God said "Poland...TCK's & Me"

Changing...

2010-08-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

So...Blogger has been really hard to use and work with for a while. Thus the lack of posting. I am now blogging at naomidevault.wordpress.com join me there.

In Training

2010-02-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

Have you ever done any kind of training?

I really haven't but I feel as though I am. I have decided to drink at least 6 8oz. glasses of water a day. Oh, thats easy you say. Well, I have been at it for a week and sill cannot get six in. I get to about 5.5 and think, "If I put any more water in me, I think I will float away." I feel as though I am in training for drinking water. I am hoing that by the end of this week I will be able to make it t six glasses at least one day and then more will follow.

So all you out there in training, I (kinda) feel your pain about trying to reach that goal!

Self Portraits

2010-02-13T02:02:00.000-08:00

We madeSelf Portraits one day after school, here is how they turned out!

Language

2010-01-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share a story with all.

I have been learning Polish Sign Language for about two months now. I love the language and learning more Polish. I have wanted to talk to some deaf for a few days, just to use what I know. Well last night I was on my way to meet with Ula, she teaches me sign language, and I got my chance! I was walking to the bus stop and there were three deaf having a very heated discussion. I thought this is not the time; I don’t want to get in the middle of something. So I continued walking. Then, the two deaf ladies got on the same bus as I did. I worked up the courage and started signing to them. They signed back to me and said that for knowing very little sign I did very well. I did not know everything they were saying, but we still had a very nice ten minute conversation. I was so thrilled and so was Ula when I told her. It was great to be able to use what I have been learning!

Traveling...oh the joys!

2010-01-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is a story about traveling home from Vacation…This is what I needed a vacation from:

I left my hotel in Paris, France on January 1 at about 615 a.m. I arrive just in time to catch the airport shuttle bus that picks up in downtown Paris (a 20 min trip turned in to 45 because of the New Years). I make it to the airport, to be told I was dropped off in the wrong terminal and would need to walk underground to the correct one. All in all this was easy. At the correct terminal, I found the check in spot and waited in 3 lines finally finding the correct line. Really any would have worked, but because I had pre-checked in, I needed to be in a special line. So I get my bags checked, board the plane, have an exit row to myself, and have a great flight.

We land in Warsaw on time; I find the city bus to the train station where buses going to Olsztyn should be waiting. But wait...where are the buses? They are nowhere to be found due to the holiday. I call a coworker to find out about a train and my minutes on my cell phone run out…she calls back. I get lucky and find the English speaker at the ticket counter, buy a ticket, and head to find food. After and very long lunch in the open mall food court, I head back to the train station where I find the platform for the Olsztyn bound train, and wait. But there are not many people so I ask if this was correct (in Polish), told yes, and then received help from the lady all the way home. Sound great right?

Well the bus is 3 hours, train 4, but mine was 6. We made it one stop (about 10-15 minutes) and then waited. Come to find out the conductor was in no condition to be driving the train, let alone doing anything else. So we were to get a new conductor in about 30 minutes. Then about one hour into our wait (much longer than we thought) we would be changing trains to the next train in about an hour. So we sat for 2 hours waiting to go.

When we finally get moving, we make every other stop with ease and 4 hours later I am home. YEAH! The best thing was I was in a compartment of English speakers who were very interested in who I was, what I did, and how I taught so many grades. I enjoyed the end of the trip even though the beginning was very interesting, to say the least.

Our Year thus far!

2009-12-15T07:26:00.000-08:00

What we have learned:

We know how to spell, add, subtract, multiply, divide, check our math problems, (3rd, 4th, 6th grades) Algebra (9th grade) reduce fractions (6th , 9th grades), write a narrative (6th), write correct sentences (3rd, 4th, 6th), tell action verbs from state of being verbs and list them (4th), we have learned story problems (3rd), how to read faster and better (all), how to sound out long words that don’t follow the rules (1st, 3rd), how to pick out fun books to read (1st), all about taking good care of our bodies; both physical and spiritual (3rd, 4th), Hebrews 11:1-22 (23-40 coming soon) (3rd, 4th, 6th), from the beginning of time to old Kingdom Egypt (9th grade), from Christopher Columbus to the war of 1812 (US History) (3rd -4th grades), all about Canada and the Eastern United States (Western Hemisphere History)(6th grade), Insects, plants, trees, invertebrates (3rd, 4th, 6th), capitalization and punctuation rules (3rd), how to write a report (4th), when to use C and K (1st grade) singular vs. plural (3rd), Proofreading marks (4th, 6th, 9th), Biology (9th), Cursive (they have learned to write so nicely) (3rd, 4th, 6th), how to get along (all), how to study (all), how to draw dogs and lizards (3rd, 4th, 6th) that singing and dancing is okay and fun (3rd, 4th), how to play Clue (a favorite) (3rd, 4th, 6th), that by thinking we cannot, means we won’t (all), that it is okay to be wrong and get corrected (all), it may take time to memorize math facts and Bible verses (all), all we can do is our best, and that is not always 100’s (all), God loves us no matter out grades (all), that Miss Naomi needs to know when something is wrong (all), Homework is not all bad (sometime we color) (all), that practice makes perfect so we keep practicing (all, esp. 1st), special sounds in reading (1st), Polish (all), to love school and learning, (all), to take care of each other (all), that we may not always agree, but we always love (all), not to laugh at Miss Naomi’s drawing (all), that the drawings, though funny, help us learn (all), not to laugh at other students (all), not to criticize (all), that Poland does not have bugs to find after a good freeze (3rd, 4th), not everybody likes the same things (all), and above all that learning is FUN (all)!

WOW! We have learned a lot this year. I cannot wait until next semester when we can learn even more. I am so proud of all my students and love seeing them daily!

My week in a "nut shell"

2009-10-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

It has been an extremely busy but wonderful week. I began the week with a normal day of school, which we had school all five day along with all the other fun things we did. After school on Monday I went with the roomies to a friend’s house for dinner. We had a blast talking and just spending time together. On Tuesday, we hosted the first Alfa group. The first meeting we were able to sit in on and it was wonderful. There were two young ladies in attendance and they will be back again. We are praying that more will attend and want to know more about the Bible. This is an informational “Bible Study” for non-believers. Their opinions are heard and then discussed along with a 45 minute video about the topic for the evening. On Wednesday we had Team Meeting and it was just a wonderful day in all. (Days like that are wonderful!) On Thursday we had the first International Coffee House which was wonderful. We had a local artist who plays on the street play and he was great. He is going to the University and plays on the street to make a living. He was hilarious and had the audience rolling with laughter. Next week there will be a blind man playing and singing for entertainment. We hope there will be a big crowd for this. We had a wonderful turnout and only hope and pray for those to come back and for more to attend. Then on Friday, last night, I had Polish Sign Language Lessons. This was so much fun. I was able to learn some words in PSL and work on my spoken Polish too. I had a wonderful time getting to know the lady, Ula, and learning a language I love! She was able to learn some ASL from me, but mainly I was doing the learning and her teaching. It was a wonderful week even with all that was going on.

What a month...

2009-10-25T10:35:00.002-07:00

Wow what a month it has been. We moved into our new apartment on October 1, 2009. The apartment is wonderful and has plenty of room for all three of us. We have been settling in and learning how each other works and operates. On Tuesday we begin an ALFA group in our apartment. We are just the hosting house and provide light snacks. I am extremely excited about this because in each group new believers are born. ALFA is a Bible Study for non believers. It runs for 11 weeks and will be from 6:00p until they are done. Each week there is a video on the topic of the night and discussion. There is a wide range of topics covered from: Who is Jesus?, Who is the Holy Spirit?, and What is Sin? On Thursday, we are kicking off the New International Coffee House. We were meeting in a coffee shop above a book store, but with the coffee shop closing early and having “entertainment” weekly on Thursday’s it became very hard to hold conversations. For the past month we have been meeting in a different coffee shop which is open later and has no live entertainment. This has been going great and new people have been showing up to talk. We market it as FREE English conversation. We sit for three hours and have English conversation with whoever shows up. Many want to know when they will have to pay and we continue to tell them, never. Beginning this Thursday we are moving yet again. This time we will be meeting in a conference room in a hotel. The room will be set how we want it and then cleaned up for us. This is nice because we are not confined by how the coffee shop has their space set. Also, we are able to bring in our own entertainment. We are getting local artist to come in and play, sing, show there art, etc. and then from their have topics for discussion. We do not want to preach from the microphone or from the table, but our job is to keep the conversation going and draw it to God and who He is. We then are hoping to then have contacts to meet outside of coffee house where we can then have a deeper Spiritual conversation.

Kiddos

2009-10-25T10:35:00.001-07:00

Kid’s night was a blast! I had the kiddos over for a Kid’s Night out on Saturday. What a blast we had. The kiddos made their own pizza, had popcorn, and made and ate their own Ice Cream Sunday’s. The Sunday’s were gone very fast and I was told they were wonderful. Most of the kiddos were baffled at why they could not have any more ice cream once they were done. The best part of the evening was the Music Video we made. My new roomie, Ashley, filmed and cut the video while the kiddos were playing, making their food, and watching Charlie Brown. Go to the Northeast Poland link to view the video. Know the kiddos had a blast and we look forward to more videos soon!

Outside of my box...

2009-10-25T10:33:00.001-07:00

I took American Sign Language (ASL) in college as a language. I love signing and watching others sign. I have wanted to learn Polish Sign Language (PSL) and then use it to reach the deaf here. I kind of gave up the idea once school started because nothing had happened and I figured I would be too busy to work with them. Well after thinking about it and talking with those here, I thought maybe I should “take a dare on God” and find the lady at church who signs in Polish. I found her this morning! (With a little help :)) Because I speak very little Polish I signed to her. She was very impressed with me and in the fact she understood everything I had said, even though it was in ASL not PSL. It turns out she speaks some English too, and want to learn ASL. We are going to try to meet this next week and begin teaching each other the Sign Language we know. I am very excited, and a little nervous, about where this can and will go. I am hoping to be a light to the deaf here, who are rarely seen but there, and who might have been turned away from the Catholic Church and open to the True God and His love!

Here we go again...YEAH!

2009-09-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

IT’S SCHOOL TIME AGAIN!
I began my third week of school today. I currently have two girls in my classroom, both of whom are nine. I teach 3rd and 4th grades and love it. It is always said “you never stop learning” and I have to say it is true. When you teach you learn a lot more then you ever thought you would and I love every minute of learning new things. I don’t think I would be a very successful teacher if I did not love learning. I am looking forward to learning more as the year goes on.
I teach a wide range of subjects which include: Math, Reading, Language, History, Health, and Penmanship. In about 5 weeks we will be done with Health and begin working on Science. I had forgotten how much we learned in the 3rd and 4th grades. It is funny how for granted I take those things I know.
In October I will gain a 6th grader and a 9th grader and then in January my other 4th grader will be back from the States. I am looking forward to having a full class and to my continued learning.

August Newsletter!

2009-08-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

GOD SAID, “POLAND, MK’S, AND ME”

Would you love my people group as Jesus loves them?

As the summer comes to the end, my days become more scheduled and fun. School begins on September 1, and we are all excited. I start school with three children and will gain the other three as the year continues. I am looking forward to having a full classroom. I have been diligently working on planning out the lessons and class schedule so the students are able to learn all they need to and in the best possible way. I knew teaching was a year around job, but I now understand why summers are looked forward by teachers. Please continue to pray for me as I continue to plan lessons and then begin the school year.
I had my last language lesson two weeks ago and have mixed feelings about this. Please pray that I will be able to expand my language on my own and be able to communicate with those around me.
I still have not been in contact with any deaf Polish people. I tend to see the deaf when I am riding the bus and cannot get to them. I would enjoy working with them and being a light to them. Please pray that an opportunity would come and I would be able to communicate with the deaf.
Other than lesson planning and language this past month, I had the pleasure of hosting my parents and grandfather in Poland. They came for vacation and we spent a wonderful nine days together. My parents loved seeing where and how I live here in Poland.

Thank you again for your prayers and support,
Naomi DeVault, Olsztyn Poland

Seeing the Family!

2009-08-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

I want to start by saying I don’t spend all my free time traveling around. I did, though, just get back from vacation with my parents and grandfather. On August 1, they spent 15 hours in a plane/airport to see me. We met in Budapest, Hungry, where we took a seven day river cruise up the Danube River. It was wonderful and relaxing. I loved seeing m parents and being able to see my grandfather. He is 87 years old and full of stories, I love it! We saw several cities and way too many Cathedrals, but it was worth it. The best part of the cruise was cruising during the day and being able to sit and see the country side. When the cruise was done we all came back to Poland, where my family got to see where I live and work. The four of us stayed in my little apartment and had a wonderful time with the “closeness”. They are somewhere over the Atlantic ocean now about half way through their 16 hour flight home, what troopers they are! I did not take a lot of pictures because my camera eats the batteries, so once I have gone through the 750 my dad took and left me I will put some up.
Other than that my summer has been good. I have spent most of my time, unless I am traveling, working on lesson plans. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and the tunnel should end in the next day or two. YEAH! School starts on September 1st and that is coming up very soon. I and very excited about the start of school and the fun we will have.
Other than that, not much is going on. We are still looking for a new and bigger place for us to live, still in town just in another part, so all the JM can live together (3 girls). And I am just waiting on school to start. Thanks for everything!

Welcome to Vacation!

2009-07-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long, but there has been so much to do these past few weeks. I had a wonderful time on my vacation in June. I was able to take a four day cruise with my roommate. We cruised around the Greek Isles. We stopped at four islands and even had a stop in Turkey. My favorite island was Mykonos and Santorini. I really just liked being able to HIKE up to the summit of the active Volcano that makes up the islands of Santorini. Mykonos was the picturesque spot for Greece. They had the white washed walls and blue roof and shutters. It was beautiful. The other islands had this too but they were nothing like Mykonos. My other favorite spot was Turkey. My roommate and I decided to do the tour of Ephesus while we were there. We went on a three hour tour of the ancient city and loved every minute. I loved how they were able to uncover so much and do their best to reconstruct a lot of the old city. Once the tour was done our guide took us to a Turkish Rug shop where we were shown how the rugs are handmade from the silk worms all the way to the finished product. We were given the chance to buy, which I declined due to the price. They were absolutely gorgeous though. The next week we hung around Greece and meet up with several friends. It was a blast. In Athens we were able to see all the sights and take loads of pictures. I love looking at the old ruins and learning as much about the history as I can. On our way home we had a nine (I know) hour layover in Zurich, Switzerland. Here we decided to go see the waterfall instead of hanging around the airport all day. The waterfall was cool to see but definitely not worth all the money. We had a wonderful trip seeing different places.

So that took up most of June, and now we have entered into July. I have started taking Polish Language lessons full time. My teacher says I am doing wonderful but there are times I feel as though I know nothing at all. I am slow when it comes to learning a language so I just keep with it. I did get the chance to “talk” with a Polish Deaf person the other day. I “spoke” in American Sign Language (ASL) and her in Polish Sign Language (PSL), but we were understood. She had gotten soaked by a car splashing water from a rain puddle and was wondering if a certain bus had come yet. I was able to tell her the bus had not come and that I was sorry. She continued to “speak” and I just stood in amazement at her. I love signing and really want to continue to learn how. Other than language I have been busy getting ready for the upcoming school year. I will have fewer students to begin with and then add as the year goes on. I start with a 3rd and 4th full time and a 1st part time (he’s in public school too). I then gain a 6th grader in October and my second 4th grader comes back in January. It has been a lot of fun looking through and preparing their lessons that I am ready to start.
Anyways, check out the photos below of my vacation in June…I recommend everyone go it was a blast! (I don’t like uploading photo so they are in no particular order without any captions; just enjoy the views, and sorry but they are from the end of the trip to the beginning.)

Photos of Vacation...

2009-07-14T09:48:00.001-07:00

Check it out...

2009-06-09T11:01:00.002-07:00

I just uploaded a ton of pictures on the TNEP blog, go check them out...(link on the left hand side of the page.)

May's monthly update...

2009-06-09T11:01:00.001-07:00

GOD SAID, “POLAND, MK’S, AND ME”

Would you love my people group as Jesus loves them?

Welcome Summer, well for school at least. I finished school last Friday and the girls and I are ready for the break. The weather, though, wants us to think we are in the middle of spring with the late afternoon cold rain. Other than that the weather here is very nice. Now that school is done I hope to have some more time working with the team in the city telling others about Christ.
Language is still an on going process. I start going two times this week and then starting in July I will begin going to language three times a week. My teacher teaches at one of the “Middle” school’s here in Olsztyn, and their semester is not over until the end of June. Work in the villages is going great. The kids really enjoy having us out there. The past few weeks we have been focusing on reviewing the language they have learned. They enjoy the games and activities we come prepared to do. Next week will be our last week for the summer, and we will be having American week via the Volunteer team. The coffee shop is winding down for the summer, The beginning of the month we had one person attending and as it has gotten closer to her finals she has stopped coming. I am not sure if we are going to continue to have coffee shop through the summer, but we will if there is interest. We have started a new coffee shop on Monday afternoons out at the university campus. Hopefully more college students will be able to attend the one on campus.
Please be in prayer for the team as we begin our summer. Summers can be a time of little to do or more to do than we can ever get to. We have a Volunteer Team coming next week, who are coming to do village work. Please pray for their travels and for a safe and fun trip while here. The following week my roommate and I are on vacation in the Mediterranean Sea, then we head to Greece for our annual Business Meeting. Once that is done, I will be returning to Olsztyn for the majority of the summer. Please continue to pray for the lost we meet with, that their hearts and minds would be open to hearing what we have to say about Christ. The biggest barrier we have is tradition of the Polish people. Most Poles only do certain things due to tradition and for no other reason. Because of this it is very hard to ‘break’ that and help them to see who Christ truly is. I thank you for you continued prayers and I am truly indebted to you support.

Thank you again for your prayers and support,
Naomi DeVault, Olsztyn Poland

4000 Disrobe!

2009-06-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

My mother sent this to me and I thought I woudl share it with you all...:)

4000 Monks Disrobe!
Wait! It is NOT what you think!!

I heard an incredible story this morning from colleagues in a country that are among the peoples in the South East Asia Affinity Group. It seems that over the past several years that the Gospel message has been finding root among Buddhist monks in a country rife with poverty and political oppression. It is a dark place spiritually and even the “spiritual leaders” have discovered the hopelessness of the Buddha!

Because of outreach and a strategy that employs scripture storying a significant number of these monks have “disrobed” (cast away their robes, walked away from the priesthood, and left Buddhism altogether) and committed their lives to the One who can bring them hope and meaning in such dire circumstances. The total number of monks who have left Buddhism is 4,000. You read it correctly—four thousand!! It has become such a problem in one area that a monastery that served a larger number of monks has closed completely—because there is no one left there who follows Buddha!

Meet the new additions...

2009-06-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Meet Thing 1 and Thing 2! The baby birds have hatched. The hatched about five days ago and the birds are very ugly. I know pidgins are ugly birds but I never thought the baby birds would be as ugly as they are. They are little and yellow. It took about a day for me to actually get a picture of the birds and by then they were both hatched so I got a picture of both. The pictures I have are from yesterday. The funny thing is about the time I took the first picture the mother bird came back and was mad. The only sad part of the baby birds is through the night one did not make it. It made me sad when I looked at them this morning and say that only one lived. The mother has been gone a lot today and I think she was only able to truly take care of one bird. The bird that has been sitting on the nest and is taking care of the bird is not the bird that laid the eggs. We think this bird decided to be even lazier than Bonnie and took Bonnie’s eggs and then “threw” her out of the nest. Anyway the bird that is taking care of the nest is even uglier than Bonnie and the babies are uglier still. Thing 1 is beginning to make some noise and move around, he opened his eyes today. Now we are just hoping by the time we get back from vacation the baby will be out of the nest and we can try to save the raspberry bush the nest is in. Here are the few pictures I took, I hope you enjoy them!

Here they are close up (they have huge eyes and beaks and are curled up together)

Here they are from a distance (you can really see how small they are)

Mad "momma" coming to see what is going on

Food for thought...

2009-05-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

This was given to me and I thought I would share with all...

GOD LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY
A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this."
He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.
"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless.

Check it out...

2009-05-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Go check out our team blog...the link is on the left hand side of the page. Here the whole team will be posting. No I have not yet...but I will too, don't worry. :)

Bonnie, Clyde and ...

2009-05-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

This makes two in one week, wow; I am getting better at this Blog thing…:)

So anyways, my roommate and I were talking about getting ourselves a pet. A cat to be specific, I am a huge do fan and so is she but we wanted a pet and a cat is much easier. So in the mist of all this talk we end up with two small animals we call Bonnie and Clyde. They came to us one day much to our dismay, but we are enjoying watching them in daily life. One goes, the other call to him, and he comes back and the day goes on like this. They are not noisy and they require little can. But they are still fun to watch. So to back up let me start from the beginning.

We live on the fourth floor of an apartment building so no it is not a cat or a dog. Last week there were two pigeons trying to nest in one of our flower boxes. I spent a lot of time shooing them away that morning. Then, much to my dismay, two days later they were back, with TWO twigs and building a nest in a pot on our baloney. The two birds decided that having a nest that was half way done for them was nice. Over the past week the nest has grown, a little. Then yesterday/last night, Bonnie laid her egg. We were so proud of her. We have 15 more days to wait until there is a baby bird in the nest with Bonnie and Clyde. But for now we enjoy taking pictures and watching them interact.

Two pigeons were not the type of pets we were looking for, but in a month we will be cat sitting for six months so I guess we can wait until then to have something soft and “cuddly” in the apartment with us. So here are some pictures of the two new "additions" to our appartment:

Meet Clyde (on the rail)

And Bonnie (in the Pot with the plant)

Meet the egg (we have not named it yet, so it is just the egg for now) mom had gotten up for a minute to move and we ran for the cammera's.

Momma and her baby (She 'saw' movement in the apartment and decided it would be wise to make sure her egg was safe.)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures...as things happen I will take more pictures and keep you updated. Have a blessed day!

Present and Accounted for...

2009-05-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would begin by saying I am sorry for the long span of time between blogs. Thank you to all who check and see if I blog...I know your out there. Also, there are times I am the worst at keeping things like this updated, sorry.
The last time I wrote anything was three months ago...wow. I had only been teaching for three weeks then, and now I only have three weeks to go. We will be finishing up the second and third grade years in three weeks. The girls cannot be more excited. I have loved teaching them and watching them learn and grow. I will begin next year teaching third and fourth grade and eventually gain a sixth grader. I cannot wait. I have always enjoyed teaching and this is definitely why God created me.
Ok...what has been going on in Poland. Besides school {a huge chunk of my time} I have been going to a coffee shop, working in different villages teaching English, learning Polish, and watching the weather change. I am in aw of how creative our God truly is. Having lived most of my life in Florida I know different season: Hot, Hotter, Hottest, and Hurricane. {You all know it’s true} In Poland we truly have four seasons. I arrived in the middle of winter. It was gray, overcast, and snowing. It was nice to see the snow and a different type of weather and season. Then about late-March the weather really stated to change. The snow melted {yeah} and the world began to gain some more color. This was nice because it started to warm up. Now that we have hit May most everything is in full bloom and very colorful. I am loving it. I am looking forward to seeing the next two seasons. I feel like the kid who has never seen snow and is seeing it for the first time with this season changing thing, I love how much detail is put into everything God created.
Something fun and exciting has happened in the past month. The pastors wife at the church I go to had her baby. His name is Peter, and he is a cutie, but the cool thing is I have been able to hold him since he was less than two weeks old. You say so-what I say YEAH! In Poland no one but mom and dad get to hold or touch the baby until they are at least two weeks old. It is a germ phobia thing. Anyways, his second Sunday morning he needed to be watched and I was asked. He is a wonderful baby but he woke up, and I got to hold him. I was told I am trusted with her son and I have watched him several other Sunday mornings. I love my baby time!
Other than that all is going well. I am looking forward to the end of school and summer vacation. I get to begin my vacation in Greece and on a cruise. This I cannot wait to do. I will take pictures and post some and tell you all about it later.
Thanks for all your support as I live God’s word in Poland. :)

I am still alive

2009-02-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Wow has the last month been a whirl wind. I have been teaching for 3 weeks now, started my forth week today actually. I am really enjoying teaching. The girls are great and we have a blast daily. They are a new joy each morning. Because my job is teaching I spend a lot of my time planning how to teach the kiddos all they need to know. I spend the next main part of my weeks studding language. I only have class for two hours a week but I enjoy being able to absorb all I learn in the two hours. It takes me a while to learn a new language so I am happy for the absorption time each week. Other than that I go to the coffee house each week and talk to those who come. The last two weeks in our area of Poland, we have been on winter break so we have not gone out to the villages to work but beginning tomorrow village work will begin again.
I have been going to the church in one of the villages we work in on Tuesdays. I have enjoyed the last few weeks out there. I understand very little of what they are saying, but I am starting to be able to sing along with the songs. The Poles at church love to try to talk to me, but because it is all in Polish we have a language barrier. The man who plays the piano, one neat thing is he is blind, speaks English and we talk after church during coffee and tea. I am hoping my language improves so I will be able to commutate with those at church quickly.
As far as fun times, we had a team Valentine’s Day party on Saturday and we all had a blast. I let the girls make Valentine’s on Friday and you would have thought I gave them gold. They were able to spend about 1.5 hours working and letting their creative juices flow. My favorite line of the day we “Miss Naomi don’t look at my desk” it made me laugh all three times. I gave the kiddos roses and I loved the looks on their faces when they realized they were theirs and no one else’s. The three year old had the best face of plain aw and happiness. We spent time playing games and eating pizza and fruit dipped in chocolate and homemade cookies and cupcakes. All in all it was a great evening.
I am staying warm…well as warm as possible. It SNOWED yesterday while we were at church and I really did not have on the clothes and shoes needed for that amount of snow. I was fine as long as I was inside or in the car, but outside I was cold. The sun was out until we were about half way to church (a 30 minute ride or so), and then it basically snowed for the rest of the day. Today the sun was out again, which was such a blessing, and I was able to spend some much needed time out in it. It has started to stay light longer, it used to be dark by 3:45 but it is 4:15 and still light out right now. I love to sun and am very glad it is staying light out longer. I can do without the sun at 6:30 but all will be good. At least I know I am up when I need to be up. Life in Poland is becoming easier and more routine, it can still use a little work but it is getting there. God is using this time to help me to rely more and more on Him and I quit enjoy our time together. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Here at last

2009-01-19T02:24:00.001-08:00

I have been in Poland now for eleven days and all is going great. I start school on Wednesday thus lesson planning is taking up most of my time. Good thing I love what I do, right. I will be teaching for about 4.5 hours a day, actually it is about 4 hours and 15 minutes. I only have three kids so that should be no problem. There are really seven kids on the team in all and they are all great and I am enjoying getting to know each and everyone of them. Other than school I will be working in the villages on Tuesday and going to a Coffee Conversation Connor (3C) with my roommate on Thursdays.
In the villages we work with groups of children teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). We are doing a program called Hero’s of the Bible to teach them two things at once. Bailey, my roommate, says it is going well and the kids really enjoy learning and doing the crafts. I will go and help out and maybe be able to work on a little Polish while I am there.
At 3C we go and just talk to those who come, in English. It is a great way for us to get to know Nationals and plant the seeds and open doors for them to know and understand who Christ is and why He lived on the earth. Last week no one showed up, but it snowed all day and we think the weather played a part in that.
I begin language classes on Friday. I only go for two hours a week for now because of school. Planning and teaching take most of my time, so language is worked into my schedule. I am glad it is on Friday because there is no school prep for Saturday. I will have homework in Language which will help me learn better and hopefully Bailey will be able to help me out as well as talking to nationals.
As far as how I am doing, I am great. I have not been too cold or to hot {:-)}. I have a wonderful pair of boots and a wonderful coat that keep me worm outside, and wonderful neighbors, who run their heat, which keep me warm inside. I turned the heat on the first night and go hot and it has been off since, actually we have to open a window at times. I am learning how to grocery shop and cook again because everything is different. I am learning where the stores are and what stores you go to, to find certain items. I have been riding the bus alone and it is not that bad as long as you know what time the bus comes and what stop to get off at. Then you have to walk to the destination, easy as pie. I am adjusting well to being here and not knowing anything and I know with time and God it will all become that much easier. I know God is always there and He will see me through anything. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Happy New Year (Merry CHRISTmas)

2008-12-31T08:37:00.001-08:00

Well its official, I have nine days left until I leave for Poland. I am not packed and I am slightly stressed out about that. But I am not going to worry about it because it will get all done; I have nine days to do it in. Christmas was wonderful; I spent the day with my family opening gifts and enjoying their time. We had a nice relaxing day and had more food than I thought one could have. {We are still eating leftovers :) } We did something new this year, and it was great, we each gave Jesus a birthday present. It is after all His birthday we are celebrating. This gift could be anything we wanted it to be but it had to be something we were giving to Jesus. I loved this gift-giving time.
After Christmas life has been a little crazy, but enjoyable. I have spent several days with friends and those I “babysit”, I had a “farewell” party, and both sets of grandparents are at the house. We are going to have a wonderful time here for the next few days. There are seven adults and three dogs in a four bedroom house. We plan to use all the sleeping space and then some and have a blast doing it.
I greatly look forward to the next nine days spending it with friends and family. The trick will be getting packed, finishing my to-do-list, and spending the needed time with all those who love me.

Almost Done....

2008-12-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

So we only have four more days of training left. There is one weekend left and my family will be here on Tuesday. It has all gone by so very fast and I am not ready to leave. I am so ready to get to the field and begin working but I am not ready to leave the relationships I have built here. They tell us we will see everyone again and we will stay in contact, but that is not the same and living with them. Its like summers in college, you don't talk for two months and then when you see each other again, it's like you never left each other. I have learned so much, but I feel as though there is so much more I need to know.
These last two weeks have been long and hard. We had a week of 8-5 classes with little breaks, and this week has been hard because it is the last full week. Last week we spent three days with our region talking about matters which just pertain to us. This was nice. I liked spending time with those I will be working with and finding out what will happen in Europe. One of the best times was the day the ladies went to the Cheesecake Factory. I have never eaten there before, and oh, it was WONDERFUL. I would recommend it to anyone. (But go at lunch because it is a lot cheaper then.) The rest of the week was spent being trained in how to handle the "Bad Guy". We had security training. It was a great three days and I learned a lot. We had a few laughs and several AHHH moments. But all in all it was a great training. I don't think they should send anyone to the field without this training.
As far as the rest of the week, we have one more day and then the weekend. On Saturday we are cooking in the dorm for dinner instead of eating in the Caff. I am so excited. We are having baked spaghetti, bread, salad, and Oreo Balls for desert. YUM.
Like I said my family will be here on Tuesday and then we are commissioned on Wednesday, and then we leave Thursday. Then it's Christmas, New Years, and then off to Poland. YEAH! I am so excited.

Metro

2008-11-30T10:33:00.001-08:00

So I survived riding the Metro in Washington DC. I actually enjoyed riding the train, I think I might like that better than an car because of my stomach. But it was a blast. I went to the Catholic Basilica, which was very sad. Here there were beautiful colorful mosaic of Jesus death and of Mary. Most were of Mary holding Jesus, or just Mary. Mary is a very important person because without her Jesus would not of been born, but she is just His mother, nothing else. The Catholics believe that you get to Jesus through Mary. There was an alter that portrayed this "To Jesus through Mary". There were a few good things pictures. There was Jesus off the cross at the back of the church, He looked mean, but He was off the cross. The only problem was that Mary was right in front of Him. My favorite mosaic was of Jesus coming out of the tomb. What a BRIDGE to the Catholic people.

The rest of the day was spent eating Polish food and talking to people in Union Station. I was able to tell several people about Jesus and give them directions to a Church in the area. A few people I spoke to were Christians but did not know where to go to church so they were very thankful for the directions to the Church. On man I spoke to was a Muslim and he wanted to talk to me and listen to what I had to say until some of his friends came into his store. I gave him a track and the number to the church so hopefully he would read the track and contact the church for more information. Pray that "Bob" will read the track and seek answers to his questions and find the truth.

The rest of the week was a blast. Thanksgiving was spent with around 50 people (I think) and was a blast. There were some parts of the day that were hard because of the memories of my grandmother, but I had a wonderful day all in all. We spent the day at a Church eating and fellowshipin'. I don't think I could of asked for a better day.

I was also able to go to Williamsburg this weekend with some friends. We had a blast. I think the pictures will do a better job of describing what we saw than my words. Its a small sample of what I saw, but it was a blast. I love history and this day trip was wonderful.

Another Week

2008-11-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

So I have made it through another week. There have been some exciting things happen this week. We have sat in sessions and have learned a great deal. We spent the first part of the week learning how to teach and train people. This was great because it was a new was to teach and as a teacher I love learning new ways. The second half of the week has been some of my favorite sessions. We spent two days learning how to Story to all ages. I have always been able to story with children and I quite enjoy it. But Storying with adults had always scared me because they tend to be more critical of the story and how you tell it. Through the Storying sessions I learned that Storying with adults is just as easy as with children. I enjoy telling stories and through have a better understanding of how to story to adults now. The last part of the week has been a blast. As we are learning we are making practical applications through group activities. We are learning how to learn another language better. Because I will be learning another language this has been a very helpful class.

Now are you ready for the really exciting part...It SNOWED this week. As a Fl. girl it was a little cold, but I must get used to it because it is cold in Poland. But we saw snow, they were just flurries but snow fell from the sky. The other great and exciting thing is the fact I am learning how to defend myself. I have been taking self defence classes and I have learned how to kick, punch, and deflect kicks and punches. I still have a long way to go but again I am learning something new, and having a blast doing it.

Well, this marks the end of week five which means only three more to go, then Christmas, then POLAND! YEAH!

A new week....

2008-11-12T16:53:00.001-08:00

This week is only half over and I feel as though it has been several weeks thus far. I have been going for several days now and it almost seems non-stop. I am having a wonderful time learning about God, where I am headed, and how I can better use the talents He has given me. Today we did Worldview sessions. I went to the Catholicism in the morning and Postmodern this afternoon. I loved how the different speakers each gave me a piece of information to take with me overseas. I love how they mesh together to truly form the worldview the country I am going to. I greatly enjoyed learning about the two different worldviews.

So the other big thing happening this week would be the SHOT clinic on Friday for me. I am not worried about the shots or the pain, I just don't like it when they make me feel yucky after I have had the shots. I give blood so this is nothing for me. Besides shots on Friday I have the afternoon off and then on Saturday, I have my first day where I don't have to do anything. I am so excited. The last two Saturdays I have been getting and ESL certification.

Last night I did one of the most exciting things since I have been here, besides hang out with everyone. I went to a self-defence class. The class is taught by a black belt in Ti Kwano Do. He is hilarious and a great teacher. All we learned was how to move our feet so we are able to defend our selves. The other thing we learned we the best defence was to run away as fast as we can and scream. This is so practical but with the little demo it was very funny.

I hope everything is going great where ever you are. If you would please pray that rest will come while I sleep as the days get "longer" and the nights seem "shorter". I thank you for all your prayers and for your support.

Wet Weather

2008-11-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

For all who were wondering I am still here. I have been in VA for two weeks and one day. I have had some hard days and some wonderful days. There have been some very easy decisions made and some that I have agonized over making. I have found that in the end, even the hard decisions have brought an overwhelming peace once I made the decision. God ha been wonderful through it all. Though I cannot tell you what we are doing or exactly where we are, know that I am learning more about God's love for me and the peoples of this world. Training is hard and intense but I do believe that in the end I will be so very glad I was able to have this experience. I have meet more people here than I could begin to tell you about but it truly is wonderful. It amazes me how many young and old people have the same desire and call: To take the Gospel and love of God to the reached and the unreached peoples of the world. In a session a speaker gave the quote "Will you love your people group as much as God loves them". To me this is critical in reaching the peoples. If you cannot love them as Christ does then how are we able to show them what true love is.

Wet weather...It has been wet today. I believe this would make the third or forth day the weather has been like this. Today it was yukky though. Not only was it misty all day but the sun never came out. It was cool and just nasty. The other days it would rain the sun would come out by mid afternoon. The rest of the time the weather has been nice. There have been some cold days where I needed a coat and gloves, but for the most part the weather has been wonderful: in the 60's during the day and 30's-40's at night. My favorite days have been the last two Saturdays when the sun was out and the temperature was around 67-70. It was great. The only down side to being in VA at this time of the year is that winter is coming and it can get very cold. The many upsides are: the fall weather, the sunrises, sunsets, the leaves changing, the wonderful smell of the outdoors...should I go on. The other good thing about me being in VA now is it is beginning to prepare me for how the weather will be in Poland. It gets a lot colder there than here and I have to be ready for the cold. I guess that comes with where God sends you.

I will leave you with this: Know God is always there! (This is one of my favorite poems)

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."
Mary Stevenson

Genesis

2008-10-24T10:14:00.001-07:00

I have been re-reading Genesis, actually I want to read Genesis through Deuteronomy by December 18th. But I was reading the first few chapters the two nights ago and they just struck me. I don't know why, but they did. It was like God said "See, if I can do all this in just seven day, think of what I will be able to do through you in your lifetime." So I thought I would post the whole chapter for all to read. There will be the beginning of chapter two to finish the story. I took out the verses so you can just read and the Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Genesis 1-2:4
The Creation
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a third day. Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.

Here I go...

2008-10-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

It is finally time to go serve on the Mission Field. This has been such a long time coming I cannot believe it is finally time. I have known I would do mission work since I was in Elementary school. I have always been in love with the fact that I can go somewhere and share the love of my Savor, Jesus Christ, with those around me who don't know the truth. I went to Haiti when I was in the tenth grade, and I wouldn't have come home if I hadn't had high school to finish. I went to Honduras in my Freshman year of College, and knew I needed to finish college before I continued. My teaching degree has always been important to me and it took me five years to get me BS in Education. I am certified to teach babies through sixth grade. I love teaching children and watching them learn.

I am now almost a year out of college and God decided it is now time for me to go tell others of His love. I am going through the International Mission Board (IMB) and will be in the Journeyman program. I will spend eight weeks in VA going through training. I will be getting to know others who are going around the world and also another family going to Poland with me. After the eight weeks, I will come home and spend Christmas with my family and then I head out.

Head out to where you ask. Well, God is sending me to Poland. This wasn't my first choice but it has always been God's choice for me. Over the last few months I have grown to love Poland and I cannot wait until I am on the field. I will be the teacher of the Missionary Children on the field and I am very excited. I want to pass along my love of learning to these children.

So here I am now, I leave for VA in eight hours and I am trying not to go crazy. There was so much to do before I could leave tonight I cannot believe I got it all done. I felt as though everything would never get done and then it all did and now I am just sitting, waiting until it is time to leave for the airport. I am eating dinner with my parents before I go at a wonderful restaurant called Mimi's and then I will have an hour to wait in the airport and then off to VA. I get to training facility tonight around 11p and then I have tomorrow to get settled and then everything begins on Wed. I cannot wait to get on the Field and tell others about the Love of Jesus Christ.