Macedonia Update August 2025

Hi everyone, here is our latest news from Macedonia

1 Thessalonians 1

The Apostle Paul addresses the Thessalonian church with these encouraging words:

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). 

Ian preached on this scripture earlier this month and was reminded of the need to turn our backs on our old ways and embrace the new life of faith that we have in Christ, to undertake acts of loving service and to stand firm in challenging times, spurred on by the hope of Christ’s return. 

Our hope is that as we journey together with others in our community that we would be a family on mission known for its faith, hope and love – after all, it is these three things that will remain. 

In the Summertime

Every year the summer break provides opportunities to connect with people and with the community. This year has been no different as we have been able to be out in the parks spending time with people locally and meeting new people. We are thankful for the ever-growing number of relationships we have in our local community, and we hope that we will see many people come to fully know the love that Christ has for them. 

Bible Studies

With one of our Bible Study groups, we have been exploring the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, examining how Jesus wants to speak into the very state of our hearts and transform them to be more like His. With our other group we have been exploring what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit and what it is to encounter him and have Him empower us to live for Jesus. 

Earlier this year, we sensed God was speaking to us about the return of Christ and how we get to live in the expectation of his coming, but will need to stand firm in our faith. From mid-august both groups will be considering the return of Christ, with an emphasis on standing firm in our faith and being ready as we ‘wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.’ (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The Bible doesn’t tell us when Christ will return, but the call throughout all the generations since his Ascension has been to be prepared and we believe it is important that we teach into this important subject.

With our children’s class we have been doing a series of one off ‘summer specials’ throughout the summer holiday, which have included the healing of the official’s son, and a particularly powerful session on the Parable of the Sower. (Pictured below)

Macedonia

Please pray for Macedonia, over the past month there have been a considerable number of wildfires in the country. It has been reported in the news that some of them may have been started deliberately, but it has been so hot and dry that even accidental ones can take very quickly. We are currently restricted from going into forest or mountain areas to reduce the risk. 

Prayer:

• Please give thanks for God’s faithful provision. In June, we had to make two repairs to the car and replace our laptop – it was a blessing for us to see how God faithfully provided all we needed at just the right time for these extra costs!
• Please give thanks for the new opportunities, and pray that more people in our community would be open to the gospel.
• Please pray for our Bible study groups, that people would grow in their relationship with God and that we will thrive together as a family on mission. 
• Please give thanks for the great time Kristan had on the Young Life camp during June. There were outdoor activities, games, bible teaching and opportunities for friendships to grow. As a family we really appreciate the efforts of all the leaders involved.  

Thanks for reading

Ian, Katie, Kristen and Josiah.