October in Toronto

We are in Toronto for the next month. We are trying to expand our support base and also spend time with family and friends. We've had some good fun so far and had chances to connect with a few people. The next 4 weeks will be more intense that way though. Two days after we arrived I went on a roadtrip with my brothers and my dad to celebrate his birthday. We spend the better part of 5 days driving around upstate New York, Vermont, and even a little bit of New Hampshire. We had a really good time on our first trip all together as adults.
So now we are busy scheduling the rest of our time here and getting things we need for the kids and ourselves (that we can't get in Poland-- or at least at a good price).

One thing I wanted to draw to people's attention just in case this would be convenient for you is a way of making financial donations to Christian Associates online via credit card. You can go to www.canadahelps.org to make a donation. The thing to keep in mind if you choose to use this method is that 3% is deducted before CAI receives the donation. Christian Associates deducts 10% for administration after that.

Back in Wa-wa

We have been back in Warsaw for about 3 hours now. We had a fantastic week in Sopron, Hungary for our annual Christian Associates staff conference. This was our first one since the summer of 2005, so we were very excited to get there this year. First, we had a terrific time driving down there. We stayed for one night in the mountains of southwestern Poland (to which I had never been) in a town called Ustron. While asking for directions, our family was invited to a "garden party" at a restaurant/pub. So after finding our hotel (driving halfway up a mountain) and settling in, we headed back down the mountain for some food. I sampled a bean stew called grochowka (gro-hoove-kuh). Absolutely fantastic! Renata said it was the best she ever had too. I like food.
The next day, after breakfast, we headed back down the mountain and into the Czech Republic (normally just called Czech over here. Sort of like saying "France" rather than "Republic of France"), then Slovakia, then Austria, then Hungary.
It was a really refreshing, rejuvenating, relaxing week (the three R's). It always feels great to be with people that are doing the same thing as you and are often dealing with many of the same life and ministry issues for that reason.
Greg Boyd really challenged us on the fundamentals of how we act towards the world around us and therefore how we do ministry. You can listen yourself to some of the talks we had by clicking here .
It was encouraging for us also in sharing with others what is going on in Warsaw. I told Renata that I was getting excited listening to myself talk about it all. I was thinking "wow! this is pretty cool stuff that's going on." We felt very affirmed by those we talked with.
It was a fantastic week for Kaleb in Kids Club. He was there 3 times a day on most days. A group of volunteers (mainly high school and college age) came over from Maryland to look after our kids while we were in sessions. They were terrific!! We never worried about whether he was having a good time or whether he was taken care of. We also knew that he was receiving a good dose of biblical learning. Each day had a different story and scripture they would work from (Good Samaritan, Samson, etc.).
So the week is over. We ended sessions on Friday night, packed up yesterday morning and headed for the Austrian border. We stayed in Ustron again last night and then finished the drive home this morning and afternoon. We are glad to be home although we already miss our friends. At least now our kids won't be waking up at 5:30am cuz they're sleeping in the same room. Separate rooms. Divide and conquer. maybe we can get a bit more rest now too.

Only In Europe

We had a good trip on Sunday to complete our journey to Hungary for our staff conference. We travelled through 5 countries in one day. Only in Europe can you do that by car. Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary. The amazing thing too is that, as of last December, all of those countries are part of the Schengen Zone--meaning that we did not go through any Customs or Passport control the entire trip down here. Much fun.
We did discover, unfortunately, that McDonalds is much most countries other than Slovakia. We passed one as we entered the country and passed another on the way out a couple hours later. Disappointing when you depend on McDonalds stops to keep the kids happy and fed while travelling. Oh well, it was a gorgeous drive anyway--with lovely low rolling mountains and a decent speed limit.

On The Road Again

I'm writing this from our hotel in Lower Silesia (southwestern mountainous region of Poland). We are in fact a little outside the small town of Ustron and well up on a mountain. We are on our way to our annual staff conference, called CONNECT, in Sopron, Hungary. This is our first time back at staff conference since the summer of 2005. We are very excited about seeing old friends, getting encouragement from fellow church-planters, and having a generally refreshing time.
We left our apartment at 10am today and arrived in Ustron at about 3:45pm to conclude a generally good and fun drive with the family.
When we stopped at a bar and grill to ask for directions to our hotel, we were invited back to a "garden party". So we went back after checking into our hotel, dropping our stuff off, and Renata getting her long-awaited and much-enjoyed massage. The food was terrific. I had my standard kielbasa and fries, but this time i also tried, for the first time, grochowka (gro-hoove-ka)--bean and sausage stew. Absolutely marvelous. The kids had a terrific time playing in the very large yard which included a sandbox. Maja's first time in a sandbox. We're still shaking the sand off of her.
Will keep you posted on the rest of our trip.

Grandma Prayers

I forgot one of the most important things about Renata's grandma getting married. She is a hardcore Catholic who thinks we are part of some sect (much of the country thinks of Protestants as a sect). For as long as I have known her (and likely much longer) she has been praying for us to return to the "true Church" and she has likely been paying the priest to conduct masses for us. So viewing us as apostate, she would never get into anything too spiritual with us. Well a week or so before her wedding, she asked Renata for us to pray that God would give her and Adam at least 5 good years and bless their marriage. Blew us away. We are excited about that. Thought you'd enjoy hearing about that.

Great Weekend

We had a really good time this weekend. On Friday we met with a couple of our good friends for our little guys to play together and for us to talk about the next steps in ministry here in Warsaw. It feels like we are finally making forward progress with our home ministry plans. Our friends are excited about it and together we tend to generate more ideas than on our own. All this while sitting in the beautiful sunny park and eating kielbasa (sausage for the uninitiated) and fries. What more could I ask for?
Saturday morning we were on the road by 9am to drive 100km to the town where Renata was born and where her grandma and some of the rest of the family live. The reason for our trip this time: Her 84 year-old grandma's wedding. Yes, you read that correctly. He's 3 years younger, and they have known each other for 62 years. It was a really fun time. It's hard to explain why that was so fun. But just imagine how wonderful it is for 2 people who don't have a lot of years left to live yet choose to spend it together despite being far less energetic and agile than they once were (when the met). Just a really happy time. It felt so light and free. One of the most amazing things we learned about on Saturday is there was another potential suitor who nearly fainted when he heard that Renata's grandma was getting married. Not bad for an 84 year-old woman, huh? (said suitor, impressively, did attend the wedding)
We had been wanting to have a couple of our neighbours over since we moved back in December, but something always came up and it didn't happen. This is a couple that we have known for 4 years now. So finally, we had them over for breakfast yesterday. I went downstairs to confirm with them on Saturday evening and ended up staying and talking with them for an hour or so. Had a good time talking about life (and tested my Polish pretty good). The very first time we had them over 4 years ago, I cooked bacon and pancakes and had real Canadian maple syrup (you can buy it here, but most people don't. Still a real treat for most Poles. Especially when it's homemade syrup from my mom and dad), so yesterday morning we did it again. We had a great time spending time with them and knowing them more. We started talking about the Euro2008 soccer tournament that started on Saturday and the first game for Poland against Germany last night, so as they don't have the channel that is showing the games, we invited them up to watch the game with us. So once again we got together and spent a good time together. This is building relationship in Poland. We are so excited that we have finally been able to connect with this couple and spend quality time with them. They have been on our hearts for a long time. Unfortunately Poland did not win yesterday. They did not even score a goal (unfortunate depending on whom you talk to--some Poles are glad for the outcome as the two top players on the German team are actually Polish guys that weren't recognized by the Polish Soccer association for their talent and went to play where they could develop. Both German goals came from Lukasz Podolski yesterday).
All the same, a very satisfying weekend for us.

Kaleb's first fieldtrip

Yesterday Kaleb and I joined the rest of his classmates and some other parents on a trip to the farm. We saw cows, horses (even a couple of foals less than 10 days old), ducks, and lots of chickens. We saw farm machinery and tools--modern and traditional, different kinds of nests and eggs (ostrich, duck, and chicken), and we cooked kielbasa on a big fire. Oh yeah, we even rode in a horse cart, on a horse itself, and chased chickens around the yard while waiting for lunch. Quite a day for 3 and 4-year old munchkins.


Kaleb and daddy riding the horse cart.


Kaleb riding a horse for the first time. (daddy walking behind holding him on AND taking the picture).


Chasing chickens.

back from Toronto

I"m back. from Toronto, that is. Settling in with the family again after being apart for a week. Got a lot done during my time there. Looking forward to being back there in October/November for our scheduled visit. Of course, next time we'll all travel to Toronto, instead of just me.
So now I am getting back into the swing of things with coordinating worship and arts at ICF for the next few months, developing myself artistically/spiritually/in leadership, building relationships with Christians we could maybe work with in the future, and building relationships with non-believers as we seek to be ministers.
Kaleb is supposed to go on his very first fieldtrip tomorrow with pre-school. We'll see if he goes (and daddy with him) as he was sick during the night last night and for much of today. So we'll see what tonight brings and the morning too.
Maja is a little terror. She moves so fast now, you have to watch her all the time. She actually knows her way around the house now and moves towards destinations rather than just where her curiosity guides her. She actually came and found me in the bedroom this morning. She was so pleased with herself.
Renata's busy as ever as she takes the lions' share of the time with the kids. After a week with both of them by herself, she was pretty tired. But she handled them wonderfully.
I'll leave it at that as I need to get back to cheering Pittsburgh to their imminent defeat of Philadelphia.

Family photo

Picture we had taken in The Hague so that people in the congregation at Peoples Church would have something to look at while they listened to Charles Price and me talk on the phone. Quick photo, but I like it.

End of April already?

The last couple months have gone by so quickly. My brother Ben visiting for a couple of weeks, heading of to Holland for two further weeks of training with Christian Associates. We had hoped initially to stay a little longer and spend time with friends and mentors, but by the end of the (not even) two weeks we were all just too tired and wanted to get home to rest and get back into our regular routine. We also didn't want to move all of our stuff AGAIN (moving into another place for the time we'd remain there and then out).
We had a good time there. It was Maja's first road-trip and she did really well. Only a little intolerable screaming in the car. Kaleb is a natural after having done so much travelling already in his life. Since we got home he has constantly been asking when we are going on a trip again.
It was a rather interesting trip. We got away late because my brother's flight reservation got messed up and he missed the flight. So after trying to help him deal with all that, we hit the road trying to make it to Frankfurt on Oder (5 hour drive under normal conditions) before we would have to stop. When we started it was sunny, then dark, then rainy, then snowy, then we hit construction. All of this while getting progressively more tired. The construction under normal circumstances would have been unbearable. But the kids were sleeping well, and then Renata and I both went to sleep. YES, went to sleep. We were standing still for about an hour. So that little respite helped us keep moving. We finally made it to the hotel in Frankfurt at nearly 2am. Boy did bed feel good. Otherwise the trip wasn't bad. Over the last couple of years the length of high-quality motorway has increased by at least 100% which makes the drive within Poland a lot easier.
So we are now back in the city. Following new inspiration for ministry and developing more ideas.
Highlights of the last few weeks: my brother Ben hangin with us for a little while, going something like 200metres down into the earth in the salt mines near Krakow, talking with Charles Price on the phone while 3500 people listened in, hanging out with some of our good friends in The Hague, doing my immigration interview in Polish, Maja standing up easily (not to mention charming anyone near her when we are out in public.), going out to my favorite restaurant in the city for my birthday with Renata. Oh yeah, and the Ottawa Senators going out in the first round of the playoffs.
I'll post photos later today.

I'm Legit

Today was immigration appointment day for us. Well, for me actually, but we all went. We were nervous going in that I might have to leave the country for a day and then come back. This was because I am within a couple days of the end of the 90 days I am allowed, as a Canadian, to stay in Poland. Things have been complicated with this a little bit now that as of December 21, 2007 Poland joined the border-free Schengen zone of Europe (no border patrols from here to the coast of Portugal). So now rather than simply hopping to Berlin and back, I would have to go to the UK or Lithuania or Russia or some other country not part of the Schengen zone. BUT, that is no longer a concern as my application for residency in the Republic of Poland has been accepted and should, barring some freak occurrence, be approved as EU law stipulates that as a spouse of an EU citizen, I must be granted residency unless I am a threat to national security. As far as I am aware, I am no such threat.
We are very thankful that we had a very nice official at the immigration office and that they accepted the application. We still have to get a couple of more things to them, but they have accepted it nonetheless and I don't have to leave the country.
I'll write more later about what's been going on with us over the last little while, but after today.

Moving Right Along

Things have been changing pretty quickly in our house here recently. In the last two weeks: I have started Polish language lessons, Kaleb has pretty much started and finished potty-training, Maja has gotten her second tooth and has started eating some solid food. I have also started learning the new technical systems at International Christian Fellowship so I can start training a tech team of ICF's own. This coming Sunday I will also lead worship for the first time at ICF in more than 2 years.
We have been reconnecting with friends, both Christian and non as we seek to develop those relationships as well as get a better feel for what is going on in this city spiritually.
Don't blink, things are moving fast.

Happy New Year!!

It is amazing to us that we are already into the New Year. What this means to us is: we have finished moving back into our apartment, we had a terrific and terrificly busy Christmas with 21 people in our apartment on Christmas day (most we've had) for more-or-less traditional North American Christmas dinner, and we have been here for nearly a month.
We didn't plan it, but Kaleb saw fireworks for the first time last night. He was woken up by people setting them off out his window. So we stood in his window watching them go up and burst a little above us (we are on the 7th floor so they don't go that much higher). He absolutely loved it--both the burst and the sound of the explosion.
Things are going well here as we ease into the Warsaw scene. Things change so rapidly here it takes a while to get caught up after a prolonged absence. We've met with some church leadership in the city and will continue to do so in the months to come as we look at what our role should be and what is next for the Church of Warsaw.
We are reconnecting with a lot of people right now that we have not seen--in most cases--for years. We are looking forward to practicing the gift of hospitality and establish meaningful relationships through which we can be Christ to others.
Pray for this city. It is growing very very quickly (1000 people a day move to the city) and there is so little in terms of Christian witness.

We wish you a happy new year and hope it will be even better than the last.