Once again, I can’t explain how I feel. I think these entries are getting a little sappy with the overflow of imagery. But I don’t really care, because I love listening to The Last Samurai soundtrack as I sit and write on Dan and Laura’s porch. Today brings sunshine, and it adds a nice touch to my previously cold shoulders. We just got back from a week away, and it is funny how “home” this new home away from home feels. I love my family so so much.
Last week our team departed for Zielona Gora, Nowy Tomysl, and Karsibor. We will be having English camps in Nowy Tomysl and Zielona Gora, so we traveled there in order to meet and prepare with the church and youth groups. My five team members and I, Jess, Jordan, Kohl and Michal, along with a JV guy, Greg, jumped in the Fala (the Polish part of Josiah Venture) van “the machete”, and drove five hours north to Zielona Gora, which means green mountain. It is a beautiful, and somewhat larger city. Jess and I stayed at Lydia’s house in Zielona Gora. Lydia didn’t speak much English, and we played the point and smile game a lot. She is the stepmother of the pastor there. She is a very good cook, and it was fun to try some authentic Polish food. We also went to the local schools and taught English in some classes in order to promote our camp. An English Camp is one of the ways Josiah Venture spreads the gospel. Poles would love to go to a “foreign language summer camp”. Haha. That kinda sounds weird, or maybe it makes me feel like a language nerd because I like the sound of that. J Many Polish youth have never heard of religion apart from the traditions of the Catholic Church. They have truly never heard of the gospel. Kids come to these camps because English is taught by native, American teachers. English is a valuable language to know, and I never knew how lucky I am to have this natural gift. Kids are open to hearing the gospel during the week, because relationships and trust are built. It was so amazing to meet and talk to some of the very kids who will hear and accept Christ later this summer. He has specifically chosen them, now and ever since the beginning of the world, to bear His name. And He prepares them to feel His love.
“He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!”
-Isaiah 5:26
From Zielona Gora, we traveled two more hours east to Nowy Tomysl. It is in the middle of nowhere, Poland. (Kinda like Waco. Haha) They are known for a giant wicker basket they made. It is the largest basket in the world, and won the Guinness World Record in 2006. They proudly show it off in the town center. But we stayed at the church there, and played with many of the kids in the town. What a small town feel. Greg left us here to meander the rest of our way through Poland. Again, I got to go on a long run through the Polish countryside. I listened to “Love Song for a Savior” by Jars of Clay. I think that song sums up the cry of my heart. I would say it is my song.
Then, we departed on Wednesday afternoon, throwing nerf toys at some kids through the windows as we drove off. Five hours later, we reached Karsibor, at the very northwest corner of Poland. It is a nice town, right on the ocean, and bordering Germany. We stayed there a couple of days for a team retreat, getting to know our team well. It is funny how distinct and different Germany is from Poland. The border is pretty black and white in terms of wealth and cleanliness. I swam in the frozen ocean, ran in the rain, learned some new Polish words, including “lewo (left) and prawo (right)”, and ate fish pizza. Jess is such a sweetheart, and I love walking the beach with her, sitting on the dock watching the sunset with her, late night bed talks, coffee time, reading side by side, listening to thunder and rain, and picking out Polish chocolate. She is a gift from God, and our lives teach each other so much. I feel like parts of our lives were lived specifically for the sake of encouraging one another.
A theme this summer for me is not only identity in Christ (oh, how faithful God is to teach me about this J), but also listening. On my morning runs, I have been trying to stop and listen to my ever-present friend. The first morning, I listened in the middle of a giant field, where the grass surrounding me rose high above my head. God whispered to me in the wind, “I am near.” The grass swayed and danced right around me. The second morning, I walked down a curvy, paved, little road. My Sun God beamed brightly through the storm clouds. He shone, “Trust Me.” I looked into a puddle on the pavement and saw a reflection of the clouds in the water. He is Creator. The third day, I asked my friend to talk to me as I climbed into a tree. I laid on a branch and heard the leaves shake violently in the presence of the powerful wind. My Wind God again surrounded me. (Like He ever isn’t there…) “I am your shelter in the midst of the storm.” I love this God. He is beautiful.
And then we drove all day yesterday to get back here, to Mikolow. I got to sit and talk to the Dan Hash for a while this morning about Genesis 37 and 38. He is wise, and I love to learn. Laura made me some fresh and strong, German coffee. Jacob hugged me goodbye and left for school. He is a really cool kid. Maybe I might go watch Angels and Demons later today. We leave to go work at the Polish camp, H2O, on Wednesday, and then we will be working at English Camps non-stop until the end of the summer. But today is a nice day off. I might even take a nap.
Peace.
Dowidzenia.
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