Poland 2016
Stories
We're Back in the States!
It's been over a week now that our team flew back into Denver International Airport. I cannot believe we have already been back for that long!
I want to start by saying 'thank you' to everyone who supported me financially and all who lifted up the team in prayer. The trip, from start to finish, was only possible because of the Lord and that was amazing to see!
We began with our flight being delayed 8 hours, but it worked to our advantage as it forced us to adjust to Poland's time zone even before we boarded the plane! After flying through Frankfurt we landed in the city of Wroclaw where we had two days of orientation with a team from Josiah Venture. After orientation, we went to Chorzow to meet the Polish youth group with whom we would be leading the camp. From there we meet the campers at the train station and boarded an 8 hour night train and, to our surprise, our 'general boarding' tickets meant that we got to stand in the hallway. Needless to say, that was a train ride we won't be forgetting any time soon.
Then, hallelujah, we made it to camp! Everyone, campers included, took a much needed three-hour nap as soon as we got to campus before we hit the ground running. Our schedule was filled with English classes in the mornings, games and a 10 minutes walk to the Baltic Sea every afternoon, and the most amazing camp food, probably ever. We were so blessed by the staff at the church campus we were staying at and they took care of us well.
As a leader, I was there to mostly make sure my American team had everything they needed, but it was fun to get to know the Polish youth group and some of the campers as well. Our team worked hard to provide great English classes and then played hard during the afternoon, which allowed them to get to know a lot of the campers.
It was awesome for me to sit in on some of the English classes and see how much the team grew from day one to day six. They put in long tiring days, but gave everything they had everyday. We had a couple of food allergy scares, but overall, our team was healthy and without major setbacks.
As I've continued to talk to some of the students throughout the week it has been great to hear that they are still connecting with the campers (yay, Facebook!) and are encouraged as they ask questions about their faith and start some great conversations! Our prayer, as the American team, is that conversations we started over in Poland can be continued by the Polish youth group in their native language. We were there for two weeks, but the Polish youth group can make a long lasting impact with the campers in their neighborhood.
One last prayer request I have is to lift the Polish youth group from Chorzow up in prayer as they continue sharing the gospel with the campers.
Chorzow Youth Group:
Marta (leader)
Konrad
Estera
Dominik
Sara
Nina
Ewelina
Thank you again!
Caroline