Malenovice, Czech Republic

View from our room... yes, please feel sorry for us... (ha ha)

Enjoying a cup of hot cocoa after a time of playing in the snow.

A time of rest during our winter break... we are at the Christian Retreat center in Malenovice, Czech Republic with a group from Proem.  The last few days have been quite foggy, so we can't necessarily enjoy the view of the mountains, but it's been snowing every day and we are enjoying sledding and skiing (well... the girls learning how!).  Most importantly, taking time to bask in His beautiful creation. I love the mountains... so I feel equally blessed that we have the White Mountains in NH to return to!!

the drive to the ski slopes

first ever attempt of down hill skiing for the girls... we didn't have to pay for them to learn on this particular hill!  notice kaylor gave up and decided to just play on the hill. 

Josh before going down his first ski run...

me before going down... we were actually given the ski lift pass (they have card reader machines) so I could see how I would do... loved it, and although I never fell once, I knew that it wasn't worth the risk as the slopes were pretty steep.  am thankful I got to go down at least once the whole week, though!  so thankful we didn't pay for ski passes!

our hotel... a christian conference center called KAM... the walk up was killer!

so instead of going back to the ski slopes every day, we decided to take advantage of the free slope next to the hotel and help the girls learn how to ski there!  we also went sledding and just enjoyed being outside!

lauren's just proud she made it back UP the hill!

kaylor did the most skiing as she didn't mind the fact that she had to carry her skis back up the hill herself... they just didn't get more than 3 tries done each day!!

for a few days, it was very soupy... so much you could hardly see the parking lot down below the tree line and definitely couldn't see the ski slope across to the other side!  

Much to Celebrate

There is much to celebrate and one of those things are cultural differences!

I've been wanting to share a funny story that recently happened this past month.  Remember me telling you about the invitation to learn how to make pirogies?  Well, it happened, but we all had a good laugh.  When I was invited by my friend (Alicjia, the school's principal... a family we've grown to love here) to come on a Friday night, I showed up at her house and the first question she asked me was, "Where is Josh and the girls??!!"  To which I promptly started laughing and said, "OH!  I thought you just wanted "ME"!!"  Cultural difference # 1:  When "you" are invited to someone's house, it is "you" plural, meaning the entire family... not "you" singular!  We had a good laugh and I promptly drove back into town to get Josh and the girls.  Now this leads to cultural difference #2...

Josh had just finished making soup for dinner when I buzzed our door and told them to just throw on coats and boats, since we ALL were suppose to come (she was going to teach me and then everyone would enjoy the goods we made!).  Of course, everyone is in casual clothes.  We got back to her house and when we walked in... another couple (including their son whom I teach) was there!  The fact that there's another couple isn't the cultural difference, but the fact that they are all dressed up is!  Typically, Poles get dressed up when invited over to other people's homes.  This is very common... even among friends.  So here's Josh, in sweats and sweatshirt and the other man, who we are meeting for the first time... is all decked out in a suit and tie!!!  We all had another good laugh as we got to talk about cultural differences once again!  We didn't offend anyone of course, so that was a relief!  The whole "dressing up thing" was experience again a week later when we (FINALLY) had the PE teacher (Bartek, whom I've mentioned before) and his family over.

Having Bartek and his family over with another close family we know here was long overdue.  We planned on an "American" dinner with tacos.  It was a night full of laughter again, because, well, it was just so American!  First, we ate on paper plates because we only own a small number of real plates... so we truly gave them a taste of how we do things in America!  But it wasn't until later that we learned that Bartek had called our good friend (she's Polish, but married to an American) to ask what they should wear (she said casual since that's pretty much how we operate!) and then what they should bring (Josh had told him juice- that's the drink of choice typically... not milk!- at school).  So, they showed up... very nicely dressed and showered us with wine and a dessert!   I love learning cultural differences!

So- that's why I say we have much to celebrate!

Side note- we are now entering a two week Winter Break from school.  We have the privilege to head with a group from Proem to a place called Malenovice in the Czech Republic all of next week.  They go skiing and sledding.  It will be a week filled with much relaxation... which is greatly welcomed.  This past week I was in overload since Josh was sick with bronchitis (now he knows what being indoors for a month is like!), both girls got sick and I had to carry an additional two classes a day because it was Winter Camp out at Zakosciele for Warsaw students and the other gal had to be there all week.  Sadly, Josh had to miss being at camp and working there because of being sick.

So- we head into a holiday on the mend... another enriching camp out at Zako, and I have a lot of fond memories of my last day of school yesterday (before break) because it was a carnival (western themed).  I got to teach a line dance to the children and it was just a great time having fun with all the other teachers.  NO language barrier when you are laughing and smiling and just having a great time.

May this post find you all well!

Merry Christmas!

Wesolych Swiat from the Winans family in Poland!

Late Pics

Random pictures from the past month!

I did a mini unit on Christmas symbols... any guess which symbol these boys are illustrating?!

The school's Christmas tree!  Ornaments are consistent with Polish tradition:  dried fruit and ornaments made out of straw, lace and bark!

Beautiful stairwell going down the school's basement (gym and lockers).

Kaylor's class after their Christmas gift exchange on St. Mikolaj Day.

The youngest two grades during their gift exchange.

Last year the school participated in a "gift drive" (there's a Polish organization that runs it... just don't remember the name) where each class had a family to buy gifts for... everything from kitchen and bath supplies to clothing and gifts.  On St. Mikolaj Day, the entire school participated in organizing, sorting, boxing, and wrapping up the gifts.  It was way cool to see the kids so excited to give in this way.

Kaylor's class posing with their Christmas cards they created for her class back in the states at Nashua Christian Academy.  Needless to say, we just got them sent out this week... guess they'll be New Year cards!! 

Exodus 15, Proem's band, was asked by the big mall (Manufaktura) in Lodz to put on a Christmas concert.  It was fun going over on a Friday night (although traffic caused us to get there late!) and see people walking through the mall and then stopping to hear them sing and play! 

The church's iCafe... open to the public during the day and widely used! 

Kaylor's half of the room. :)

Lauren's half of the room (with the cool skylight!)

Dzien Swietego Mikolaja!

Happy St. Mikolaj!  Today, December 6th, St. Nicholas is celebrated... children awake to a small present, typically candy or food of some sort, and I'm told usually under their pillow.  Yes, St. Nicholas (aka Santa) visited the girls!!  Then, the kids eagerly await Christmas Eve and see if St. Nick brought the presents they requested in their letters to him.  Traditionally, in Poland, they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a dinner once they've seen the "star" in the sky.  Then, after dinner, they get to open presents.  So far, this is what I've learned, so I shall see what else I learn or what I've gotten wrong!!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Well, now that we are 4 days into December, it seems only fitting to extend our Thanksgiving greetings and reflect on all that I am thankful for as we've now been here 4 months.

First, I am thankful for those who have partnered with us financially month to month.   Your monthly commitment allows us to be here in Poland serving with ProEm. It pays for our heat (and we need it now!), our water and keeps food in our bellies.   It seems so one sided... as we are the ones who get to meet some incredible Polish people.   Our only wish is that you could meet them too!

Second, I am thankful for our prayer warriors!  Obviously, we've had lots of challenges, but we've seen over and over how God alone sustains us... how He takes fear and sadness and refines it to a deeper faith.

Third, I am thankful for being able to witness His handiwork here in Poland.  I've heard countless stories, and even have had the privilege to be a part of some of His work through circumstances in our own lives.

Fourth, I am thankful to be serving with Proem (this goes with point 1 and 3!)... there's alot of excitement in the air!   From Journey to Bethlehem (expecting 1500 people!!!!) to the new office space in Lodz (called P109)... to growth at the Tomy church.  I'm very mindful, that us being here has nothing to do with the excellence of the ministry itself.  The Polish people that make up Proem are incredible and have such a deep desire to share His love and message to their fellow countrymen.

There is a distinct awareness that I am very limited; simply because I don't have enough Polish to communicate.  So- I just strive to be excellent in my teaching, working diligently in the teacher's room and laugh with the other Polish teachers at my inability to learn Polish when they try and teach me something, and continue to take advantage of those little moments when I meet parents and "try" to share how their son/daughter is doing.  I just try my best to pour Jesus' love out on the students and the other teachers.  I really LOVE teaching at the Tomek school!

Fifth,  I am thankful for the relationship Josh has built through his help with the PE teacher at the Tomek school.  Pray for Bartek and his family.... we want to invite them over sometime, but have had to postpone it until the coming new year!  He had lived in England for three years, so he was excited to have the girls in class and practice his English again.  It's been convenient for Josh as they can easily communicate with one another.  I am eager to meet his wife and their children.  Josh is in the same boat as me with having to focus on our energies in leading by example and just being open to the fact that we are here to serve alongside, not through leading with words or being in charge of something.  It truly helps sooo much in knowing the heart language of the people your are serving, so it's frustrating when we are hindered in doing so with only knowing the basic survival phrases and words!

Sixth, I am thankful for God's care and concern for the girls.  Overall, the adjustments have been good. We continue to focus on the fact that God has given us such an incredible gift in having this opportunity to live in another country, instead of focusing on how much we may miss "home" (friends, school, family, etc).  They recognize that they've met wonderful new friends and people, get to have Mommy walk and work in their same school all day, and experience so many "new" things.  I am confident that they'll reflect on this time in their lives with fond memories.  The best thing about it is that we are only four months into it!

Honestly, there is just so much that I could write about in regards to my thankfulness.  I am thankful for your patience when I don't post nearly enough with what I should!

I will close this post up for now....post a picture of the girls in London's airport when we were coming back a couple weeks ago from Wisconsin.   God bless!!

Back in Poland

Thank you for the prayers on behalf of my family.  Hours after we arrived back in Wisconsin, my uncle passed away.  My mother, his wife, and all his children were with him.  I went and spent the day with all of them.  It was an incredible blessing for me to spend that time with my family.  I got to see other family members and cousins I haven't seen for awhile.  I'm so glad we made the decision to all return.  Having the girls there helped my mother out a lot as well.  It's still so hard to imagine that within 6 short months of receiving such tragic news that he had a brain tumor, that he is now gone.  Please continue to lift up my cousins, Greg, Carol, Kristie, Jason and my aunt, Jane.  We had our Thanksgiving meal together the night before we came back to Poland and it was just a sad reminder that Uncle Bill is really gone.  So, again, thank you for your continued prayers and it is nice to be back here in Poland and looking forward to finishing this next month strong!  We are looking at being creative in how to decorate our apartment for Christmas!!  Any suggestions or ideas are welcome!