Warsaw, Odds & Ends

It has been a busy month. Phyllis, my mother-in-law, came for a visit. She was here for two weeks. The first week we did some things around Dresden and some sightseeing. The second week I had a team from Virginia in Warsaw. Nathan was out of school and this was going to be one of the few chances for our family to travel together, so the big question was whether to load up everybody and go or just go by myself again. We decided that we should take advantage of the situation and all go together. It would probably be Lenee's only chance to go to Warsaw while we are here. So, we loaded up for the approximately 9 hour drive from Dresden to Warsaw. We have some missionary friends in Wroclaw, Poland- David and Michelle Lewandowski- that let us stay with them on the way there and again on the way back. They have two boys around our kids age and they all like to play together, so it was nice to be able to break up the trip. Also, one of their children, David Jr., had a birthday and so they had a nice birthday party while we were there. It was a great time of fellowship with some good friends who are doing a great work in Poland. Anyway, while in Warsaw the plan was for Lenee', Phyllis, and the kids to look around, shop or whatever while I worked with the team. What we didn't know was that it was going to snow for three days while we were there. But that didn't slow them down too much. They still were able to have a good time. The team was actually from three different churches. The majority of the team was from Springfield, Va, but there were also people from Virginia Beach and West Virginia. We were working on the second floor of the seminary, an area that is going to be basically a dormitory for students. There was a lot of work to be done. A lot of insulation was put in, metal studs and ceiling joists were put up, electrical wiring was put in, and sheetrock hung. They were a great group to work with and they were a blessing to my family. They were so nice to our kids. It really was a pleasure to get to know them and work with them. One major factor in our decision to take the whole family was how much it would cost. Since all of us did not have to go, it was going to be an extra personal expense. We had to weigh out what it would cost against how important it was for us all to go together. We thought it was important enough to do it. As it turned out, we were tremendously blessed. Because of some very generous people, it basically didn't cost us anything. As a matter of fact, God blessed us even beyond what it would have cost us. God is so awesome and faithful. And He truly is our provision. I passed my driver's license test the other night and now have my German driver's license. Praise the Lord for that! This past Sunday afternoon I was going to a Dresden soccer match with some German guys from our church. It was a big match between Dynamo Dresden (our pro team) and FC Koln (the #1 team in our league). However, the match was cancelled because there was too much snow on the field here for them to play! Oh well, I guess we'll go whenever it is rescheduled. We have lost a couple teams for this spring. It's not too bad I guess, I'll have more time to finish up some classes and work on my German. Plus, we have started to pick up some teams for the fall. That's great. We still need a few more. Nathan is doing well in school. He is learning more German than he tells us. Every once in a while he will throw out something in German and Lenee' and I will just look at each other. He is getting ready to start an after school program this week. Right now he gets out of school at 11:10. With this program he will be there until around 3:00. This will give him more contact with the German kids and hopefully accelerate his language learning that much more. He really likes school. He was a little sick this past weekend and he was upset because he thought he might have to miss school! Imagine that. I mean this is German public school, nothing in English. It is really incredible. I give God all the glory for it. Thank you all for your prayers. They really are making a difference. We have had favor with people everywhere. You know that song "God will make a way", well, starting about two or two and a half years ago, God has made a way for us where there seemed to be no way. Just the fact that we are here is a miracle. It just proves once again that God is our all in all. He is everything we need. I want to encourage everyone to believe that whatever God puts in your heart to do, no matter how impossible it seems, to just step out, focus on God, quit trying to make it happen yourself, and watch God do something amazing where He only can receive the glory. The scripture says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added unto you." It really is true. We often spend a lot of time on the peripheral stuff, thinking and working so hard to get the "other things". If we would just focus on God, He would take care of those "other things" for us! And He would receive the glory because we didn't do it! Okay, enough sermon for today, but that is one of the things that God has been teaching me the last couple of years. Life would be a lot easier and God would receive a lot more glory if we could get this principle etched into our minds. I know I switch topics a lot, but I just write what comes to mind and see where it goes. This is not really planned out. Sometimes I am surprised myself to see where it ends up. Thanks for all your prayers and financial support. You are a part of everything that is done here. You are here with us in every church, bible school, and Teen Challenge center, with every team, helping to make a difference for the kingdom in the six countries of Central Europe. Thank you so much. We love you all.