Serve Now Spotlight: Poland 2013

Pictured above is one of the children who attended an English Bible camp in Poland.  She’s holding a beautiful Bible cover, which was a part of Crafts during a camp led by an LCMS short-term team.  I think it’s a great photo!  Especially her smile!

Some of you asked for more details about serving in Poland this summer.  I am attaching an information page for your use.  Please feel free to print it or distribute as needed.   If you have any other questions, please email David at David.Fiala@lcmsintl.org.  You can also call Jennifer Prophete, a placement counselor for the LCMS at 314-996-1311.

I have just finished watching a presentation put together by a former short-term team from last summer about their service in Poland.  At the beginning of the presentation, one of the members highlighted the fact that prior to joining a team going to Poland, he and his wife didn’t have any thoughts about specific mission work.

As we work with the teams for the fifth consecutive year, it is clear to us that the Lord calls His people from all different walks of life – whether they had thought extensively about missions or not.  Each year, we are thrilled to hear the stories the team members share about their journey.  Some team members simply admitted with a smile that eventually they ran out of excuses because the Lord made it clear it was okay to “go.”

We encourage you to prayerfully consider joining us in Poland this summer.   Ask the Lord for guidance that His will be done.

Blessings on your day!

For through the law I died to the law,so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:19-20

Mission Opportunities 2013

In the next few weeks, we will be bringing information about mission opportunities in Central Europe in summer 2013.  We invite you to prayerfully consider joining us this summer.  If you’d like to read more about short-term teams, please feel free to go here.

To view all the short-term (1-2 weeks) opportunities, please go to this database.  If you scroll down to Eurasia, you will find a short description of the opportunities for service in Poland.  The photo on the very first page of the PDF document is from one of the English Bible camps in Poland as well!

Praise be to God for His provision throughout the years as this is our 5th year of partnering with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Poland and offering English Bible camps throughout the month of July.

More information and videos to come!

Update on Former Students!

This morning, David walks into the church and sees a former student from EGT (Evanjelické gymnázium in Tisovec, Slovakia).  Her name is Anna (pictured on the left), and she was one of David’s students when he was teaching English and Religion at the high school.  Today, Anna is in her early 20s and this morning she attended our church because of a baptism as she is not a member of the church in Žilina.  She greeted David and happily announced to him, “I am going to be a godmother…my friend Zuzka’s baby boy is being baptized today.”  And as David is listening to her story, he sees the couple and the baby…and realizes that he knows them, too!  Anna’s friend, Zuzka, is another former student of David’s.  And Zuzka’s husband, Lukáš, also went to the same school where we served with other LCMS missionaries during 2005-2008.  It sure is fun to be in the mission field long enough to see how the many stories unfold!

It was such a joy to see these young people – former students, now parents – who are bringing their child to be baptized!

We give thanks for these young people this morning as they profess their faith in Christ Jesus.  May He uphold them in their new task as parents and Anna as a godparent.  May they be filled with joy because of the salvation they have in Jesus.  After all, He chose us.  And made us alive.

May He alone be glorified in the life of Lukáš and Zuzka’s baby boy, Eliáš, which means “my God.”