Because it cannot be taken for granted

The Miss Stone Center of The United Methodist Church in North Macedonia provides more than 250 people with a hot meal five times a week. In recent years, capacity has been increased several times because the need is so great. Without the admirable commitment of the employees, this kind of charity would be unthinkable. The situation is all the more challenging when things that seem to be a matter of course suddenly turn out not to be so...
 
Susana Tabanova started working as an assistant in the kitchen of the Miss Stone Center 15 years ago. When the head chef at the time resigned to take up a new position abroad, the interested and committed Susana Tabanova trained as a chef and obtained the necessary certificate to take over the management of the Miss Stone Center kitchen. Since then, she has been at her workplace very early in the morning and, with her great love for the cause and for people, has made a significant contribution to the Miss Stone Center becoming a source of hope for an impressively large number of people.
 
Suddenly, however, Susana Tabanova fell seriously ill, and because she is no longer allowed to be exposed to steam and heat, she can no longer work as head chef in the kitchen. Contrary to all plans to extend her employment, she will have to retire very soon for these health reasons.
 
This is not only a difficult situation in human terms - those responsible were also suddenly faced with the risk of losing their license to operate the Miss Stone kitchen, as the legal regulations for such a facility require the employment of a trained chef. However, a temporary closure of the center would have been an extremely difficult situation for the recipients of the meals.
 
In the search for a new solution, a problem arose that those responsible were already familiar with from the home care project, which is also part of the Miss Stone Center: It is not only well-trained healthcare professionals who are migrating to Western Europe and causing a major shortage in North Macedonia. Cooks are also looking for jobs abroad, where they can earn more than in their home country - on the Adriatic coast in Croatia in the summer, for example.
 
After numerous discussions, it became clear that the previous assistant Spasenka Madevska would be willing to take on responsibility for the Miss Stone kitchen. However, she is not a trained chef, there was simply no time to complete the relevant training - and without the necessary papers, the operating license for the Miss Stone Centre would be revoked. After many discussions with the director of a private university, a letter of recommendation and a proof of seven years' experience in the Miss Stone kitchen, the Executive Director of the Diaconia of North Macedonia finally managed to get Spasenka Madevska to register directly for the professional examination. Just a few hours later, it was official: Spasenka Madevska had passed the exam and was in possession of the necessary papers to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the Miss Stone kitchen. The next step is to hire an assistant to complete the kitchen crew at the Miss Stone Center. For the reasons described, this is a challenge - but those responsible are trusting in God that he will continue to prove himself to be the reliable helper he has always been.
 
One could dismiss all of this as a side note, as a personnel change in a company, as there always are. But it is not just a side note, it shows how what seems to be a matter of course is not. That even a stable institution such as the Miss Stone Center in North Macedonia is not a matter of course, despite the impressive commitment of the staff, but a vulnerable work of charity. It therefore needs financial resources to be able to pay the necessary salaries - there is no doubt about that. But it shows why those responsible for the Miss Stone Center are also grateful for all support in prayer. Because they know that not everything is in their hands. And because they are aware that it cannot be taken for granted that they can continue to do their work among poor and needy people in North Macedonia.
 
Source: Martin Konev, Diaconia North Macedonia / Urs Schweizer, Assistant to the Bishop, Zurich