Today’s Ride to Church comes to us from Jessawhy, today’s guest for The Exponent and Doves and Serpents Blog Swap.
“Hi, I’m Jessawhy, I live in Mesa Arizona with my husband and three sons and I blog at The Exponent.
Two weeks ago I went to Macedonia for a twinning program with the World Federation of Hemophilia (two of my sons have hemophilia, so I’ve been involved in this community for 9 years). Our hemophilia patient organization in Arizona is working with one in Skopje to help them provide better services to people with bleeding disorders.
On my way to Macedonia, I stopped in Vienna and got to see St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It was breathtaking. Later, in Skopje I saw several churches, Eastern Orthodox, mosques, and cathedrals. Before I left I looked at lds.org to see where the LDS church was in Macedonia, but I couldn’t find one. Needless to say, there were many beautiful and sacred places of worship in this amazing country.
I was most moved by the beauty of this small church (St. Andrew’s, photos 19 and 20) in a canyon surrounded by gorgeous green water. The church felt so fitting in this small, lush place. On my flight home I sat next to a Macedonian who told me the name of the place was Matka and it means “womb.” I was thrilled to acknowledge the presence of the divine feminine that has been and is felt around the world.
![dscn4754](https://dovesandserpents.org/wp-content/gallery/macedonia/dscn4754.jpg "Now in Macedonia: This graffiti on the walk to the Orthodox church says, \\"Jeasus died for his own sins, not mine!!!\\"")
![dscn4829](https://dovesandserpents.org/wp-content/gallery/macedonia/dscn4829.jpg "This is the Church of St. Andrew from 1389. We found it on our way up a beautiful canyon in an area called Matka (which I later learned means \\"womb\\").")
Beautiful churches, Jessawhy. Thanks for sharing them! I particularly liked seeing the organ that was Mozart’s neighbor and the church from 1389. What a history. :)
Love these pictures, Jessawhy! What an adventure! Would love to hear more about the twinning program that brought you there. And how did Macedonia end up as your destination??
I’m surprised there isn’t a branch there by now. When I was in Ohrid for a meeting in 2000 I contacted the area presidency in Germany who told me of a member family in Skopje.
You managed to visit a lot of churches on your brief secular trip, Jessica. Yet another illustration of the cultural power of religions.
All of the photos are beautiful, but I can see why you were so taken with St. Andrew’s — just gorgeous.
This is amazing Jessawhy, thanks for taking so many pictures so we could go along with you.
Erin,
Yes, Mozart’s home was a stone’s throw away. It’s now a museum and we did a tour that was pretty interesting. I didn’t realize how young he was when he died. It’s heartbreaking.
Heather,
The twinning program hasn’t quite launched, I was there for the initial visit to see if the partnership would be a good fit. We didn’t choose Macedonia, the WFH set it up for us, but I really loved it there and can’t wait to go back!
Sylvia,
Perhaps I just couldn’t access the right info from the LDS website, but it appeared that the “acting” branch president lived in Germany. There were no options for meeting locations or times. But, I’d be thrilled to be mistaken. Next time I’d love to take photos of an LDS church amidst the others.
KayG,
A lot of those churches were on the same afternoon trip and I just took a photo from the car. St. Stephen’s was just awe-inspiring for me, though. It was a tremendous experience, I wish I could have stayed in Vienna for a few days instead of a few hours.
Heidi,
Thanks! I wish I could have taken photos of the inside of St. Andrews. It was a very small chapel, but it felt like sacred space. I bought a little bracelet with tiny pictures of Mary and baby Jesus.
K,
You are welcome! I wish you could have come along. I know some of our friends have taken a trip to Turkey together to discover the divine feminine. Maybe we need to organize another one.
Magnificent.
Wow – stunning. I love the juxtaposition of the ornate architecture next followed by graffiti.
Beautiful pictures, Jess! I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I used to look down on those beautiful old churches, wondering why so many resources that could help the hungry and homeless went to such embellishment. I suspect that thinking was some sour grapes on my part. :)
Now, I can’t help but wonder how mine (and others’) spiritual experiences in a liturgical setting might be enhanced when surrounded by such beauty.
Ed and Laurie,
Thanks!
EmilyCC,
I know I’ve thought that in the past as well (sometimes about LDS temples) but it wasn’t on my mind on this trip. I was just thrilled to actually be in Europe!