Thursday and Friday Outreach

After our free day at Auschwitz and in Krakow, we continued our outreach on Thursday and Friday.  Anna, Emily and I (Meg) returned to the single mother's home to continue ministering to the women there.  On Thursday, we planned a "spa day" and craft that Emily found on Pinterest.  We washed the women's feet and did pedicures and Kimberly (from the California team) shared her testimony.  Emily showed the women how to make scarves from T-shirts and while waiting on the women to finish their pedicures, had a wonderful talk with Agata, a 17 year old Polish girl who helped with translation.  They talked about the differences between Agata's experience in the Catholic church and Emily's experience as a believer and her relationship with God.
 
Friday, we only had time in the morning, so after a short prayer walk around the property, we sat down with the women outside and shared the gospel with them.  Please be praying in particular for Sandra, a Roma (gypsy) women with a very difficult past.  She is very angry because of all the horrible things that have happened to her and is looking for someone to blame.  She was involved in church previously and thinks that God made all the bad things happen to her.  She was open to us praying for her so we had the opportunity to pray for her and all the women.  We said goodbye to the women and they thanked us for coming, spending time with them, and said they wished we could stay longer.
 
Friday afternoon we watched the After-Euro soccer tournament finals.  The Polish youth are very talented at soccer and were fun to watch.  After the finals, we went to a local Catholic church (St. Michael Parish) for a festival to conclude the week.  There were trampolines, inflatables (moon bounce), music and trophy presentations.  All of the soccer players, foster kids and single mothers were invited to attend.  There was a big turnout - probably 200 or more people came! The church invited the international guests for coffee, food and desserts.  It was a great way to end the week!

Single Women's shelter activities

Quickie post: good day at the safe house with gardening, mowing, playground maintenance, spa day and conversations

Visit to Auschwitz and Krakow

Today was our "off day" and we planned on taking a trip to Auschwitz and Krakow, however the day started off in a difficult way. Johanna woke up around 4 am with severe pain from kidney stones. Luckily she packed some prescription pain meds since she has had this before, however it was little help since she couldn't keep anything down. Kim selflessly decided to stay with her as Greg took them to the hospital while the rest of the team loaded up on the bus with the Swiss team to head to Auschwitz. We went through the initial concentration camp and saw various areas where prisoners were kept as well as documents and their material belongings. I'm sure there's a Wikipedia article that could better explain everything in the camp and what happened there but it was without a doubt very intense and emotional, however nothing compared to what we saw at the "expansion" camp known as Birkenau. It is less than a mile from the original Auschwitz camp, and much larger. During our tour there we came upon a Jewish woman who had survived the camp and returned to visit with her family. It was incredible to see her with all of her offspring and hear the story of how she was the only member of her family (Father, Mother and multiple brother and sisters) to survive the camp. She even had the tattoo the Nazis had given her to identify her. After leaving the camp we rode in the bus to Krakow and ate at a restaurant known for bringing basically a trough of meat and traditional Polish foods to be shared by 4 or more people at a time. Needless to say we were not able to finish and left with a good amount of food for later.
The latest we heard from Johanna is that she is feeling much better since getting pain medication at the hospital but the kidney stones have still not passed. Please keep her in your prayers as well as the rest of the team as we continue outreach tomorrow.

Second Outreach Day

Here's how our team has been broken down the past couple of days:
Soccer Tournament: Josh & Ben
Women's Home: Ana, Meg & Emily
Kids Club Improvements: A. J.
Practical Team (repairs and improvements at the women's home): Jason & Blake
Kids Ministries/Orphanage: David, Daniel, Kim, Johanna & Jeff

For the second day at the soccer tournament we had another five games. We had a lot more support at the field we were at since the other two were done. Ben and I were referees for a few games and afterwards played with some of the kids that stuck around. After that we went to the Kings Kids Club where A.J. had been working. They are cleaning and painting the new club.
We will be going to Krakow tomorrow and will also visit Auschwitz concentration camp. On thursday will be the semifinals of the soccer tournament with the finals on Friday. Continue to pray for strength, good rest, boldness with who we meet, and safety for our team. Thus far everyone has been good, we're just getting really worn out!

Getting Better

Yesterday I honestly I thought I would not make it. Today was much better after some decent sleep. The weather has been cooler and sunny. Not bad. What a great team we have! Everyone works hard and they are loving the time here. Thank you all who made it possible.

First day at the women's shelter

Today was our first day working with the 12 women at the women's safe house. Meg and I and the team went in with a grand plan that we felt very blessed to have come by with lots of prayer and planning. We determined a day by day schedule that would incorporate both an interactive event with the women plus our testimonies. However, as it goes with being flexible and trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us, our plan did not play out at all - but in turn we had an even more intimate setting than we could have ever imagined. In turn for planting a garden and doing light landscaping, we were greeted with homemade soup and a very tiny room filled with lots of people. But conversation was deep and meaningful, and a few of the ladies were excited to receive prayer. Excited for tomorrow.

First day of children's camp!!

Today was the first day of our neighborhood children's camp. It was awesome!! We had about 25 kids. We sang songs, played games, threw frisbees and taught the children about Jesus' love through the story of the shepherd leaving the 99 sheep to find the one. We made lots of new friends, and look forward to seeing them again tomorrow. I also want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and financial support. I appreciate you all so much.

God bless you guys,
Jeff

First Outreach Day

For myself (Josh) and Ben we had our first day of outreach with the soccer tournament. Everyone else went to various other out reaches (women's home, orphanage, kids program, and practical team (clean, paint, repair, etc). It has been a great start to the week for the tournament. There are three separate fields being used with at least 4 teams competing at each location. We had five games today and then had some "friendly" games where those of us who came played with the kids for a while. After each game we shared a bit about who we were and why we had come to Poland. We are going to head back over at 3 and have some more games and drills with the kids. The pictures are of the soccer field where we were today and the pizzeria where we come to use the free wi-fi.

Sunday

We have to walk a couple blocks to a pizzeria to get wi-fi so there will be sporadic updates... We have been in worship and teaching for the first part of the day and the rest will be team planning, and worship again later tonight. Tomorrow starts our outreach at the women's home, orphanage, and soccer tournament, so please be in prayer for these. The picture is from a dance lesson Greg, Abi, and Hannah taught us today!

Sunday Worship

We are finally here in Ruda Slaska with every team having arrived safely ~ there were only a few close calls with ticket reservations and 2 lost suitcases. With roughly 70 of us here, we are sleeping and showering at a local school. The teams are compiled from 12 countries: United States, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Poland, Korea, England, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, France and Hungary! Here's a few pics from this morning's worship time.

On our Way!!

We've made it to DC and are in the middle of our first of two 5 hour layovers. We should be in Poland by 1:30 PM Saturday (6:30 AM Birmingham time). Please continue to pray for our safe travels and that all our luggage would make it.

And the fun begins. Super seriousness.

Rock n' Roll time

SVCC send off

Today was our last Sunday at church before we leave for Poland. Our church family prayed us out :) Sweet times!

Prayer Request

The 10-day forecast is predicting rain in Katowice on Saturday and Sunday (can't see after that...).  PLEASE PRAY that we will get a break from the rain so the teams can play soccer Monday - Friday.  We leave a week from today!  Can't wait!!

Team Bio: Jason Adam

Hey guys,


My name is Jason Adam.  I will be making the trip to Poland.  I am a member of Rivertree Church in Huntsville, AL.  I am married to a wonderful super dupe supportive woman - Jessica.  Her age is....err...(I guess I should move on to the next topic) :)  We have 2 beautiful children: Kayla (6), Noah (4).  I am 32 years old and this will be my first international mission trip.  My wife and I are originally from North Dakota.  We have been down south almost 10 years.  I am an aerospace engineer with NASA.  I work at the Marshall Space Flight Center.  I enjoy carpentry, grilling all kinds of things, football (Go Minnesota Vikings!!) and homebrewing craft beer.   This team seems like a really great bunch of people and I am super excited for our trip!!


For more about me just look me up on Facebook under Jason Adam

Fundraising at the Farmer's Market

The Birmingham team has been raising funds for our trip at the weekly West Homewood Farmer's market, held every Saturday from 8-12 at Shades Valley Community Church (www.shadesvalley.org). We have shirts, jewelry, arts, bags and other hand crafted goods! We would love to see everyone come out!

Team Bio: Johanna Frack

Hey everyone! 

I'm Johanna Frack and I have blue eyes.  I am 19 years old and this year (when I turn 20) my birthday is on Thanksgiving day! I'm very outgoing and most of my friends think I am crazy (a very well founded conclusion about me).  I am very talkative.  I love to be silly and to encourage others around me.  I also like learning things because I am a nerd.  Currently, I am teaching myself how to play the guitar (I already can play the clarinet).  Also, I like to be very active.  I used to be a ballerina, a crew member, a gymnast, and a hockey player (unfortunately I am not good at mainstream sports, like soccer).  A warning to those who will spend any time around me:  I seem to be accident prone.  I tend to find ways to injure myself and embarass myself.  Feel free to laugh heartily when those moments happen.

I've been going to Rivertree since the summer of 2007, which is when my family moved to Huntsville, AL from Virgina Beach, VA.  I've been a Christian since I was a young girl.  I've grown up in a family of believers who are continually seeking the Lord, which I appreciate greatly. My parents have taught me how to search for God constantly and to seek answers to my questions. (thanks mom and dad!)  Oh, and I have two brothers and two dogs.

Right now, I am a student at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington (I just finished my first year!).  I'm studying to be nurse, but I am not sure what type of nurse just yet.  I do know that I want to be a light for God wherever I go in life.  Hopefully, one day God will call me to be a missionary and I can use the skills I learn in the mission field.

I haven't been on alot of mission trips, only the ones that my youth group were involved with.  This will be my first international mission trip!  But it isn't my first time out of the country. My dad has been in the Navy since before I was born, so we moved around alot.  I have lived on both sides of the United States and also in Italy.  And because my mother is a German citizen, we often go to Germany and France to visit relatives. Also, I have two citizenships:  USA and Germany.  I think that's pretty cool.

I am so excited for this trip and to do God's work! It's going to be amazing and a memory I will keep forever!

(Here's a picture of me! I'm blue like a smurf!)

Team Bio: Emily Flack

Hi! I'm Emily Flack. I've been a part of the Shades Valley family somewhere around 6 years by the doings of my neighbors who invited me shortly after I moved to Birmingham from Colorado. I'm a bit shy and it's taken me awhile to really get connected. With that said, I'm super excited to finally be doing something like this with SVCC and the crazy folks that are participating. This will be my first overseas mission trip and already I've learned so so so much about God's faithfulness. And we haven't even left yet!

I LOVE: road trips, excessive photo taking, experimental cooking and adventures that have no patience for safety.

I can't wait to get to know our Poland team better and to see what amazing things God has in store for us and the people we encounter while traveling.

TEAM BIO - Blake Rymer

Hello World!
I realized the other day that I had done 23 short term mission trips since returning to the US in 2000 from 2 years full time on the mission field in Budapest, Hungary. I guess those 2 years were very significant for me and for my family. Leading this team is a special privilege for me. Not only do we have some awesome team members who aren't part of my family, but three of them are family - one daughter Meg and two sons-in-law, Jeff and Josh!!

I'm married to Sandra, a woman who is devoted to God, to me and her family. We have three daughters who are married to fine men and 7 wonderful grand kids. All our kids are mission minded. One of them serves with her family in Poland. I love music, golf, walks, writing, chocolate, red wines, visiting the grand cities of the world, Alabama football, spending time with family and good friends, and telling folks about the scandalous love that Father has for them. For me to live in Christ!

First Team Meeting

Recently, both the Huntsville team and Birmingham team met for our first official group meeting! We met up at the Cullman County Public Library in Cullman - which was comical considering the size of our team and the size (or lack of) their library! But all was well albeit louder than they would probably prefer. We conducted some research on the economical, political, historical and topographical (!) data of Poland and shared our results with the group. We learned a little about the Solidarity movement which started in Poland and began the decline of communism in Europe and the role that the church had to play in that movement. Poland has a very rich and interesting (and long) history. We were also blessed to have Erin Skrobarczyk present at our group meeting to give some personal experience with the people and culture of Poland.

After our library meeting, we moved over to the famous All Steak restaurant in Cullman to continue getting to know one another and eat dinner. Thankfully, we had our own meeting room where we did "Speed-Friending", prayer time and worship. The Lord gave us some really awesome ideas for ministry in Poland during our prayer time which we are working to develop before we go. Our waiter was awesome and even said he wished he had time to hang out and worship with us - hopefully a taste of the response we'll get in Poland, too! All in all it was a great meeting with good results - one of which David Wolnski put pretty well the Sunday after - "Now I'm stoked to go to Poland!"

Thank you to those who have already been praying for us during our team prep time - God is really showing up in huge ways. A few people have already received all of their necessary support, there have been a couple of big donations to the team fund, AND we've gotten some awesome ideas for our time there. Please continue praying that support will roll in (MORE than enough so we can flesh out some of the ideas we have for ministry), protection from the enemy against anxiety over funds and feeling overwhelmed, our upcoming fundraisers, team building and coordinating team meetings, and that the Lord would continue to show us what he wants us to do while we're there.

Thank you!

Our team at the Cullman Library

At All Steak:  Jeff Stalcup, AJ Wolnski and David Wolnski

Anna Gamble, Ben Gamble, Kim Bevel, and Daniel Frack

Erin Skrobarczyk, Blake Rymer, Meg McClung, Josh McClung and Emily Flack

Team Bio: Jeff Stalcup

Hello everyone, my name is Jeff and I am a part of the Birmingham, Shades Valley team. I have a beautiful wife named Parke and five awesome boys ranging in age from 6 to 13. Erin Skrobarczyk and Meg
Mcclung are my sisters-in-law and Blake Rymer is my father-in-law, so there's my connection to Poland. I work at Hillcrest Behavioral Health as a mental health tech on the child unit. I love working with kids and can't wait to share the Father's heart in Poland.

My favorite pastimes are football (American) and baseball. I enjoy hiking, camping, swimming, disc golf, and playing basketball... all of these with my boys. Music is a big part of my life, as well as prayer. I am involved with intercessory prayer at Shades Valley and feel that this is one of the things the Lord has called me into. I look forward to seeing how the Lord uses intercessory prayer in Poland.

I am excited about this opportunity to be the Lords "hands and feet", and look forward to meeting and getting to know the rest of you.

God bless.

Anna and Ben's Bio

Ben and Anna got married June 18th of 2011.  They are very excited about this opportunity to serve others and share the word of God with the people of Poland.  Anna has been to India on a short-term mission trip and Ben went to Poland with the Rivertree team back in 2009.  God is Great!

In His Name

Love,

Ben and Anna

Team Bios: A.J. Wolnski

Hey everyone -

My name is A.J. Wolnski.  My son David and I will be making the trip to Poland this year for the first time.  In fact I am 50 years old and this will be my first mission trip out of the country!  I live in Birmingham, Alabama with my awesomely spectacular wife Grace and our 8 children.  I have been running my own small business for about 18 years.  I like to build things, fix things, and take things apart.  I enjoy backpacking, mountain biking, working on computers, detailing cars, playing with my kids and collecting antique beer cans.  I also really enjoy playing guitar and mandolin.  I'm really looking forward to our time in Poland.

For more about me just look me up on Facebook under A.J. Wolnski.

See you in Poland!

New Team Member

Since we first posted the names we've added a team member - Daniel Frack. He's a graduating senior from Grissom High School.

Current Prayer Requests

As we continue preparing for our work in Poland we would greatly appreciate your prayers for the following

• Grace and wisdom for Greg Skrobarczyk and others who are already in Poland planning our work
• The timely arrival of funds for plane tickets for everyone on our team
• The preparation of our hearts for service
• Revelation and wisdom for each of our team members
• Protection from the undermining of our work while we are there

Thank you!  We are so grateful for your willingness to support us in prayer.

Team Bios: Josh McClung

Hey Everyone! My name is Josh and I am married to my lovely wife Meg who is also going on the trip. I grew up in Homewood, Alabama and began going to the Shades Valley Community Church youth group when I was around 13 years old. I went to Auburn after graduating high school and studied industrial engineering. Me and Meg got married just before my senior year and once I graduated college we moved back to Birmingham (Leeds) where we have lived for the past five years. However we recently put our house up for sale and we hope to move closer to church/work/friends soon. I work for southern company at the Alabama power building downtown where I am an Engineer in the Market Strategies group. I enjoy hanging out with friends, swimming, running, playing soccer, and traveling. I'm really looking forward to this trip and seeing old friends and meeting new ones in Poland!