Poland: Reflection

This entire mission trip was covered in abundance of prayer, for which I'm very grateful. I sit here at home after a somewhat chaotic trip, and I'm just blown away by the way God has worked in our time in Poland. 

There were many refugees that were already believers, yet there were also many that have not yet received the Messiah as their personal Lord and Savior. The last three days were packed with camp activities and we had many opportunities to talk to the refugees and meet them where they are.

For me, personally, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to allow God to work and to trust Him for the words to say. Because many were open to conversation and hearing about the Gospel, I was able to jump right into spiritual things with some of them. While it was also important to know where they came from or what they believe, the Lord showed me how I can simply ask someone if they know the Lord or what they think of the Lord. I'm grateful for these two weeks because it has shown me that sharing the Gospel truly is simple.

And, this is something that I can continue to do everywhere I go. 

David, Anita, Lana, and I went to a restaurant one afternoon and engaged in conversation with our waiter. It was interesting because he knew who Yeshua is and what He has done when He was on earth. We asked him what we could pray for and he is desperate for peace. We were able to share that Yeshua is the Prince of Peace (Reference) and his response was interesting: I'm not in the mood to go from head to heart. After that, I realized even more how people are searching and how people are on their own journey to God. However, I have a part as a follower of Yeshua to share His love and hope to those searching. 

Ministry comes in different forms. Simply being there is sometimes ministry. Talking about the hope that I have is ministry. Sharing His love and truth is ministry. Sometimes people weren't ready to hear the Gospel laid out (although we did that anyway), but they saw Yeshua in us, and the Lord uses that too. 

We also had the opportunity to visit a refugee center an hour from Krakow, and the children and adults living there all need His love. We were able to play games with them, sing with them, and share the Gospel with them. We then invited them to a concert by Oasis and many came. We are praying the planted seeds will give forth to fruit to the glory of the Lord. These children range from infancy to teens were so easy to connect with and talk to. They simply needed someone to meet them where they are, and I pray we were able to do so. Playing games with them or simply chatting was how we were able to minister and through all these various activities, they opened up to us. 

So many of the refugees had already moved to Poland since the war broke out and there were some that just made it to Poland. There was one lady who experienced the bombings and catastrophe first hand, and she was telling us how scary it all was. It's different when you hear bad news on the news than when you hear someone sharing their story. This lady was able to come to Poland with her two kids and I was amazed at the faith she had in the Lord. She knows that, yes, bad things have happened, but no one can take away the hope she has in God. 

Another wife left her husband in Ukraine and came to Poland with her kids, and I was able to connect with her and the war also didn't take away her hope in the Lord. However, she did tell me that her kids had some trouble adjusting to life in Poland, because they lost their sporting activities, had to learn Polish, go to a Polish school, and try to make new friends, and for some of these children, that process is difficult. 

After hearing these types of stories, I am so grateful for how God loves and cares for each one of us. We will never be lost when we're held in the grip of His hand. What an amazing God we serve! 

All in all, this was a wonderful trip and I will share about our trip to Auschwitz in another post, soon. Thank you again for all your prayers, they meant more than you know and they were felt. God is working and it is my joy and honor to serve Him however He sends me! Be blessed, dear ones.

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Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying: "Whom should I send, and who will go for Us?" So I said. "Hineni. Send me." —Isaiah 6:8