Lap 1: Camp

The photo above is us and the Americans that came for the week. They were awesome. They shared some powerful dramas, prepared English and drama workshops, brought food for an American Day at camp, and just loved on these kids. It was also a blessing to me to get to spend time with them.

The photo below is my cabin and group that I was a part of for the Alfa discussions. They were each so sweet and a lot of fun. I had a great time with them. Please pray for them, that the Lord would continue to draw each of them closer to Himself.

The photo above is a rainbow that showed up one afternoon during our Alfa group discussions. It was COLD pretty much all week, and it rained for several of the days. Anyhoo...the girl on the left is Agnieszka and she is a new sister in Christ. Next to her is Viola, the leader, and beside her is Karolina and then Magda.

The photo below is of the Polish believers who worked at the camp. They were great and put a LOT of hard work into this week. Please continue to pray for them as they follow up with the new believers and continue to meet with those who are interested in continuing to study the Bible.

So, the first stop on the Tour '07 was a little village called Swietajno where we worked with people from the Polish Baptist church here in Olsztyn at a camp for youth aged 14-18 from three cities in the area. There were about 50 students that came and it was an amazing time. Because it was older students, there were many who spoke English remarkably well, which made our task much easier! We had a team of 7 come from Jonesboro, Arkansas, including 3 youth and 1 college student, which was great. These 4 spent SO much time with the kids, it was awesome to see. They all lived with the students, along with Amber and I. I was in a cabin with 7 other girls who all had either just finished high school or only had a year or two left. They were great and all except for one spoke great English. I got to know two of the girls, Magda and Karolina, really well and am hoping to continue meeting with them. They are what would probably be considered "postmodern" thinkers and are interested in reading and talking about the Bible. Please pray for them, that we'd be able to connect with them (they live in Olsztyn) and that they'd be drawn to read God's Word.


Throughout the week, we met in small groups to discuss different topics in something called Alfa Groups. It was a great way for open conversation and to be able to point these youth to God's Word. At the end of the week, we had 14 new brothers and sisters in Christ and many others who are interested in continuing to talk about these topics. Please pray for the church here, that they'd be intentional and faithful to following up and continuing in discipleship with these students.

And, just for fun, here are a few random hi-lights of the week:
-Amber fell down a few steps as she was sending a text message; she was o.k., so it was permissible to laugh, right?
-I actually saw a couple of horse-drawn wagons in this village...no kidding
-eating lots of delicious home-made Polish soups for lunch each day (carrot, cucumber, chicken noodle...yummmmm)
-America Day including s'mores, Jif peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, eggs, bacon, and pancakes and getting to eat the remaining peanut butter throughout the week
-I also found someone who is very similar to my Grandma Davis: she was the "chief" back in the kitchen for the week and is 80 years old...I walked into the kitchen one morning to find her slathering peanut butter on a piece of pastry and topping it with syrup. She must be on the Grandma Davis/Buddy the Elf diet...the more sugar the better =)
-hearing DiscoPolo for the first time; it's a genre of music that everyone here talks about and usually knows the words to, but won't actually admit to listening to---let me just say that I now understand why
-playing Phase 10 and winning!!!!!!!! woo-
-learning how to yell "look out!!!!!!!!" in Polish because you've just thrown the frisbee and, although your father actually spent time teaching you how to NOT "throw like a girl" you still do! Sorry dad!
-waking up to a rooster crowing; eating lunch to the sound of a rooster crowing; going to bed to the sound of a rooster crowing...I think this guy was a little confused because he kept at it all day long
-getting to see stars as far as your eye can see; we can't do that here in the city and it was something I was really looking forward to out in the country (I definitely miss being able to see them out over the lake)...a lot of the nights were cloudy, but there were a few that were clear (and cold!) and it was wonderful

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