August 2015
“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.”
Psalm 36:5
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from the sizzling hot temperatures of Poland! Last week was our Summer VBS (Vacation Bible School) and it was the hottest week of the summer! We start off VBS each day with several lawn games that the kids play (and then they get tickets to trade in for stuffed animals). During that time one day, some of the staff noticed a cloud hovering above us blocking out the intense rays of the sun. More than one person commented about how it reminded them of the Bible verses such as Isaiah 4:5 “Then the LORD will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there”. This is an illustration of Christ Himself who is our shelter and protection from the scorching heat of the sun (in what felt like for us) a desert. What an encouragement that was for us to know that He was present with us during this time and that His grace and faithfulness would in fact be with us throughout the week!
VBS was a wonderful and encouraging time for us as a Church to see 40 helpers, from young to old, be a part of serving and ministering in a variety of ways to the children that the Lord brought to us. Older people are often told to stay home during such hot days but that did not stop them from coming and being a part of what the Lord was doing in the hearts and minds of these dear children. We are so thankful for some very uniquely talented leaders who were able to share the love of Jesus in such creative ways. Pastor Tomek using his ‘God’s Lab’ and lots of fun experiments , along with teaching opportunities from others, including drama, scripture memorization and the puppet theatre helped to give the children a variety of opportunities that kept the kids focused and teachable to spiritual things. [A special thank you to our Facebook friends who prayed throughout the week for these children. If you are on Facebook be sure to join ‘Hearts for Elim’ which shares some of the ministries that are going on throughout the year in the church and/or mission.]
We were once again blessed with the opportunity to be able to take part in the towns summer festival parade that is held each year. These festivals are held in towns all throughout Poland and are very well attended. We were the only Church that was invited to be a part of the parade (which we consider an honor) and since it was relatively close in time to VBS, it was a great opportunity for us to be able to use flyers to invite the children watching the parade to VBS. It is also another great opportunity for our church members to be part of something outside the church where they are able to be a part of evangelism and sharing Jesus with those who so desperately need Him
Another exciting ministry opportunity we had was with a Christian Rap group that was very well received by our local community. This past Spring our church sponsored this group to come and share their music and testimonies at 3 of our public schools as well as at the Children’s Home. The group calls themselves ‘Anti Mine’ (learning how to live your life when it resembles a mine field) and the youth loved them. They shared testimonies about alcohol and drugs…and how the Lord delivered them from these things. The teachers were very pleased with the message and the youth posted their videos of the group all over face book.
Something that made it evident that the Blessings were continuing to flow…even months later was when this same Christian Rap Group was sponsored to come once again, but this time to perform on stage during the Summer Festival. Even though the group performed later than they were scheduled, many of the youth who heard them at their H.S. showed up at the performance (and waited the extra time) to be able to hear them once again! This is very exciting for us to be able to see that the Lord is doing a work in our community that only He can do!
Thank you for taking the time to read about what the Lord has been doing here in Poland! We appreciate your Hearts For Elim, your love , prayers and support that allows us to minister more effectively to those who the Lord brings to us!
The Staff of Elim Christian Mission and Betel Church
Prayer and Praise:
-Gosia Kulanica has been traveling one weekend a month to take classes in Warsaw, Poland for the past 1 ½ years. This is part of a requirement by the government to have someone in our Church certified to be able to teach religion in the church (Sunday school and children’s programs). One of the added blessings that comes from her studies is that she is now also certified to be able to teach evangelical religion classes in the public schools as well. It is exciting to see and hear Gosia’s love and passion for teaching and we also look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for her in the years to come.
-We are so thankful for Gosia Zdunska and Anna Cook who have been serving here at the mission throughout the summer. Please pray for Gosia (who is from our area) as she seeks the Lord’s wisdom for His will in the coming months. We appreciate Anna (from Australia) that she included us in her travels (for an extended stay) and served with us in a variety of ways. Both of these ladies were an answer to prayer for the mission and were very much appreciated.
-Robert and Aneta have been on furlough this past summer down in Southern Italy. They were blessed to find another mission there that allowed them to stay there and have this time for rest with their family.
-Please continue to pray for Marian and Malgosia with health issues they have. Please pray also for their family that the Lord would touch them in a very special way.
– Lidka would appreciate your prayers for her eyes and one of her hands. Both of these areas are causing her health problems. Also please pray that the Lord would be working in the life of one of her son’s.
– We would appreciate your prayers for the children who came to the VBS (as well as all of the youth that heard the testimonies from the Christian Rap Group). Please pray for any seeds that were planted…that they would be able to take hold in good soil…and that there would be more opportunities for the seeds to be watered and one day produce fruit.
-We are so thankful for our dear Dutch friends who have blessed the mission with a new dishwasher and stove/oven (as well as other appliances). These are such special gifts to the mission as they allow us to minister through meals for the less fortunate much more effectively!
-We mentioned the results in our last Newsletter of a Fire Inspection that was done by The Head leaders of the Heritage Commission, the Fire Department, and Building Authority did an inspection of the Mission property. We are thankful for those who have given toward this fire alarm system need…and would appreciate your prayers that the Lord would continue to provide so that this important need can be taken care of.
