Four Very Busy Weeks

The last month has been very busy. I have driven approximately 4200 km in the last three weeks alone. First, I spent the better part of a week in Weisswasser with Pastor Cary Higgins from Nebraska. We had to put up wood strips on a concrete ceiling and then hang sheetrock. It was a tough job, but Pastor Cary was a lot of fun to work with. A special thanks to him for coming to Dresden to help with a tent crusade and helping in Weisswasser. Three days later I left for Poland for three weeks.
The first two weeks was spent in Wolczyn, Poland, with a team from Christian Heights Church in Sonora, California. This team had a huge task in front of them. They came with the intention of converting a very old building, last used as an automotive garage, into a usable church facility in two weeks- nine working days! The first time we saw the building I think we were all shocked. It was filthy and looked like a disaster. Could this really be done? Well, we jumped right in and started working. After nine days of cleaning, refurbishing windows, putting up walls, hanging and finishing sheetrock, electrical, block laying, carpentry, laying tile, and installing new windows- it was done. We had the first service in the church's new building the last Sunday of the trip. Incredible! What a transformation! The church in Wolczyn had lost the building they were renting and was using a small room that the Lutheran church had loaned them. So, what a tremendous blessing for them to have their own building in which to meet. Poland is a very strong Catholic country. And in many places the Pentecostal church is viewed as a cult. During the two weeks we were there the Catholic church had some type of youth rally/meeting in Wolczyn. One of the speakers actually told the young people to stay away from the pentecostals because "they are a cult". This is the type of thing that makes it tough to evangelize in Poland. When people get saved they often become like an outcast. Sometimes young people are beaten or treated very harshly by their "Catholic" parents. Even though most of the Polish probably are not very devout Catholics or even have the same beliefs as the Catholic church, being Catholic is almost equated with being Polish. It is deeply woven into their culture. So, it makes it very difficult for people to make a decision for Christ. But it's happening, and we ask that you pray for revival in Poland and for the church in Wolczyn (pronounced Volchen). Wolczyn has a wonderful young pastor named Andrzej Urgacz. Andrzej and his wife Kasa have three boys (imagine that). Pastor Andrzej is a wonderful guy with a great heart and vision for his community. It is such a blessing to be a part of what the Lord is doing in Wolczyn, Poland. It is such a privilege to be able to get to know and partner with people like Andrzej and Kasa, as well as the people from Sonora. The team worked very hard, had fun, and even did some puppet and balloon ministry in the community in the evenings. We even played a few games of basketball in the local park. We wanted to be visible in the community. We wanted to make an impact beyond the building. We wanted to create a stir in this small town so everyone would know about the church and what was happening there. We were visited by the superintendent of the southwest region of the Polish pentecostal church, and by the mayor of the town. They both thanked us for coming and were amazed at the transformation of the building. They could not believe it was the same place. So, thanks to Pastor Craig Andrus and the team from Christian Heights Church in Sonora, California for a wonderful two weeks of work, ministry, and fun.
Nathan finally got out of school on July 15. I made a quick trip back to Dresden, picked up my family, and returned to Wolczyn. It was great for Lenee' and the kids to get to be with me and the team for a few days. The whole group- the team, missionaries, and the Wolczyn church- had a cookout on Sunday after church. They also had a birthday party for Nathan, Peter Lewandowski (MK), and Emily form Sonora. It was a lot of fun. Then David Lewandowski and I took our families back to their house in Wroclaw for a couple days while we finished working with the team.
After the team left we stayed one night in Wroclaw with the Lewandowski's and went to the Wroclaw zoo. Then we drove up six hours to Sczcecin to visit another missionary couple, Dennis and Diane Holcomb. We stayed in Sczcecin for about 4 days and had a great time. We went to the beach one day. Now we can say we have been in the Baltic Sea. We had a great time of fellowship with the Holcomb's and were very happy to have a break for a few days.
Wow, what a busy month. But what a great month! Now, there is a short break from teams until the first of September, when it gets very busy again. Until then, while Nathan is out of school, we will cram in a vacation, visits from my mom and Lenee's mom, and maybe a short work trip back to Wolczyn. Of course, there is also much work to be done with the website, newsletters, record keeping and other office work, as well as trying to learn some German. Nathan goes back to school August 29. They have short summer breaks here in Germany.
Thanks again for your financial support and prayers. We couldn't be here without you. Thanks for partnering with us to give Pastor Andrzej and his congregation a building for evangelism, discipleship, and training. We are excited to see what God is going to do in Wolczyn. Thanks again. Until next time.