Were Back! Poland!

Today I crossed the 2-week mark here in Poland. For those of you wondering what part of Poland I'm in, it's the west, about 2.5 hours from the German border. Just crossing two weeks is still kind of surreal. I was here 4 years ago to visit a few friends before going to Germany for 2.5 months for a missionary training camp ( I wrote about it in the blog So Low. )

Doing relational missions takes more time and effort than street evangelism because you need to build a genuine relationship first before diving into the topics of faith and salvation. Sometimes the people whose lives you are trying to impact won't be receptive to deep faith-based conversations or conversation that encroaches on the personal level. I have learned in my different times in Poland that people here rely judge you based on your actions and the intent they feel you have towards them. Based on these interactions positive or negative people here then decide if they want to invest in a friendship with you. If they choose to invest in you at first it may be surface level because they are still trying to judge your intent towards them. Some people here tend to be more cautious because history has unfortunately not been kind to to the people of Poland. It was explained to me once that all of Poland's neighbors throughout history have tried to conquer them but have only succeeded with occupations. Based on this history I don't blame people they are more cautious of other people and nations intent for them.

In the cases it takes you more time to win the favor and trust of people you must keep your word and be on time for events that you commit to. It also helps to speak to the point and not dance around issues. People here appreciate directness and if you are incapable of being direct people see it as you are being dishonest and untrustworthy. This is something I find refreshing about the culture here and I like it more than what I'm used to in the Northern States (USA.) I believe people all over the world have a lot to learn from one another. This is one of the reasons why I answered the call into missions/ humanitarian work. I believe in investing in people and this takes time.

In closing I thank everyone who has donated or continues to donate to help fund my investment into the lives of others in need.,