Thursday, July 23

Hello from Poland!  Our group is sleeping better and better each day, and most are now able to ignore the 6:00 am church bells and roosters.  Today was Day 4 of English camp at our two villages, Goleszow and Cieszyn.  In Cieszyn, Team Jenna continues to celebrate the small moments we have with our students.  Many children know our names and come running in to camp in the morning with a huge smile on their face.  We can feel their excitement to learn English and to come to know the Lord through our presence there.  In English class, we have been teaching how to hold a conversation in English using complete sentences which link back to our daily topic, which for today was all about courage.  Sometimes students do not feel as comfortable using their English in front of a group, so we try to find small moments throughout the day to speak with them individually.  These moments are so special to us because we learn so much about their lives.  In Bible class, the students heard stories about courageous people from the Bible, such as David defeating Goliath, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  The weather was beautiful in the morning, so Dayton was able to hold Bible class outside on blankets on the lawn. They continue to ask thought provoking questions, such as "What will judgement day look like?" and " How did the rest of David's life turn out after defeating Goliath?"  We are encouraged by their curiosity of the Word. During craft time, students made necklaces and bracelets that spelled "Courage" as a reminder that they can be courageous in their lives through Christ.  My favorite time of our day together is eating lunch at a canteen.   The Polish children politely help serve the younger children, and clear the plates of the adults.  It is also a time for us to teach them English, and they in turn teach us some Polish...there are so many sounds in their language that we just are not used to pronouncing!  It started to rain in the afternoon, so we had to move our game time indoors.  It was difficult to organize  a game with 45 students in one small room, but we managed to play 4 Corners, balloon games, and a really difficult game of charades. (They have some very interesting ways of acting out animals!)  We start and end our days with worship music, and it is such a blessing to hear our students singing the songs to themselves as they go about their day.  Back in Cisownica, Allen and Haley cooked an amazing dinner of barbecue chicken and salad.  After dinner, some of us went on a hike/run through the country trails around town. We finished the night with devotions and a yummy apple crumble, courtesy of Jenni.  We are all so grateful for your thoughts and prayers as we finish our last day of English camp tomorrow.
-Jenna