STM to Serbia and North Macedonia
From mid-September to early October this year, we sent a short-term missions team to the Roma people group in Serbia and North Macedonia consisting of four people including myself. I am from Calgary and the other three members were from Montreal including a current Board of Director, a former Board of Director and her husband. In Serbia, we spent most of our time in the Jagodina and Leskovac areas led by Pastor Miki Kamberovic.
(Team Canada boards in Munich)
I first met Pastor Miki in 2018 when he was touring Canada to share about Roma Ministries. I introduced him to CIM and our ministry to the Romas in Ukraine. I told him about my love for the people group and he invited us to visit his ministries in Serbia. In 2019, we sent an exploratory team to Serbia and found that the ministries we would be involved in were very similar to the ministry that we do already in Ukraine. Unfortunately, due to the Covid outbreak we were not able to send a team until this year.
(With Pastor Miki)
For North Macedonia, we focused mainly in the towns of Prilep and North Macedonia led by Pastor Edijan Salioski with great assistance from our translator and driver, Pastor Dragan Manev. In 2024, after the 4th Roma Network Conference in Albania, we did an exploratory trip to many Roma communities in Albania, North Macedonia and Greece and found that the ministries in Prilep and Bitola were very similar to the work that we did in Ukraine and also in Africa. As a result, we decided to send a team this year.
(With Pastor Edijan)
(With Pastor Dragan)
There is still some confusion as to who the Romas are even though I have explained it numerous times in previous news updates and shared from the pulpit in many churches. I still get asked if the Romas are from Rome or Romania. I will very briefly explain again.
In the past, Romas have been classified as gypsies, though now it is considered a derogatory term. They were known as a transient group and involved in the supernatural with the reading of crystal balls. More recently, they have been classified as thieves and pickpockets. They are often looked down upon in society. Though there may be some truths to these statements, many of the Romas that I know personally are the nicest people I have met.
Romas originated in the Indian subcontinent. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Romas left India in migratory groups and were in Persia in the 11th century, in southeastern Europe by the beginning of the 14th, in western Europe by the 15th, and by the second half of the 20th century, to every continent, though the majority are believed to be in Eastern Europe. Because of their migratory nature and lack of census information, it is difficult to have an accurate approximation to the population of the Romas worldwide but the estimation is between 2 to 5 million.
On this particular trip, we served in six different locations in Serbia (mainly in the Jagodina and Leskovac areas), and though our hub was in Prilep and Bitola in North Macedonia, we toured the whole country meeting leaders from the Evangelical Church of Macedonia. Because we were a small team, it was a very busy trip. Kim, a businessman, led business seminars from a Christian perspective; Ann was mainly in charge of the women’s and children’s ministry, while James and I handled most of the speaking and preaching duties. We visited different Roma families, brought food to families, encouraged and prayed over many and at the same time were encouraged by many. We were invited to many meals and every home we went into had snacks and drinks for us. Because the Roma communities in these countries are predominantly Muslim, we also had to keep this in mind during our visitations and sharing. We also had to deal with issues with the occult and generational family feuds. Originally, we had also wanted to go to Ukraine to visit our supported Roma communities there in partnership with House of Mercy. However, due to the ongoing Russian invasion, we could not because of liability issues.
(children’s ministry)
(Bitola worship service)
Overall, it was a very good missions trip as we met friends from previous trips, made new friends, but more importantly worked together to share about Jesus Christ. We thank all our prayer warriors who daily prayed for us and sent notes of encouragement.
(puppet team)
On another note: many have been asking about my health. Upon return from Europe, I had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with colon cancer which has now spread to my liver. I have met with different doctors, had different scans and am awaiting next steps. Thank you for those who have been praying for and are concerned for me. I know people from all over the world (literally) who have been uplifting me in prayers and giving me encouragement. I continue to trust the Lord for He knows best.
A STM trip to Ghana is tentatively scheduled for July 12-28, 2026. If you are interested in applying or want more information, please email us at contact@cimcanada.org
Rev. Isaac Quan
Executive Director, CIM Ministries
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October Financials 2025
1. General Fund - for general and administrative purposes, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar
Pray With Us:
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. The invasion rages on and innocent lives are lost each day. Pray for House of Mercy as they take care of refugees, physically and spiritually. Pray for peace talks and for a ceasefire. There has been much confusion regarding this process. Through it all, people in the Roma villages are still getting baptized and dedicating their lives to Jesus. The challenge for the churches is that many young men are fleeing the country.
Pray for Janice as she continues with her ministry as our International Worker in Ghana. Pray for her transition back to Ghana after her 4-month home assignment in Canada. Pray for preparations for the November campus ministry missions team and guidance as she will meet with various pastors in the weeks/months ahead.
Pray for the finances of CIM Ministries. The economic situation in Canada may become very unstable with the uncertainty of a tariff trade war with the United States resulting possibly with less donors. Pray for new donors and a healthy general fund to run our ministries. Praise God that our financial situation has improved over the last year. In order to run our ministries effectively, we are currently seeking monthly donors. We encourage donors to give to our General Fund so we can distribute the funds where the needs are the greatest. Click here to donate.
Pray for CIM USA as they are still looking for an Executive Director and Director of Ministry.
Pray for healing for Pastor Isaac as he has been diagnosed with colon cancer spreading now to his liver.