Thursday, August 9, 2012

We're baaaack!

Dear Friends,

The Timberwood Mission Poland team has made it back to Minnesota. Actually, we flew back in Tuesday night, but we've been recuperating and making the transition back to daily life; so this post is a few days delayed.

Our trip was amazing. Wonderful. Miraculous. Powerful. Life-changing. You name it. We were in awe of God's Wonder and the ever-mighty power of prayer. Many who went on this trip had expectations of helping change the lives of a few Polish youth. Little did we realize how much it would also change our own lives.

Thank you, again and again, for your support - whether financial, in prayer, or both. We honestly could not have done this without you. We made awesome connections and hope to stay in touch with many of our new Polish friends to continue encouraging and supporting their new journey in Christ.

If you are physically able, we invite you to attend any one of our three services here at Timberwood on Sunday, August 19th. Our team will share some of our experiences, as well as a special presentation during the second and third service in Room 109.

If you are willing, we'd ask for your continued prayers for the people of Poland; for the youth who have already dedicated their lives to Christ, or for the ones who aren't quite sure but had a glimpse of the "good life" last week at camp. They will be forever in our hearts.

With love and thanks,
The Timberwood Mission Poland Team 2012


Monday, August 6, 2012

Coming Home

It's hard to believe, but this is our last night in Poland. We have spent the day in Krakow debriefing with the Josiah Venture team, then did some souvenir shopping, dinner, and took in the evening lights of the Krakow square. Breathtaking.

That same word also seems to sum up our adventure here in Poland. Over the last two weeks, we have undoubtedly witnessed the Grace, Love and Mighty Power of our Lord. This has been a time of tremendous spiritual growth for so many of us. While this trip may be ending, our journey has just begun.

Thank you, many times over, for your support of our mission work in Poland. We look forward to sharing some of the stories that exemplify the Glory of God working in the lives of our team and the youth of Poland. We have truly been blessed to have been a part of this team; and for that, we are eternally grateful.

All our love,
Abby, Amanda, Angela, Claire, David, Grace, Jenny, Joy, Rick, Ryan, Sarah and Tim

Thursday, August 2, 2012

An emotional day

I started this blog earlier in the day going one particular direction, but after the events of this evening - I knew I had to take a different approach. 

Our day started out much too early, following an exhausting day yesterday. Many of us were short on energy following a train ride, a hike in the mountains, worship time and swimming. We also noticed our campers were also feeling a bit sluggish during English lessons today. But relationships continue to be made daily. Many of our team have had deep conversations with some of the Polish youth regarding their faith and beliefs. This has been exciting to see walls being torn down, brick by brick. 

Praise God for giving us the right words to say in these situations. And thanks be to the translators who have helped break down language barriers. 

We have also witnessed great growth in one another. God has helped some of us come out of our shells to be 'uncomfortable' and to be a vessel for God. It is heartwarming to see the younger male campers look up to the men on our team. Or to see our teens making connections and lasting friendships with other teen girls from Poland. 

Today, students were encouraged to participate in a labyrinth of sorts. They would go, individually, station by station, to examine themselves and their relationship with God. It was heartbreaking to discover some of their stories. Young children coming from broken homes. Young children who are the sole believer in their family. Young children who feel they are not worthy of God's Mercy and Grace. It was our job to convince them that they are indeed worthy and loved more than they could ever imagine. 

We gathered afterward, the Timberwood team and our Polish youth group friends, to debrief. It was an emotional experience, sharing stories and praying together. The Holy Spirit was working through each and every one of us. 

Tomorrow is our last day of English lessons; however, camp runs through Saturday. We ask for your prayers for many on our team who are feeling rundown. We recognize Satan will do everything in his power to keep us from spreading the Word of God. Pray that we stay strong end healthy until the very end. We have done big things and we're not about to stop now. 

We also pray for every single child, regardless of nationality, that they will come to know the love and compassion of their Savior and that they are more than worthy. 

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

More from Day Four

Today marked Day Four of English Camp. Time sure flies! 

We have forged some wonderful relationships during our time here, and we truly believe we Americans have learned just as much, if not more, than our Polish students. 

During team volleyball yesterday, one of the more shy and reserved girls struck up a conversation with Jenny Holmes. The girl told Jenny how tired she was feeling. When asked why, the girl replied that she had stayed up late writing an article for her village's newspaper on attending English Camp. It was a remarkable connection when Jenny replied that she also writes for her own local newspaper and other publications; and that she, too, had been asked to write a story about her experiences in Poland. 

If you ever doubt that God is working in and through us, doubt no more. He continues to help us overcome language barriers and make personal connections with these teens that will impact them (and us) for years to come. 

We ask for your continued prayers for the right things to say when we feel frustrated or at a loss for words. For health and for adequate rest at night after long and tiring days at camp. For the courage to share our own personal testimony to the youth who question Jesus Christ and the 'good life' only He can provide. 

Tomorrow is Field Trip Day. We plan to travel to a nearby ski hill to do some hiking, ride an Alpine slide, have a picnic, and continue to foster these new and precious relationships.

Thank you for your continued prayers, love and support. Our hosts continue to be ever so gracious. Today at breakfast, we were served hot dogs. It made us all smile as we see them making a wonderful attempt of trying to make us feel at home. 

Do widzenia. 

Chaos

Our lives have been a mix of chaos and order all mixed into one. Organized chaos, if you will. Our days have been full as well as our stomachs! They have been taking great care of us.  We are on day 4 of camp and going strong!!! Relationships with the poles have been growing closer daily. Tomorrow is our field trip day and we will spend the day hiking in the mountains and then eating dinner around a bonfire where we will do our evening teaching and discussion groups. Our desire for the day is to really dig deep in the relationships we have built this far before we share the gospel and have a prayer labyrinth on Thursday night. Please be in prayer for both wednesday and Thursday! For wisdom and guidance in conversation. To know when to push and when to step back.

This morning we talked as a team about really letting God examine our hearts for what he wants to be doing in our lives. We spend so much time putting out energy and being focused on how God wants to work through us that we don't always stop to ask Him how he wants to work IN us. Pray that God will be revealing that to each of us in the next few days.


We love and miss you at home but fully realize that God has so much more for us here!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

It's another beautiful day in Skoczow, Poland. We attended a church service this morning and were recognized by the Polish people. It was amazing how we speak in different languages and often have a hard time communicating with one another, but we all share a love for Christ that speaks across all language barriers. They sang many of the same songs we sing at Timberwood and it was absolutely beautiful to hear them sing in Polish. I would just stop, close my eyes and take it all in. There was wonder all around us. God was certainly present and working in our hearts. Yesterday was the first day of English Camp. While it was a somewhat atypical day as campers registered, tested their English speaking abilities and got to know us a little bit better through icebreakers and games; we met and learned the names of many of the 40-plus Polish campers. We quickly learned while they may be a reserved and humble people, they certainly have a competitive nature. We broke into teams for the week and found the Poles love to go head to head against each other, especially when game points are involved.  Today we will meet in the afternoon for lunch, English lessons, worship time and testimonies. Please pray for Amanda and David Quisberg as they will share the Word of God with campers tonight and tomorrow. We also ask you to pray for Estera, one of the Polish youth group leaders who's father is terminal with a brain tumor and only has been given a couple weeks left to live. Despite the dire situation, Estera has chosen to attend camp and help lead youth to Christ. It's been very warm here and we've discovered that air conditioning and ice cubes are very, very rare in Poland. Our hosts have been incredibly gracious in searching the entire city for ice cubes to indulge the Americans.  We miss our friends and family at home and have been praying every morning and evening for you. Our team continues to grow closer and closer, bonding as not only friends but also family. Praise God for our safety, health and the ability to speak God's Word to complete strangers, who are quickly becoming friends. Blessings to all of you from Poland!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Cocoa Puffs and Hot Chocolate   God does work in even the small things and has a sense of humor in doing so! He has been making us smile all along the way…   At this point we are all settled into our new home for the next 9 days and are very thankful for it! It’s nice to be able to unpack a bit and to be able to have a place to call our own if even for a short while. We are staying in the upstairs of a house that we believe has usually been rent out by the room. A hostel of sorts but much nicer than the hostels I have been in. We have 6 bedrooms and a bathroom with 2 showers. We tried to have low expectations coming into our housing and our expectations were blown away!   We’re coming into camp (starting tomorrow) with high expectations of what God will do. And we’re praying that God will blow those expectations out of the water. Our theme for the week is “Greater Than”. That there is something out there so much greater than what we can ask for or imagine. There is something greater than what our world tells us. And we believe that God is going to prove to be greater than we even realize or hope for.  We ask that you would join us in that prayer!   Yesterday morning we spent our time at the death camps; Auschwitz and Birkenau. This was a very different experience for each of us and we ended up having a good conversation last night about why we go to the camp and how it may have been influential in shaping some of the students we will come into contact with at camp’s view of God.  A sobering time to say the least.   Domi, our polish leader/counterpart, invited us over to her home once we got to Skoczow yesterday afternoon and we enjoyed an evening at her home with a backyard BBQ. She has been nothing but gracious to us since we arrived.   Today, our morning was spent putting some last minute details for camp together. We have free time for the rest of the day to work on our English lesson plans, rest and explore the town. We are now spending our time eating Lody (ice cream) and hanging out in the town square before dinner! Thanks for your prayers! Our thoughts and prayers are with you all as well!   Prayers:   - Get much rest tonight! - For our first day of camp tomorrow! That students would come, and be receptive. - Team dynamics (We’ve been having a great time so far) - That we would keep our eyes fixed on HIM.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

It's Wednesday - our first full day in Poland. And it has been another wonderful day of making new friends, strengthening bonds with current friends, and praising God for bringing us all together here in Krakow. After a good night's sleep, we woke up ready for a new day. Following breakfast (a European continental breakfast, mind you), we joined the other two teams here (one from Colorado and one from Canada) and spent time training for our respective camp experiences. One of our exercises was to go out to the streets in teams of three and ask Poles for their views on religion in Poland. The answers were intriguing, to say the least. We ended the day with a team dinner, some free time in Krakow, then a training wrap up, simulating an evening at camp with worship, readings and games. Tomorrow, we will depart at 9 am for the death camps. Afterward, we will head to our new "home" in Skoczow. Once again, thank you for your prayers and thoughts. We have much ahead of us, but Exodus 4:12 illustrates it best: "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." Dear Lord - be with us in the next two weeks and, like Moses, give us the words to share with the Polish youth. Use us as your instruments and work through us in giving glory to Your Kingdom. In His Name, The Timberwood Team

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Greetings from Krakow, Poland! We have made it safe and sound. After a few proverbial bumps in the road, we landed in Krakow at 2 pm Tuesday (or 7 am Minnesota time). While we've been a bit tired, we have been rejuvenated by the amazing sights of Poland. What a beautiful country! We were greeted at the airport by staff of Josiah Venture and led to our hotel. We've had some time to take in some of the sights, and later met with other US and Canadian teams who will be teaching at English camps throughout Poland over the coming weeks. This evening, we were treated to a delicious meal, which included potato pancakes and perogies. Yum! Laura Hash has been a wonderful host and has done her best to keep the Minnesota team awake until at least 9 pm Poland time (or 2 pm at home). We are a sleepy bunch thanks to the time change and looking forward to a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we will meet for breakfast and begin training with Josiah Venture here at our hotel. Thank you to everyone for their prayers that have guided us safely here. We are all so grateful and blessed; and we look forward to what a new day brings. Everyone from the Timberwood team sends their love. We certainly will have lots of stories and photos to share upon our return. God bless!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Timberwood Mission Poland 2012

Welcome to the first, of many, blogs from the Timberwood Mission Poland 2012 Team!

God has certainly been working wonders in bringing together this year's team. We have a couple returning team members from last year*, but also many new faces who bring a variety of gifts to the mission. This year's team includes: Abby Ahlberg*, Ryan Bell, Claire Erholtz*, Jenny and Tim Holmes, Angela Kleinschmidt, Rick Krantz*, Amanda and David Quisberg, Sarah Robertson, and Joy Walter.

Our fundraising efforts have been greatly successful thanks to so many loving and faithful supporters, both financially and through prayer. Thank you to everyone who has pledged their support to this point.

Our team continues to meet regularly, preparing lesson plans and also getting to know one another better before we launch on this life-changing adventure together. We are excited to see what God has in store for each of us!

Our team will be officially "introduced" for the first time at all three worship services on Sunday, June 17th. We'd love to see you there if you can make it!

As our trip gets closer, we ask that you continue to keep the Timberwood team in your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for team unity, health, safety, and that our hearts be open to God's pleasing and perfect will.

Stay tuned for updates as July 23rd approaches and we embark on this marvelous journey to Poland.