abbey abroad :)

So, for those of you who don't know, I am going to South Europe as a Journeyman through the International Mission Board! I can't tell you how excited I am. And nervous. And scared. But mostly excited. :) I thought I'd create a blog to make it easier for people to know how everything's going. I won't be updating it much in the next few months, but once I leave, I'll try to update it once a week or so.

Specifically, I'll be living in Skopje, Macedonia. (It's okay... go look at a map. I had to!) For two years, I'll be on a small team there working with the Roma people--more commonly known as Gypsies. Interesting fact: When the Roma people moved to the Balkan region centuries ago, the local people thought they were from Egypt because of their darker skin color. Hence, the name "Gypsy." So go impress someone with your etymological knowledge of that word. :)

I'll be working with ROSE ministries (Roma of South Europe). As a Volunteer Coordinator, my job will be to make arrangements for any missions teams that come in, and to train them and such. I also get to work directly with the Roma people through a variety of ministries, including ESL, skill training/job development, medical, and church planting. Of course, I'll know more about what I actually get to do when I get there. If you want to know more about Roma Ministries, go here.

I go to a 6-8 week training session in late July, and I leave for my new home at the beginning of October. So guess what I've been doing in preparation? Learning to speak Macedonian! Well, learning it as much as is possible with a very limited free download program and no known speakers of Macedonian around here. So far I know the days of the week, a few greeting words, and colors. So. I'm not exactly fluent. But it's a start! I do wonder, though, why this little computer program I downloaded decided knowing colors is more important than knowing something like, "Do you speak English?" or "Where's the bathroom?" But I'll get there. I've decided those are the two phrases I WILL know before I get to Macedonia. Priorities. :)

I guess that's all for now. Like I said, I probably won't write again for a few months. But let me leave you with a neat quote by David Livingstone I found today that I totally agree with: