XtremeMissionaries Promote God's Peace in Macedonia

As world political leaders struggle to ease Macedonia's ethnic tensions, a group of XtremeMissionaries continues to promote another type of peace - the peace of Christ. Their strategy is simple: meet the hurting people at their greatest time of need by providing hope, comfort and love. Most importantly, they provide a plan for eternal peace. Hundreds of Macedonians have turned their hearts over to Jesus Christ, according to the ministry Christian Aid.

Established in 1953, Christian Aid serves as a communications link between U.S. churches and native missionary ministries based in poorer countries overseas, especially those closed to missionaries from America.

"XtremeMissions" is a term coined by Christian Aid to describe "hidden" missionaries in the field, the ones that most people in the West never hear about. According to Christian Aid, "They labor in obscurity, often with no monetary support, in Third World and closed countries. They are native missionaries who work in the most extreme circumstances."

Although the Associated Press reported Tuesday that authorities reopened a main border crossing that had been closed for nearly a month by fighting, just Monday ethnic Albanian rebels and Macedonian forces skirmished on the tense border with Kosovo. Also on Monday, demonstrators jeered a European security envoy seeking to quell tensions in the former Yugoslav republic, and an ethnic Albanian party boycotted government-initiated talks on reforms.

According to Mike Clinton, Christian Aid's director for Eastern Europe, "Tensions are also high among different groups of Christians. The believers in Macedonia are in a very awkward position right now. You see, there are Slav (Macedonian) believers, some Albanian believers, and a handful of Roma Gypsy believers. These three groups have years of historical issues with each other and the current tensions between the Albanians and Macedonians only heightens it."

While the government says that it is now "contained and peaceful," according to Clinton, "the people feel that it could erupt at any time again. The Macedonians are not sure what to do with the Albanians. They reject the Christian Macedonians who try to share the Gospel with them and the Macedonians are upset at the way that the Albanians have turned on them after they gave refuge to the 300,000 Albanian refugees from the Kosovo crisis. Only the Lord knows the answer; this is all that is certain."

Clinton says that a few Christian leaders in Macedonia indicated through their words and actions that they really feel animosity toward the Albanians and that they should simply "shake the dust from their feet" in regards to ministry towards them. "Others shared how this situation has given them even more opportunity to show the love of Christ to the Albanians," says Clinton. "It is simply not a black and white situation."

The main ministry based in Macedonia serves the outcasts of society, says Clinton. "They are one of the only, if not the only, ministry ministering to the deaf, mute and blind. There are an estimated 10,000 deaf in Macedonia and another 10,000 blind people. They are very hardened to the gospel because they wonder how could a loving God do this to them? And why would God allow them to be persecuted so much by their families and countrymen?" The ministry has produced cassette tapes, Braille Bibles, and CD ROM's, which share the gospel as well as contain the entire New Testament.

According to Clinton, the XtremeMissionaries also minister among the most shunned group of Eastern Europe - the Gypsies. Clinton says Gypsies are generally looked down on by all other groups. However, ministry is being done among the Gypsies and Gypsy believers who have been helped through Christian Aid are reaching out to the Albanians. "The Gypsies need food, shelter and work," he says. "This ministry distributes tracts and Bibles to them and the people are craving more. In fact, the biggest need that people across Macedonia shared with me was for more Bibles," Clinton adds.

Officially known as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the nation has a population of 2,000,000 and covers almost 10,000 square miles of mostly mountainous land. According to Christian Aid, two-thirds of the population are Orthodox Christians (Slavs), 30 percent are Muslim (ethnic Albanians), one-half of 1 percent are Roman Catholic, with the remaining 3 percent comprising other religions.

"The situation here is getting worse," one of the XtremeMissionaries reports from Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. "Many of the people from the western part of the country are leaving their jobs and their homes and fleeing." Most of the refugees are ethnic Albanians, while some are Macedonian Slavs.

Thousands of refugees from Tetovo and other cities came here," he continues. "Many of these refugees are seeking help from the government. Many are still without food. This is an opportunity for us to witness to them and give out Bibles, New Testaments, gospel literature and food. I will be in the downtown area giving out food and literature. The children are especially on my heart." This minister of the gospel, like many others in the area, has opened up his own living quarters to house one or two refugee families.

Clinton praises the Macedonian ministers: "When we were walking through the city of Skopje, these XtremeMissionaries were handing out tracts all over the place. In the restaurant where we ate, at the airport, to vendors, to students in a rally ... they couldn't contain their zeal for the Lord."

For more information about Christian Aid or XtremeMissions, visit www.christianaid.org or www.xtrememissions.org

- By Janet Chismar, Religion Today editor