Well, things really get cranked up here in the next month. I think in the month of March I am home for a total of 6 days. The schedule is very busy with lots of traveling. Please pray for Lenee' and the kids as I will be spending a lot of time away from home. Please pray for me for safety as I travel. Also, please pray that things will go well and smoothly with the teams and that God will use us all to be a blessing to the people of Central Europe.

We just returned from a weekend in Wisla Czarne, Poland. I was there with a team in September 2004. This is the first chance I have had to get back. I was anxious to see what had been done to the building in the last year and a half. Wisla is in the mountains in southern Poland, not too far from Krakow and close to the Czech border. It was nice because Nathan was still on his school break and we were all able to go. When we arrived I couldn't believe it, there was so much snow. It was really beautiful. We stayed in a guesthouse owned by a Christian couple. It was almost a kilometer up a steep snow and ice covered mountain road. Good thing there were chains in the van. I had never used chains before in my life. The guesthouse was at the very end of the road. It was very quiet and beautiful. And we were the only ones there. It was nice not to have to worry so much about the kids making too much noise. On Saturday we checked out the church. They have really done a great job. The downstairs is basically finished and they are having services there now! It was really nice. The second floor still needs work. This is where the sanctuary will be when everything is done. The pastor estimates they need approximately $10,000-$12,000 to finish the second floor. But, it is nice that they are able to meet downstairs until the Lord provides for the completion of the second floor. After looking at the building and visiting with some old friends. Pastor Wladek and our translator (and friend) Ruta then took us up to a small ski slope where the kids could do a little sledding. Later that evening I had the opportunity to talk with Pastor Wladek about some of the church's history. It was great to hear his stories of God's provision during the building process. On Sunday morning I spoke a message about being Jesus' disciples and the power of the Holy Spirit. After church, we had lunch and a few hours of fellowship with Pastor Wladek and his wife, Ruta, Wladislaw (my other translator), and the owners of the guesthouse. Then we had a long 7 hour drive back to Dresden so Nathan could be at school Monday morning. It was a great trip. I just wish we were able to stay another day or two. It is so wonderful to spend time with the Pastors and people of the church. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to get to know so many wonderful people. We really enjoy our trips to Poland. We have many friends in Poland and it is great to continue to make new ones. We have several Polish churches on our project list that have had little or no help so far and we are really trying to focus on them in the next year. Please pray that God will provide teams and funds to help these Polish churches. Pray for this church in Wisla Czarne, that God will provide a team and/or the necessary funds to finish the second floor.

Before our trip to Wisla Czarne, we spent almost a week in Wolczyn, Poland. It was great to see my good friend Pastor Andrzej Urgacz again. The whole family was able to make the trip as well. Actually, we had a few extra people. Paul, Jennifer, and Pat were visiting us from Sonora, CA. They had been traveling in Europe for several weeks on a vacation/mission trip. While in Wolczyn, we were able to do a little work. Paul and Pat tiled a bathroom and I did a few miscellaneous things. But, the best part was being able to speak two times, once during the Sunday morning service and once on Wednesday night. I was able to share about missions/evangelism for about 20 minutes during the service on Sunday. Then Wednesday night Pastor Andrzej wanted to invite some teenagers from the neighborhood to a men's cell group meeting at the church. Pastor Andrzej wanted Pat to talk about his very interesting occupation, fighting forest fires. He then wanted me to finish up the meeting talking about courage and relating it to a relationship with God. The meeting went very well. Pastor Andrzej said they had done this type of meeting a few times, but this was the first time that the teenagers had stayed all the way to the end. They usually left somewhere in the middle of the program! So, I pray that the seeds that were planted in their hearts will be watered and will grow.
The week before we went to Poland, Paul, Pat, and I went over to Grimma (Germany) and spent a few days working there. It was good seeing some other friends, Pastor Rainer Pauliks and his wife Janita. They continue to work on their building. There are two teams scheduled for Grimma this year, so hopefully we will see major progress by the end of the year.
Things have been going well in Dresden. The kids are all doing very well. Nathan got a very good report from school and Aaron is enjoying his kindergarten. I am amazed at Nathan's German, it is really good. He has learned so fast. Aaron is also picking up words very quickly. I think we will start Matthew in kindergarten in March for two days per week. He wants to go, and we figure it will be easier for him if he starts while Aaron is still there. So, they will all be learning German. Lenee' and I have found a part-time tutor to help us as well. But, I am sure we will continue to use Nathan as our translator for quite a while.
Thanks for your faithful prayers and financial support. We appreciate you all so much. We pray God will bless you for your commitment to reaching the people of Central Europe. Until next time...