Just Fun Stuff !!!

I have so much to update, I couldn't fit into one post..................so this one just contains some things about family life lately !!! (Please note that there is another new post right below this one!)

The weather is changing............just last week, we went for one last hurrah to our favorite city park because we figured the 70 degree weather was not staying long!

And we were right................these are pictures from this week!

Not sure we were ready for winter...............but here it is !!!!

This past month, Kaleb had his first field trip at his school !! His class went to Dinozatorland!!! Mommy went on the field trip with him and we had a day full of langugae learning and fun with Kaleb's classmates! They do not have school buses in Poland, so we took chartered buses to a great place right outside our city!

lining up to get on the buses!

Wow !!! It looks awesome! Got the buddy system going on!

Those dinosaurs WERE lifesize !!! And they moved with sound effects!!!

Kaleb came equipped with his camera !!!

Class pic -- Kaleb is in the red on the far right!!!

Sliding out the dinosaur's mouth !!!

Can't tell he was having a good time, can you?!?!

Fun was had by all !!!!

Also in September, we had our annual team retreat! This was a weekend away from the city for our entire Krakow Team to just fellowship, relax with family and friends, and plan for the next year of ministry. We had a great time.............we are blessed with a great group of people to work with !!!

Update on prayer request!

We are excited to share with you some amazing things God has done on behalf of the family we mentioned in our last post !! Kasia's son, Jasiu, had some deep wounds on his leg from his injury which required a surgical procedure to clean up dead tissue. He was scheduled 5 days after this procedure for a series of operations which would include a skin graft to replaced the deadened skin. At his 3 day checkup, the 70 year old veteran doctor called in all the younger doctors to see the amazing amount of healing on Jasiu's leg.............he had never seen that much healing in such a short amount of time in all of his years of practice! The only explanation was simply the power of prayer !!! God is performing a miracle of healing before us............both physically and spiritually !!! What a blessing it is to witness the strong arm of our Lord!

He does this every day that we take in breath................have you looked around you lately to see it?
We need to ask for your prayers specifically in regard to the athletes who are participating in the weekly Bible study. In the past couple of weeks, they have clearly been presented with the reality that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins..............and that His invitation to be His follower is on the table before them. Would you intercede on the behalf of these guys that they would make time to listen as the Holy Spirit works in their lives..................even today !!!! These are not just Polish athletes............these are precious lives that Christ deemed important enough to sacrifice all of Himself for. At our game this past weekend, we had a medical situation on the field toward the end of the 2nd quarter. One of the other team's players fell face down in a grand mal seizure. It took an eternity of minutes for the medical team to stabilize him and get him into an ambulance. In the meantime, Al had the opportunity to pull our team together on their knees to pray for this young man. This made an impact on the head coach as he watched and participated in the prayer. This was a prime opportunity to demonstrate the priority that Christ plays in our life and gave Albert a chance to voice how his very life depends on the grace and power of his Savior, Jesus Christ. Thankfully, the young man was stabilized and our guys were able to pull themselves back together and win that semifinal game !!! We got the victory that day, but our prayer is that God's glory took home the big trophy! Please pray for Michal, the head coach, and the rest of the players who got on their knees to pray. May they bend the knees of their heart to a Savior who loves them so deeply.

Here are a couple of pics from the game:

Searching for Normalcy !!!!

We are busy trying to find a new normal for life here in Krakow !!! Since our family has departed back to the States, we are now trying to settle into this new schedule for our family .............Kaleb attending Kindergarten 5 days a week, Arin attending preschool 2 mornings a week, Daddy out for Baseball and Football 4 nights a week, 2 language lessons a week, 2 Bible studies a week, teaching kids at our International Fellowship...............and a Fall full of Team Krakow ministries starting back up !!! We are certainly not bored these days !!! And somehow God still carves out time for us to be investing in personal relationships here.............and I am so thankful. I have a friend named Kasia (probably the most popular name here in Poland), who lives in our neighborhood. She is a strong believer who really needs some prayer support right now................so I thought I would tap into the strongest network I know............you !!! She has a newborn baby, a 3 year old son who just recently injured his leg really bad and had surgery yesterday, a mother who is having complications from heart bypass surgery, and her husband just lost his job of 20+ years. She is so determined to hold tightly to her Savior and see Him move on behalf of her family. Can you join us as we pray?

Since I can't post to our blog without including some pics, here are some of the precious moments Kaleb and Arin shared with their Nana and PawPaw:

More Firsts !!!!

Life truly is an adventure here..............and adventure with God is sure to be exciting! --- somtimes a little scary as well............but i'm learning that it's all about perspective !! oh, how I long for HIS perspective hourly!!!! (I'm a work in progress!)

Here are some pics of more of our "firsts" here in Poland:

Our first "sleepover"

..............at Claire's house..........and she's off !!!

Philip came to our house for the sleepover !!!!!

Our first visitors in Poland............Nana and PawPaw !!!!

Greetings at the airport!!!

Taking the tram to Polish Church together

Visiting the Mound

Arial view of our city !!!!

Fortress at the Mound !!!!

Our first horse and carriage ride in the City Square!!!

Arin's first manicure and pedicure in Poland !!!!

First "South Division Champs" Title for the Krakow Tigers !!!

Kaleb got to join the Captains on the field for the coin toss !!!

Albert huddling with the Defense.

Kaleb and PawPaw on the sideline.

First Days of Polish School for Kaleb and Arin !!!!

Arin enjoys new student "Acclamation Day!"

Daddy prays with Arin before her first day of school !!!!

Ready to GO !!!!!

Kaleb is proud of his new Spiderman backpack !!!!

Kaleb's checking out his new classroom !!!

Kaleb and Pani Malgosia -- his Kindergarten teacher who speaks no English !!!! (please pray for our language skills................even more !!!)

Hope you enjoyed the pictures !!! We are certainly enjoying our time with family !!! And the kids are doing well going to Polish school so far !!! (Mommy is learning a whole new realm of trusting the Lord in this uncharted territory!)

We are so thankful for those who pray for us.............those prayers are our lifeline !!! Please let us share in the joy of lifting you up in prayer as well -- we are only a short e-mail away at thehesskews@gmail.com!

I have updated the last of the month's prayer emphasis in the right-hand column...........please keep praying for the work all over Central Europe !!!