Merry Christmas

Chuck said the most unusual thing this afternoon as we were unpacking boxes. "One of the things I really liked about Christmas this year was that you weren't worried about ironing the table cloth." That made me think about all the Christmases past when I worked to make everything perfect. This year was very different. Until two days before Christmas we had 4 plates and 4 bowls, an assortment of pots and pans, and a handful of Christmas decorations. Our furniture was either rented or recently purchased. We were about to spend our first Christmas away from any family in years.

On the other hand we were having three Journeymen for Christmas all of whom would be spending their first Christmas away from their families. On Christmas morning we celebrated advent which has become a tradition in our family and opened gifts. Best of all we celebrated the birth of our Savior with dear friends, feasted together, laughed till we cried, and just hung out. We did it all among stacks of boxes and piles of belongings that had yet to find a home.

When we returned home after taking our friends to the airport, I walked in the door and thought, "What a mess!" To Chuck's point I hadn't spent the last several days worried about keeping the house picked up or ironing table cloths. What I did was have a great time. It was one of the most enjoyable, relaxing Christmases I've ever had.

I think what made this Christmas so wonderful was that it was so different. The difference forced me to rethink what was important to me and what makes Christmas special. Without a doubt Christmas is about celebrating the birth of a Savior. That can be celebrated anywhere and it's celebrating that birth with others that creates family. Families create memories together, and that's what has made this Christmas special.

As we move into a new year please pray that many Poles will come to know Jesus and next Christmas will celebrate the birth of their Savior.

Citizenship?

With all the paperwork we've filled out to complete our visa applications I've done a lot of thinking about citizenship. Citizenship is something I believe most Americans take for granted, especially those of us who are citizens by right of birth. When we think of our rights as citizens we tend to think of those things we have coming to us; things we feel entitled to, usually because we feel we're being deprived of something. We sometimes think about our responsibilities as citizens during elections or when called to jury duty, yet sadly too many of us seek ways to avoid these responsibilities.

I rarely think about the fact that any government can tell me where I can or cannot live. I certainly never considered that a foreign government wouldn't want me to live in their country! I've never had a government official question my integrity about paperwork that was not adequately completed. I've never had to prove where I was living. I find myself acutely aware of the fact that I don't have the same rights and privileges in Poland as I have in the U.S. Suddenly I find myself thankful for the privilege of being able to live freely, in a location of my choice without needing permission from the government to stay for 30 days while my visa application for residency is processed.

The Bible tells us that our citizenship is in heaven. Maybe I need to think less like an American and more like a Christian and what it means to have citizenship in heaven. Today a Polish man asked where I was from. I must admit I felt a sense of pride in saying the United States. Should I have answered, "Heaven?" What would have been his response? Would he have been as interested to know a citizen of heaven as he was to know an American was living in his city?

This Christmas I'm thinking of Jesus who gave up His residency in heaven and left behind His rights as a citizen to become flesh and dwell among us. Thank you, Lord. May we be a worthy reflection of You.

Please pray that we, as ambassadors for Christ, will represent Him so that the Polish people will be reconciled to God. II Corinthians 5:20

A Day in the Life

It's hard to believe that a country so similar to the U.S. in some ways is so different and how those differences effect everyday life. I suppose for those who live in a large city Poland may not seem so different, but coming from a fairly small southern town....Let's just say we're not in Kansas (or ARkansas) anymore. Sean Stevenson, our supervisor, once told us that life just takes longer here. I wasn't really sure what that meant, since he told us that when we were here on a short term trip, but I'm beginning to realize what that means.

First, taking the bus is always interesting. Coming from the south I can't help but notice that while you ride the same bus everyday with the same people no one greets anyone, much less actually has a conversation with anyone. (The man from our previous story is the one exception. Even then I felt like everyone on the bus was listening and watching.) Riding the bus adds time to any trip since you have to time the trip with when the bus picks up. Remembering to plan the timing of the return trip can be tricky. Overall the bus is a pretty stress free way to travel, and it certainly eliminates the need for parking!

Shopping is also time consuming since it has to be done so often. This is due to several reasons. A small refrigerator and freezer are among the biggest reasons for frequent shopping trips. Food has fewer preservatives, which is good, but the shelf life is definitely shorter. We're also limited to what we can carry since we don't have regular access to a vehicle. We also have to carry shopping bags with us since most grocery stores don't provide them free of charge. We still haven't developed the habit of always carrying a bag with us, so we usually have to go home and get shopping bags. The store is right next to the bus stop, and our home is only 200 meters from the stop. Forgetting to bring bags when we leave for the day just adds a few extra minutes to the shopping experience.

Finally, laundry is a major time eater. Two hours ago I began a load of clothes...When they finish washing I will steam them for a few minutes before hanging them up to dry in the basement. I said steam because we have a washer/dryer combo. Now I realize that many of you now have an image of a compact washer and dryer stacked on top of each other, but no. You should be picturing a small front loading washing machine with multiple buttons and knobs. This machine both washes and "drys" clothes. This machine works about as well as you might imagine it would, which is why I said I steam the laundry. Things come out hot and moist, but never dry! Hanging laundry takes some time, but it allows for some good stretching!

I almost forgot. We finally figured out how to use the oven (thanks to a team mate). We had been using only 1/2 power and couldn't figure out why it took so long to preheat and then would not maintain a constant temperature. Pictures really didn't help.

I think my favorite thing to do in a store is to see how long before I can draw a crowd. I don't get crazy or anything. All I have to do is stand quietly looking at something - anything- today it was cheese. Slowly someone will stop and peer over my shoulder, then someone else will stop to see what I'm looking at. It doesn't take long before several people are looking along with me. Remember, no one speaks to anyone else. I always wonder what people are thinking as we stand there looking at something. I'm trying to figure out whether the cheese is smoked or not, which of course they all know since they read Polish!

Our days are full with language, shopping, laundry, and other things. Lest this sound ungrateful, we truly love living here and meeting people. We are part of a wonderful team, and we look forward to watching God move among the people of northeast Poland.

P.S. It's been half an hour and the laundry is still going!!

How Many Ways Can You Say "American"?

Many of you have asked about the Polish language. Since we have been asking for prayer as we study, I thought I'd give you a sample of what we are up against! Following is a list of words that mean American or America. Yes, we would use capital letters, but the Poles don't.

1. Ameryki
2. amerykański
3. amerykanska
4. amerykańskie
5. Amerykanin
6. Amerykanka
7. Amerykaninem
8. Amerykanką
9. Ameryka
10. Ameryce

These are only the ones we've learned. I'm sure there are more!

Please continue to pray that we will learn to speak Polish.

"I Don't Think That Means What You Think It Means"

While preparing to visit Poland last summer we bought a set of Polish language Cd's to learn some basic phrases. One of the things we learned was nie rozumiem or nie rozumiem po polsku which means I don't understand or I don't understand Polish. We thought if all else fails just whip out this phrase and people will either stop talking to us or at least switch to another language. (Many Poles in this area speak German, which we speak from our days in Germany and has allowed us to get by in some situations.)

We've met several people who don't have the same understanding of what this phrase means as we do. One morning a couple got on the bus. The wife was struggling with getting her ticket stamped, so Chuck reached over to help her. The husband turned and smiled at us and began to chatter away gesturing at his wife and his boot. Chuck politely told him, "Nie rozumiem". So the man, still chuckling about the story he'd been telling us, starts again from the beginning of his story. This time with more gestures and more laughing. This happened three times before we got to our stop and were able to get off the bus. The man just waved and smiled as we left. I'm sure he had no idea that we didn't understand a single word he'd said.

With that experience in mind, we decided that it would be important to say I don't understand Polish, not simply I don't understand. Well, you would think that would solve the problem...

I've told two different people, nie rozumiem po polsku. Both people responded that yes, you do understand, and proceeded to talk to me in Polish! At least one person realized that I really didn't speak Polish, but did ask (in Polish) if I lived in Olsztyn and if my husband was Polish, and if I was English. When I told him Jestem Amerykanka, he placed his hand over his heart and said, "Ahh, the United States of America." We actually had a very nice conversation in which I was able to practice all the phrases I learned over the last month.

I asked our language teacher why people continued to talk to us after we said, nie rozumiem. She just smiled and shrugged her shoulders and said, "Perhaps you say it too well". That may be one phrase it doesn't pay to master!

Please pray that we will quickly be able to speak and understand Polish and be able to adequately share the gospel with those we meet.

Today is Independence Day please pray also that the Polish people will find freedom in Christ.

All Saints/All Souls Days

Buying candles



A young boy looks at candles before a war memorial

A single grave

A view of the cemetery

A woman lights candles at a grave

An almost full moon was shining overhead as we entered the cemetery on a dark, cold night. It was the size of 8 football fields, beautifully landscaped and aglow with millions of candles. The cemetery was full of visitors who, unlike us, all had loved ones buried there. Families were coming to place candles on graves that they had spent the previous week cleaning and decorating with both flowers and candles. There wasn't a grave that didn't have at least one candle burning. Most graves had multiple candles. It was a beautiful scene. Until I asked,"Why"?

Families were coming to pray for the souls of their loved ones - that they might be released from purgatory. They say the candles represent the hope these souls have in Christ, yet they depend on the prayers of living family members to hurry their release from purgatory where they spend time being purged of sin. This night was a poignant reminder of the completeness of Christ's death and resurrection. My salvation is secure because of God's grace and my faith in the sacrifice of Christ. Thankfully my presence in heaven is not dependent upon the prayers of those I leave behind. I do ask myself, whose salvation may depend upon my prayers for their understanding and sensitivity to the work of the Holy Spirit in their life? Whose salvation depends upon my sharing the gospel?

One section of the cemetery was particularly moving as it is in all cemeteries - the graves of children. They were decorated with flowers and candles just like the graves of adults. I was surprised to find the grave of a little boy who lived the same years as our daughter Andrea. I was struck by the difference in the two graves. His parents had lit candles and prayed for his soul. Andrea's grave quotes King David at the death of his son, "He shall not return to me, but I shall go to him." How thankful I am "that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Pray for a nation who prays for their dead.

The Beauty of Fall

Photos courtesy of A.S. Journeyman

Lessons from Our First Week

1. It really can snow in October!

2. Always check the bus schedule before leaving a friend's home on a cold, dark night.

3. Cheese perogis are not all the same.

4. A pocket dictionary is useful when grocery shopping (ref #3).

5. You can get an upper arm workout by holding on while riding about town on the bus.

Poland, Finally!

After 33 hours of travel we arrived at our new home in Olsztyn, Poland. The first day was spent in orientation and shopping for some basics. Visiting the grocery store was part of the orientation process, and we definately needed help. We did it all with snow falling! It looked like we'd have some accumulation, but fortunately we didn't.

God really blessed us and the team with the home they found for us. It is conveniently located and has a full, finished and heated basement. The basement has become the team homeschool, which is something the team here was in need of, especially with 2 students being added.

Our second day was spent registering with the government, meeting our landlord, and meeting for more orientation. Day three was an adventure as we got bus passes, ate at a Polish restaurant, and managed to get ourselves to and from a teammate's home without any help!

Day four: IKEA

Day five was spent at church and later assembling part of what we purchased on day four. We also managed to walk to a neighborhood pizzaria for dinner and had some fantastic pizza.

Here we are at the end of our sixth day. We have a great team, who have done so much to make us feel welcome. Tomorrow we begin full time language study (and will continue to assemble furniture). We look forward to beginning ministry at a coffee house on Thursday evening. More about that later.

Richmond

We have been training in Richmond for the last 7 weeks. We have 8 days of training left before this group of over 300 goes to the ends of the earth. Our training has been interesting, exciting, inspiring, and yes, even boring at times. We've eaten unusual food with our hands, been encouraged to use a "squatty potty," been vaccinated for all manner of disease, and made friends with amazing people. Best of all we've heard from veteran missionaries and been awed by the work of God around the world.



The next few weeks will go quickly. After our training ends, we will take a short vacation then return to Arkansas to get our winter clothes. On October 12th we leave the US to begin walking in Poland.

Appointment

After several interviews, multiple questionnaires, and lots of paper work we found ourselves waiting for the recommendation of the Board. The Board met on April 20, 2009. The timing of that meeting was a reminder to us of God's eternal faithfulness.

It seemed fitting that the Board's recommendation came on the eve of such a significant day in our lives. April 21st is the anniversary of our daughter Andrea's death. Those few days in April are becoming easier after 14 years, but we always recall how perfectly God cares for us. We know that Andrea is in the presence of our risen Lord, and it is this hope that we seek to share with the people of Poland.

The Beginning

It's hard to say when God first called us to missions. We knew He was calling, but our thoughts are not His and so...we find ourselves preparing to leave far sooner- at least 10 years-than we thought we'd go anywhere.

In July 2008 Chuck, Emily, and I went to Poland with a volunteer team from Central Baptist Church. We never dreamed we would be returning to live just over a year later. It was in Poland that Chuck and I both felt God telling us that He didn't want us to wait until we retired before answering the call to missions. So we returned home, both of us afraid to tell the other what we knew God had been telling us in Poland. A few weeks later after praying through what we felt God was telling us, we contacted the IMB, only to be told that we really weren't qualified.

We knew that, but also knew God was telling us to go.