Some Random Pictures (and how many times have I used "random" in a title on here!)

As usual, it's been a while since my last post. It seems like things here are just the same old, same old, so I have a hard time thinking of anything interesting to post about. Well, for the record, I still haven't found anything too interesting to post about, but here I go anyways! These are just some random things pictures of some of the things that have been going on the past couple of weeks.

This past Monday was absolutely gorgeous. It was one of the few days lately that have inspired the hope that, yes, spring really may show up here! In honor of the beautiful day, Amber and I went into Old Town to a coffee shop to get a cup of coffee and sit outside and work on planning english lessons for the week. Mondays are our "get organized" day. We use that day to go to the grocery store, bank, post office, and things like that, as well as plan our lessons for the week. We also meet with Ala and Nina that night, so it often turns out to be quite a busy day. But, it was so refreshing to be able to enjoy some fresh air while we worked on plans.
Last week, there was a team of seven Americans from Arkansas who came to prayer walk for the week. They were great people and it was a huge blessing to get to spend some time with them. Amber and I didn't get to actually go out with them as they prayer walked, as we were busy teaching classes! But, we did get to spend some time with them in the evenings for meals. On Thursday, they came to Nowe Kawkowo and Szalstry and prayed for the people while we taught classes. After our class in Szalstry, one of the men there had prepared cucumber soup and served it to all of us! It was DELICIOUS. And this Thursday, he had prepared a traditional Polish dish called Bigos, along with some really good cake. Amber, Bryan, and I were treated to two helpings of Bigos. It was delicious and we didn't have to cook dinner when we got back! This town is like a breath of fresh air. It's beautiful. There is a small lake, it's right near the forest, the people are so friendly, and it's totally quiet. We were there one day a few weeks ago and, as we stood still, the only sound we could hear was the sound of the wind in the trees. It was wonderful.
This is a sign inside the swietlica (like a community center where they hold an after-school program) in Szalstry. Do you know what these letters are? These are all of the vowels used in the Polish language. Looks pretty fun, huh? I will say this though: the letters don't have different sounds for certain words, as ours do in English. It's pretty hard to explain why 'a' sounds so different in the words "bat" and "car", you know?! It really doesn't make sense, and I have a whole new compassion for people who are learning english!
And, last but certainly not least, Nina, Ala, and introducing Stefan Tweety. I answered the door Monday night to welcome Nina and Ala for our meeting and, lo and behold, there was Ala holding a giant inflatable Tweety, almost as big as she is! Nina had brought Tweety back from Warsaw as a gift for Ala and Ala wanted him to meet her American friends. So, he sat in on our conversation. And, yes, she gave him a name. She said there were too many Tweetys in the world, and he might get confused with the others, so she named him Stefan Tweety! How fun is that?!? I seriously love hanging out with these girls. They are so fun and it's great to have some friends just to be goofy with.