This week the weather has been truly remarkable. Most days we've gone out with just a jumper to keep away the slight chill in the air and have been bathing in warm sunshine from 10am to 3pm. So much for the 'big freeze' that we were expecting (although I am aware it could still come!).

In fact I am so lulled into a sense of false security about it being Spring already that I took the children for our first picnic of the year today. We just love being outside and especially with the sunshine have begun to feel trapped inside our 6th floor flat! So today we packed up some cheese and ketchup sandwiches (yum!), some fruit, biscuits and of course a flask or warm tea for me and walked the 10 minutes to the river. Here there is a large Play Park and a few benches along the not-so-enticing river with some kind of factory opposite (well you go with what you have!), so we had a play and then settled on a bench to eat our lunch.

As we sat, we felt determined that soon we will wake Harry up from hibernation so that we can drive out to the more beautiful parts of Macedonia (of which there are plenty) outside of the city and have picnics galore! Roll on summer...

Every few months I write an article for the 24-7prayer site. The latest one is now up and talks aboutfinding God in one another and in the beauty of creation. If you're interested you can read it here.

Some friends told me this joke:

Sat outside a coffee bar are 3 men; 1 Slovenian, 1 Serbian and a Macedonian. The men are chatting and watching the world go by (a common occupation) when a woman walks past them carrying a large crate of eggs.

The Slovenian turns to the others "Wow! If I could only have those eggs I could breed a hundred chickens, I'd be rich!"

The Serbian says "If I had those eggs I could feed my family for a week, fantastic!".

There's a pause...

And then the Macedonian chuckles... "If she dropped those eggs it would be really funny!"

Yes yes we know it looks like a dogs dinner! to be honest we are getting pretty fed up with 20six and are trying out a typepad account. Please bear with us.
Lots of love
S+M
xxx

                                     Thank you GBR we love you!

So what do you do? Someone rings on your doorbell, you answer and standing at the door is a man asking for money. He has with him a photo of a child who appears to have 2 tongues and a copy of a document, and he stands and explains that his son is in hospital needing an operation and he has no money to pay for it.

On the one hand you’ve been told that people do this a lot here, that it’s their ‘business’, that the documents are false and it’s a scam and on the other hand Jesus told us to look after those in need, but how can I tell his actual need from a short conversation in poor Macedonian/English…

I gave him a small amount of money and promised to pray for his son (which I did), but is that enough?

We often have people calling at the flat asking for money and I am always in a dilemma, the locals tell me that they are just scamming us and yet my conscience doesn’t sit clear with saying no and closing the door. I want to give them so much more than a few denar, however I’m restricted – but am I restricted by the alien culture, the language barrier or just by my own insecurities? I don’t want to be the one who walks by the man lying injured on the road just because my I’m from a different country etc, I want to be the one who gets him the help he needs and pays whatever it takes (not just in money) but what if his injuries are fake?