Almost time to go!!!!!!!

We met tonight to pack all of our supplies. We want to send out a BIG THANK YOU to Oatman and Kathy Farley for the fantastic team travel book they made for us. You guys out did yourselves!
We are all anxious to get on the road. We have been planning for over 6 months and now the time to go is finally here! We are looking forward to what is to come knowing that God has already prepared the way.
We are praying for our Ewa as she makes her trip tomorrow. She is so excited to be going home. I know her family must be anxious to see her, too!
2 days from now we will be in a plane over the Atlantic Ocean........WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!

Prayer for team members

We have several specific health needs prayers. Dana has a possible upper respiratory infection. Glenda and Debbie are having trouble with their knees. And Bobby's back went out last night.
Does anybody else smell smoke????????????????????
Pray that we be able to persevere in spite of these trials. God's word says we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and we claim that promise!
Darts will continue to fly but God had planned this trip and I know He will provide!

1 WEEK LEFT!

There is exactly one week till we leave! It just feels like yesterday that we were looking at this trip being 7 months away and now it is here!!!

I wanted to post a video of a song that has really been an inspiration to me lately.. this song by John Waller has been a theme song to me this year. There have been a lot of things lately where I feel like I am playing a waiting game. But the Bible tells us to Wait upon the Lord and he will be faithful... so I love the words I will move ahead BOLD AND CONFIDENT because that is what God has told me I can do through my salvation. No matter what the situation, whether going on a mission trip for the first time, applying for a new job, looking towards some changes in your life, we can move ahead Bold and Confident. And, its also a good reminder for me every time I hear this on the radio that while I am waiting, though sometimes painful, I need to WORSHIP Him.

Enjoy the video!

Poland Prayer Calendar

*TO PRINT THIS PRAYER CALENDAR PLEASE GO TO THIS LINK: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhtxswjj_0g8h5dsgj

Prayer Calendar for Team Memorial

Thank You for being our prayer partner in this adventure! It has been an exciting time preparing for this trip. Now as time grows closer, we need you to pray for us even more! Following is a prayer calendar for the time we will be gone. It will give you some specifics to pray about.

Pray for us as we make final plans and gather in all the supplies we will be taking. Also, pray for the Churches in Poland as they prepare for us. Pray that the Lord prepare the hearts of the families we will meet to be receptive to His Word. Pray that Tom and Beata have success in planning with the Churches and communities in Poland.

Again, THANK YOU for joining with us in this adventure. You are a VITAL part of our team! Only with the family of God working together are ventures like this possible!

In His name,

Team Memorial

Dana Howard Bobby Wilson

Kenneth Howard Glenda Wilson

Vern Miller Darby Woods

Ginger Severns Debbie Woods

Anne Ferguson Jennifer Wyatt

www.acrosspl.org is the ministry website

http://teammemorial2009.blogspot.com is the team blog site to keep up with us while we are gone.

Wednesday July 1

Today Ewa will fly to Poland. Pray for her safety. Pray that she feel upheld by God’s own hand as she travels alone.

Also, pray for the team as we pack, that we be able to fit in all the supplies we need. And pray that we be able to get a good nights rest.

Thursday July 2

The day has finally arrived! Pray for our safety as we drive to Louisville to meet up with the other 2 teams from Murray, Team Murray and Team Lakeview. Pray for a smooth trip through international customs. We will be going through customs about 10:30 am. We will have 3 legs to our flight. Pray for the flight crews as well as all airline employees, from flying the airplane to handling our luggage. Pray for peace as this is the first flight over the ocean for many of us. We will fly out of Louisville at 12:25 pm. Then we will fly out of Charlotte NC at 5:25 pm for our flight over the Atlantic.

Friday July 3

We will arrive in Munich, Germany about 8:10 am

(That is Munich time, 1:10 am our time!)

The next part of our trip will be flying out of Munich to arrive in Krakow Poland at12:30 pm Poland time.

We will then be searching for the smiling faces of the Baker family as they meet us at the airport!

Pray that all our luggage makes it to where it is supposed to be! Pray for the Bakers as they travel to meet us.

We will have a time of orientation and preparation before we end a VERY long time of travel!

Saturday July 4

While you are celebrating the birthday of our nation that is founded on freedom, we will be visiting Auschwitz, a place where many lost not only their freedom but also their lives.

Then each team will go to their towns: Team Murray-Krynica, Team Lakeview-Tarnow and Team Memorial-Chrzanow.

Pray that we each will be so in tune with the leading of the Holy Spirit that we will be able to communicate and work together to reach out to the local community for the cause of Christ.

Sunday July 5

Today we will worship with our Church, First Baptist Church of Chrzanow. Pray that God’s presence and power will be felt by all whether they worship in Polish or English.

In the afternoon and evening we will be getting to know our hosts and preparing for VBS. Pray that we and our Polish family will be able to work together to make this a great week in God’s Honor. Pray that we all be able to get some good rest to prepare for the week.

Monday July 6

Our day begins at 7:00 with breakfast and then a time of prayer and final preparations. At 9:00 am we will begin our first day of “English Day Camp”, to you and me that’s VBS! We all know how the first day of VBS is controlled chaos. Pray that registration goes smoothly. Pray that God empower us with the ability to do whatever is needed. Today’s lesson is….God is our Creator. Pray that each child and parent can see God‘s light shining in each of us

Especially, pray for the individual teams as they set about their tasks.

Recreation: Kenneth and Anne--Pray for strength and energy and ideas to keep the kids active

Crafts: Bobby, Glenda and Darby--Pray that they will be able to show the kids how to complete the craft in spite of the language barrier

English: Ginger and Jennifer--Pray for understanding and ability to share simple games and activities to aid in learning of new English words.

Bible Story: Vern, Dana and Debbie--Pray that they will be able to tell the story in a manner that can be understood. And that working with the interpreter goes smoothly.

Our interpreter is Diana ( she will need lots of prayers dealing with all of us!)

Monday evening we will have the opportunity to go to Wisla and visit some family and friends of the Bakers and Ewa.

Tuesday July 7

The second day of VBS…God is Love. Pray that children will bring more and more friends with them. Pray that more members of the Church will come and get involved.

Today, is the first day of our 3 day Swim Camp led by Anne and Diana. Pray for safety for all.

Pray for the chance to meet other children and invite them to “English Day Camp”

Pray for Anne, Dana and Darby as they will lead the devotions for the 3 days of Swim Camp.

Wednesday July 8

Today’s so appropriate title is God is Faithful.

Pray for energy and strength for us as we reach the middle of the week. Today is hump-day and we will need an extra boost of power for the rest of the week. Pray that the children will have such a great time that they continue to bring friends. Pray that as the parents come to pick up their children we will have a chance to get to know them , too.

Today is the second day of swim camp. Pray that the children that come see the joy of our teenagers because of their devotion to our Lord.

Tonight Vern will give a demonstration/devotion, using his skill at Martial Arts, for the youth. Pray that God use this special talent to reveal more of His truths to all of us.

Thursday July 9

Today is the 4th day of Day Camp…God is Forever. Pray that there is much energy and excitement in the community because of what is happening at first Baptist Church Chrzanow! Even in spite of the “Crazy Americans’!

Pray that God will receive all the honor and glory that is His and His alone.

Today is the last day of Swim Camp. Pray that the children who have attended will want to visit First Baptist to learn more about this “Jezus” they heard about!

Pray for us as we prepare for our last day of VBS and Family Night. Pray for rest and renewed energy.

Friday July 10

Today is the final day of VBS…God is our Salvation. Pray that all the children who have come this week will come back today. Especially pray for the Bible Story team as today the plan of Salvation will be presented. Pray that hearts will be ready to receive salvation through Jesus’ cleansing blood. Pray for families as they come to Family Night. Pray that Church members will have a new excitement about sharing a personal relationship with Jesus our Lord. And that they be able to help these new families understand that they too can have that relationship.

Pray that un-churched families will feel compelled to find out more about First Baptist Church of Chrzanow. Pray for the interim pastor and the people of the Church that they be able to reach out to these people to show them God’s love. Also, pray for the Church as they look for a new pastor.

Saturday July 11

After breakfast we will be leaving to go back to Krakow. Pray for us as we leave our new ‘family’. Pray that they be encouraged by our time with them. And that time spent together will help them reach out to their community after we are gone.

In Krakow we will meet up with the 2 other teams. We will tour Wawel Castle and get a glimpse of some Polish history.

We will have some free time for walking through the city and local shops.

At supper we will have a time of sharing with the other 2 teams about our week. Sharing all the wonderful stories of how we have seen God work! And praising Him for this chance to witness all we have been apart of this week.

Sunday July 12

We will have breakfast at 4:00am and then head to the airport.

Pray that as we leave the Bakers in Poland they have a chance to rest before the next team comes in a week or so. They will have 2 more Day Camps…one in Wisla and one in Rzeszow.

Pray that God bless them so that their cups overflow on all those around them. And that He continue to reveal more of Himself to each of them; Tom, Beata, Diana and Ewa.

Our flight out of Krakow to Munich is to leave at 6:25 am. Then we fly out of Munich at 11:40 am for our return flight over the Atlantic to land in the good ole USA at 3:30 pm. (With the time change it is an almost 11 hour flight and not 4 hours as it appears!) From there we board 1 more plane for a 1.5 hour flight to land in KENTUCKY at 7:25 pm!!!!!!!!!

Pray for us as we travel, for safety and for rest. And that we be able to share with each other thoughts and lessons learned during this week and if the opportunity arises that we share with other people.

And that as we return we be able to share it with you who have been such a BIG part of all this great adventure!

Monday July 13

It will be early today before we make it back to good old MURRAY! Especially pray for those who are returning to work today. Pray for energy and clarity in doing their jobs in spite of the previous day of travel.

Thank you SO MUCH for committing to pray for us. Everyday we are all on mission for God. After all Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19-20

“ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So, let’s pray for each other. That ‘as we go’ about our day we remember this call from Jesus. Each day in every place we are, people need Jesus.

It is up to each of us to follow in His footsteps so closely that

…We are covered in the dust of our Rabbi, Jesus!

Even little things are important

Today was another one of those lessons from our Father.

Darby wants to carry some supplies to make bracelets on the plane to pass some time. I know you aren't supposed to have scissors in your carry-on. So, I thought I would call the travel agent and check with her. But then decided I could get on line and check with the airline. All of that info can be so confusing but I was pretty sure it was ok for her to take some childs safety scissors. Days went by with that question still not settled in my mind. I didn't want to bother the travel agent with such a silly question. I bought her a pair of childs scissors for $1 and thought so what if they take them away it will only be $1. Another week went by and the thought kept going through my mind. Today I decided to just give her a call. I'm sure she has had sillier questions, right?
When I asked if my teenager would be allowed to carry a pair of child's scissors on board she said "yes". Then she asked " How old is she" and "Is she traveling with both parents?" I said "15 and she is traveling with just me". She told me there is a relatively new rule that says any child under 18 traveling out of the country with only one parent or with adults other than their parents have to have a notarized letter from parents stating that it is ok with them for the child to travel. Since all of our groups tickets were adult fares she didn't think to ask if anyone was under 18.
WOW! That could have been a real problem when we got to the airport! There are 2 team members that this would effect! So, I guess it wasn't such a silly question after all!
Just another reminder to listen to the Spirit in me and trust that even something as small as a pair of child's scissors can be used by God to accomplish his purposes!

posted by Debbie

As July 2 gets closer...........

With each day that passes I get more excited and things get more hectic! God has given me such a great opportunity to participate in this adventure. We leave on July 2 but the adventure really began a long time ago when I first accepted Jesus as my Savior. This is just a new step in that journey. I have learned so many lessons as we have prepared for this trip. God continues to teach and guide me and reveal His hand at work.
We have made bracelets; had suppers, auctions and a 5K run. We have put many hours into fundraising. We have had MANY people offer SO much help. God has provided for us in an overwhelming way. You always hear people going on mission say that God will provide the finances. They are absolutely right! He has provided all that is needed!
That's not to say there haven't been problems. We have had people in the hospital, family issues and one team member forced to choose her job or the trip, she choose the trip! So the attacks have come and will continue to come.
Recently as I was reading in Psalms, God brought to my attention Psalm 90:17
May the favor of the LORD our God
rest upon us
establish the work of our
hands for us-
Yes, establish the work of our hands!
Over and over He reminds me this is HIS work. He has planned it and He WILL carry it out!
I can't wait to see what is next!

posted by Debbie

Final Group Meeting

Finally, the Gang's all here! At the last group meeting, we took some picture of our beautiful team!
The team members include( Bottom from Left): Glenda Wilson, Dana Howard, Anne Ferguson, Darby Woods, Bobby Wilson, (Top from left) Jennifer Wyatt, Ginger Severns, Vern Miller, Kenneth Howard, Debbie Woods.


And once in a while, we like to act silly...

Practicing our Bible Lessons

Vern, Dana and Debbie will be the ones leading the bible studies on the Memorial Team. Since we all have to get used to teaching while being translated, we figured it would be a good idea to practice stopping for translation with our friend Ewa. Ewa worked with us one afternoon on speaking in English and Polish, talking and waiting for translation, and waiting for responses from the children. We are so excited about being able to share God's word with these children and hope that even through the stopping and starting of the message, they will be able to get the true meaning out of the lessons. We are especially nervous about the fifth day where we will be discussing salvation with the students. It is hard to talk to the kids in 30 minutes and explain to them the wonderful truths we will be sharing, but we trust that God will direct us through each night's lesson!

Here are the themes of each day:
Day 1- Introduction and God as our Creator!
Day 2- God is love!
Day 3- God is true!
Day 4- God is forever!
Day 5- God is our salvation!

Please continue to pray for us as we study the lessons we will have each night in Poland. Pray that the hearts of the children will be open to recieve his Word!

Remember to give Thanks!

As the time gets closer and closer for us to leave I am feeling a gambit of emotions including excitement, desire, curiosity, thankfulness and and overall overwhelming feeling from what has to get done before we leave in the midst of everything else that is going on in my life. I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you all and what God has revealed to me through anxious prayers.

If last week was an indication of what battle our team would be fighting for the next three weeks, it will be easy for us all to get downhearted about the trip before it even happens. Even though I had not really talked to any of the team about my week, I just knew I was not the only one on our team that had a rough week. The whole week things were attacking me left and right... some big some small but that caused frustrations and sometimes panics. Not only was I in the midst of several problems, but I talked to people left and right that were facing major crises in their own lives, making me overwhelmed with emotions for those I love as well. Thursday was the worst.. I honestly had something attached to me that was attacking my spirit all day long! Maybe I am giving him too much credit but it was like Satan was throwing people in my direction as obstacles. I seriously had to come home that evening before my night activities to lay down before God and ask him to change my attitude and spirit before that night. I just knew I was under attack. I thank God he answered my prayers and helped me to deal with the situations from that day and to have a better spirit the rest of the day and week, even as new things popped up.

So, I am sharing this to let everyone know 1) If you are in the same boat this week, you are not alone and I don't believe that is a coincidence. 2) We should all recognize that God has given us the power to not get stuck on the day to day things that go wrong or even the HUGE life changing things that go wrong because HE HAS ALREADY WON THE BATTLE!!! We have to be reminded of this all the time, sometimes daily, as I have had to be reminded this week. 3) I have also been reminded this week that we should ALWAYS give THANKS!

Psalm 106

¹ Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

HE IS GOOD!!! His LOVE WILL NEVER FAIL US!! So, that is my goal this new week.. to not get caught up on the things going on around me because the big picture is that God has a plan, He is constantly working, He is always good and plans good for us, and that I should continue to give Him thanks no matter what!

I look forward to the rest of this journey that God has prepared for us. I KNOW God has big things for us. I know God is working through us, I know God is Who He says He is, I know God is Doing what He says He will Do. And, I know we will continue to be attacked because we are working towards his good will... so when you are doing the same and feeling like your being attacked in every direction, keep your head up because God has already defeated the enemy long ago!

Dana H.