Abby checking out the snowball plants

Here's another snowball plant picture... can you believe they grow like that here?

Snowball Plants Found Growing in Poland

I will bet you didn't know that snowball plants grew in Poland did you? Here's the proof! Sean and Abby captured this photo of the rare Snowball Plant (Iceuspherus Roshlinius) in it's natural habitat. It snowed last night and we all went for a walk today to see the snow. It was beautiful. We will post more pictures later this week. What's the weather like where you are?

Monday Bible Study

This is one of the ladies we meet with to study the Bible on Mondays. We meet in her shop for about an hour to discuss what she has been reading on her own and to study a weekly Bible study that Marcin and I write during the week. This week's study was about the Bible, what it is for, where it came from, etc. Pray for us on Mondays when we are out sharing the gospel.

All Saint's Day Photo Album

Check out the photo album that Bryan put together with the picture taken when we were prayerwalking on All Saint's Day. You can find the album on Bryan's blog here: http://web.mac.com/intemannx4/kojava/All_Saints_Day.html

Jemiołowo

 

Here is a picture of our first meeting in Jemiołowo (Yem-ee-oh-whoa-voh). It was taken with a cell phone so the quality is not that great but you can see Jessica and the kids she is working with! Everyone had a great time and it was a very good first meeting. Pray for our future work in this village.

First Snow

 

First snow of the year! It wasn't too much but it did snow and the kids were VERY excited!

Mondays with Sean

Hi all. Here is a short slide show of my typical Monday. I start out in the morning in Olsztynek working with Pastor Marcin, writing and translating our Bible studies for the day. Then we move to the local market (targowisko) to meet with a young lady who runs the clothing store you will see in the pictures. Next we drive 30 kilometers to Nidzica to do two more Bible studies with two different extended families. We often move on from there to Platyny to lead one last Bible study, however, today we stayed in Nidzica to visit with two poor families and leave them with some food and an invitation to Operation Christmas Child. These families were very poor and living in squalid conditions. You will see a picture of the block building they live in at the end of the slide show as well as photos of the other homes and pictures of the cities of Olsztynek and Nidzica.

New Link Added

Take a minute to check out the links! There are links to teammate blogs and webpages, current weather in Olsztyn and the NEW LINK: Webcam - Olsztyn Oldtown. See a live webcam picture of the oldtown here available 24 hours a day! Want to know what the weather looks like this winter? Check it out here!

All Soul's Day

 

All Saint's Day (Nov. 1) has given way to All Soul's Day (Nov. 2). This is a picture from our prayerwalking last night, it was a cool, cloudy and gloomy evening ending in rain. Today is sunny, windy and cold. Today is the day that Poles go to Mass to have the names of their dead loved ones read by the priest. The hope is that enough prayer and devotion will be made by living family to somehow procure the release of the loved one from purgatory and entrance into heaven. Please pray with us on this day again for the living. Pray that they would set their sights on Christ and what can be accomplished through His sacrifice for their own lives. Pray that many Poles would come to know the living Christ in their lives now!

All Saint's Day 2008

 

Today is All Saint's day, the day when Poles go to the cemetaries to place flowers, light candles and pray for their dead loved ones. We will join them today in the cemetaries and pray for the living. Will you join us?

What happened in Jemiołowo?

 

Marcin and I meet with the village administrator for about two hours. She is a very open and warm individual. We are looking forward to working there and have been warmly received. The village administrator is very excited about having us come to here village and work with them. We will start going there next Wednesday, the same day we meet in Platyny! Thanks for praying for our meeting today!

Jemiołowo

 

Tomorrow (10.30.2007) Marcin and I will be going to Jemiołowo (Yem-ee-oh-woh-voh) to meet with the village administrator. She would like to talk to us about doing some work in her village teaching English like we do in Platyny. Currently, we are going to Platyny on Wednesdays to teach English to children and adults. We have already started one group there and hope to start more in the future. Pray for us that we might find favor in the village of Jemiołowo tomorrow. This might be an opportunity for us to expand our work in the area around Olsztynek. I took the above picture last spring when we were visiting Marcin one Sunday. We walked to the lake after church and I took the picture because the village across the lake looked so pretty. It turned out that it was this village!

Abby's Birthday

Happy Birthday Abby! Here's a short slideshow!

Volcanoes in Poland?

Volcanoes and lava in Poland? Yes it's true. This is a slide show of the girls making those classic vinegar and baking soda volcanoes. Enjoy, they sure did!

Cat in the Box

 

We received a box in the mail the other day and Rebecca made it into a nest for herself. Missy decided to join her for the fun!

Studying Egypt

 

The girls were studying Egypt a week ago and they made these really cool pyramids out of brown sugar cubes.

Fall is Here!

 

Here is a picture of the fall foliage behind our house, it's a beautiful, cool fall here this year.

Youth Meeting in Godki

Hi all. The Baptist Church in Olsztyn held a youth meeting for the kids that came to camp this summer. Here are some of the pictures. About 20 kids came to have a bonfire, roast kielbasa, watch a presentation from the pictures of camp and have an all around, good time. The church is planning a whole host of followup events this fall including Bible studies.

Misja Polska

Hi all! We just spent the week in Olsztynek working with the Baptist Church there and Pastor Marcin. Here are some pictures of the NEP team out witnessing, a Polish Christian rapper who was awesome, and some pictures of the Polish Baptists singing and witnessing too. We had a great time and lots of opportunities to witness, give out tracts and Bibles and spend time working along side Polish believers. Please pray for those who recieved a witness, Bible and or tract this week.

Olsztynek

We will be working with the Baptist churches in Olsztyn and Olsztynek this week to hold different evangelistic events all over the city of Olsztynek. Please pray with and for us in this work. In the slide show above, you will see a picture with a young man standing in front of a church. This young man's name is Marcin and he is the pastor in Olsztynek. Please pray for him and his work there during this week. The other pictures are from Olsztynek and show different places we will be working this week.

Geocaching???

This is Bryan and Stacey posing with a statue where we found a geocache this week. Don't they look good?

American Day at camp

Here is Patsy making "American " food for the kids at camp. They served hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hamburgers and red, white and blue cupcakes. Earlier in the day the team made the kids a traditional breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes. Aparently it all went over so well that the Americans did not have much left to eat!!! Camp was wonderful. We have fourteen new brothers and sisters. Thanks CBC Jonesboro!!! It was an awesome camp!!!!

Summertime!

Summer finally came again today after 2 or 3 weeks of cold rainy weather. We went geocaching with the Intemanns and found this beautiful hidden lake.

Giant: The Grasshopper

Rebecca had this container filled with her slug pets. One day she decided to let the slugs free and collect grasshoppers. We went grasshopper hunting near our house. Most of the grasshoppers found were normal sized. She also found "Giant" who was huge. She decorated the cage, fed them and checked on them daily for a day or two. We began noticing a few missing every day until the final day when only Giant was left. In Rebecca's words "Giant is a cannibal!!!!!" She was very unhappy with him and decided to let him go. On the way out of the house we dropped the cage and Missy our cat found Giant. We saved him( ok there were legs missing) and let him go outside. We have no idea what she will wnat to collect next. We will let you know!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Webkinz Desserts

Our daughters each have a little stuffed animal called a Webkinz. The Webkinz have a website on the internet with recipes among other things. These are some desserts that Abby and Cara have learned to make. They did all the shopping then prepared desserts for the whole family! Mmmm....

Folk Festival

Saturday, we went to a Folk Festival and dance compeition in Old Town. We saw Belarussian, Turkish, and Asian dancers. There was also a dance compeition where the dancers danced traditional Polish dances including of course thhe Polka!!! The girls loved watching the little girls twirl around in their fluffy dresses. Above, is the Belarussian dancers and singers. They danced, played drums, sword fought and did a traditional dance where two men hold up two women and spin them around as fast as they can. (They were going so fast the picture did not turn out.) This is always a crowd pleaser. How many little girls can say they saw dances from four different countries in one single night! We returned home very late, but it was well worth it!!

Prayerwalking

We went prayerwalking this week as a team. Here are Amber and Jessica! We prayed in the area of Olsztyn where Kevin and Emily used to live. There are many new buildings and lots of new people moving into this area. Olsztyn continues to grow and we continue to pray for the residents. Pray with us that many new Bible study groups will be started in this area resulting in the starting of many new churches.

Platyny Saga

The following four stories transpired over the last two weeks as we have been working to continue sharing the gospel in a small town here in Northeast Poland called Platyny. The text below was written by our team member, Bryan Intemann...
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PART I -- July 11, 2007:

Ever have that feeling? Not the one where you feel like you’re being watched.

It’s more like that feeling where you are driving into Platyny to hold the first meeting for the English club, you have to get the keys from the town administrator who isn’t real positive about your being there, who then says that he won’t hand them over despite what was recently decided in a town meeting because he fears a yet-to-exist negative reaction from townsfolk, so that we can’t hold the first meeting as planned and instead gather at a believer’s home where we talk options, encourage Marcin and Krystyna (the believer) and end in prayer.

It’s a feeling kinda like that. Ever had that one?

Well, I sort of had that one, though it was more like a curious thought about how the day could turn out as we were making our way to Platyny today. So, when Marcin returned empty-handed from the town administrator’s home to Krystyna’s where we were waiting, I was not entirely shocked. The administrator said he didn’t care either way if the Baptists were here, but he wanted some “insurance” in case there was a problem. He said he wouldn’t hand the keys over to the youth house until he had a letter of approval from the mayor of Olsztynek, who has authority over Platyny.

While we were discussing the situation and the meetings that had already taken place, it came up that two Jehovah’s Witnesses came into Platyny and knocked on every door in the village. Why now? They had never shown interest in Platyny. Who sent them? “Satan” is my thinking. A likely scenario is that they heard about a group (something akin to a circus for a place the size of Platyny) of Baptists coming in, doing a bunch of stuff that opened some doors, and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

A major sticking point is that Poles don’t make a distinction between the groups who are not Roman Catholic. They are all the same, and that often means a cult. So, our work and intentions may not appear any different to the Platynites (probably not in the Polish dictionary) than any other group or cult.

You know, I wasn’t daunted by this. Immediately, Acts 4 came to mind where the disciples prayed for boldness. I thought of Psalm 2 where we see God’s response to the plans of kings and rulers. I thought to myself that the battle that is raging has just become more visible. I wanted to jump into the conversation and “offer” how they ought to respond and share God’s word regarding this. But you know what? I’m not the leader here, nor is it our purpose to be in front.

We need to be in the back, being that catalyst, and that is a delicate balance between acting and waiting, speaking and biting our tongues. We want more than anything to be used by the Spirit to see new churches full of transformed lives start up. That means staying out of His way and waiting on the Lord. That doesn’t mean doing nothing, but it certainly means doing it His way and not our way, and that’s just not always my first response.

Aren’t you thankful that weak and incapable servants are just perfect for use in His kingdom? And thank goodness that’s not a feeling. 2 Corinthians 12.9-10

Waiting to see what God does next...

PART II -- July 16, 2007:

Misistry in Platyny on shaky ground...

Soooo... Platyny. Things have not improved. Let me try to catch you up. Marcin approached the mayor of Olsztynek, the ruling city over this little village as you move up the pecking order. He was seeking a letter of approval so Jessica and Amber could hold the English meetings for youth. The parents of the youth are still in favor of these meetings. However, the mayor of Olsztynek told Marcin “no” because someone from the village had complained to him about our being there. Now, it has to be brought before the entire gmina (much like a county) for a vote. We have officially been thrown into the cogs of the bureaucratic machine, and our 7 week window is quickly closing.

As always, Marcin needs wisdom and boldness, and especially to be filled with the Spirit, as he leads out on this. Please, remember him. This is new ground for everyone involved.

Also, our person of peace, Jurek, has suffered for helping Marcin and us. Last week, the town administrator got really drunk and either came to Jurek’s house or found he and his wife while out and verbally attacked them. Jurek’s wife was not a supporter like Jurek was of our presence. Since that episode, I don’t know whether Jurek still supports the work there or not. Perhaps now, he has an even stronger voice of opposition from his wife to listen to.

I don’t know how God will use this. My hope is that God will cause them to count this cost as something worth suffering for. God uses many things to shape us and draw us to Him. Please pray for God to use these circumstances to open their eyes up to the truth. Pray for the suffering and derision they have experienced and might suffer still from others now that the door has been opened. Pray for them to have the strength to endure, not necessarily for it to be removed.

God never wastes anything. Ever. May He show His wisdom through all of this. Lots of times, it grows really dark before we see the light of His wisdom and power.

PART III -- July 16, 2007:

We just got word from Marcin that the mayor of Olsztynek has given his approval and told Marcin to go ahead with the plans for English club. We don’t have any other information because Marcin left a message on Sean’s skype account but we hope to get the full story tomorrow. I wanted to get the word out though.

So, it’s back to Platyny this Wednesday!

PART IV -- July 18, 2007

It would seem that the battle isn’t over...

We went to Platyny, letter with the mayor’s signature in hand, ready to get things started. We arrived to a hum-drum welcome from the kids and youth standing around doing much of nothing. Normally, we get smiles and waves. This time only stares. Hmmm...

Marcin left us in the van to get the keys from Asia (Ah-shah) who runs the youth house and was gone for some time. He returned empty-handed and puzzled. She was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, we had exited the van and began loitering in front of the youth house ourselves. The atmosphere was strange. Jessica and Amber began playing with a couple of the kids, Justyna in particular because she is just starved for love and proper attention. The kids began picking on Jessica and Amber, and never stopped picking on one another.

I watched for a while trying to decipher who had alliances, who stood up for whom. A cool kid group and uncool kid group only sort of appeared, and then quickly dissipated within seconds; one kid would begin wailing on another because he grabbed the soccer ball. Justyna was shoved to the ground and literally choked by Biały (another kid) because she came over and sat on another kid (seemingly in fun) whom Biały doesn’t even like! All of our words against such behavior fell on deaf ears and stone-cold hearts today.

I began playing soccer with them in an attempt to give them something constructive to do. That lasted a while, and then I interceded for Justyna telling Biały to leave her alone--he was hitting her. This earned me ridicule from him and her. Wow, it was great to be back! Having to swallow my pride and ignore the jibes and laughs of children who need a good whooping and a hug was tough.

It was the absolute worst I have ever seen them behave toward one another and especially us.

Eventually, the town administrator showed up and Marcin asked about Asia. He said he would help locate her and the keys. He immediately went next door, sat on the porch in plain sight and didn’t move a muscle for the next hour. Message received.

We adjourned to a believer’s apartment to discuss the complete blockade we just experienced. Marcin left to speak with Jurek (our person of peace) and found only his wife, who is actually more positive toward us than I realized. He also spoke with the town admin guy who basically said he didn’t care what paperwork Marcin had. Then, he told Marcin, “If you don’t leave from here, I’ll find someone to take care of you.” This may have been the same threat leveled at Jurek and his wife the week before.

Marcin looked defeated when we returned to Olsztynek and dropped him off. We told him that we would pray. We encouraged him. Probably we overwhelmed a guy who already felt overwhelmed. He hurts in his heart for Platyny. He now has to decide how to handle a totally new development in a situation he has never experienced. He must balance a delicate relationship between the city government who went the extra mile for him (to no avail) and his church that is within that city; to “shake the dust from our feet” and leave the village is very un-Polish and won’t be understood by the mayor or the gmina council. They may be offended by such an action. He has Scripture on the one hand and the difficult, visible reality staring him in the face on the other.

Please lift Marcin up. He needs the wisdom God promises. Let us carry him before God like the persistent widow. As always, thank you for walking with us through this!

Frombork

This is a castle in the cute little town of Frombork. Nicholas Copernicus lived and worked here. We toured the castle and the cute little town .

Not quite Disney world

We stopped at a carnival on the way home from the sea. We checked all the rides for safety as they were in pretty poor conditions for even American carnival standards. This bouncy slide was a lot of fun and passed Sean's safety test.The bungy trampoline ride did not pass and so we passed it up. Rebeccas favorite thing was playing the games to try to win prizes( she is Papaws girl for sure). The ladies at the booth saw her cute smile , took mercy and she ended up with a pinwheel and a small stuffed animal. Disneyworld it was not but the girls did not sem to mind . You can tell from their smiles that it was a blast!!!

Baltic Sea

This is a picture of the girls at the Baltic Sea. I know it does not look like it but the water was soooooo cold. Notice I( Lydia) am not in the picture. I sat on the nice warm sand the whole time. The cold water did not keep the girls from having a blast!!!

Ferry Boat on the Wisla

We took a weekend trip to the Baltic Sea and we got to ride on this ferry! It was short, but lots of fun. When we started to take the picture, a deck hand came up and handed us a life ring and said it would make the picture more appealing! We had a blast and a nice rest.

stork village

We went to a village where there are more storks than people. From where we were standing we could see over twenty storks!!! The storks will be here in Poland a few more weeks before they make their thousands of mile trip to Africa for the winter. The little ones need to quickly so they are ready for the long trip!!! We are always a bit sad to see them go because it means winter is on the way. In the spring we look for the first stork in our area.