What Is the Future for Macedonia?

It's been a week since we returned from our Macedonia tour. We visited Bitola, Ohrid, Gevgelia, Stoyakovo, Strumica and Koleshino. Our main stop was Ohrid, the old Bulgarian capital during the reign of king Samuil from 997 то 1014. Оn the way to it and from it we visited some friends and thus saw more of this beautiful land.

I had been already a few times to Macedonia, mainly to Balkan staff consultations. Last year I went to a mission in the capital, Skopje, and on the way met a very prominent Macedonian Bulgarian, Lyupcho Kurtelov. He invited me to visit him in Ohrid after my 'business trip'. Thus I saw the gorgeous city for the first time. Before leaving Lyupcho invited me to come again, this time with my family. So, from 1 to 7 September the dream came true.

The last 5 or so years I have read a lot about the so called "Macedonian question". I see the bitterness and hopelessness of a people who have been forced to deny their true identity and accept a new one. Present day Macedonians have become used to and have accepted this new identity to the point when they look with resentment to any hint that perhaps their history has been somewhat different to what they have studied in their history textbooks at school.

For many Bulgaria and Bulgarians are the archi-enemy. No wonder, since the Yugoslavian authorities used every way possible to instill in the minds of people that they have nothing to do with Bulgaria: starting with the genocide and the threats against those who venture to claim Bulgarian identity after 1919, the destruction of the railway, built by the Bulgarian authorities and ready to connect both countries, the big wall of wire erected at the border; going through the changed Cyrillic alphabet to look more like the Serbian one, the introduction of thousands of Serbian words in the lexical system of the language, the new 'redaction' of the history studied at school and university, the erasing of all Bulgarian suffixes and names from the church icons, the graves and other artefacts, the deliberate negligence of Bulgarian officers and soldiers graveyards after WW2, and the production of 'historical' films portraying Bulgarians as cruel and cunning fashists; and coming to the present day deliberate negative coverage of what happens in Bulgaria by the pro-Serbian media.

In his book "Macedonia - an Experienced Destiny" Hristo Ognyanov explains with a deep foresight why people in Macedonia feel the way they feel today. Being a Macedonian Bulgarian from Ohrid himself, he depicts the stormy period from the Balkan War in 1912 to the fall of communism in 1991. All the trials, suffering, torturing, threats, change of authorities and identities, aggressive propagandas... With deep sensitivity Ognyanov shows that it is not just Yugoslavian (royal or Tito's) authorities who are to be blamed; the Bulgarian government has also made lots of mistakes regarding Macedonia - the lack of strategic and coordinated policy regarding Macedonia, the passive looking at the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising by the Bulgarian authorities, the Bulgarian king and generals' mistakes during the WW1, the Bulgarian communists' collaboration with Tito's anti-Bulgarian policy in forcing the inhabitants of the Pirin region admit they are "Macedonians" and thus 'creating' a Macedonian minority in Bulgaria, the passive policy of Bulgaria after 1990, etc.

The fact is, present day Macedonians, especially those under 50 years of age, have developed a new identity. They speak a language that is sometimes hard to understand by Bulgarians, they think differently, they listen to different music, watch different films, even eat somewhat different food (although different regions in Bulgaria also differ in the last respect). Most imporntantly, they have lived in a different country for almost 100 years. True, 100 years are nothing compared to the more than 1000 years we have lived in one kingdom and within the same borders. Yet, it is more than enough to explain the precipice between our peoples today.

So, what can be done in this situation, so that the people on both sides of Struma could rediscover the other and see our common roots? First, ideally, we should forget the 'hatred rhetorics' we are using now in defending our positions. Second, both governments should commit themselves to building a better infrastucture and open the borders for goods, people and ideas.

Of course, another legitimate question is, is this important? Why let history lie in oblivion? After all, what matters most is our identity in Christ (are with with him or not) and not so much our national identity.

I believe that who you are in Christ is more important than what language you speak. Still, not knowing the past can hinder us from better knowing who we are and can help us avoid the mistakes of the past. Besides, saying you don't care about your national and personal history is like saying you don't care about your own forefathers in a culture which treasures so much traditions and knowledge about history. And also we must ask ourselves the questions, how will this affect our witness as Christians? Even now we are already stigmatized as 'national traytors', being evangelical (and not mainstream Easter Orthodox) Christians. And finally, knowing the past can help us love our people even more (I have personally experienced this).

Because of all these reasons, it seems to me that it is important for us as Christians to know our history. It is important for both Macedonians and Bulgarians do know who they are. But most importantly, they should first know who they are in Christ: that they are created in God's image and likeness, for good deeds and His glory. Unfortunately, the present reality shows that the alienation between the people on both sides of the border is growing bigger, exactly because we don't start from the right thing: namely, bringing the good news to the people.

Of course, telling the truth about Macedonian history is important. But it won't be heard before people hear the bigger Truth of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, and are invited to share in His heavenly kingdom.

Outreach in Macedonia

Right after coming back from Austria I headed for Skopje, Macedonia, where together with a group of InterVarsity Canada and Peter from BHSS we were involved in an outreach at the state university St. Cyril and Methodius. I had the time just to go to the BHSS office and have some food, before Peter came and we both went to the bus station.

Just before the getting on the bus I saw a familiar face among the passengers. I had never seen this man but I knew who he was. So, I approached him and asked: "Excuse me, are you Mr Lyubcho Kurtelov?" He nodded and then we started chatting and finished only half an hour before getting to Skopje at 11 p.m., in order to get a short nap.

Lyubcho Kurtelov is one of the most prominent people working for the cause of promoting the Bulgarian cause in Macedonia. He is a great-grand son of Dimitar Miladinov, a great writer of the Macedonian Renaissance. He spoke with big love for Macedonia and gave me a lot of information about his initiatives and the present state of the affairs between our countries. He is not only very intelligent but speaks with humility and wisdom that many Christians in our churches can learn from. He invited me to visit him in Ohrid and since I had never been there we made arrangements that I would go after the mission in Skopje.

In Skopje we had great time. Two days we would go to advertise the events in the evenings and invite students at the dorms and uni. We had great conversations, especially the second day. The first evening Nicola gave a speach on "How We Can Get a Better Citizenship". There were about 10 non-Christians, which was great. The second evening we had a Canadian culture night, and again there were about 10-15 non-Christians.

I also met with Mariyan Rizinski and another guy called Deyan, members of the Bulgarian Culture Club in Skopje, which works for promoting the connections between our countries. They gave me some ideas about possible future cooperation between our organisations. Peter and I also visited the Bulgaria Culture Information Center and made a small donation of BHSS books. We plan to bring more books in the future and even hold a presentation for the local students who want to apply for studying in Bulgaria.

The last night in Skopje we visited a couple for a dinner. We met with them the first night at a billiards club - he was from Skopje, and she from Kenia. It was fun as his descent was even more mixed - his mother was Polish and she met with his father while taking a holiday in ... Varna. We had a great time, speaking about their lives, about what we do, Christianity, etc.

Then, yesterday morning I left very early for Ohrid. I had been quite tired since I didn't sleep a lot. But most of the time I just couldn't sleep since the scenery was so beautiful - mountain ranges with trees of all colors, as if it is still September (Ohrid is quite south-ward). I got there at about 9:30 and from the bus station Lyubcho, I and a couple of other old gentlemen went to the Memorial Service for the Bulgarian soldiers who died in a First World War battle that has taken place in a village nearby. I met interesting guys there, mostly old ones, from the people with Bulgarian identity in Macedonia. Was even able to speak a lot about Christianity with some of them.

Then went back and met with Lyubcho's wife Snejana and their 10 year old daughter Katerina. We spoke a lot and they asked quite many questions about Christianity. Both are very intelligent and friendly. Today is my last day in Ohrid. So, we will go to see the king Samuil fortress and the old town of Ohrid. Tonight I am leaving for Sofia and from there hope to get the train to Varna.

Identity Revolution

Under this heading the National conference of BCSU took place in The Lesoparka hotel near Lyaskovets from 23rd to 25th October. More than 60 students from Bulgaria, 2 students from Bosnia and Herzegovina аnd 2 from India and 1 from Germany attended the event. As a kind of support several graduates from Sofia and Varna also attended the conference.

The main expositions on The Epistle to the Galatians were delivered by Nikola Galevski, General Secretary of Exodus, Macedonia. In an appropriately decorated for the event hall, in five consecutive sessions he managed to provoke the students to think about those aspects of their national identity that could be a stumbling stone for spreading the good news and to prioritize their belonging to the crucified and risen Christ (Galatians 2:20). As the law in the past made the Galatians compromise the truth, we - the people on the Balkans - carry a big historical baggage that prevents us from being a good testimony to our colleagues. If we want God to use us for transforming their lives, we should be really a part of their lives, getting to know them better, loving them and taking care about them.

The seminars were equally challenging. According to Tim Awtrey, holiness is the thing that God wants us to be and it is measured by our relationships with God and people, whereas our workoholism is its enemy. With his intrinsic humbleness and erudition, Veniamin Peev challenged us to disarm the opponents of the Gospel by means of Christ's love. Doniy Donev acquainted the students with the ways they cоuld use Google Wave for the Lord as well as other similar means of online communication and information exchange. After considering the reasons for sharing the good news and the obstacles for doing it, Petar Valkov and Trif Trifonov encouraged the students to use unconventional, creative methods for spreading the good news at university, sharing their personal experience and that of other student movements.

Quite memorable will remain the games in groups, prepared by Vanya. Devided into 4 teams, the students were to overcome a lot of obstacles and challenges like running down a steep slope, searching for hidden objects, finding the missing words in verses from Galatians, walking blindfold, staying propped only by hands, skipping the rope simultaneously in threes and so on. Eventually, every one was tired but extremely happy because they had managed to do the things as a team.

Certainly the conference offered a lot of other memorable things such as morning prayer led by Niki, small discussion groups, praise and worship (led by a group from Varna and a Bosnia student), informal time, cultural presentations, etc. We believe that everything in the program has contributed to the building up of the students God making a real revolution in our identity and relationships.