Gifts that warm the heart

Now that summer is over and people are back from holiday I’ve been able to meet with people that I haven’t been able to see in a while, one of those being my language teacher and her family. Her family was one of the first I connected with when I arrived in Poland 3 years ago. Not only has Monika been my language teacher but she has become a good friend and I know I can go to her if I every need anything. Her family is a true testimony to the generosity of the Polish people. Well, last week we meet for tea and to talk about our summer holiday. I shared with her all the Lord has been doing and how at our family camp we had many new salvations. She shared about their family time spent at the beach. As they were leaving my apartment their oldest daughter gave me a gift. It was a little tin full of sand and shells that she had collected from the beach. Monika said that her daughter thought of this gift all by herself and wanted to give me something from their travels. I was so touched that a little 5 year old and her family would remember me and think to get me a gift. This little but kind act warmed my heart and showed me once again that the Lord always puts special people in our path.

Sunday Tradition

It won’t take too long living in Poland to realize that Sunday church is an all afternoon event. After the morning worship service and prayer time you a quickly whisked to the “fellowship hall” where tea, coffee and wonderful little cake

s and cookies are awaiting you. I’ve been known to bring a cake once or twice myself but usually its just a boxed cake mix from the States.

Well I decided to step it up this week and make a 100% homemade from scratch cake to share. Below are the recipes and pictures of my cooking endeavor. Just call me little Susie homemaker:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fresh Strawberry Upside down cake

Step one: making a yellow cake mix from scratch...

Easy Yellow Cake

2 eggs beaten1/8 tsp salt1 cup sugar1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup hot water
1 Tblsp butter

Beat eggs 5 minutes, adding salt, beat in sugar and vanilla, Sift flour and baking powder together, and add. Melt butter in hot water and add. Use an angel food cake tin. Bake at 350 till done.

Recipe from a 1953 cookbook

Step two: ma

king a Fresh Strawberry Upside down cake

Ingredients

1. 2 cups crushed fresh strawberries
2. 1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
3. 3 cups miniature marshmallows
4. 1 (18 ounce) package yellow cake mix, batter prepared as directed on package (or homemade cake)

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Spread crushed strawberries on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Evenly sprinkle strawberries with the dry gelatin powder, and top with mini marshmallows.
3. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the package, and pour on top of the marshmallows. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the sides, and turn the cake out onto a serving tray. Storecake in the refrigerator.

Language Victory

It seems in Poland no matter what you do.. whether its finish high school or counting to ten you’re given a certificate.

Well yesterday in the mail I got a certificate but this ones a little more important than most. It was my European Consortium For The Certificate Of Attainment In Modern Languages (ECL) Polish A2. What that means is this...

Back in April I took a trip to Warsaw for the European (Polish) language test. The test took about 4 hours and was made up of four parts [reading, writing, listening and oral]. I personally took the A2 level test. There are four levels of tests you can take. A2 being the first level that you must complete and C1 level being the final level which basically means you’re fluent.

Now that I’ve passed the A2 portion I can continue to study and try later to take the B1 test. Knowing I can take another test and see if I can improve my language skills is great. However, right now I’m just happy to say i’ve mastered the first level! Taking and passing this test has always been my language goal since coming to Poland. My language teacher and I had been working so hard to get me to this point. Its so great knowing that I’ve completed my goal.

Throughout the last three years of learning Polish I’ve cursed the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) many a times and wished for another day of Pentecost to come (Acts 2):) The lows have been low but the language victories have been so sweet. Through it all I just have to remember why I’m called to Poland and that is to tell the great news of Christ. That is my motivation.

....“We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Acts 2:11

PRAWO JAZDY

So after having an American drivers license for ten years and an International license for three its now time for me to obtain my Polish drivers license. No longer will the simple AAA international drivers license suffice in Poland.

In a way I feel like I’m 16 again. Having to spend time learning all the road signs and rules and being nervous over the thought of taking the test and wondering if I’ll pass it the first time. However, this time there is a different twist that I didn’t have to worry about when getting my American license.....THE TEST IS IN POLISH! Now granted I can bring in my own translator but still its just an added stress to think about.

I’ve been told that this test is made to trick people. There is an answer bank of 500 questions and you are randomly selected 25. Out of those 25 you can miss 2 and still pass the test. I’ve done a lot of things in Poland that I’d never image I’d be doing and this is just another one to add to my list.

*My favorite Polish street sign. Its to show there is a cross-walk ahead, but to me it just looks like "WARNING..watch out for small girls with lollypops"

The faithfulness of God

“What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means!” Romans 3:3-4

This last week we had a team from Arkansas come and help us along with some national believers host a family camp for non believing families. To be honest from the very beginning I had my doubts about the camp. There were struggles getting American families committed to come and help and the Polish families we invited keep dropping out. Until three days before camp we were wondered if we would even have Polish families attending the camp. Finally last Monday two American families and one single along with Team NE Poland, two Polish believing families and four non believing families arrived at camp and the week began.

The camp included games and activities for the whole family as well as craft and games for the children while their parents were in workshops. The people who came from the States taught workshops on debt, love languages, Alcohol, and child rising. The evening were filled with movie nights, ping pong, and other fun events.

I had bathed the week. I assumed we would have a good turn out and that the families would hear the Truth and the need for Christ but I personally limited God. I figured just like so many other times the event would go well but at the end of the week we would have no salvations. I’ve grown to chalk it up to the “hard soil” here in Poland. I fell like many times we are still tilling the ground in hopes that one day a harvest would actually spring forth.

Well, Praise the Lord He is still faithful in our faithlessness. The week resulted in 8 salvations. Every adult that came to family camp left with their lives drastically changed and the assurance of heaven. Along with the adults two teen boys also gave their lives to Christ. I were blown away!

The camp ended Friday and everyone went back to their homes and daily routines. For me I waited for Sunday to come to see if those families would actually come to church. Still even after camp I was hesitant of what would happen when Sunday rolled around. Once again the Lord showed himself mighty and in control. Every family came to church! The once small “country church” exploded with new believers who were coming to get feed and share in the precious gift of fellowship.

Praise Him from who all blessing flow!

Also to add to the excitement the same week there was a sports camp in Kraków Poland. The camp resulted in 16 salvations! The Lord is working in Poland! Please continue to pray for the Country of Poland and its people.

Language learning

Oh the joys of learning a foreign language. Some days are great and you feel like you are really understanding and doing well while other times you realize that three year olds and the local dogs understand more then you do. Now add learning Polish to the challenge of leaning another language. People have told me that the hardest language to learn is the one that you are currently learning. Well, I don’t believe they have every tried to learn Polish. Don’t miss understand... I love learning Polish! Daily its a challenge and after language class my head hurts but I find the whole process extremely exciting and fulfilling. Even with its great difficultly it’s just one more thing that will always be dear to my heart.

Extended family

My wonderful American-Polish family! AKA...Team NE Poland.