Today was a really fun one. It was probably one of the best ways we could’ve enjoyed our last day in Europe. We spent our time with our Polish hosts, first at church, then at the library, then at a cookout in the backyard. We caught a flight to Frankfurt this evening and now we’re going to try to rest a bit at my cousin’s house before heading home tomorrow.
Going to Church
One of my favorite things that I’ve done on this trip is go to other churches. I had envisioned going every Sunday but different circumstances made it difficult to do so. Today though, we got to attend Protestant church with our host family! They go to a thriving church that meets in the basement of an old factory. It’s very similar to how many contemporary Protestant churches in America run their services – upbeat music from a worship band followed by a sermon from the pastor. We were fortunate that the church provides translation services for English speakers. I’m pretty sure Valerie and I were the only ones using it today, but we were very grateful.
Several of songs were written in Polish, so we didn’t know them. There were about three that we did know though! It was fun to sing along in English. After several worship experiences in various countries, I never get tired of worshipping with fellow believers from around the world. We talk about how the Church is a global thing but we often don’t really feel that in our hearts. At least I don’t anyways. There’s just something about going to the countries of the world and finding lots of people worshipping the same God in the same and different ways. It’s so special. It fills me with wonder for the span of God’s Kingdom.
The pastor had a really good sermon too. I missed a few bits because of technical issues, although I caught the important parts. The gist of the message is that we ought to have generous hearts because we were first recipients of a gift we can never give ourselves. We ought to choose to give what we love the most because that’s what God has done for us. It’s great for the people receiving from us and it’s great for our own spiritual lives. We also need to take responsibility for the things God lays on our hearts. The example the pastor gave was that many people come to church and notice things that aren’t being done well or could just use some improvement. He posed the question, “What if God is bringing that to your attention so that you’ll do something about it?” It’s a simple question that I hope others have asked themselves, but it was certainly new to me. Very convicting. It’s definitely something I need to ask myself and pray about more often. One of my favorite parts of the whole sermon was that the pastor interacted with the audience constantly. He called for responses and ideas multiple times. I loved that it wasn’t just a speech to listen to, but a conversation to participate in. As Marek would say, “This is very cool thing.”
After church, our translator came up and talked to us for a bit. She was super duper nice. She did an excellent job of keeping up with the pastor and translating live with very nuanced words. I was impressed. It was a real blessing for us.
The afternoon
Following church, Marek and his son Pawel took us to the Warsaw University library. The whole thing is designed to be a garden on top with areas for sitting or viewing the city. We walked through a beautiful courtyard park area and slowly climbed the incline to the roof where the gardens were. It was a great example of incorporating modern architecture with nature. We could tell by all the people there that it’s a well-loved location.
We got some gelato and iced lattes while we were over there. I had a pitch black flavor that tasted like dark chocolate and coconut. A little strange but delicious.
Our last event with Marek’s family was a grilled cookout in their apartment courtyard/backyard. Oh. My. Goodness. Marek and Ania can make steaks. They were some of the most tender and flavorful steaks that I’ve ever had. An assortment of grilled vegetables, Warsaw bratwursts, and pork steaks filled us as full as we could get. I was sad that I didn’t have more room. I had no idea grilling and barbecuing were a thing over here too! I’m not sure that Kansas City can claim it’s the best anymore.
Away we go
We had our first flight tonight. It got delayed for weather, which didn’t significantly affect anything since we have an overnight layover. Flying Lufthansa meant we got chocolate bars for our in-flight snack. So good.
It finally hit me that we were actually going home when we walked into the airport. It’s really hard to come to grips with that. I am so excited to be going home to my dad, Grandma Classen, and my cats. And my own bed. But, a huge part of me doesn’t want to leave yet. This has been such an amazing experience and there’s so much left to see and do. And I just like the way they live over here a lot better. I hope that we can see some changes to our country and cultures in our lifetimes. I can’t wait to come back. I hope it’s very soon.
Last up on this blog is our trip home tomorrow. Not sure when it’ll get posted, but I’ll do some major reflecting on everything from the trip. If you’ve only been reading off and on, it’ll be one worth reading. Til then!