Welcoming in 2013…
The year started with fireworks that went off from about 10:30 PM New Year’s Eve to about 2 AM! It was only a few blocks away, so I could just look outside my window. I was blessed with an opportunity to go visit family in Germany for a long weekend. It was great to spend time with my family, met the Baptist pastor in their hometown and met their neighbors, who spoke some Polish with me. Daily Grind has been open for kid’s crafts the past 4 Saturdays and we have been ministering to a few families. We officially opened to the public this week and we are getting flyers out to the community to make them aware of the EDG, Saturday kid’s crafts and Bible studies soon to begin. On Sundays, we meet for church service. My Polish is coming along and I am so thankful for my teacher, who has been giving me new challenges and tons of homework. Thank you to all who sent cards and packages – it has been a blessing to make cookies with the chocolate chips, peanut butter cookies and sugar cookies! The craft supplies have been a great help for kid’s crafts on Saturday. Thanks so much!!
Cup of Coffee version…
The New Year began with a bang – OK, fireworks and lots of people celebrating on their balconies. Then I had a few more days of the intensive Polish classes, before going off to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Germany. It was so great to visit them, being able to communicate without much of a language barrier, and get to see some things I have not in the past. It was great to have a low-key birthday with family. Thanks so much for the cards and well wishes! When I came back to Poland, Rachel made me a chocolate cake and got to celebrate again. Then we started with the kid’s craft Saturdays. These are free events for kids and an opportunity for parents to sit back and relax. We made paper cut out penguins the first week. Rachel taught the kids English as we made the craft – whether it was having them say colors, shapes or penguins. The kids had a lot of fun and parents were able to socialize. We celebrated Rachel’s birthday and everyone got to try American carrot cake…our baked goods are more moist and richer, than many of the Polish baked goods. Then started Polish classes with Iwona and she has been teaching for more than 20 years and worked for the Peace Corp. She has given me a challenge – if I start speaking in Polish, she will come to our church service. So I am really trying to get the words out… There are 2 young Christian girls that will be helping us in our ministry, Karen (who is from Kenya and studying economics at Warsaw University) and Ania (who is from a small town north-east of Warsaw and finishing her horticulture degree). Please pray for Ania this week as she finishes exams and papers. Ania has been helping me practice Polish and helps me make craft samples for the kids. Most of January was very cold and snowy, but this past week, it has been warmer and rainy…the snow is gone and with the wind – the water puddles have gone too. Due to the weather and people being sick, I have not been able to meet with others as I had hoped. Lord willing, now that the weather is improving and it is light till about 4:30 in the evening…more people will be willing to get together. I have been sewing the curtains – shortening most and lengthening others. I had a great time of fellowship this Sunday and we even had communion. I am so thankful that God has given me so many Christian friends full of wisdom and helping me see things from a different perspective! God has blessed me with great friends and opportunities to meet others. God is so good!
“You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: He is their help and their shield.”
Psalm 115:11
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