Native Tounge, New Reactions.

Hello Friends!

This past week has been a real stretch of energy, challenge to navigation, and growth for our specific intern team. Once we arrived into our specific countries for the summer our first three weeks are devoted to promoting for this summers English camps, so that more students will be aware of the great times to be had!

So, we traveled to five different Polish cities and over 10 Polish schools to teach English lessons as a way to promote camp this summer. Our team of three travels by train or bus to arrive at a new city with a host who is usually a national from that city. Once we arrive, we go into the designated schools and teach a 45 minute lesson [in English] as a way for the students to 'sample' how an English lesson will look like at camp. Usually about 5-9 lessons a day and this lesson is really just three fun games that use their English to get involved with Americans and have fun! At the end a Polish national comes up along side us to give logistical details of the camp in Polish, and to ask if the students have any questions.

In the Polish culture in schools it is usually that the students do not orally practice their language for conversational use, they use it as a way to get grammatical corrections only. So, sometimes when we come in and are ready to just jump into any sort of conversation some classes are very nervous. There have been many really GREAT classes, full of energy, and super ecstatic to be in the room with one another; these are the classes that are a real encouragement to us in the long days. However, there are other classes that are self conscious or 'over it' and these are the ones where we embrace our overly loud and excited American selves!

God has taught me a lot in the past few days that my seemingly small skills such as speaking the only language I know can be used for mighty things in His kingdom. Using my nationality, something I cannot choose or get rid of as a tool to bring people to Christ astounds me! I am so honored to be used in this way, even in the long days I hold tight to 2 Corinthians 13:9, "For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for."

Please pray for students to be led to camp, because redemption and restoration is what we pray for through equipping young leaders. Also pray for our team heading into our last week of promotions, we are all so grateful to be here that we would have continued energy, encouraging one another.

xoxo

Alaina Abroad

Polska Sila [Poland Power]

Amazing Race, was truly as it sounds...exhausting and exhilarating. As I landed in Munich, Germany all of the other JosiahVenture interns collected and met outside the airport. We were prepared beforehand to have a 'go bag' ready with all necessities for two days of on the road travel. So, after a quick and simple flight across the ocean we all drove in a bus about five hours to Bled, Slovenia then it was go time.

Through the next three days we went around the majority of Slovenia doing team challenges, and beating not only jet lag but also racing the other countries teams. A few highlights were jumping into the river in Lubjliana, Slovenia, eating a GIANT horse burger [exactly as it sounds, although not so bad!], and writing in Slovenian Cyrillic in old style calligraphy. Our team had a lot of laughs and really came together in communication learning one another's strengths and weaknesses. I enjoyed every minute of being on the constant move and backpacking across a beautiful country to our next destinations.

The last check-in point for the race was also where all the interns once again met together and loaded a bus to the training facility in Czech Republic. Arriving on Friday night our countries united again to debrief and talk about the next few days ahead. During training there were sessions in multiple areas for example, how to rest well in the busy times of camp, possible spiritual warfare that will happen, how to prepare English lessons, better ways to communicate through translators, and great ways to stay in reading the Bible each day. This training is preparing us to represent JosiahVenture in each camp to be a leader by having knowledge on as many aspects of camp as possible. This training was well planned, organized, and clearly presented all through much prayer of many people in the ministry here. 

I continue to be spoken to by God in the examples of diligence and hard work shown by the many long term devoted missionaries here in Eastern Europe. Be in prayer as my country team and I go into schools to promote camp though games, and teaching English over the next two weeks.

xoxo 

Alaina Abroad