August 2026
We have just returned home after two meaningful weeks spent at The Macedonian Outreach’s Greece ministry house. Our first trip to Greece and Bulgaria was about 25 years ago, and we have been privileged to return about 20 times since then. Each trip has been unique. About half of the trips were with teams providing various ministry programs, while the other half were with just the two of us doing whatever we could to help support the ongoing ministry of Vula and The Macedonian Outreach.
Over the years we have seen so much. We have seen the poverty of those the world would consider “the least”, we have seen joy on the faces of children being loved on by teens from the U.S., we have seen homeless people housed for the first time, new churches bursting at the seams, disadvantaged children graduating from high school and attending university, lonely elderly forgotten by many but loved by Vula and various ministry partners.
Our lives were changed forever by the first trip we took with our eyes opened to needs and opportunities beyond anything we had ever seen. Each time we returned to the Balkans, God surprised us in new ways. This trip was no different. But probably what surprised us the most was just witnessing something that we have always seen but took for granted. It is the faithfulness of Vula (and of course Haig as well, as he is always with us) across the decades. There is a book by Eugene Peterson with a title that sums up what we have witnessed: “A long obedience in the same direction”.
This trip was calmer than some, with some sweet moments of helping Vula care for missionaries from North Macedonia, with two families back-to-back in the house next door taking a respite from their long days of service and having us care for them. Also several visits to a sick widow friend who has also become our friend over the years. We also had a sweet visit from Gopi and Reni where we caught up on their family as well as their ministry in Yastrebovo and Pamukchii. Timing was also perfect as a shipment of boxes arrived from the U.S. and we could help unpack and sort the items. And last but not least, it’s fig season! Which means the stove was always on with several pots of simmering figs as Vula tirelessly stirred and bottled the sweet golden cooked fruit in preparation for gifting and selling back home.
The two weeks went fast and were over too soon. But we returned home grateful once again for the opportunity to witness God in action through Vula and The Macedonian Outreach.
Paul and Barb VanMaanen
This has been my first trip to the Balkans, and it has not disappointed. I have been so encouraged by Vula and her ministry.
Along with a few others (some from CPC Danville, some not) I arrived in Greece to support Macedonian Outreach on July 11. We spent time adjusting to the time change and planning for our upcoming trip to North Macedonia, while also enjoying God’s beautiful creations at the foot of Mount Olympus and the shore of the Aegean Sea.
Early Monday morning, we began our journey to North Macedonia where we spent three days supporting a conference for children with special needs and their parents. At Hotel Montana, overlooking the mountain town of Krusevo (meaning the place of pear trees), I spent time laughing, playing games, doing crafts, and teaching the Bible to 12 children with disabilities as their parents sat in seminars designed to give them tools to care for their children and themselves.
In the three days, I taught through the stories of Zacchaeus, Jesus Healing the Leper, and the Resurrection of Lazarus. I was struck by the emphases that came out of my mouth as I tried to explicate their meaning to the reality of these individuals. As I spoke to them, I heard these old and familiar stories in a new light and felt the Lord ministering to me as I served others.
It was such a blessing to serve with Macedonian Outreach and I am so thankful for the support from so many back home!
This week we had a special house meeting in the town of Gefyra. My granddaughter Charis Krouscas, an All-American Lacrosse player, gave her testimony. Then her father, my son Pastor Jim, shared an encouraging message.
The twenty people gathered, most from the Orthodox Church, were both blessed and impressed—especially as they learned about Lacrosse for the first time. I was reminded of the good race that Paul describes to Timothy:
Fight the good fight of the faith.
Take hold of the eternal life to which
you were called when you made your good
confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12
From June 29 – July 5, four of us will travel to Bulgaria for the Annual Roma Pastors’ and Wives’ Conference for fellowship and training. This conference has been sponsored by The Macedonian Outreach for over thirty years. We will also visit some small churches in the area to encourage the believers and participate in the Sunday morning service of the Roma Church in Yastrebovo before we return home.
Your prayers for safe travels and fruitful ministry would be greatly appreciated.
-Vula
Recently, a few of us went to visit a house church in a village north of the ministry house. We went to encourage them and we came home with all these goodies. Unbelievable! So generous with a faith so strong. We praise the Lord for these people who, through trials, have stood firm in their faith for years and years.
This past Tuesday I worked at the Refugee Center in Thessaloniki. What can I say…my heart is full. Refugees from so many countries but my new friends from Sudan stole my heart. All the ones in the picture are believers. Their faces shone Jesus. They are not only refugees but persecuted Christians. I will never forget the joy on their faces. Please pray for them. All of them have left families behind, not knowing what will happen to them. Also pray for all the refugees!
