Hey all
Shari and I just got back from Poland on Saturday Evening. We had an amazing experience. So, sorry for the hiatus, but there will be pictures soon. I promise! I've got some good ones from the beautiful land of the Poles.
Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poland. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Update #4
Update 4 – July 10, 2007
VBS started today. The team was really excited to begin as we got to the coffeehouse. Our point for the day was that God is real. Katie D. told the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 and did an experiment with vinegar and baking soda. Then the kids went to Dawn and did crafts. They made a paper basket with fish and bread in it. Next it was off to games with Sarah where we played with the parachute in the school gym. As we came back, we ate our snack and learned the verse in both Polish and English. This was quite an experience for the team that was teaching that day because it was the first time for some to talk with a translator. Everyone was so excited that we had 20 kids at VBS today! Doubling what they had last year on the first day. After VBS, we ate our real polish lunch; Yum Periogis! Then we had a couple of hours of free time to relax. We spent some of it at Real, a wal-mart type store with mall stores built inside the front part. Then back to the coffee house to grill and have kielbasa. We probably consumed a ton of it. (At least the boys did) The rain cancelled our planned scavenger hunt for CX, so instead we hung out in the coffee house and played games with the teens there.
So far, the food here hasn’t been too bad. Monday we had chicken, potatoes, veggies and chicken soup. We all loved it. Today, like I said we had periogis, soup and beet salad. The opinion on whether the beet salad and soup were good was definitely split. We are definitely looking forward to what we will have tomorrow. Monday was probably our first taste of polish food in Poland, except for those who ate kielbasa at the Castle we visited on Sunday.. Carlene and the other leaders spoiled us by feeding us familiar food and letting us go to McDonalds after church on Sunday.
Every night before bed, we meet as a team to debrief the day. Starting with VBS, it came out that watching Katie Dean teach was like watching her mom Jan teach a story. It was like she was channeling her mom while she was teaching Jesus feeding the 5000. Then we started sharing fun stories about our night at the coffee house. Matt S. challenged us to go around the room and share how we had seen God working in this trip or in our lives. We laughed, Katie D. cried, but mostly we laughed. We discovered that we had a new team record for most kielbasas eaten in one sitting. Matt P. holds the record with 11. Most of the girls could only handle one. We have one prayer request for Jacob (Say the J like a Y) He is a teen from the coffee house that Pastor Joel and some others have been talking with. He claims to be an atheist, and Pastor Joel and the guys say he is so close to believing. Please pray for Pastor Joel and the guys as they talk with him about Christianity and for Jacob that he would just be open to God’s leading.
~ The Updaters
P.S. Devon says hi!
Important Information for the Leaders…
The team asked us today to remind everyone that they are unable to respond to you all in email, because we have such limited time and access to internet. Please know that they are receiving all or your emails and have found it very encouraging. So please continue to write them. There have been some complications with sending out pictures so from now on to see pictures go to www.sgcyouth.com and look at Pastor Joel’s blog. We are also posting the updates there. There have been other issues with not all of the emails getting through to everyone on our support team, but know we are doing everything in our power to make this a smooth process. Despite the issues with emails, we are doing our best to keep our focus on what God has brought us to Poland to do. Please be patient with us.
Thanks
VBS started today. The team was really excited to begin as we got to the coffeehouse. Our point for the day was that God is real. Katie D. told the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 and did an experiment with vinegar and baking soda. Then the kids went to Dawn and did crafts. They made a paper basket with fish and bread in it. Next it was off to games with Sarah where we played with the parachute in the school gym. As we came back, we ate our snack and learned the verse in both Polish and English. This was quite an experience for the team that was teaching that day because it was the first time for some to talk with a translator. Everyone was so excited that we had 20 kids at VBS today! Doubling what they had last year on the first day. After VBS, we ate our real polish lunch; Yum Periogis! Then we had a couple of hours of free time to relax. We spent some of it at Real, a wal-mart type store with mall stores built inside the front part. Then back to the coffee house to grill and have kielbasa. We probably consumed a ton of it. (At least the boys did) The rain cancelled our planned scavenger hunt for CX, so instead we hung out in the coffee house and played games with the teens there.
So far, the food here hasn’t been too bad. Monday we had chicken, potatoes, veggies and chicken soup. We all loved it. Today, like I said we had periogis, soup and beet salad. The opinion on whether the beet salad and soup were good was definitely split. We are definitely looking forward to what we will have tomorrow. Monday was probably our first taste of polish food in Poland, except for those who ate kielbasa at the Castle we visited on Sunday.. Carlene and the other leaders spoiled us by feeding us familiar food and letting us go to McDonalds after church on Sunday.
Every night before bed, we meet as a team to debrief the day. Starting with VBS, it came out that watching Katie Dean teach was like watching her mom Jan teach a story. It was like she was channeling her mom while she was teaching Jesus feeding the 5000. Then we started sharing fun stories about our night at the coffee house. Matt S. challenged us to go around the room and share how we had seen God working in this trip or in our lives. We laughed, Katie D. cried, but mostly we laughed. We discovered that we had a new team record for most kielbasas eaten in one sitting. Matt P. holds the record with 11. Most of the girls could only handle one. We have one prayer request for Jacob (Say the J like a Y) He is a teen from the coffee house that Pastor Joel and some others have been talking with. He claims to be an atheist, and Pastor Joel and the guys say he is so close to believing. Please pray for Pastor Joel and the guys as they talk with him about Christianity and for Jacob that he would just be open to God’s leading.
~ The Updaters
P.S. Devon says hi!
Important Information for the Leaders…
The team asked us today to remind everyone that they are unable to respond to you all in email, because we have such limited time and access to internet. Please know that they are receiving all or your emails and have found it very encouraging. So please continue to write them. There have been some complications with sending out pictures so from now on to see pictures go to www.sgcyouth.com and look at Pastor Joel’s blog. We are also posting the updates there. There have been other issues with not all of the emails getting through to everyone on our support team, but know we are doing everything in our power to make this a smooth process. Despite the issues with emails, we are doing our best to keep our focus on what God has brought us to Poland to do. Please be patient with us.
Thanks
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Poland
So we are in Poland and I don't have the greatest amounts of time to post, so I'll direct you to http://extremelycoolpj.blogspot.com/ this is my youth group blog. We've posted our email updates on there along with some pictures. I hope you enjoy!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Poland 2007
You know we are still missing 6 passports, but we do have a t-shirt design!
What do you think?
What do you think?
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Waiting on 7
We taking this trip to Poland in a couple of weeks, and we are only waiting on 7 out of 13 passports! What a year to plan a foreign missions trip! Here is an article from Fox News.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Personal Story
So I asked the Poland team to write down their personal stories, testimonies, for our trip. I told them I would go first and I did. So here is my personal story. Let me know what you think. Even you Mom!
My life before Christ
Growing up in a little town with two younger brothers we had plenty of opportunities to get into trouble. I had a family who knew God and what he could do. My dad would take my brothers and I to church every Sunday morning and most evening services. My parents loved me, and supported me. They took care of me and provided for all of my needs.
How I met Christ
While always being at church, my entire social life was consumed with church activities. One Sunday morning our teacher in the children’s church program asked if anyone would like to “accept Jesus Christ as their savior”. I raised my hand really not knowing what I was doing. Several of us went into a back room and there another teacher explained that we all do bad things – remembering some of the things that my brothers and I would do – I quickly realized that I had done quite a few bad things. He also told us that those bad things are called sin. He showed from the Bible that all people sin and how they can’t have a relationship with God because of it. It even says that those who sin deserve eternal death. He then started talking about this man named Jesus and how Jesus was God and that Jesus died and three days later came back to life to cover for our sin so that we could have a relationship with him.
That day I asked Jesus to come into my life and cover for my sin. I asked him to save me from eternal death; I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, so that I could have a forever relationship with God.
My life since I met Christ
Since I met Christ I’ve had a focus. I really try my best to learn as much about Jesus as I possibly can. I learned that he desires for me to be like him. So, I try my best and with his help I am becoming more and more like he is. Life is not perfect, but it seems better than those who don’t have this relationship. I’ve also committed my life to share this story with people. I want people to have what I have from Jesus.
My life before Christ
Growing up in a little town with two younger brothers we had plenty of opportunities to get into trouble. I had a family who knew God and what he could do. My dad would take my brothers and I to church every Sunday morning and most evening services. My parents loved me, and supported me. They took care of me and provided for all of my needs.
How I met Christ
While always being at church, my entire social life was consumed with church activities. One Sunday morning our teacher in the children’s church program asked if anyone would like to “accept Jesus Christ as their savior”. I raised my hand really not knowing what I was doing. Several of us went into a back room and there another teacher explained that we all do bad things – remembering some of the things that my brothers and I would do – I quickly realized that I had done quite a few bad things. He also told us that those bad things are called sin. He showed from the Bible that all people sin and how they can’t have a relationship with God because of it. It even says that those who sin deserve eternal death. He then started talking about this man named Jesus and how Jesus was God and that Jesus died and three days later came back to life to cover for our sin so that we could have a relationship with him.
That day I asked Jesus to come into my life and cover for my sin. I asked him to save me from eternal death; I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, so that I could have a forever relationship with God.
My life since I met Christ
Since I met Christ I’ve had a focus. I really try my best to learn as much about Jesus as I possibly can. I learned that he desires for me to be like him. So, I try my best and with his help I am becoming more and more like he is. Life is not perfect, but it seems better than those who don’t have this relationship. I’ve also committed my life to share this story with people. I want people to have what I have from Jesus.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Serving with Eyes Wide Open
Just finished Serving with Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore. This is a book about our approach to Short-term missions. I am particularly intrigued with this subject because I am leading a trip to Poland this summer with a bunch of 10th - 12th grade students. I am looking forward to it, but the more I read Livermore's book I realized that I was enabling them. I wasn't giving them the tools to succeed, but rather giving them the short simplified answers that I think that they need to get the job done right (whatever that means). I always love a good book that will change my perspective on a subject.
I want to read books that will blow me away, not books that will just support what I all ready know. I want to read books that will blow me away by supporting what I already know. This book did just that. It took the passion I have to see the world as the kingdom and practically showed me how I can teach that to my students while on a short-term missions trip.
Thanks Dr. Livermore
I want to read books that will blow me away, not books that will just support what I all ready know. I want to read books that will blow me away by supporting what I already know. This book did just that. It took the passion I have to see the world as the kingdom and practically showed me how I can teach that to my students while on a short-term missions trip.
Thanks Dr. Livermore
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