Step One

In September we'll be attending a language course for foreigners who want to study in Polish at a Polish University. By the end of the 8 month course we should have university level skills in speaking, reading and writing. We'll be attending the Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika (University of Nicolas Copernicus) in Toruń (about a 50 minute drive from our soon-to-be home in Włocławek).

Our applications are in the mail. This is the first step in obtaining our visas, and already we can tell it is going to be a long process:

-application forms
-bank transfer of application fee's to the university's account
-doctor's notes
-our degrees legalized by the Polish Consulate
-a notarized copy of our degrees

Once we are accepted as students, our entrance letters will help us in the visa process.

This process is a tangible marker of the beginnings of our life in Poland.

EMERGE South Bend... An American Whirlwind

I’ve always thought of myself as an independent and self sufficient girl, but over the past two years Matthew and I have grown quite close and spend almost every waking hour of the day together, so my four days away for the South Bend EMERGE conference were going to be a stretch. I was really anticipating attending the South Bend EMERGE conference as I had been asked to lead two workshops and moderate a panel discussion. I was eager to practice my facilitation skills that I’ve acquired over the past two years, but nervous about being without Matthew for those four days.

Matthew and I have definitely learned to function as a team. I understand why God created marriage; Matthew and I truly are better together. It has been so amazing to have a partner and support with me over the past two year and now it’s hard to imagine life any other way.

Across the miles I know that Matthew was thinking of me and praying for me while I was away in South Bend. I had the privilege of leading a workshop on the “Dynamics of Influence” and had the opportunity to interact with interesting women of all ages. I felt like the workshop and panel discussion were stretching for me and yet very successful. I walked away feeling more confident in the skills God has equipped me with and excited to be a part of what God is doing to equip women around the world.

The Bed Count - April

With our change in location out to BC, the numbers this month are up. We spent a lot of time on the road and got our rest on air beds, regular beds, bunk beds and under-sized futons.

February = 6
March = 5
April = 10
Total = 21

Volcanoes are Never Convenient

What Comes After a Tragedy

With a total of 96 dead, Poland's political, military and religious infrastructure has been left with a large gaps. With funerals still pending and bodies still being identified, Polish officials are already working on filling in these leadership voids. Elections are expected to take place in mid-June.

Imagine how different Poland will be as a new batch of leaders take the helm years before they would if the political process would have progressed normally. Poland could be looking very different in the near future.

It is odd for us to feel connected to an event that happened so far away, in a nation we barely know, and yet we do. Watching the news we've seen images of thousands of people lining up to pray and kneel beside the coffins of the president and first lady and our hope is that in the midst of the tragedy and the search for answers, that people discover a very real God.

Tragedy in Poland

Today a plane carrying the Polish President and 80 other prominent government officials crashed in Russia while making their way back to Warsaw to mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre (where thousands of Poles were killed by Soviet forces during WWII). The Polish Prime Minister has declared this the greatest national tragedy since WWII and has established a week of mourning.

For more information you can visit the BBC's report by clicking here.

We do not live in Poland yet, but they are already on our radar, in our thought process and now we keep them in our prayers.

For Mozaika

Mozaika has been trying to purchase a piece of land in a developing part of the city. This would give Mozaika roots within the community and make it clear that they are there to stay. Over the last year Mozaika has been in negotiations with City hall regarding this parcel of land that would put them in the middle of a growing, family oriented area.

We spoke with our friend and church planter, Miro, in Nitra this week. He shared with us that City Hall has denied their request to purchase the land. The Vice Mayor, who we befriended during the I Love my City project, fought for us, but a particular party voted down the application.

Mozaika has changed locations 5 times (often not by choice), has been rejected from numerous rental applications and now this. Nitra consistently roles out the "unwelcome mat". Pray that people would not become discouraged and that God would give Mozaika and it's leadership momentum as they move forward from this.