful place with many shops and restaurants. (I know my wife Ashley would love this place!) Here are a couple of pictures of Ohrid:

Near Ohrid is the city of Sturga. We were blessed to worship with Pastor Emil and his wife Vesna at the evangelical church in Struga. Vesna was the best translator I had in Macedonia. Emil introduced us to two men who were baptized in October: a man in his 70s and another 17 years old. Praise God.

After eating fish soup for breakfast with Emil and Vesna, we went to the Monastery of the Nativity in Kalishta. It was fascinating to go into caves where the monks once lived. These caves were very small and only had a tiny seat.

We concluded our mission trip to Macedonia by visiting Pastor Andy and his wife Irdea. She is from Albania and he is from Missouri. They work among the Albanians in Struda. We also visited with Anna, Darko, and Anita for a lunch meeting in Ohrid. After some shopping, we made our final stop to meet Jordan Stoilov in Tetovo. He was addicted to drugs for ten years, but Jesus saved him. He spent a year in Teen Challenge, got married, and went to Bible college. While he was preparing to plant a church, he was arrested for his crimes from many years prior. He was shocked that they were looking for him. The first night in jail, he led three men to Christ! God used him in his three months in prison in Stip to share Jesus with many inmates.

What an amazing mission trip to Macedonia. Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity to go and meet these strong followers of Jesus. I was greatly blessed and hope to return in the future.

Partner with us in spreading the Gospel!

Will you help fuel our efforts to spread the Gospel
and equip and empower other Christians to do the same?

Count me in! ▶

Podcast of the Week

Victory Over the Lies of the Enemy, with Cindy Asmussen

Pastor Danny welcomes to the show his good friend Cindy Asmussen for a 2-part discussion. Cindy and her husband Jeff are active members of GHBC, and she works for the SBTC as Public Policy Advisor as well as the SBC as a board of trustee member of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. In this episode, Cindy shares her testimony, including how God gave her victory over an eating disorder when she was a young lady. This is a great episode, and we pray it will be a help and an encouragement to many.

Listen on your preferred platform: