Fun times in Germany!

We had a rich and full 5 days in Germany with some precious company people. We got the opportunity to share the exciting things we've seen God do here in Krakow over these past 10 months, and I feel like we got more excited ourselves every time we had a chance to share and sum up what we've experienced. We also got to meet some new faces serving along side us and catch up with some familiar faces from orientation days. It was surreal to realize how much has been experienced in this short amount of time apart! In addition to the spiritual renewal time, we had some great physical renewal time in the beautiful winter wonderland of Germany's countryside. Although we have snow covered surroundings here in Krakow, there was something extra captivating about the snow covered surroundings there in Germany. We are certain that pictures could never do this kind of beauty justice, but here's a few snapshots none the less:

We return to Krakow with a renewed passion to see our Lord's name proclaimed here in this city. We are excited to see what He has in store for these next 10 months! We value your prayer support as we prioritize the 24 hours we have each day to invest in the lives here where the Spirit is already working. And there is plenty of blessing to go around here amongst Poles, so if the Spirit is prompting your heart, please come join us on a short term mission trip this year. We can give you info about the teams we know are planning to come! It's gonna be a great 2010!

2010!!!!

Our new year has begun..............with plenty of blessings !!! We hope that yours has been fully blessed as well!!!

Kaleb and Arin returned to school after the new year............only to have another 2 week break! "Winter Break" in Poland ! Don't fully understand it, but we love spending time together as a family, so any extra time with Kaleb and Arin at home is welcomed !! We have been able to do some work and some play !! Kaleb is improving his reading skills and learning some basic math concepts.............and it's always good to get to learn these things in English (at home)!!! Arin is anxious to read as well as her brother (like, yesterday!!!), so we work on important things like patience as well as letter and number recognition with her. :>

We did get to have a parent-teacher meeting with Kaleb's teacher to find out how he is doing in Polish school. And through an interpretter, we were able to find out that he is doing very well! He fits in great, fully participates in classroom activities, and speaks only Polish to his teacher and classmates! Although his phrases are short, she seems very pleased that he is not trying to resort to communicating in his native language! He makes us very proud! We need to begin the decision making process about where he will be schooled next year. Please pray that we will hear clearly from the Lord where He wants Kaleb to be! These are tough, weighty decisions for parents!

During this short interim of school, Arin had the chance to shine in her school program last week! They have been preparing a program to celebrate Grandparents' Day for a few months. Although the teacher was not certain about giving Arin a speaking part (since she only attends 2 mornings a week), she delivered her Polish lines beautifully ! (Actually, she stills recites them around the house regularly!) Here are a few shots of our Angel in the limelight:

Speaking of fun family time, here are more shots of our times together in our Polish winter:

Sledding!!!!

Skiing!!!!

Al is still fully engaged in ministry with the Football guys. We have been able to have several of them over to just hang out with our family in addition to having Bible Study at our place this month. Our new Christmas toy, the Wii, has proved to be very entertaining for both young and old!!! We are thankful for every avenue to build relationships with these special people here!

You haven't noticed that we are up past our bedtime, right Mommy?!?!

We will be leaving Krakow for a few days this next week for Germany. In celebrating our first year of overseas life, our company holds a conference for all new personnel close to their one year anniversary to gather us back together to evaluate and refocus. We will get to celebrate our Lord's work all over Europe, see some old faces from orientation, and be encouraged! Please pray for safe travel, health for our kids, and the ability to give God glory in all that we do !

Christmas 2009 in Krakow !!!

We have had a fantastic first Christmas in Krakow !!! Although we are in a foreign land and far away from family, we tried to keep our focus on the reason for the season, celebrate Christ, and keep a thankful heart for the family He has provided for us here.

Our celebration has been made complete by:

A candlelight service,
Making Christmas cookies to take to friends at school,

Singing carols in our native tongue (by way of charades):
This is Arin and Megan's rendition of "Go Tell It On The Mountain"

The whole group!

Celebrating the story of our Savior's birth as a family and giving presents:

Making Jesus a Birthday Cake !!!

Having a Birthday Party for Him !!!

Then we took some family time in the mountains together to introduce our kids to skiing:
Breathtaking views of His creation !

Successful exit from the ski lift !!! Always a praise !!

After a couple of lessons, they were ready to roll !!!

The Hesskew girls !!!

Our boys !!!


Kaleb's first trip down the big slope.......all smiles!!!

Arin's favorite was straight down and FAST !!!

Relaxation after a hard day's work !!!! This is the life !!!

All for HIS GLORY !!!!!

We pray your celebration was a sweet time with loved ones and a fresh celebration of our Changeless Christ who is worth celebrating wherever you are in His world !!!

Christmas Sights !!!

We are racking up so many pictures, I thought I would download a few to share. These are a couple of the sights we have captured during this preparation for the season of our Savior's birth:

Decorating our home

New Christmas dress from Nana!

Can't you just feel the love?

Visiting the Christmas Market in the square -- blowing glass !!!

Re-enacting the Christmas Story for our International Fellowship

Angels proclaiming His birth (Arin on the right)

Shepherds join the party! (Kaleb on the left)

Singing carols in Polish and English !!!

Christmas Box from our home Church in the States !!! Thank you !!!!

Arin's talking to the pictures of her friends back home - telling them she misses them!

First Sledding Day in Poland !!!!

Retelling the Christmas Story at our Polish Church

They told the story from the perspective of the barn animals........the donkey was the eye-witness to the birth! Kaleb and Arin were sheep....."baaa" only, no Polish necessary for this performance!