Puppets, purpose and prayer North Macedonia

Puppets, purpose and prayer

by Allan Spencer, TEN Trustee

Although Boxing Day is generally a day of rest and reflection, for one family it was time to pack suitcases full of puppets and travel to North Macedonia for a 10-day mission with local TEN partner Dragan Manev and his wife Biljana.

Along with puppet performances, they also helped with the distribution of over 1,100 shoeboxes in schools, kindergartens and specially hired restaurants ahead of Orthodox Christmas on the 7th January. The family team, consisted of husband and wife Allan and Jane Spencer and son Richard, who are members of Keynsham Elim Church near Bristol. Allan explains, "Although we’ve used our puppets alongside Dragan before, each opportunity to perform our Macedonian songs and sketches was special. However, two events stood out for us. Firstly, following a divinely-led request by Dragan that was favourably received by the Muslim head teacher, we presented our evangelistic performance at a school for 8–12-year olds who were predominately Muslim.

"On another occasion, we accompanied TEN partner, Pastor Tefik, a Muslim convert now working

extensively in the Roma Muslim community. We attended the launch of a completely new work in the heart of a Roma community in the town of Kichevo and planned to present our puppet performance in a building only yards from the town’s mosque. After two hours driving, we arrived in Kichevo to find a large crowd outside the venue waiting to enter. Squeezing through the noisy throng, with our puppets and props, we were astounded to discover that the room was already packed wall to wall with 250 expectant children and adults. There wasn’t even space to set up our puppet theatre. At that moment we prayed, 'Please help and show us how to do this God.' We then spotted some large cardboard boxes filled At that moment we prayed, ‘Please help and show us how to do this God.’

with Christmas shoeboxes at one end of the room. By draping a large black cloth over the boxes, we created a makeshift but useable theatre! Three minutes later, with a few hastily grabbed puppets we began our performance and simply went for it!

"Although initially apprehensive about how we might be received we were amazed by the laughter, cheers and enthusiastic handclapping from a room crammed with so many people. Even after 20 years of puppetry, this was a remarkable experience and one none of us will ever forget. And once our very improvised set was over, the task of handing out 500 shoeboxes by Pastor Tefik and his team began.

"Despite the obvious crush and excitement, I must say that everyone behaved impeccably with older siblings taking care of the younger ones, who sometimes appeared to disappear beneath the swell of bodies! It was a real privilege to have been part of that inaugural work.

"Later I became aware that the Muslim director of the office venue we had used had made known his pleasure at what we had all collectively done for his local community. Indeed, he made it clear that the door would remain open for Pastor Dragan and Pastor Tefik and his team to return again for further work in the Roma community. And who knows, maybe even the puppets!"