Sunday, February 10, 2013

Poland, Part 3

Friday, the last day of the workshop, came waaaaay too fast!
 L-R:  Kasia, Sara, Daniel, me
 L-R:  Phil, Kasia, me.  Kasia was in our English class.
 L-R:  Nicola, Phil, Klaudia, me.  Nicola and Klaudia were in the reading group that David and I led.
 Our English reading group.  This is the group that we would do a Bible study with in the morning and have conversation time with in the afternoon. 
On Friday, at the end of the day, we gave all of our students certificates saying that they completed the workshop.  This is Leroy and David's class.
 Tim and Steve's class
 Dave and Christine's class
 Ryan and Mandi's class
 The students always love hearing the Americans try to pronounce their names.
 Laura and Jamie's class
 Phil got the job of reading certificates for our class.
 I had to help him a little :)
 Our class
Daniel and Ardena's class
 One of the students, Asia, said a few words thanking the American team for the workshop.  Veronika translated.  
Asia had made up pictures for all of us of the whole group at the workshop.
 Of course, we had to get Daniel juggling!  He gave a talk about how juggling is kind of like being a Christian.  The students loved it!
 The last night playing games at the church.


 On Saturday, after our debriefing meeting, some of us went over to the Snyder's house for a while.  Kasia and Monika didn't want their picture taken.

 Evidently everyone was in the funny-faces mood.
 There's really nothing to say about this picture...just...wow.
 Are you still taking pictures of me????
 We sang some worship songs for a while, then watched some Veggie Tales music videos. 
 Daniel gave his juggling talk in church on Sunday too.

 The church prayed for our team.
 After church, some of us went to the mall for lunch at the food court.

 And of course, we couldn't go to the mall without getting some ice cream!

 We saw this beautiful sunset the last night we were there.  The sun doesn't come out much in Radom, so this was a rare treat.

 On Sunday night, some of us went to Edyta's for a while.  It was cozy, but we had a lot of fun!
 Playing movie charades
 We got back to the Friendship House around 9:00 Sunday night.  I did a little more packing, but I didn't feel like going to bed yet, so I went back downstairs and talked until about 11:00.  By the time I got into bed, it was just after midnight, and I got up at 2:00 to finish packing and be ready to go at 3:30.  We said some hard goodbyes, then drove to Warsaw.
 Homeward bound!
We thought this napkin on the plane was funny.
And we're back in Minnesota!!  I am so thankful to God for all that he did and all that he allowed me to experience while we were there.  It is amazing to see what he is doing in Radom, and I greatly hope that he will give me the opportunity to go back again someday!


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Poland, Part 2

On Friday night of the first week, we had invited all the students that heard our presentations in the schools to come to the Friendship House for a night of games and eating American foods.  The team made a whole bunch of foods, especially desserts, that aren't made in Poland.
David made fruit pizza.
 Deviled eggs, Chex Mix, and dirt cups!  The dirt cups were made by yours truly :)
 More treats!
 Playing a name game to get to know everyone. 
We divided the students up into four teams and gave them each a plate with a small piece of each type of food on it.  Their task was to match up the food with its name.
 Playing "I have never..."
 Another game, trying to unwrap a candy bar using only a plastic fork and knife.
Some people played Ninja for a while.
L-R:  Lee, Bob, Tim, Dave, Vera, Ardena.  Bob and Vera are long-term missionaries in Radom and they live at the Friendship House.
 On Saturday, we got up early and went to Krakow for the day.  
 Daniel took this picture from up in the bell tower of the church looking out over the city.
 Sara and I met up with our friend Paulina, who is studying at the university in Krakow.  She took us to a cupcake shop! 
I got a vanilla latte and a peanut butter cup cupcake - yummy!
Sara, me, and Paulina
We met up with some of the team at a coffee shop to wait for the rest of the team to be done with their sight seeing and shopping and then all go to supper together.  Andrzej was tired. 
 L-R:  Veronika, Dave, and Jamie.  Jamie and another lady, Christine, joined our team for the second week.  
 On Sunday after church, the team came back to the Friendship House for a meeting to get ready for the English workshops the next day.  That night, Edyta wanted a bunch of us to come to McDonald's because she had a whole bunch of coupons.  This is Laura, me, and Phil waiting at the bus stop on the way there.  Some of the bus stops have these coal bins to warm your hands by.
 Ordering is a very serious matter.
 On Monday of the second week, our English workshop began.   This is the team meeting that morning.
 Grading tests to organize English classes.  The English classes were decided according to English ability, but our Bible study and conversation groups were mixed levels. 
During the large group time on Monday, we played Would You Rather...?
 Jamie gave her testimony. 
Every night during the workshop, the students were invited to come to the church in the evenings to play games and hang out with the American team.  Ping pong got pretty serious!

We played lots of Uno!

 Every morning at the workshop, Pastor Tytus gave a short message.  Kasia translated.
Daniel gave his testimony on Tuesday.
 One day we did an activity where each group had to act out an idiom and the rest of the groups had to guess what it was.

 Mandi gave her testimony on Wednesday.
 Phil and Marek led the music.
Tim and I led the singing.  Yes, they gave me a microphone - hahaha! 
Every day between the workshop and going to the church, the team ate at a restaurant that is on the way.
 
 On Thursday we played a game called Electricity.
Christine gave her testimony.
 On Thursday, instead of going to eat with the team, Sara and I went to a restaurant together.  It was one the team had gone to during my previous trips to Radom, so I knew I wanted the potato pancakes again!
 I ordered a latte - how pretty is that?
After our meal, we walked to the mall for ice cream!