Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Gifts and Blessings

I don’t want to say the winter has been hard, but . . . well, it’s been hard.  Especially being a Texas girl, I wasn’t really prepared for how cold and dreary it was going to get.  But I’ve learned to persevere.  If you have to go the store or the post office, no matter what the weather is outside, you just go.  And you come prepared teach class even if only one student shows up to learn.  I’m happy God has taught me some things, but I’ll still be happy to see spring!

My birthday was early in February and my home group surprised me with a party.  And I mean surprised me.  I couldn’t have been more shocked.  They’re really lucky I wore make up, because I had no clue I was coming to a party.  It was a great time with delicious food and card games.

Despite the dreary weather and never-ending snow, I’m still enjoying my classes and private students.  It’s hard to believe I’ve been here 9 months and that I’ll be coming home in 3.


“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.”  Luke 6:37

I rarely talk about money in this blog, but when I do, I’m happy that I can back up my requests with this promise.  Contributing to God’s ministries in this world is a lot different than spending money on anything else.  Not only are you making an eternal investment, but God promises to pay you back more than you invested!

I’m facing the last 3 months of my time here and Poland and looking forward to coming home.  I knew I’d love it here, but I didn’t know how much.  I never knew how much God would teach me and stretch me.  There’s a part of me that is forever Polish now!

Giving has definitely slowed down, so I’m in need of funds to finish up my time here and buy a plane ticket home.  Please pray about whether God would have you take part in the end of my journey.  The easiest way to give is to follow this link:

 

I know there is nothing in the space above.  I've been trying since last night, and I can't get it to show up.  But if you hover your mouse over the space, you can click and it will go to the link.  It’s for Fellowship of the Parks Online Giving. Choose “I don’t have an account”.  Then, in the drop down menu, choose “Poland Mission Trip” and fill in the amount.

If you want to mail a check, send it to:

Fellowship of the Parks
9900 North Beach
Keller, Tx  76244
Attn. Melanie Cervantes

Be sure to mark the check for Poland Mission Trip or put my name one it.  It also really helps me if you let me know that you have sent a gift.

I also want to make a request on behalf of the Zaleze Youth.  This is the group I work with on Tuesday afternoons.  Here are some of the kids in the group:
 
 
This is a very unique group to work with.  They require a lot of patience, but they’ve captured my heart.  I love them so much!  Gosia, the youth leader, and her assistants; Piotr, Pawel, Maria, and Michal are firm, but have endless patience with these kids.  Most of all, the kids know that they will be loved here.

Just to give you some idea of what these young people deal with:  Most live with only 1 parent.  While that may sound normal to us, it isn’t in Poland.  The divorce rate here is 17% (in the US it’s 46%).  Several live with alcoholic parents and have watched them literally drink themselves to death.  One of the girls has 2 sisters.  All three of them have different fathers, and all 3 fathers are in prison.  One of the boys has a mom who works in a bar.  When he comes home from school, he sees her for a short time, then she goes to work all night.  She comes home very early while he’s asleep.  He gets himself up and goes to school and doesn’t see her until that afternoon.

This summer, they have an opportunity to go to a Christian camp, but of course, none of their families have any money to send them.  Here's a link if you'd like to see the camp.  It's in Polish, but if you choose 'Galeria' on the menu, you can see pictures of the camp, and under 'Start Zlot', there's a cool video.
 
If anyone would like to donate any money toward sending them to camp, please email me (niski@aol.com)

I know this blog sounds dreary!  But there are definite needs right now, and the journey here isn’t always easy and pleasant.  Sometimes it’s difficult and heartbreaking.  Oh, but it’s so worth it!

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