October snow...

Saturday 10/27/12 morning snow

narrowing the street...we got a few inches of snow by end of day

Snow in October!!

Yes, we got SNOW on Saturday!  People from home were wearing shorts on Thursday…how crazy the weather is.  Praying for everyone and their loved ones back home, as Tropical Storm Sandy heads up the East coast and Lord willing all will be safe.  Also for the team in Haiti, that they have a safe flight home on Thursday.  I read an e-mail from Tracy before they left with concerns about delaying trip to Haiti – only God knew they would get a few extra days to love on the orphans!!  Guess the big excitement for me is my intensive Polish classes.  There are 2 other students in my class and our teachers switch off.  I am thankful that I have a good Polish base to start with this class, as it moves very quickly.  My vocabulary is starting to improve and retaining more, so I am able to follow the teacher better.  Update on the new location – work is getting started and hopefully we will be able to meet our goal of opening for Thanksgiving.  Lord knows are needs and we would appreciate your prayers.  All Saints day is Thursday and we hear the cemeteries are well decorated and a sight to see.  A classmate and I may be traveling a few days, so that we can see part of Poland and have time to practice our Polish.  It would be great to have a travel partner!  I received a goodies package today from WV – Thanks Melinda!  Also got a really nice letter and picture from my aunt too!  It was a good mail day!  :0)  God is so awesome…just as I was writing this update, I got a call from Haiti and had a chance to speak to the team there!  Also got to see Haiti and the hot weather – as the snow is melting here!  LOL

Cup of Coffee version…

Another funny thing – Sunday – here in Poland we were to turn the clocks back…so I arrived at church an hour early!  (Sound like someone else you know)!  Classes have been going well.  There are 2 other students – one from Austria and the other from Switzerland.  We also have 2 different teachers – Olga on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Iwona on Tuesday, Thursday.  I am very thankful for having classes with Jola until now, since it has helped me keep up with this intensive class.  Joy, who is actually Chinese, but lives in Switzerland for the last 14 years, has been a huge blessing.  She loves to ask questions and really wants to help me learn Polish.  She actually has a friend who is willing to talk with me – to help me pronounce the words properly and in turn, I will help him improve his English.   That will probably be next week, as we have a holiday on Thursday – giving us a 4 day weekend.  Lord willing, Joy and I will do some traveling and practice our Polish!  As I shared with you earlier- we got snow on Saturday.  It was kind of a strange day anyway – there is a crew narrowing the street outside my window and snow is falling.  I took a few pictures – just for those who think I was joking.  Our teacher said today that this is the first time she can remember show in October!  Work is starting on the new location, so English Discussion Groups are on hold for a little while…so I took a break from studies to chat with my parents, when I got a call on skype – from HAITI!!!  Tracy did confirm that she was actually happy they had to stay in Haiti a little longer…it is also neat to hear first hand how the Lord is blessing their time there.  Not to mention that it is 80 degrees there…but there are challenges like the early morning alarm clock – I mean rooster crowing!  Just have to laugh – Pastor Bill was wiping sweat off his forehead, while I am sitting here in long pants and a sweatshirt!  LOL  Tomorrow morning, our Women’s Bible Study is not meeting to discuss the book study, but meeting at My Baby Café – so Mom’s can have their kids play, while we can get together and chat.  The café is a little over a block away from me and I am excited to go and fellowship before my Polish class!  Please continue to keep us in your prayers – with the building project, God continuing to bring people to us and for all the Lord has before us!  Love & miss you tons…

“Get wisdom! Get understanding!  Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.”           Proverbs 4:5

Received Visa today!!!

Today, I picked up my Visa and now I am legally in Poland to end of May 2014!

In light of the Missions Conference last week… these are some thoughts.  Thankful God has been working in my life to see that being uncomfortable is where HE wants me to be and have a peace about it.   There are days, I just don’t want to get out of bed – not just because it is gray outside, it is having to face my fears and overcome another challenge.  Those are the days where the doubts creep in and you want to say “you win” there is no more fight left.  Then I open the Bible and read about Jeremiah – God called him to prophecy to people who did not want to listen, he is called the “weeping prophet” …and realize the challenges I am facing are nothing…and I don’t really want to be the “whining missionary.”   As a friend tells me – “Hey, you are doing it!  You know that God wanted you to serve in Poland and you are there!”  It may sound silly, but having a cheerleader or a quick note that says “prayed for you today.”  Sometimes that is all you need to say – “Hey, God asked me to send you a hug today.”  I believe God wants us to be uncomfortable, because that is when you are aware that God is at work in your life.  Not that being comfortable is a bad thing – there are plenty of times that I hide out in my apartment with a blanket wrapped around me too!  But I know of times, where I sought my comfort first and not the call… I want to go back and change it, yet I can only move forward and try harder.  All this to say, I am so thankful that God has me here, growing – so that I may be a vessel that He will use to a great capacity than today and I don’t want to get too comfortable.   Now an update on ministry – we cleaned the new location and held English Discussion Groups on Tuesday nights.  There were a few people that came and they are excited about the new location and psyched about the future look of the place.  Lord willing everything will continue to move forward and fall into place – with tons of prayer and God’s provision.

Cup of Coffee version…

I have been encouraged by God’s promises – that He will never leave or forsake us.  He will challenge us to make us better, it is my job to not become bitter in His refining process.  By God’s grace, He has shown me through others all that is possible.  In listening to the Mission Conference online – you already heard how those pastors have had to overcome their own challenges.   Even though some of mine are different, deep down – they really are not all that different.  I am so thankful that I can access messages from online – whether from ODBC or other pastors who have a heart not only for God but for missions!   I had a great conversation with a friend via skype and she made me realize that there are things that I have gotten accustom to here that is not so much at home.  In Poland, there are a number of restaurants and cafes that have play areas for kids.  Some have a table, couple chairs, box of toys or books, while others have a playhouse, toys and so forth.  Here we need to ask for the bill, so you can be sitting there for a long time after you are done…  Yes, I am speaking from experience.  LOL  Just think of some of the family restaurants in the states, you are lucky if you can get a few crayons and paper menu for the kids to draw on… and some places even give you a time limit on how long you can sit at a table!  There are some Mommy & Me cafes…not that I have been to one, but walked by.  Another update about Poland – much like Rochester – summers seem to have gotten shorter and fall is almost a blink of an eye…winter (at least the cold) is moving in fast.  Today, the sun shining and it feels like fall again…I am so thankful for a break from the cold.  Next week, I am back to the intensive Polish classes and continuing to pray for the Lord’s wisdom and guidance.

 “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”           Isaiah 40:29

John 15:16

Quiet week…

This has been kind of a rough week for me – mostly emotionally.  You know how you love to have company or go on vacation, then you come back and reality hits you in the face.  The Polish classes at CPS went up greatly, so the search for another school started.  I will be going to IKO in a few weeks, it will be an intensive class for the beginners.  Lord willing some of the review will give me confidence and maybe their methods will help me improve quickly.  Right now, I am blessed with other resources to stay focused on my learning.  The Women’s Bible study is going well and it is a blessing to see how the Lord works in each of our lives.   One of the ladies is here till May next year and then her family will be moving to Thailand!  Robert has been working really hard on the video for ODBC and one to send out to churches to share the vision of the new location.  We are a bit limited on what we can do – regulations and so forth, but we know the Lord has made it possible for us to rent and in His timing, all things will come together.  The people attending English Discussion Group were so grateful for Robert & Rachel and their dedication to leading the EDG.  Many said if it were not for Robert & Rachel, they would not have done as well in their English class and would not have continued attending the EDG.  Many are willing to come the extra distance, because they value the EDG and friendships build with Robert & Rachel.   We have shared with others about the new location – Bible studies, church service and the play & activity area for the kids.  People are super excited.  Even the interior designer is excited about checking out the place after we get it up and running!  There are a ton of blessings and words can not express all the ways the Lord is working through this project.  We are in agreement that the waiting and prayer are the most important – yet the hardest part.  Kind of funny how the Lord brought a group of us together who are eager to roll up our sleeves and DO…yet He asks us to WAIT on Him.  We would greatly appreciate your prayers as move forward with making this location a place where God can illuminate His Light and grace in Warsaw! 

Cup of Coffee version…

The emotions and sinus infection made this week rough… I’m sure Rachel can tell you that I was not a lot of fun to be with.  I was very disappointed that CPS raised their prices so much for classes.  My personal struggle with having to face change AGAIN and concern that my friendship with Jola may not be as strong as I thought.  She has not written back to me for over a week.  I know it sounds silly, but she is the first friend that I made here (totally on my own)…so it is a big deal to me.  In learning to embrace change and new challenges, I will be going to a new school in a few weeks – IKO.  A friend from the Women’s Bible study said she went there and really liked their methods of teaching.  The Women’s Bible study is going well.  I am getting to meet others and share one another’s experiences here and how the Lord is working in their lives.  It makes me appreciate the fact that I grew in a Bible believing church and know that I am saved.  One lady was sharing about her walk and stated that she will know if she is truly saved when she is in Heaven.  Before I had a chance to say anything, the lady next to me said how the Bible states that you are saved and that you strive to grow in your relationship with God!  Thankfully the Lord gives others the words, when you find your heart heavy for others and struggling to find what to say.  The last English Discussion Group (EDG) at Klub 29 was on Tuesday night, the people gave Robert & Rachel a standing ovation to show their gratitude.  Many are not only excited about the new location, but willing to come the extra distance, because they value the EDG and Robert & Rachel. 

We have shared with others about the new location – EDG, Bible studies, church service and the play & activity area for the kids.  We would greatly appreciate your prayers as move forward with making this location a place where God can illuminate His Light and grace in Warsaw!  When you hear stories of others and the challenges they have faced in getting a location (whether it is to live or minister) and all the trials that each of us have gone through.  When you see the hand of God continuing to guide and even carry us through some dark times, we want to be faithful in serving Him and giving others hope here.   Robert has said “we are at a pivotal time in our ministry” – we are praying that others will see the Lord’s hand at work here and be a part of the great things to come.  

This verse has been on my heart all week…I believe this is God’s way of reminding me that I am not here on my own and that there is a purpose for going through the trials….

“You did not choose Me, but I choose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”    John 15:16

God choose me… just as He has chosen you for something special too!

Time with family…

My parents and brother, Karl, drove from Germany to Warsaw and arrived on Friday 9/14.  It was fun to take them to Old Town and Centrum – and allowed them to experience public transportation.  They also got to meet the Krzesinski family and had a chance to play with the kids.  Then we were off to see where my parents grew up – Dad was north of Warsaw and Mom was north of Berlin, also got to visit family in Berlin and Delmenhorst (outside of Bremen).  We also met a few of their friends/acquaintances along the way.  The week and half went by so quickly, but it was good to be with family and to speak not only English, but German.  Karl learned a few Polish words and had some good laughs.  It is funny what happens when you live somewhere for a while…you begin to have some pride for the country.  This became more evident when I was on the last leg of the train ride home (Berlin to Warsaw).  I met Cornelia and her dachshund, Lara, she is currently studying in Dusseldorf, but was coming to Warsaw to see family & friends before picking up her car in Gdansk.  Her parents live half the year in Poland and the other half in the states.  She loves the states and thinks I am crazy for coming here for 2 years.  My saving grace is that she loves Warsaw and thinks it is one of the best places in Poland.  Today, I picked up my paperwork on my visa and have been approved to stay till May 31, 2014!!!  I really needed the great news to offset the emotional low that hit today.  Thankfully there is a ton of cleaning and laundry to keep me busy too!  :0)  Now that we have the new location – I am looking forward to what the Lord will do!  Thanks so much for the prayers.  My parents and Karl fly from Amsterdam to Toronto on Saturday…hopefully Rolf will be there to greet them when they arrive home.   God is so good!  :0)

CHALLENGE: 

You and a friend go on public transportation – talk to at least one person and see how much information they will share.   When you do – please e-mail or share with a friend what you learned through this experience!  I hope you will be amazed as much as I have been in the past few months!  :0)

Cup of Coffee version…

Family arrived on Friday afternoon, after a short trip around Warsaw by car.  Then we were off to REAL (it has become an important stop on the first day for all).  Also got a chance to point out our new location!  My parents were impressed how nice my apartment is – guess pictures do not capture how big it is.  (So you will just have to come and see it in person).  LOL   After seeing some of the sights here, Karl drove us up to Dad’s hometown – about 4 hours north of here.  The garage is the only thing left of his former home, we found my great-grandfather’s stone leaning and still legible and a few other sights.  Then we returned here for laundry and sun tanning – it was on the itinerary and Warsaw had sunshine!  Then we were off to Berlin to see family and had a chance to sightsee a little.  Then to Mom’s hometown…it is a small town north of Berlin.  She used to live on a large farm and it is amazing how much has changed in the past few years.  Then we got to spend some time with a friend of the family and did a few day trips.  Then off to visit more family in Delmenhorst.  We got to go shopping and then to a neat museum that showed immigrants boarding boats in Bremehaven to go to the states.  Some had documents, pictures and even people sharing their stories…there were rooms to see how each class made the journey over.  Then it was time for the hardest part of the trip...good-byes.  Ugh!  The train ride was from Bremen to Warsaw…with 2 stops that I had to change trains – Hamburg and Berlin…with just enough time to find train and cart that I had reserved.  The train from Berlin to Warsaw was the longest and I met Cornelia and her dog, Lara.  It still surprises me to see so many dogs on public transportation.  We had a good conversation – it started in German (but it is her third language) – so most of the conversation was in English.  It was neat to hear her opinions on life…she shared how in the states people think more in color (that all things  are possible) and here  it is more black/white (fewer options – usually depends on income).  In an odd way – it really makes sense.  She has also had more advantages than many of the people I have met here.  Young adults do travel in Europe, but it is a big deal if you have been in the states.  Needless to say, it was an interesting conversation and it made the time go faster.  The time with family was a huge blessing and in some little ways, I can relate more to my parents and challenges they faced in moving from their homes.   It is good to be home and having time to get things back to “normal.”  Looking forward to seeing how the Lord will provide with this new location and the doors that are open for ministry opportunities ahead!

A verse that was laid on my heart to share…

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.  And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”                1 John 3:16

New Location



2 storefronts between the signs - our new location!!!



This is a little closer...we will have more pictures when I get back.  Location is 1/2 between Krzesinskis' and my home - very close to REAL (grocery store)...

Great News!!!

My parents and brother, Karl, flew to Amsterdam – stopped in Germany to visit some people before driving to Warsaw to visit me!  Most of the week was finishing up Polish classes for this month, then prepared for visitors…  My parents and Karl arrived on Friday afternoon and we had dinner with the Krzesinski family.  Saturday, they got to experience public transportation, Old Town, Centrum and easy going in the evening.  Sunday – Karl drove us to Mgrowa (used to be Ost Pruessen) where my Dad grew up.  Dad shared a lot about his younger years – walked around town, got to see a friend and spent a night in the country.  This morning, we walked around town a little and then drove home.  I got a call on the way home with some great news – we have a new location to meet!  Robert called and we are so thankful for the Lord blessing us!  Now we get to roll up our sleeves and start working on making this location a meeting place for English Discussion Groups, bible studies, church services, kids area and so forth.  Please pray for us as the Lord’s provision.  Pictures of location to follow…

I’ll be writing again in a few weeks!  So excited about the Lord’s blessing and looking forward to time with family in Germany!!!

“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man, The things which God has prepared for those who love the Lord.’”  I Corinthians 2:9