Stirred Souls & Changed Hearts

Hey, it's Justin. Right now I am reflecting over the past seven days and where we have been and where we are. Over the course of this trip we have endured long hours of travel, jet lag, illness, language barriers, an incredibly busy schedule and we are all extremely exhausted. Just thinking about all that we have been through shows me Gods amazing providence and his grace and power working through us on this trip, but what I find truly amazing is not the endurance of difficult circumstance, but how God stirs the souls and changes the heart. The first time I set foot in Poland was as a student in 2001, and I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away as I experienced God in a real and powerful way. Now that I have returned, assuming the role as a trip leader, I have seen God move again in a real and powerful way, both in myself and in the lives of our students. Seldom does God work in us the way that we expect him to, and even more seldom does he make such a process easy or comfortable. The greatest work God has done for me in Poland is showing me how to sacrificially live life in his service on behalf of others by giving the same grace and love He has given me. This is not easy, it is not comfortable and is not what I was expecting, but he is continuing the work he has started in me eight years ago, and I know he will be faithful to complete it. Leading has pushed me to understand grace and love to a much greater extent both in my own life and in the life of others, and just like he did eight years ago, God has once again moved in me in a real and powerful way. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Gospel Night @ English Camp

Day Seven! I can’t believe that we’ve already arrived at our finally day of English classes. When this morning opened up, we were told that following breakfast we would be holding classes on the beach. It truly was a delight, despite the fact that we weren’t able to focus much on the lessons. So, as not to fight the urge to have every topic in today’s lesson be completed to perfection or have those in my beginner’s class recite their beloved idioms, I chose instead to have them absorb the thrill of playing Ultimate Spoons on the beach!

The real thrill from today, however, came from the camps traditional soccer match between Poland and the United States. It was quite the first-time experience for me. Though we lost the game (1-6), nothing could have made the experience more pleasing than seeing Polish cheerleaders hooting and hollering for Team U.S.A. When we arrived back at camp, we were able to teach them the Cha Cha Slide and expose them to our classic smores. This day, America day, was exciting even for us because it was a refreshing reminder of what we miss so very much….home.

Once the evening program had begun, I was lost for words upon seeing how powerful the voices throughout the room were when we began to sing praises to God. To say the least, they were quite different than the faint voices we heard within the beginning days of camp. As Dan’s talk had come to a close, he begged the question to everyone in the room, “Do you want your story to be a part of God’s story”? Nearly an hour later, the room was and still remained full of the students and leaders. The only difference was that in place of blank faces and stares, there were tears. These student’s had been touched and, I feel, their lives had been dramatically impacted. I was proud to be a witness to what happened here in Swinoujscie. As much as I can’t wait to go home and see friends and family that have been on my mind day and night, I am grieved knowing that there will come a time to say good-bye to these wonderful new friends and family here with me now. Nevertheless, life goes on and I thank God every day that He is the keeper of my tomorrow.

Oh my! It’s 1:30 in the morning and Dan’s waiting to post this! Thus, to bed it is; for in less than three hours, we are going to the beach to watch the beauty of His majesty as the sun rises on the waters of the Baltic Sea. Thanks all for your constant prayers and support. Love always and forever.

Polska 6 - USA 1

Today we lost to Poland in our soccer match 6 to 1. Tifani came up with our lone goal of the game and Jensine made around 15 saves or the score would have been much worse.

Oscar Night in Poland

Hey, it’s Jonny! What is up my English speaking peepizmos?! This place is crazy, in a great way though. Today was officially our last “normal” day. The morning started out with a great breakfast, who knew the Polish liked chocolate and cookie cereal every day?! *hint hint mom and dad*. English lessons were next and over the past week I have had an incredible experience with these kids. For part of our class we prepared a special video for “Oscar Night”, but we’ll get back to that later. Free time was amazing, the Poles were all taught a very special sport, American football, and they loved every minute of it. And, not surprisingly, they happen to be very good at it. For sports we ended up playing paintball, just. . . without the ball. I guess you could call it paint squirt but it ended up being an awesome game. For dinner we were treated with Greek Salad and Kielbasa sausages, and what meal is complete in Poland without bread and toppings? The evening program tonight was one of the most crucial on the trip. Tonight Dan introduced Jesus into God’s story. This element possesses so much potential as to change the way one thinks. Jadon shared a personal story and told everyone how Jesus had touched him in a great way. As discussion groups began to speak, Justin suggested our team pray for the groups’ conversations and that tonight, unbelievers would be impacted in a serious way. “Oscar Night” followed the evening program which was , in the word’s of the Polish, really fun “foshizzle”. In this night, each English class gave a presentation of a skit or video. There weren’t any real specifications but each one was filled with loads of comedy, I don’t think the laughter stopped once during the entirety of the presentations. Later, I was surprised to find out we would all be learning how to “Cha-Cha” dance, and despite my inability to move to a beat, the fun never stopped. All in all, today has been one of my greatest experiences in Poland and I’m so glad God sent us here. I hope this summary finds all of you doing well and Mom. . . I don’t think I made my bed before I left. I love you all and Brianne I’m sorry I couldn’t be home to see you, I can’t wait to see my mountains again!!! BYE!

Pictures

We've loaded up some new pictures from the past two days! Check them out on the side bar!

Lighthouse, Pizza & Kielbasa

Hey, it’s Allison!!! Today we had a break from our English classes and took a trip to the tallest lighthouse in Europe! We took a ferry, a bus and there was a lot of walking involved. Everyone is exhausted, but we had a great time. After we visited the lighthouse, we had some amazing pizza for lunch at a restaurant. Then we had some free time to go shopping in town and hang out with the campers. During the evening program Dan talked about the plagues in Egypt, the Ten Commandments, and the prophets foretelling of the coming Messiah who would be the eternal King that would save their people. Mekayla shared a story tonight about her grandpa and it was awesome. During the second part of discussion the Poland team went outside and prayed around the church for the campers and everyone else included with the camp. Then, we took a mini trip to Germany which is about 2 minutes away from the church while the discussion groups finished. For dinner, we sat around the campfire eating kielbasa and some “American junk food” such as pop and chips. It was very good! We are ending the night with some games and relaxing with having fun with everyone. Dad, Mom, Joel, and Sidney, I miss you! See you in a week!!!

Hi from Świnoujście

Water sliding into the Baltic Sea

Hey it’s Erica! Today it’s Tuesday the 30th and we are half way through camp…it’s so crazy to think about! I have been really enjoying English class with Jensine and Jadon! It feels like the students are really starting to get engaged in the class activities, which is really exciting! Today the weather was sunny for the first time it feels like, so we were able to go down to the beach and play in the water and Chad taught some of the guys how to play baseball. It was fun to play with all of them…on the beach especially! We then had “water day” at the beach playing water balloon toss with beach towels and sliding down the HUGE slip n slide on soap into the water. In our evening program, Dan talked about Abraham and the story of Abraham and Issac. The students really seemed to be moved by it. We then had a question and answer time using questions from a question box that students filled throughout this week called “talk back.” All three of the pastors (Dan, Adam and Andrew) answered the questions. Tonight seemed, for me, to be the most difficult night of our trip thus far. I really needed that extra push to keep going when it really felt like students are not responding as well as I thought they would to my efforts of friendship. I was really breaking down emotionally it seemed. So I pulled out a letter from my sister Valerie that told me that she wrote it because she knew that today was going to be a difficult one for me and that when we feel so cast down we must keep going. It was so crazy that those words were totally how I was feeling. That is why, for heaven’s sake, we must delight in weakness, in hardships and trials, for when we are weak, and then we are strong. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for the rest of the week!

You Can Call Me "Super Bird"

Hey all, it is Jen! We have been having a really great trip and we appreciate your continued prayers! Today was our third day at English camp and it started out with our English classes. I am teaching the higher, and bigger, of the two intermediate classes (with my helpers Bridget and Chad). When we had our first day of lessons, it did not go as well as I would have liked and I was really discouraged. I really saw God work through my prayers as the second day of class went so much better! I had much more fun and I am hoping that the students did as well. After our classes, we had three hours of free time. This was a great chance for us to explore the town more and eat some Polish food, which is always awesome!

We then went to the beach for our team games. My team name is the “Green Machine” and we are dominating! Whoo! Our team cheer is “Green Machine, Green Machine! You can’t stop the Green Machine!” and it seems to be coming true, so hopefully this continues! The times on the beach, when we are playing sports, have been great opportunities to reach out and bond with the students.

We then went to our evening program where Dan introduced sin through the story of Adam and Eve disobeying God in the Garden of Eden and then the Flood. We were excited to talk about this subject so hopefully this message will resonate with the students. Several of the discussion groups ran late during the discussion.

We ended the night with my favorite part: Superhero Night! Bridget did an amazing job leading this night and everyone had a great time. We played games with our teams and I even got wrapped in toilet paper and became Super Bird. It was awesome! I feel like this was the first night that we were able to really connect with the students and I loved that. We are so excited to see where God takes the rest of this camp! Thanks so much for your prayers. Dad, Mom, Em, and Sarah, I love you...btw, no postcard is coming!!!

Seeing God in Unexpected Ways

Hey everyone, it’s Chad. It is Monday night and I just wanted to share with you how I have seen God working while I have been here. As many of you may know, I got very sick on the way to camp on the train and all of Saturday. I was sitting in the hall on the train and had been in and out of the bathroom and one of the pastors of the Polish church we are working with came up to me. He put his hand on my shoulder and, in Polish, he began to pray. He was praying for me and my health. I had known Adam, one of the pastors, for only a day, but that did not matter to him. His prayer for me, even though I could not understand it, showed a tremendous amount of compassion and concern for me. I have never experienced something like that. I was very encouraged by this and thanked God for showing me his love through Adam.

Aloha from Poland

Hey it’s Mekayla! Today is Sunday July 27th, and we had a great day with the Polish students at camp. We had sports time at the beach where we made our team flags and played with this giant blue ball. After sports we had our first English class. So far the lessons went well, but pray that the students will be able to feel more comfortable with us so that they will participate more. In our evening program Dan told two stories about God creating the angels, earth and the first humans. Several of the students were interacting in their discussion groups afterwards! Tonight we had our Hawaiian Theme Night which was a big success. The Poles loved the leis, Limbo, crab soccer, and dancing to Hawaiian music. We finished off the night watch the USA vs. Brazil match while listening to Chad's country music on his iPod. Overall, we have had an awesome start to our camp and we hope the rest will continue to get even better!