searchedandknown139's Xanga

Some not so peachy days...

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:06:34 GMT

Hello everyone! Well, it seems like some troubles have hit and they hit hard. It doesn't mean that I don't praise God because he is wonderful and just and holy. I just ask that you please talk to God about my dear friend Iza. She is in the hospital and really needs prayers for the baby insider her. Pray for the health of the baby, her strength, her trust in the Lord, for God to comfort her and bring her close. Also for her family; her husband Arthur, sisters, brother and parents as they all love and care for her.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eye." Is. 25:8

"I look to the mountains; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." Ps. 121:1

Yet another prayer to lift up to the Lord is John Martin. My friend who is filled with cancer and in a lot of pain. He feels sad that projects have gone unfinished and he is unable to take care of himself. Yet God understands pain and suffering. Please pray for John to know that he has life eternal in the Lord because of Jesus sacrifice. Pray for peace as he seems to be facing the end of his life here and the beginning of the world to come.

Thank you so much for your prayers. love heti

Pictures for you all....

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 18:04:37 GMT

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 13:50:56 GMT

New Chapter....

Hello everyone! I thought it was high time I write to you about this new chapter that God is writing in my life. My job is wonderful and I am so thankful that the Lord brought me here. I have posted some pictures of MOST Ministries and my office. Right now we are working on the schedule for the 2007 teams, and I am still hoping to have a short-term trip to Poland (maybe 2008). Included in this journal is part of a text from Pastor Neuendorf's daily blogs. I encourage you to read along with them :)

Secondly, I have moved into a townhouse and am still working on cleaning everything and settling in. Yet another blessing has been the arrival of my friend Kasia Hussar. It is so nice to have someone here to talk with and spend time with. I am enjoying her presence and company very much :) Last weekend we went to Chicago for Independence Day. I have never been there and actually toured the city. We went to museums, the aquarium, the beach, and listened to the orchestra while the fireworks were exploding above us. Thank you for your prayers as you can see that God has been pouring out his love, mercy, and blessings.

July 3: Mark 8:22-26

I’m not even going to attempt to explain why this particular blind man was not immediately healed by Jesus. It’s certainly not because his blindness was more difficult. (Not like the demon possessed person that the disciples brought to Jesus because they could not cast out the demon.) Jesus very intentionally gives him partial sight – asks him what he sees – and then restores his sight completely. I have no idea (that is, no idea that I can justify from Scripture) why. God doesn’t tell us.

Frankly, if my optometrist could give me perfect vision, even if it were in 10 steps, I’d be ecstatic. Not even the new laser treatments can reverse all the things that happen to our eyes with age.

Sometimes when Jesus blesses me he does so suddenly and completely. But more often I do not receive everything I desired at once. God asks me to trust – and wait – and be patient. And I receive what he decides in his time.

In what area of your life has God partially blessed you? What would have happened if the blind man walked away with still imperfect vision?

Our nation was given great blessings by God – but it is still not perfect. There are many things that still dissatisfy us – even in just material terms. (high gas prices, etc.) What will happen if our nation turns away from God because we do not have all we desire?

His blog is located at http://www.stpaulspots.blogspot.com/

For more information about my new job go to www.mostministries.org

Blessings, Heather

Americans and Baseball....

Wed, 24 May 2006 17:13:13 GMT

Now that's a lot of missionaries!! Kristen Smith, Amy Krenzke, (my predecessors in Cieszyn) came to grace me with their presence for the past two days. Add on the Bennings and we had a glorious time. We all meandered over to a local park where we taught some of my younger Polish friends to play baseball. Jon really did a great job teaching the kids how to play. He is so patient. Too bad I didn't get any pictures :( Kristen was a great catcher/translator and I think our overall inability to hit such a small plastic ball showed that we were not professionals either.

My good friend Mariusz asked that I stay to play more ball......so we played till the sun went down. The kids were really good at it and it was such good exercise for a "stara babka" old lady, such as myself. More than playing ball I hope the love that comes from knowing Christ was shared through us, by simply caring. Please continue to pray that the we are led by the Spirit and walk through the doors that the Lord provides to share the Gospel.

In my classes we have been studying honesty, Bible verses connected with it, what it means, and being "too honest".

My dear friend Iza's grandma is really going through some troubles right now. She needs to have her leg amputated and is really in need of prayers. Please lift her up in your prayers, ask for her to be strong and trust God. For her to hide in the shelter of the Lord and for comfort as she faces such challenging times.

Well, two weeks...that's 14 days and the next chapter begins. Thank you for your prayers about this as I have more peace. In this blog I thought I would post a few pictures of those who have become my family here in Poland......just a few.

Confirmation 2006

Mon, 15 May 2006 14:42:48 GMT

What is Confirmation? Well, it is "the opportunity for an individual Christian, relying on God's promise given in Holy Baptism, to make a personal public confession of the faith and a lifelong pledge of fidelity to Christ." Yesterday I was able to watch the confirmands, (some being my students and friends) do just that. I was so proud of Sebek, Andrew, Lukasz, Agnieszka, and Adrian. What are these promises of God, given in Baptism? Forgiveness of sins, it rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe! Afterwards, I was invited to Iza's house to celebrate with Sebek. As you can see....we have silly time together :) Wow, just as I was writing this I realized the need to be back in an English speaking country.....did you notice my Polish mistake of leaving out articles? Ahhh....I think I'm forgetting English? Is this possible? Anyways, please keep these confirmands in your prayers...that they continue to stand firm in their faith until life everlasting :)

"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven." Matt. 10:32-33

P.S. Check out the Bennings' super blog....the link is on the left :)

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Sat, 13 May 2006 06:23:38 GMT

So, I visited my friends at the orphanage on Tuesday and discovered that sweet Rafael was now sent to a rehab facility near Gliwice. The teacher invited me to go to Gliwice on Thursday because he was going there to visit. Well, I thought this sounded like a great idea....we would go on Thursday at four and be back later in the evening. Lo and behold, as we were on our way to Gliwice I discovered that his lack of English and my lack of Polish had steered us in the wrong direction. He wasn't going back to Cieszyn and was going to drop me off!! Oh no!! and all of the buses from Gliwice to Cieszyn had already left. So I called Harriet. No answer, and then I called Marcin and he was able to pick me up. Now, we all know that everything happens for a reason......and this plan of God's was just great once again. I went with Marcin to a Christian group meeting and was able to hear about their faith and share mine as well. I was so thankful for Anna and Kasia who shared a bed so that I might have a place to sleep, for Marcin's kindness and for God's provision. On Friday morning I ventured to find Rafael and did eventually spend some time with him. Please pray for Rafael, that he would know about Jesus and the forgiveness that has been won for him on the cross.

"In His heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Prov. 16:8-10

Long time no write!

Wed, 10 May 2006 05:40:18 GMT

Okay...so I haven't been keeping up on the blog...and I wasn't able to put together a Christian-one act play...nor did we get together for a sports weekend. Sometimes, the ideas just don't work out as planned or expected. But everything happens for a reason. There will be a movie night with the students on Friday and also the chance to paint over some graffiti on Saturday. During the long weekend I had a movie night and late Smingus Dingus, spent time with some furry and feathered friends in Ustron, went bowling with Iza and her family (they raise the pins with strings, like Pinocchio and you pay by the hour), was hit in the head with a ping-pong ball at the Kaczmarczyk household (this is how they treat guests; stay away from Jack and Andrew), took care of paperwork in Krakow, chatted with Kristen, watched the confirmands squirm at the questioning service, was able to understand the Sunday sermon because of my friend Marcin, fought a fierce battle with my computer, replied to e-mails, finished my newsletter and just relaxed!! Whew!

When I went home I had three different job interviews and had to make some difficult choices. Did I want to be in Saginaw near my family? Or something new like Ann Arbor? Should I follow the teaching path or venture more into outreach and social work? I was a little confused and stressed because I wasn't sure where and what God wanted me to be. When I felt just plain old broken...I opened my Bible and read about Hannah. (1 and 2 Samuel) and I simply prayed and later in the day God remembered me. The phone rang and MOST had made their decision a few weeks early!! Happy dance and praise to the Lord. So you are currently reading the blog of the new Team Administrator for MOST Ministries in Ann Arbor. Many things have been falling into place since then...Pastor Neuendorf (also in Ann Arbor) gave my name to Becky Matson who will be a new teacher at the elementary school. So we are currently looking for an apartment. Yesterday, sadly, I learned that I will be leaving Poland June 8th and returning to Michigan June 9th. Ugh!! Although I am very excited to start my new job and be home.....this seems too quickly to leave. I would love more time here. :( Please pray for me about this; that I may have peace.

I should also go back to the end of March, when I accompanied the 2nd class of LOTE on an exchange trip to Berlin. There I met a fantastic gal named Kasia Hussar. Perhaps it was the fact that she studies English and German and I needed a translator, perhaps it was because we discovered that we know many of the same people, perhaps it was the opera, or even the glass of wine every evening. But we became good friends very quickly. I needed a place to stay in Warsaw the next week to fly to America, and lo and behold...she studies in Warsaw. Besides these things we just had a great time in Berlin with many laughs and hopefully she will be coming to visit me in America this summer! I also had an enjoyable time with my students, Renia, and Ania Hussar.

What else......I guess that is all for now although I am surely forgetting something.

"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us." 1 Thess 2:8

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 14:34:36 GMT

"He has RISEN! He is not here."

Happy Easter everyone. I am currently at my home in Saginaw, spending time with family, friends and searching out the next place that the Lord leads me. I was able to be present for the Baptism of my niece Karli Weiss and also get to know my nephew again. He is just on the verge of talking....if you ask him how his food tastes he says, "delicious" but it sounds more like "dicious". The sun has been shining almost every day and I have so much to be thankful for. God certainly is good, and I hope that you are also filled with joy as we celebrate His great mercy and love. Below are a few pictures from home (more later):

"You, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling" Psalm 116:8

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Sat, 18 Mar 2006 13:29:46 GMT

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be. Ps. 139

Jestem Ciocia Heather....I am auntie heather again!!! On Friday March, 17th, my brother and sister-in-law were blessed with the birth of a little girl.....Karli Marie Weiss. Upon hearing the news I burst into tears and couldn't stop. Happiness for my brother and sister, some sadness about not being there, complete joy and a whole lot of gratefulness. Really, how is it that God can continue to be so merciful and give us such blessings although we don't deserve them? We live under His grace :) and even if I am not there; the God of the Universe is with this new little life and he has her in His hands. I can't wait to see her and pinch her little cheeks....join me in praising God for this miracle.

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. Ps. 121

Amidst such joy looms the gray and coldness of a seemingly never-ending winter here in Poland. It seems to be affecting everyone and many people are anxiously awaiting spring and the sunshine. Other news, is that I am returning to the States for ten days on April 11th-21st. There will be a few interviews, applications, and time with family and friends.

As for life in Poland, there was choir rehearsal today and the concert will be tomorrow. Later, I will meet with maybe Natalia, then possibly Karolina, and then some of my friends from the choir. Yesterday evening was spent at the Gumna youth group meeting and a nice talk with my friend Jordan. Kristen Smith (previous volunteer) is now back in Krakow, Poland in order to take more Polish classes. She is so talented in learning languages.....what a wonderful gift. It is a blessing to have her back.

So many things to talk about, what would you say to a person who thinks that when they go to worship God at church, they don't feel anything towards God? They are doubting whether or not they are a believer. Therefore, they don't want to be a hypocrite in church by saying the words without meaning them. Your thoughts?

Classes...

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 10:23:04 GMT

SERMONS ONLINE! (You can listen to Pastor Neundorf's sermons in English!!! Click on "On the Same Page" link. Found on the left of this website.)

A few months ago I wrote about about the Seniors and how challenging they are for me. I know that they choose not to come to classes (not only mine), but some of them are very faithful participants. Last Thursday, in particular there were only three students, so instead of the prepared lesson, we discussed Muslims and Christianity. From there it went on to the differences in religions as well as the similarities. The one thing that we agreed on was that we are saved by the sacrifice that Jesus paid for us on the cross. Whenever we stray from God's Word and the true faith, we need to check ourselves. Examine our lives, thoughts, actions, and hold them against God's perfect Word.

Yesterday evening (two adults) my lessons were again put on hold as we were discussing religion. It started with conversations about work and then into faith. There is nothing I love to discuss more....We went to the computer and looked up some passages from Matthew which concern the narrow gate. Because just going to church is not enough to be included in the heavenly feast. It doesn't matter if you worship by clapping, or sitting. It matters that God is coming to you and bringing forgiveness of sins. Our actions and worship don't bring about faith; only God's Word and Communion wherein we repent, believe and are cleansed.

Why do you go to church? To have fun? Because you are supposed to? To show others your goodness? To meet other people? or to receive God's mercy and grace? :)

"Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"

He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'

"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." Luke 13