November in Poland
We've just celebrated Christmas and we'll be heading into a new year in a matter of days! So I'm really behind on catching you up! But here goes...
I spent the first half of November in Poland and then flew to the States on Nov. 20th to spend three weeks there. I returned to Poland just two weeks ago and working on this blog has been helpful in re-transitioning. In the next blog I'll share about my time back home. But for now, here's what happened in Pruszcz in November before I flew home...
A New Look At Our Church
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| a more inviting color |
Look carefully at this photo on the left and then compare it to the photo above -- the title photo. Notice anything similar? Yep, that's the same church. Notice anything different? Yep, a fresh new color! We had the facade of church renovated (--well, half of it, anyway... the other half will be done in Spring). The new spring green color with wood paneling looks much more inviting.
We hope to have a couple verses on the church building as well as a sign situated closer to the road to make it more evident what this building is.
Of course a church is much more than a building -- it's the people of God, the Body of Christ. And this part needs more renovation -- perhaps restoration would be a more fitting word. It's much easier to restore & renovate the outside of the building than to see spiritual (and thus) relational restoration within the Body of Christ. This is my greater hope and prayer. To see God lifted high amongst the people inside of the church. After all, a facade is just a facade.
Having said that, we're very grateful for all the work that's been done and thankful for God's protection over the workers. I pray that in some way while working here, their eyes were opened a bit more to see the reality of Christ.
Women's Brunch (14 Nov)
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The verse I received was Proverbs 31:10 but I've included vs. 11 here.
I think it's a great encouragement for things to come very soon! :)
"10An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth
is far above jewels. 11The heart of her husband
trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain."
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A few times a year, the pastor's wife, Asia organizes a get-together for the women in our church. She teaches art in a middle school and is very creative and skilled in working with her hands. She gave us each a very special pre-Christmas gift -- beautifully decorated candles specifically designed for each one of us. Each had a verse attached which although she had NOT specifically picked out for the individual, seemed as if it were. Perhaps they were hand-picked by God?! :)
All of us who were there were very encouraged and touched by these beautiful gifts and we enjoyed our time together as sisters in Christ.
Armia Pana (Youth Group)
We wrapped up a series on the Armor of God in November, which we started in September (Ephesians 6). I'm so thankful and so blessed by all of our guest speakers. Each one put so much time and heart into preparing well for their talks. Each had a different approach and made sure to include interactive elements. Our list of guest speakers included parents, three Sunday School teachers, our worship band leader, a student preparing for full-time ministry, and a missionary along with his fiancee. I'm also really happy that list includes not only Polish people and Americans, but also an Indian young man and a Puerto Rican young lady. Here are our final speakers/talks:
Helmet of Salvation (7 Nov)
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Guest Speaker: Grace Sotomayor
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Grace was recommended by one of my friends in Warsaw you read about in a previous blog, Jennifer Nagy. Even though I'd never met Grace before, I knew I could trust Jen. Grace is very dynamic and vibrant so she had no problem grabbing and maintaining the attention of the kids! On a fun personal note, we discovered so many similarities in our experiences growing up as bicultural kids -- including limited understanding of American metaphors! (She was born in Puerto Rico, raised in Georgia, and served as a missionary in Poland the last two years.)
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| fun icebreaker |
Grace grabbed our attention right away by showing a clip from the movie, "Inception" (starring Leonardo DiCaprio) as an illustration of how powerful the mind & subconscious are -- both in their creative and destructive power.
During her talk, she also pointed out that Satan's attacks on the mind are strong because if the mind is destroyed, we are to a great degree debilitated. Furthermore, if our mind is not protected and we don't know the Word of God, it's like walking into a battlefield unarmed (and unarmored).
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| They're trying to act natural but they're actually posing. :) |
She also explained that the plumes on the helmets of Roman soldiers were not only decorative, but they displayed one's status in the army. She made the connection that when we truly understand what salvation through Christ means and that covers our mind, we're declaring our status and whose Kingdom we belong to.
One essential message that came through very strongly in almost all the talks was how vital God's Word is. As Grace put it: "God's Word keeps us from collapsing despite circumstances we face."
14 Nov -- The Christian Soldier's Character & Call to Duty :
" And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (Eph. 6:18)
Speaker (not a guest speaker): me
I started off with the question: "How would you describe the character of a good soldier? What makes a good soldier?" I was very impressed with the list of character traits they came up with.
Here's the list:
" And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (Eph. 6:18)
Speaker (not a guest speaker): me
I started off with the question: "How would you describe the character of a good soldier? What makes a good soldier?" I was very impressed with the list of character traits they came up with.
Here's the list:
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| Character of a Good Soldier |
-- obedient
-- brave
-- physically & mentally competent
-- just, fair
-- honest
-- conscientiously performs his/her duties
-- clever
-- trustworthy
-- always prepared for battle
-- ready to sacrifice
-- noble, honorable
-- serves God
-- listens to commands
-- speaks truthfully
-- responsible
-- helpful
-- wise
-- systematic (orderly)
-- well-built
-- defends the weak
-- persevering !
-- loyal (I added this -- but only this to their list)
I think they did pretty well, didn't they? And if this describes a "good" soldier, how much higher is our call as Christian soldiers who represent the King of Kings?
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| "Boot Camp" |
After this discussion, we put them through some "military drills". Krzysiek was the commanding officer and instructed them to put on each piece of their armor, had them march around, put them through sword drills by reciting verses and Scriptural truths, and then the real fun began... I played the enemy and came up to them periodically, attacking them with lies, doubts, accusations. If they couldn't effectively use the Sword of the Spirit, I wouldn't leave.
At Phase 2, the accusations & lies were more insistent but they were also instructed by Krzysiek that they could (and should) help defend each other. At Phase 3, the untruths were not only insistent, but also more complex. Krzysiek instructed them that they could call on him for help. Interestingly enough, none of them did. But he graciously offered assistance anyway and helped steer them in the right direction.
This was to transition to the main point -- besides being well-prepared, training, and having a Godly character, we also have a Commander of the Army (who is also the King whom we fight for) who comes to our rescue when we call on Him. He doesn't just issue out orders to His army, but rather, He comes to the aid of every soldier who calls out to Him. What an awesome King & Commander we serve! And the truth is that we fight a fight none of us can be victorious in without His help. Thus, 24/7 prayer is not just a command and duty we're called to, but a necessity as well as a privilege!
Bringing Others Into God's Army (21 Nov)
Speaker: Krzysiek Wiśniewski
Paul's writing about the Armor of God concludes with this:
Not only are we to stand firm and defend ourselves effectively on the spiritual battlefield but there is also an active part going out -- beyond our comfort zone -- to help others -- to free the oppressed, bring the good news of salvation to those who are dying, and to call people into allegiance to the One and Only True King. (As I write that, I'm reminded of those in the Middle East who are literally living that out -- loyal to the One & Only True God to the point of martyrdom.)
For this lesson, Krzysiek gave them some very practical training. Using role play, he portrayed two very different people they were to share the gospel with -- first, a rich young man and secondly, a drunk man. Although it was a little uncomfortable for the youth -- particularly in the second situation (they started to joke around and the drunk man was very turned off by this in the beginning) -- they were able to share. There was debriefing after and I asked them more about this when I returned.
The great thing is that one of the youth expressed the desire to grow in this area. She wants to learn more about sharing our faith effectively and overcoming obstacles to sharing.
(Sorry, I don't have any pictures from this talk because by this time I was in the States. Thankfully, Krzysiek did a great job while I was away of caring for the youth and it was a huge blessing to know that I could leave the youth group in his hands while I was away in the States. )
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