July 31st, 2011-The Story of My Summer

Minnesota. A sweltering hot, tropical 98 degree Fahrenheit day. In Warsaw right now, I bet the weather would be about 17 degrees Celsius. I miss the cold.

The weather isn't the only thing I'm having a hard time adjusting to. Day three of being back, that would be last Friday, was probably one of my hardest days. Life here in america is so different. So not Polish. All the things I was complaining about when I first was in Poland I now miss. I hated it, at first, how unstructured things were. How I didn't know what I was doing until the day of or maybe even a half hour before. Back home, I have all of this week planed already and I didn't even really plan it. Tuesday I have cross country in the morning then I'm going to Maya's house and hanging out with friends. Wednesday night I'm running with the Augsburg cross country team. Thursday I have cross country with Washburn. Friday I'm going to grandpa and grandma Olson then I get back on Sunday night and I help with my churches VBS.

The first day I was at camp for breakfast I found it very disappointing that there was no fruit. All breads. All carbs. All day. I miss that too. I love having fruits and veggies again, in fact that's basically all I've eaten the past week I've been back. This evening I sent my dad to go buy tomatoes, cucumbers, and hard bread so I could make an open-faced sandwich for dinner with a cup of tea.

I eat like a European now. I eat almost everything now not with just a fork but with a knife and fork. I even ate Ice Cream Cake like that without even thinking twice what I was doing.

Above all the quirky things that I miss about Poland, what i miss the most is all the relationships, bonds, and friendships I had with the people there.

Earlier today I was reading a combination of my journal, blog post, and prayer entries and began putting them inorder of when I wrote them. Reading over the summary of my trip though my writing really showed me how God worked during my trip.

The first week through the middle of the second week I truly felt like I didn't belong in Poland. I though, ya, this is a good trip and maybe God will show me something but I don't think Poland is the place for me. Good experience for Morgan. I also felt like I shouldn't have even come. I felt bad for raising so much money because the things I was doing at Zako I could have done at any other camp in american. At least then I would have been able to talk to the kids and they would have been able to understand me.

But God said, Morgan, be still, and know I am God. (Psalms 46:10)

He knew what he was doing and knew that I felt like. He knew that I would do anything for him but what I didn't know is what he had planned.

I feel like the first talent show is where I could really see him use me. I did a interpretive worship dance to the song that my friend wrote. God used my talent of dance and the following week I taught dance everyday to a group of girls at the camp.
That same week I fell in love with Jesus, again. You know the song by Bruno Mars, "I would catch a grenade for you, throw my hands on the blade for you, I'd jump in front of a train for you, you know I'd do anything for you..." That song came to mind that night. The theme of the message was, "People do crazy things when they're in love" and to realize that Jesus loves me more than Bruno Mars could love any other chick or any other person could love me is pretty outstanding.

That same week there was a girl, nine years old, who refused to eat her food because she thought it would make her fat. My friend Jenna and I tried to talk to her but she didn't speak much english. So Jenna got up and out of all the other people in the room got Estera. Estera talked to the little girl, scared her by telling her how she doesn't want to be really thin. Told her that she would lose her hair and be really cold all the time and have bad finger nails. I thanked Estera and ended up talking to her later about her story, and I shared mine. We both cried.

The following Tuesday, we lead a walk to a field where Estera and I and an unexpectedly high number of kids joined us to hear about our battle with eating disorders. Thirty kids came out to the field that day and we told them if they needed anyone to talk to they could talk to us. We had a follow up with four girls.

God showed me how if I didn't go to Poland I wouldn't have been able to meet with the people that I met that week. He showed me how he used the relationships I had with people that week to transform other people's lives and help break down walls people had created in their lives.

The most significant things I think that God showed me during my time in Poland was 1. Actions speak louder than words-During the first two weeks, when the kids didn't speak much english I really learned how to be there for people with out feeling like I need to give advice say anything. Instead he showed me how to love people through teaching dance and smiling and through being Christ-like example to others. 2. How important relationships are. Most of the time when we think if mission trips we think of serves and how we are going to go someplace and do all these good things for people. I feel like this mission trip ministered to me as much as I ministered to other people. I can't emphasize enough how much I am changed by hearing the testimonies of other people on this trip and how important it was that God brought together all the friendships that I have Poland.

Leaving Poland was hard but being back in the U.S. is harder. As I said before, I miss Poland so much. I went to a Polish Festival yesterday with my dad. It was behind this house that was owned by the Catholic church across the street. It was small but being there I felt at home with the Polish language being spoken and the food that reminded me of the campfire at Zako. I didn't know any of the people there but when I started to talk to some of them I felt like they were my long lost family members.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, I mean I've only been back for a week. But the warm fuzzy feeling I have for Poland now, I hope it doesn't leave. Who knows, maybe God wants me there. It's amazing how He works. A little country. A difficult language. I felt like I didn't belong and now I can't stand to be away.

Philippians 1:6-"And I am certain that God who began the good work within you will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."