The Journey Back

Final Preparations & How You Can Help

Posted on June 5, 2019

It’s SO weird to still be in Indiana in June.  For nearly a decade we’ve spent this entire month in Poland.  With this year’s trip is a little later and shorter, so we’re watching Facebook memories pop up every day… arriving in Warsaw 3 years ago, leaving Chicago 6 years ago, welcoming the Holocaust Survivors 4 years ago, traveling to Kołobrzeg two years ago.  So strange to not be doing those things right now.

But it’s getting close!  We leave in just one week and have tons to do.  I took today off to really focus on Poland preparations.  I think we have crafts for the Ukrainian Children’s camp planned and communicated among the team members from multiple places, and I have most of my lesson prepared for that camp.  There is still some work to do on crafts for the Ukrainian Youth Camp and I’ve just barely started preparing that lesson.  I talked to my Mom tonight about plans – it’s so exciting that they are coming and helping with that camp this year!

Thank you to the couple of you who have reached out to us recently asking if there is anything we still need.  If you’ve been wondering the same thing and are interested in further supporting this mission, there certainly are a couple of ways you could do so…

1. Pray for me (Rachel) as I prepare the lessons I will teach during each of these weeks.  Pray that the Spirit will lead me (and the others teaching) to say what these kids need to hear, to convey God’s Word in a way they will understand, so they may leave camp with a new or renewed relationship with Him.
2. This is very short notice and would have to be done almost immediately, but we do have several supplies we still need to buy for camp activities.  Some of them I need to show for and buy in person in an actual store, but there are several that could be purchased on Amazon.  If you want to help, check out our Mission Supply list here.  If you buy off this list, the items will be shipped directly to us!  But you’ll need to do so no later than this Saturday (June 8) for us to get them before we leave.  We need items to arrive by June 12.
3. Since our house is currently on the market, we might need some additional help taking care of it and keeping it looking nice while we are gone. I have not yet fully communicated with all of the people who typically help us out, but if you’re willing and able to lend a hand please let us know! If we have prospective buyers coming to see the house while we’re gone, we might need to call on some reinforcements!

As always, we are so very grateful for all who have been Senders,  helping us get to this point for yet another year.  Thank you for all of the prayers, encouragement, funds, and supplies so that we may GO!   The countdown is on!