Robert and Lisa Burns

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

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What is Macedonia? In the time we were preparing to come here, many people admitted or indicated that they didn’t know much about it. So here are a few facts about Macedonia that are fairly basic in understanding where He has brought us:

1. Technically, we live in the Republic of Macedonia. The Republic of Macedonia is located in part of what was the old Roman province of Macedonia. When we read the New Testament, we see that Paul and Silas preached and helped start churches in… Macedonia! However, the cities where Paul and Silas went (Philippi, Thessalonika) are in the part of Macedonia which is today controlled by Greece. Macedonia is one region, but today split among three different countries: the Republic of Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria.

2. The Republic of Macedonia is one of the former republics of Yugoslavia. A lot of Americans are familiar with Yugoslavia, particularly for the car “The Yugo.” Yugoslavia, however, was a nation created out of six different countries after World War I (1919). All six countries were made up of mostly Slavic peoples, hence the name “Yugoslavia”, meaning “Land of the Southern Slavs.” Under Marshal Tito, Yugoslavia became known as a communist country not allied with the USSR. However, as Eastern European communism fell in 1990, Yugoslavia could not hold together any longer, and all of the old countries became independent countries once again, including Macedonia in 1991.

3. Macedonians, like Greeks and Russians, are traditionally Eastern Orthodox. Unfortunately, most Macedonians are unaware of what this means beyond certain traditions. Years of socialist ideology and lack of revival mean that what Orthodox churches there are here are often empty except for at Christmas and Easter. Often, this acts mostly as an ethnic “ID card,” in contrast to the 33% of the population that are Muslim (who are largely Albanians, Turks and Roma [Gypsies]). This affects our Macedonian evangelical friends, as they are told that they are not Macedonian, sometimes even traitors.

4. Macedonia is one of the poorest countries in Europe. IMF data from 2010 gives per capita income (GDP/PPP, adjusted for cost-of-living) at roughly $9,350 (the U.S. is at $47,123 for 2010). Macedonia is roughly equivalent to Jamaica or Peru, economically. Most families struggle to make ends meet. Please pray for revival, renewal, and blessing for Macedonia!

Prayer Requests/Answers to Prayer

We are thankful for how some of our relationships at church have been building. Macedonian believers are an encouragement to us.

We are also thankful for our language helpers. Their patience, genuine helpfulness, kindness, and understanding of their language are big blessings for us.

Please continue to pray that God will raise the money necessary for the purchase of a mission vehicle.

Please continue to pray that God would lead and direct us and our teammates with regard to our future ministry here. There are some wonderful opportunities, but we really need God to lead us to the one He wants us to serve in.

Please pray for spiritual revival in Macedonia, and also for its well-being. Pray particularly that the churches can provide for their dedicated shepherds.

Balkans

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