Oklahoma!

A group from Oklahoma came to work with us, so with my camera and a computer, I made this!! :) Enjoy!

Eggs & Bunnies?

As I have walked the streets of Olsztyn this week, I have been greeted by strong sense of tradition. I find this devotion to tradition somewhat beautiful, but sadly, it is almost completely saturated with an air of apathy. This nation is primarily Catholic, but I get the sense there is a growing amount of indifference toward the church and Christianity as a whole – especially among the younger generation. Among university and high school-aged students, I find it more common to encounter someone who would fall into the category of “postmodern” than it is to find someone who is devoutly Catholic.

Despite this fact, I have noticed that the holidays – namely Christmas and Easter – are drenched with traditions rooted in the Catholic church, and most people, postmodern or not, celebrate these holidays in some form or fashion. For the last few weeks, the “Easter industry” has been out in full force, and in several places in town, including the end of my street, you could conveniently pick up both your religious and commercialized Easter items with no added stress to your schedule. I liken it to the holiday aisle at Walmart.

It is distressing to see people so entrenched in their tradition and works-based salvation that they completely miss the true meaning of this wonderful celebration of the risen Savior. Similar to America, people focus on the eggs and bunnies and forget or don’t care that the implications of this holiday are tremendous.

I am convinced that the distraction from the true meaning of Easter doesn’t come solely from the commercialization of recent years, it is primarily the result of a nation lost and in darkness. It says in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” This, I believe, is the root cause for the distracting holiday traditions and the tragic devotion to a works-based salvation. These people are unable to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, and therefore, cling to rote, mechanical behaviors attempting to fill the gaping hole in their lives.

Please join me in praying for this nation and these people.

How to Get Out of the Snow

Have you ever wondered what to do when you're stuck in the snow? Me too. Here's what we suggest. :)

Self Portraits of the Kiddos

After school on Thusdays, we have art, play games, dance around, sing, ect. Two weeks ago we made self portraitsin art class.

I planed to post pictures here as well as on my personal Blog. But my computer is acting up and not wanting to load anymore pictures.

Please follow http://naomi-devault.blogspot.com to enjoy the pictures of the children on the team creating there self portraits.

I hope you enjoy!

Naomi

Stevensons Return

One word: PARTY! We brought back loads of American goodies and the team indulged until the goods were mostly consumed and tummies were very full! It was a great time and we (the Stevenson family) are very glad to be back home!

Language

I thought I would share a story with all.

I have been learning Polish Sign Language for about two months now. I love the language and learning more Polish. I have wanted to talk to some deaf for a few days, just to use what I know. Well last night I was on my way to meet with Ula, she teaches me sign language, and I got my chance! I was walking to the bus stop and there were three deaf having a very heated discussion. I thought this is not the time; I don’t want to get in the middle of something. So I continued walking. Then, the two deaf ladies got on the same bus as I did. I worked up the courage and started signing to them. They signed back to me and said that for knowing very little sign I did very well. I did not know everything they were saying, but we still had a very nice ten minute conversation. I was so thrilled and so was Ula when I told her. It was great to be able to use what I have been learning!

Meat & Cheese, Please!

After church this morning, Naomi and I decided that we needed to run to the store to get some food because we were just about out of everything that was edible - except for cat food, and we were not that desperate - yet. Well, we decided to buy some meat and cheese that we had to have sliced - perfect opportunity to practice some language, right? Almost. We were able to celebrate at our success in explaining what kind and how much cheese we wanted, but the meat proved to be a slightly different story. We wanted chicken, but they didn’t have any chicken breasts, so we decided to ask for some beef. Neither of us knew the word for beef in Polish nor did the lady helping us know what we were saying in English. Therefore, I had to resort to mooing to get my point across. She understood and laughed. Unfortunately, they didn’t have that either. All in all, it was a funny experience.