Weblog
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
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OK, for one last time, here is "the real thing" --
Thursday, 31 July 2008
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Heads up! My wife has launched her own Xanga site, and I must say it looks to be more interesting than mine ever was. Well, I'm not crying. Enjoy.
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
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Gabriel. Somehow I can't get it out of my mind. What a great guy. (See pictures in the photo album from the sailing trip he took us on--wouldn't let us pay for a thing except some food!) And the thing that is amazing is about his family--and by extension the Polish nation. You see, Gabriel's grandfather was murdered by Ukranians, along with the rest of his village, during WW 2. The Ukranians were on the German side and were promised Polish villages, but they had to do the dirty work of "cleansing" them of their Polish inhabitants.
What would it do to you to know that your grandfather died in such a way?
And yet to Gabriel it doesn't seem like anything special. And the reality is, it isn't unusual. Many of our acquaintances have similar stories of immense tragedy and heartbreak. Our 95 year old former neighbor was saved by a merciful German soldier. I recently traveled with a prominent Pentecostal leader who was born in Siberia where his family had been deported--they lived underground and barely survived. It's the story of this nation. It's the story of being beaten down, being brutalized, suffering terribly. I've lived here 7 years but somehow my American, free world mind cannot grasp it. Maybe nobody can grasp it. That's why they just live with it. That's why Gabriel doesn't act like it's anything special that his grandfather was killed in ethnic "cleansing". What is there to say? In the face of such horror there is no logic, no explanation.
And in spite of the blackness, we say, blessed be Your Name, though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your Name! We don't understand the world we live in, but we worship the creator. We are here to lift Him up and to make Him known, in this part of the world that has known unspeakable suffering. His love is greater than the enemy's hatred. May His name be exalted!
Monday, 25 February 2008
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We're Back
Furlough is over. The goodbyes have been said. The flights are finished. The suitcases are cluttering the floor, waiting to be unpacked. The memories of good times and meaningful reunions with friends & family will stay with us.
I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Warsaw, waiting for my turn in the immigration office . . . a common occurence in our life here in Poland. This morning on my way in to the immigration office I experienced an epiphany of sorts . . . the whole experience of riding the train, making my way through the streets swirling with businessmen and students, walking past buildings originally constructed when America was ruled by naked savages, admiring noble statues of Polish poets and heroes, and feeling the hint of spring on the breeze under a gray sky with a sun valiantly trying to break through. But I think the thing that got me the most was the faces. The look of survival, of endurance, of determination in the Slavic features. This part of the world has known hardship and betrayal, and remembers. Every stone in the streets testifies to the injustices of the past. The people of today remember, but they are moving ahead. This country has much worth remembering, much that should not be forgotten. These days faces are turned to the West and the "progress" of "civilization". Will they realize the hopelessnes of piling up material gain? Will they . . . set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God . . . ? (Ps. 78:7) May our hands be found working for that reality. We're back. We're home. It's good--not easy, but good. Greetings from Warsaw, and have a good day.
