Dan Alcantara: Notes From Warsaw 04
Cześć Redemption!
As you read this, we are actually in Kraków enjoying some time away and resting from ministry.
It's been January for months in both directions
In the last month, I read a poem by Kaveh Akbar that opens with this line. The dark skies that dominated February definitely made it feel that way. But now that it is March, the mornings are brighter and things are picking up in ministry again.
February was a month spent working quietly. Warsaw had its turn for 2 weeks of winter break, or skiing holiday. Most families in the church were travelling during this time so church attendance was very low but we continued, and just completed, our sermon series working through Ephesians. It was a blessing for me personally to walk through this book and to remember that God loves his children with a love that resurrects their dead hearts and makes them beat.
Now that spring is coming, things are picking up again and we are beginning to work through how we will transition out of Warsaw. We also have an upcoming sermon series on Psalm 23. For a couple of weeks now I have been working on a devotional study for the church to go through while we are in the series. I had thought this would be tricky because it's only six verses, but it's more like a concentrated ball of teaching on God's provision that expands and expands. When it is completed, I will try to find a way to make an electronic version of the devotional available.
The end of February was a bit of a rough week for us as Sophie and Liam both got a virus (not that virus). There wasn't a lot of sleep happening, but everyone seems to be recovered now. The winter (and homeschooling...) made it difficult to get out much, but we are now working to make the most of the rest of our time here. This included a day trip to see a huge LEGO exhibition. Tracy and I even got to take our picture with the Eiffel Tower!
Our immigration journey continues as well. We have had to extend our application processing time because they wanted us to register our marriage here in Poland. The office is continuing to give small pieces of information about what they actually want us to provide. At this rate, we will have spent our entire time in Poland legally but without an actual status. Be praying that we would remain diligent in continuing to submit paperwork and not just give up, knowing that we only have a few months left.
Future Plans
We are still working on what we will be doing after our time in Poland has ended. An opportunity has arisen in the UK that we are excited about but are still working on. This would be another two years of apprenticeship (under a different visa) and is potentially a supported position. Before that, though, we will be spending a few weeks back in Chicagoland. We are really excited to see friends and family again, particularly with my parents. My dad has continued to recover well and is now waiting for, hopefully, one final surgery. My sister-in-law started a GoFundMe campaign to raise support for my parents medical costs. A substantial part is covered by insurance but they could still use help with covering the costs.
Prayer Requests:
We are so grateful for everyone who has been praying for us. When my dad was in the hospital, it was a great comfort to have people reach out directly to ask how he was doing and join with us in prayer. As we enter March, please continue to join us in prayer over these things:
Pray for our work here. Pray that it would continue after we have gone and that the church here would continue to grow and mature. While our time here has not been easy, it has been fruitful and has been able to relieve some of the burden of the people who were already serving.
Pray for this future ministry opportunity. We are hopeful that it will come through and feel that it is a good fit. Pray that the church would be in agreement over this and pray also that I would be granted the visa that I will need in order for us to serve there.
Pray for God's provision. This summer is going to include a lot of travel, including two transatlantic flights, moving stuff from our storage unit in Liverpool and getting set up in a new home. Along with this, we are still operating on a deficit from moving to Poland. Pray that the Lord would provide the resources that will be needed for our transition out of Poland, our time in the USA, and our move back to the UK.
