What day is it again? From the voice of Josh Gudahl

            On the first few days of trips of significant distances, I tend to wake up in a state of confusion, having no idea where I am or how I got there for the first twenty seconds of consciousness. Waking up in Chicago this morning was no exception (I think it was this morning…Time is becoming a confusing concept with all the different time zones and naps taken). We woke up promptly at 8:30 a.m., took our showers, ate our breakfast, then we were on our way to the airport by around 11-ish. We boarded our plane on time and began our trip across the pond. Some of us managed to sleep on the eight hour flight, though I was not among those fortunate enough to do so. We made it to Frankfurt, Germany with a few hours to spare before our next flight to Krakow. Our time in Germany consisted of a brief quest for free cups of coffee (which I knew not to drink nine of, having made that mistake last year) followed by a brief nap before it was boarding time. Our last flight from Germany to Poland was short and sweet and we arrived at ten a.m. Poland time.

            We got off the plane and went straight to baggage claim where we soon discovered that our luggage had decided it wasn’t ready to go to Europe. All is well, however, our three day old clothing doesn’t quite smell like roses. We have been told that our luggage will arrive fairly soon at our hotel, so until then we wait patiently. Additionally, the news of our separation from our possessions was softened by the wonderful gift of reunion/introductions, as Domi and Ania were both at the airport to greet us. From Krakow, we had an extra two hour bus ride to Skoczów, which allowed another window of sleep for some. Finally, after a fantastically bumpy ride, we arrived at good ol’ Hotel Karat, and waves of nostalgia immediately washed over me. We moved our stuff into our rooms then walked across the street to the church, where the Polish youth were ready for our second round of greetings.

            Laura Hash, a JosiahVenture missionary sponsored by Timberwood, met us at the door. We ate our first meal in Poland, during which, Laura gave a brief history of JosiahVenture. After the meal, Laura took us around Skoczow to observe the culture of the town. After all was said and done, we sat down around the table to discuss what we had noticed. By this time the entire team was beginning to feel the effects of jet lag, yet we kept pushing on in the hopes of going to bed at a late enough time that would help us adjust to the time zone. We took a short walk up the river, towards the school, introducing us to the walk that we will be taking every day of the trip. We ate dinner when we made it back to the church, and it was at that time that I decided that I should get started on this blog before my eyes refuse to stay open.

            So here I sit in the youth group room, listening to the sound of some of my teammates practicing praise and worship, in a place that I have been yearning to return to for nearly a year. As you can see above, we had a series of turbulent steps that got us to this destination that God has laid before us, and in this moment it is finally setting in that we’ve made it. We have arrived and we are ready. So with that, I leave you to go to bed, as we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, as well as with the request of your prayer. Please pray for energy and a restful nights sleep for all of us, for our luggage to get to us soon, and for our hearts to remain directed at God and his plan that he has for us.