This is long and probably screwed up your friends page. Get over it.
So here's some pictures.
This is everyone at winter camp.
I love these people.
My group at camp.
All of these people are from Krakow. The guy sitting right in front of me is Kamil. I have hope that one day he will really understand the freedom he has in Christ and that he will be fully free from the bondage of drugs. At camp he told me that God was speaking to him through my life. Kamil is a good man. He needs more people to tell him this.
Sitting next to him is Sonia. She is a Roma (a gypsy). The Roma are shunned by pretty much everyone else in Eastern Europe. They live in huge Communist era flats not unlike the tenament housing that immigrants lived in when they first came to America. Sonia is ostracized within her own community because she wears pants and likes to play sports. She doesn't know where she fits in the world, like many 17 year olds, but I feel like she's probably more conflicted than many of us could ever understand. She doesn't want to become a Christian because it will make her stand out more. She told me this.
Ala is wearing the blue shirt. What can I say about Ala... she's awesome. She wants to go to university in South Carolina and is about to go up to Warsaw to take her SATs. Ala is one of the sweetest and most helpful people I have ever met.
Next to Ala is Klaudia. Klaudia became a Christian at the same winter camp a year ago. She was also in my group this summer. She bought me a pin that says, "Girls need Polish boys." Heh.
Next to Klaudia is Kuba. Kuba is... a goofball. He and Klaudia started dating on Sunday. Awwwww. Kuba is one of "the boys." From now on, if I refer to "the boys" it means Kuba, Konrad, Kris, and Tomek. The boys are all believers, but they are stuck in this place of doubt that they can't get out of. Now, I am all about doubt... well, that didn't really come out right. What I mean is, I think it's good to doubt. But not just to doubt. Here, I'll use someone else's words to explain what I mean.
But if ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt. If doubt is eventually justified, we were believing what clearly was not worth believing. But if doubt is answered, our faith has grown stronger still. It knows God more certainly and it can enjoy God more deeply. -Os Guinness
Pretty much this is one of my favorite quotes now. Anyways, the boys are stuck in their doubt. Doubt about everything. And they just add question upon question that no one can answer. They have to examine for themselves and take action for themselves. Ok, enough about that. So yeah, back to Kuba. He's thinking about going to the Ukraine to do an internship similar to mine. He'd be working with homeless street kids abandoned by their parents and their government.
So next to me is Dominika. She's also doing her internship in Krakow right now. She's getting married in less than two months. I'll probably talk about her alot. I am hoping that she and I will be able to start a Bible study for drug addicts. I am hoping that Kamil will come.
So there's a little glimpse at some of the people in my life right now. Their lives are messy. Whose life isn't, really? Their lives are beautiful. They bring me much joy.
Here's a song my lovely friend Jen wrote. I feel like it sort of sums up my life right now. Oh, and it's incredible. Go listen to it for reals here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=21919486
Something Beautiful
You make me something beautiful
You give me power today to overcome my failures
Your love pursues me in trial or joy
At a high price, I have been bought
Because of You, I have hope
Because of You, I am something new
Because of You, I don't have to be alone
And I love You
I need You
And You are all I am
You love those I might overlook
You see the hurting and You feel compassion
You befriended thieves and confronted Pharisees
And You speak freedom to captives
Because of You, this world has hope
Because of You, it is something new
Because of You, the small can have a voice
And I love You
I need You
And You are all I am
You will not take the easy way
You will not tame the truth with rationality
You are beyond my understanding
But still, You speak where we can hear
And I love You
I need You
And You are all I am
Now I'm off to the US consulate to tell them I don't owe our government any money and that I haven't killed anyone... recently.
This is everyone at winter camp.
I love these people.
My group at camp.
All of these people are from Krakow. The guy sitting right in front of me is Kamil. I have hope that one day he will really understand the freedom he has in Christ and that he will be fully free from the bondage of drugs. At camp he told me that God was speaking to him through my life. Kamil is a good man. He needs more people to tell him this.
Sitting next to him is Sonia. She is a Roma (a gypsy). The Roma are shunned by pretty much everyone else in Eastern Europe. They live in huge Communist era flats not unlike the tenament housing that immigrants lived in when they first came to America. Sonia is ostracized within her own community because she wears pants and likes to play sports. She doesn't know where she fits in the world, like many 17 year olds, but I feel like she's probably more conflicted than many of us could ever understand. She doesn't want to become a Christian because it will make her stand out more. She told me this.
Ala is wearing the blue shirt. What can I say about Ala... she's awesome. She wants to go to university in South Carolina and is about to go up to Warsaw to take her SATs. Ala is one of the sweetest and most helpful people I have ever met.
Next to Ala is Klaudia. Klaudia became a Christian at the same winter camp a year ago. She was also in my group this summer. She bought me a pin that says, "Girls need Polish boys." Heh.
Next to Klaudia is Kuba. Kuba is... a goofball. He and Klaudia started dating on Sunday. Awwwww. Kuba is one of "the boys." From now on, if I refer to "the boys" it means Kuba, Konrad, Kris, and Tomek. The boys are all believers, but they are stuck in this place of doubt that they can't get out of. Now, I am all about doubt... well, that didn't really come out right. What I mean is, I think it's good to doubt. But not just to doubt. Here, I'll use someone else's words to explain what I mean.
But if ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt. If doubt is eventually justified, we were believing what clearly was not worth believing. But if doubt is answered, our faith has grown stronger still. It knows God more certainly and it can enjoy God more deeply. -Os Guinness
Pretty much this is one of my favorite quotes now. Anyways, the boys are stuck in their doubt. Doubt about everything. And they just add question upon question that no one can answer. They have to examine for themselves and take action for themselves. Ok, enough about that. So yeah, back to Kuba. He's thinking about going to the Ukraine to do an internship similar to mine. He'd be working with homeless street kids abandoned by their parents and their government.
So next to me is Dominika. She's also doing her internship in Krakow right now. She's getting married in less than two months. I'll probably talk about her alot. I am hoping that she and I will be able to start a Bible study for drug addicts. I am hoping that Kamil will come.
So there's a little glimpse at some of the people in my life right now. Their lives are messy. Whose life isn't, really? Their lives are beautiful. They bring me much joy.
Here's a song my lovely friend Jen wrote. I feel like it sort of sums up my life right now. Oh, and it's incredible. Go listen to it for reals here: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=21919486
Something Beautiful
You make me something beautiful
You give me power today to overcome my failures
Your love pursues me in trial or joy
At a high price, I have been bought
Because of You, I have hope
Because of You, I am something new
Because of You, I don't have to be alone
And I love You
I need You
And You are all I am
You love those I might overlook
You see the hurting and You feel compassion
You befriended thieves and confronted Pharisees
And You speak freedom to captives
Because of You, this world has hope
Because of You, it is something new
Because of You, the small can have a voice
And I love You
I need You
And You are all I am
You will not take the easy way
You will not tame the truth with rationality
You are beyond my understanding
But still, You speak where we can hear
And I love You
I need You
And You are all I am
Now I'm off to the US consulate to tell them I don't owe our government any money and that I haven't killed anyone... recently.