Coffee and Questions
Written by Amy Schuett.
An Evening Conversation
It was getting late. The two friends had just spent the last few hours talking. Jan* was enjoying getting to know Ana and had been sharing the gospel with her over the past 6 months. As of yet, Ana had not seemed particularly receptive. Suddenly, Ana’s face lit up.
“Oh! I want to tell you about the people who have moved in upstairs!” Ana said, as she jumped off the couch. Dragging Jan upstairs, Ana rushed to find the new family in the apartment complex.
“They have been asking questions about God and I told them I had a friend...” Ana continued, as she knocked on the door. The new renters were a husband and a wife with two children. The door opened and the family welcomed the two women into their cramped quarters.
Moving unpacked boxes aside, Jan and Ana found a spot on the couch as the wife began making coffee.
Asking Questions
Soon the husband and wife began asking questions about Jesus
, what the mission workers believe, the Trinity, and questions about the Bible .
Jan sensed that the man was eagerly seeking God, and they kept talking. The kids, sitting around the couch, began to doze as the time crept closer to midnight.
The conversation wrapped up but the Lord continued to work in the heart of this family. The wife began to come to Bible studies with the church. Soon after, the whole family started to attend. They gave their lives to Jesus Christ and the husband is now an elder for a church in North Macedonia.
This all began from a willing mission worker following the direction of the Spirit and taking advantage of opportunities to share Christ.
God at Work in Macedonia
This is not the only growth in North Macedonia. SEND’s work continues to advance. There are now four church fellowships in and around the capital, each at a different stage in growth.
The SEND team’s goal is to lean on the Lord and to grow and disciple believers. The hope is that these new leaders will become disciple-making disciples themselves.
The SEND team is helping each place to grow into a healthy, flourishing church. “We regularly evaluate the church plants and ask God to show us the next stage for each one. We want to see disciples multiplied, society transformed, and Macedonia reached with the gospel
,” Jan says.
Opportunities to Participate
It is exciting to see what God is doing in Macedonia. Many people are interested in learning how they can participate! There are a few different ways to get involved in the work that’s happening in Macedonia.
For instance, the ENGAGE Macedonia internship program brings young people from all over to work alongside mission workers for a number of months. Recent interns have come from Canada, the US, Germany and Hong Kong. We are also eager for more long-term mission workers to come join the team and work together to reach the new generation.
Making an Eternal Impact
Being a missionary requires patience, perseverance, and reliance on the Holy Spirit, but small moments can have an eternal impact. Total strangers meeting at midnight to discuss the Bible turned into an entire household being adopted into the family of God.
Now this family is leading in a local church. The Spirit is at work! Macedonia is a land open and welcome to strangers, and ready for the harvest!
*Names have been changes for security reasons.
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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