Poland Orphan Summer Camp, July 2009

Hi Friends,

Thank you for all of your prayers and support for my recent mission trip to Poland to run a camp for orphans and abandoned children. God was amazing and put together a team from all over the country. My team consisted of two others from Colorado, one from Kansas, four from California, and one from Wisconsin. The camp was held in the city of Chelm, which is south and east of Warsaw, near the Ukraine border. There were around 50 children from orphanages and single mothers’ homes in Warsaw, which were joined by 40–50 children from Chelm.

Our theme for the week was Mission Possible. We talked about God choosing all of them for a mission, which is to be one of his children. We explained how God makes that mission possible for them. Our team taught lessons in the morning and evening assembly times, as well as lead workshops in the morning. The workshops included crafts, outdoor games, creative arts, Bible lessons, Bible memory verse games, and music. In the afternoons we went with the children to various places in the area—lake to swim, a tour of the underground tunnels where they used to mine chalk, a national park and museum, etc. On Friday there was an evangelistic service and they gave an invitation. About 40 children came forward, some just because their friends did, but I pray that some of them truly accepted Christ as their Savior. Even with the language barrier, we were able to become friends with some of the children, which made for tearful goodbyes at the end of the week.

I am planning to take a team next summer to do another camp July 19–23, 2010. If you would be interested in joining me, let me know and I will send you more information when I start planning. If you love children and have an interest in other cultures it is a wonderful experience. One team member stated, “I was so blessed to be on the team and I think the children did more for me than I did for them.”

Please join us in 2010.

In Christ,
Laura