Heavy Hearts

Tomorrow we are leaving to head back to WI for a couple weeks.  Ann's uncle who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in late April is not doing well.  We are anxious to be with our family and provide additional support for Ann's mother.  We'd appreciate your prayers and thoughts...

First snowfall!!!!

First snow fall of the year in Poland and I have to admit... we accumulated quite a bit when I initially thought it would just be snow flurries!  After attending the hilarious marriage seminar at Tomy Church, we went on a double date with our friend the Braden's.  We headed over in the snow to Lodz to go see the new James Bond movie.  When we came out that evening, the snow had picked up and swirling all around us... as you can see in the picture!!!

This was taken first thing in the morning... the girls couldn't wait to play in the snow on the balcony!

video!

Go to the following website and see the latest promo video for Journey to Bethlehem!  Josh is in it... I won't say where... but it's in the beginning... can you tell what he's doing?!!! He had a hilarious time doing it!  It's a silly, funny promo video... it captures the "wittiness" of those we work with here!
www.proem.pl

pics!

 The first basketball league game held at the community center type of gym in Tomaszow... can you find Josh?!

 A beautiful Autumn Sunday morning on our way to church- we have this beautiful tree-lined sidewalk down the middle of the streets (divides traffic on both sides).

 Kidstuf!  The first Sunday of every month they have a special service at the church for kids (see the cool stage set up!?).  Larger crowds on those weekends I hear!

 P109- the new office space for Proem on Pietrowski street (totally butchered the spelling) in Lodz- this was the grand opening!

 The girls and I on that really pretty street that P109 sits off of...

Can we say... rain coming?!!!

Kaylor's PE fieldtrip

Each week Kaylor gets to take a fieldtrip for PE class out to the camp.  Typically they ride bicycles.  Here's a picture of her classmates taking a break and they found huge mushrooms!  No, she didn't bring one home... she thought they were gross!

Pictures...

 View out our balcony looking west.

View out our balcony looking north.

Our living room (on the second floor)... before our "stuff" moved in!  Loving the black leather couch!  Majority of the furniture was furnished.  We had to buy new mattresses for our bed (due to my back) and gave the old ones to the girls since they didn't have beds!  LOVE Ikea, and am thankful Josh and my brother weren't opposed to shopping there a few times to get the things we needed (i.e. basic bed frames for the girls! they appreciate not having to sleep on the floor!)

Celebrating my brother's birthday... he came to help out for 2 weeks and we really miss having him here!!  Yes, it's bought "bundt" cake... no, I didn't bake it. :(  

This day was Monday, August 20... I had gone out to the courts to see Josh teaching baseball skills with a group of campers (this was the last week of summer camp: children's multisport camp) and brought my camera.  Because the group was so large, I decided to "help out" despite my back pain and tried to roll "grounders" to some girls.  I had much difficulty, but I was determined to help!  It was only a few hours later when I believe the disc pieces broke off and sent me into excruciating pain.  I always wonder whether my "helping" was the worse thing I could've done.  I'll never know, really, and it honestly doesn't matter anymore!!!  It was such a wonderful summer day....

 One of my most precious memories of being laid up and waiting until surgery.  People came to our room to worship... I was constantly aware of God's presence taking care of all my needs... I cherish that time being able to worship.  The girl to my right, Grace, had arrived the day everything went "south". She's been the one filling in for me at school.  She's Puerto Rican, came from Savanah, Georgia and came to intern with Proem for the year and offer Spanish classes in the evening.  Little did she know she'd be teaching English full-time!!!  She's a blessing!  The gal on my left, Karen, is from Kenya and is a university student studying economics here in Poland.  She came a few times to the hospital in Lodz as she was still living there (she's since moved to Warsaw to start her studies, she had been in Lodz at a language school for 9 months to learn Polish).  The night before I left the hospital, she ended up translating between the 3 other ladies in my room and myself... because of Karen's visit, she was instrumental in helping make my connection with the other women real!  The next day I left the hospital with tears of sadness for saying goodbye to those ladies... even despite our language barriers the majority of my time in the room with them.   Karen was a blessing!!  The others in the room are a group of Americans that came from Ohio... so much story with them... but they were God's gift sent to minister to me.

 This picture was taken by Josh on the girls' first day of school at Tomek.  Traditionally, children wear white shirts the first day of school in Poland.  

 Kaylor had taken this picture some time during the summer... I loved it because it reflected their enjoyment of walking/riding bikes with their friends (children of proem staffers).  These friends are precious to them!

The hospital had a beautiful courtyard that I was able to go down to and walk around in.  This was on Monday afternoon- after having a successful morning (no fainting!) of walking in the ward.  It did my body and soul good as I was pretty sad in the morning when I was missing being with the girls on their first day of school... my first day of school, too!   There was this nurse that had been with me for 3 days... and I appreciated God's humor in having him be my nurse, because he kept scolding me for walking like an old lady and he would give me a hard time about not doing things "right", but he knew his humor and words were motivating me!!  There were three nurses that really spoke English well during my stay there... I have some good "lost in translation" stories, however!!

 Our German friends, Arvid and Ingrid with their two boys... they had worked with proem for 1.5 years before the boys... and they spent their 3 weeks of summer vacation at camp- we hadn't seen them since 4 years ago!  It was great reconnecting.  We just a little "goody" package from them... German chocolate! 

Lauren's class... and my soon to be students!

Reminder...

I feel led to share this verse with you... and yes, it's the same as the one we put on our blog heading when we made it this Spring.... little did I know how much this verse would mean to us this year!  But after reading verses 16-18 this morning, I felt compelled to share it on the blog... the verses that come before what we used in the heading.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

I love it... just love it.