It's so clear to me that my 12 1/2 years of life on the road as a Covenant Players was definitely a call from the Lord that He equipped me for specifically for that period of time. I was so physically tired just by spending one week on the road again! But it was time well-spent and definitely worth every bit of energy put in.
In addition to our evening theatre program in connection with Szczecin International Fellowship (mentioned in the last blog), we also performed outdoors in the evening in support of the ministry of Kościół Uliczny (that means Street Church) and at a Teen Challenge "Coffeehouse" meeting (a ministry devoted to support recovering addicts). Street Church was inspirational to me because of their heart for reaching the homeless and faithfully proclaiming God's Word every Wednesday outdoors in the middle of this huge rotary (roundabout) come rain or shine, sun, wind, or snow.
At the Coffeehouse meeting, one man left some words in our comment book that were blessed evidence of fruit from ministry -- something we don't usually get to see so immediately. He wrote, "For 40 years I've been an alcoholic and a doper. Never have I believed in God. But today, after meeting with you, it's possible that something in my heart is changing." Praise God!
Divine meetings...
One of my favorite things about CP was staying with hosts. I love meeting fellow brothers and sisters with kindred hearts that are devoted to Jesus. The Ozanne family (featured in a photo last week); the Dymsza family; Kasia & Henryk Kowalińscy (former CP-ers) along with their daughter, Ania; and Helen Stainsby blessed us with their open hearts and open doors.
Pictured are 1) the Kowalińscy; 2) dinner with Helen and the unit; 3) Jodi & I
(Sorry for the poor quality of photos. I only had my phone camera with me.)
While in Szczecin, we met a man visiting from the States. Stuart was his name and God is using him so clearly to speak words of life and revelation into the lives of those he meets. It is without a doubt that the Holy Spirit revealed to him things in each of our lives that the Lord has ordained us for. He asked me, "So Amy, which three girls in your youth group has God called you to disciple?" I answered, "Well, it's a very small youth group. We only have 3 girls right now." And he said "Exactly. And those are the 3 girls God's called you to disciple. Take care of them." And then I started crying and said, "Thank you. It's been really hard because just a few weeks ago, we lost two of our youth. Their parents took them out of our church and have moved to a different church. So the timing of your words are very important. I know I have to look at what I have and not what we've lost." He looked at me and said, "You really do have a shepherd's heart. You're going to do fine." There was a lot more that was said that day to the others and also words I was to pass on to Krzysiek that were so powerful it wouldn't be right for me to share them here. And as I watched him speak into the lives of the unit, it was like watching God's Spirit breathe life into their bones.
More powerful moments of ministry back home in Pruszcz...
Although I returned physically tired, I was so spiritually recharged and inspired and it did me so much good to step away for a week and return, knowing that just as God called me and equipped me or my time with CP, He's also called me and equipped me for ministry here in Pruszcz. I was also thrilled to experience God's powerful hand of work here during an evangelistic meeting held on Monday night. We were visited by a missionary from England named Kathryn Day. God has powerfully annointed Kathryn as a dynamic evangelist as well as a minister of healing. Although not many people showed up, those who did were very spiritually hungry. We had some guests we'd never seen before. And one of our church members had four people from his family show up. He's been praying for his family's salvation for years. By the end of the night all of them plus eight others (including first-timers to our church) gave their lives to the Lord. Many with serious chronic health problems also were healed. (Kathryn always encourages medical follow-ups and documentation of the healings.) In the picture, you can see how joyful she is. (Aron, the pastor's son did a wonderful job of translating for her.)
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As I reflect on this past week and on the title verse of this blog, I am convinced of the truth that when our hearts are focused on God and on His purposes and Kingdom values, it's only natural that we as His family worldwide should stand united. How could we be divided if we're really focused on glorifying God?
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