Sunday picnic

Here are some pictures of the outreach picnic we had:

clowning around:)...... The girls and I.....

Taylor and Kiley.....

Jay pretty in Pink;).....

Donna face painting...

Polish Christian Rap

To end the week of GROM (evangelism training) in Olsztyn they brought Kola in to share the TRUTH through his awesome talent of rap. Below is a clip of Kola preforming in old town. He was able to stand on stage and promo for his concert later that night.

Comments from Volunteer Team, June 2009

This is a report from the CBCJ volunteer team that served with us in Poland, June 2009 by Jimmy D. Brown for the Poland Team.

Twelve of us joined the Lord in His work in Northeast Poland on this mission project. We flew from Memphis to Amsterdam, The Netherlands and then from there to Warsaw, Poland where we were received by missionaries Sean Stevenson and Bryan Intemann. We were transported by vans to “cabins in the woods”, which would be our base camp, about two and half hours away.

During the next seven days we were blessed to participate in a variety of activities including: prayer walking, service projects (picking up trash in a village, building and erecting a permanent road sign, building park benches), in-house evangelism, “American day” after school events (crafts, games, etc.), distributing several thousand leaflets (Gospel tracts, invitations to the church startup, block party invitations, testimonies, notices for free Bibles, etc.), block party, evangelistic dramas, on-the-street witnessing, video production, and more.

It was amazing to see how God used each member of our team to serve Him and the people of Northeast Poland in interesting and unique ways ranging from playing with the children to cheerleading to haircuts to directing skits to hugging to teaching to witnessing. Everyone on our team was able to serve whether they were the youngest (8 year old Jacob) or the oldest (no names and ages!).

One of the things that meant a lot to us was the distribution of our personal testimonies. We told His story by sharing our story in printed handouts! Each of us provided our testimony and a picture prior to the trip. The locals translated them into the Polish language and printed them on half sheets of paper. We were able to hand out 100 each during the week to those we made personal contact with.

God’s presence and activity was noted throughout the entire trip ranging from His clear sovereignty over the weather (whenever it was time for us to do something outdoors the rain “mysteriously” cleared up on queue!) to His moving on the hearts of lost people (we had over 50 people show up at the “Baptist” block party … this was a huge “God-thing”!) to the fruit being harvested even as I type this report. We’ve already had several emails from the missionaries telling of people responding to the materials we distributed. Today I received an email from one of them stating that a lady requested a Bible and has asked them to teach it to her as a Bible study as well! Praise the Lord!

While we didn’t see any conversions on this trip, we know they are forthcoming. We planted new seeds, watered existing seeds and are waiting for God to “give the increase” in His perfect time.

I think everyone left wishing the trip didn’t have to end, longing for a return visit and praying that the desire to share Jesus with the lost would continue to be strong in each of us as we interact with our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and strangers here in Jonesboro. We are on mission here too!

One other thing worth mentioning is the unity we all experienced during this trip. Not only was there an obvious connection we had with each other, but there was an immediate bond with the missionaries in Northeast Poland (The Stevensons, the Intemanns, the Smiths, Naomi, Bailey, Juanita) as well as the nationals we worked with (Marcin, Artur, Daniel). It was genuine koinonia … fellowship, a sharing in common of Christ.

It was an amazing trip that left an impression on everyone involved: the CBC team, the on-site missionary team, the nationals and the unsaved. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!

Generations of Silence

I missed the bus by two minutes. Not shocking considering it happens every time I come out of the hair salon. And it's one of those bus stops that takes forever for the next bus to come. But today was different. Not so different in the fact that my hair was now nothing like it was when I went in, or so different that Taylor had found a stone wall to climb and slide on, but different in the fact that I sat down next to a little white haired old lady.

Looking at her from the corner of my eye I noticed that she could barely sit upright on her own, and observing her cane, clothing, and face I had the unfortunate thought that she probably won't live much longer. And then I thought "I should give her a tract." I thought to myself "She may be dead soon, she could be in hell in days writhing in pain, how will she hear the Gospel by then?" I also thought on a sigh, "If I don't give her a tract I will be upset for the rest of the night, she will plague me."

So, I gave her a tract. A Billy Graham tract. I said it was about God, that I was American, and I spoke little Polish. She opened the tract, never acknowledged me talking to her, and started to read. Part of me panicked and hoped the bus would come quickly. But then I told myself to stay calm, and if she speaks, do my best to answer. She never spoke. She just continued to read. My bus came. I got up, turned to her smiled and said goodbye and she nodded her head and smiled back.
That's it.

But is it? We could ponder, was that truly effective? Will it bear fruit? Was that really the best way? I don't know the answers, but what I do know is this-Christ was glorified today on that bench, I presented the Gospel to a dying woman the best I possibly could, and in that one moment of hope that she may come to know Jesus through it all, made not only moving over 4,000 miles worth it, but missing the bus too.

Boldly Proclaim

I had this sitting in my inbox, and for some reason put off reading it. Today I woke up thinking about GROM. GROM is an evangelistic meeting for the National Believers here in NEP. I was thinking about how I can be more bold in sharing the Gospel, and the age old fears of doubt and incapabilities crept up on me. Then I read this, I just wanted to share it because it was a great encouragement.

Speak What He Teaches
"Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Exodus 4:12).

Many a true servant of the LORD is slow of speech, and when called upon to plead for his LORD, he is in great confusion lest he should spoil a good cause by his bad advocacy. In such a case it is well to remember that the LORD made the tongue which is so slow, and we must take care that we do not blame our maker. It may be that a slow tongue is not so great an evil as a fast one, and fewness of words may be more of a blessing than floods of verbiage. It is also quite certain that real saving power does not lie in human rhetoric, with its tropes, and pretty phrases, and grand displays. Lack of fluency is not so great a lack as it looks.

If God be with our mouth, and with our mind, we shall have something better than the sounding brass of eloquence or the tinkling cymbal of persuasion. God's teaching is wisdom; His presence is power. Pharaoh had more reason to be afraid of stammering Moses than of the most fluent talker in Egypt; for what he said had power in it; he spoke plagues and deaths. If the LORD be with us in our natural weakness we shall be girt with supernatural power. Therefore, let us speak for Jesus boldly, as we ought to speak.
~Spurgeon