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