Summer Conference

Time is moving on and I don't want to miss telling you about our trip to Poland. We flew EasyJet from Liverpool to Krakow. We stayed in a EasyHotel the first night because our two hour flight arrived late at night. It was the first time that we have flown to the summer conference--usually we drive for days and arrive in quite a state! The next day we met other missionaries back at the airport for a bus ride to the conference center. It was in the mountains in a ski resort town called Ustron. It was a very familiar area to us because when we lived in Czech our teammates the Hashes lived across the border in Ustron.

The hotel was shaped like a triangle or pyramid--and we had the penthouse apartment in the pointy bit at the top! There were 80 missionaries from Europe plus their 40 children attending the conference. There were a lot of people missing as many people are having financial difficulties do to the low value of the dollar. But it was a great size event to get to know lots of people.

I was presenting a seminar on 'third culture kids in transition' on the first full day of the conference. I was really nervous but well prepared. All I can say is that God answered so many of my prayers. I've been preparing and praying about this since January and it was so fun and exhilarating to do it! I've had a burden on my heart for so long that we need to offer more help to our missionary parents and it was so exciting to be a part of that help. One mother came up to me afterwards and said, 'thank you, I feel normal now'. Later I learned that she has 3 children and has just been serving in Europe for 11 months. What a privilege to help someone right at the beginning of their cross-cultural parenting experience.

While Wayne and I were enjoying the conference and doing the networking thing at every meal, catching up with people that we have ministered to in the past, and soaking up the fellowship our kids were having a fantastic time. I can't remember a conference that had such a comprehensive children's & youth program. Simon & Eliot were wowed by 'Master Ron' a children's pastor from Chicago who juggled his way into the hearts of my boys. Jessica & Erika were part of a group of 10 teenagers led by Lina Miller. Let me put that in context. Our local youth group only has 7 in it on a good night when everyone comes. The girls made some good friends that week.

Let me not forget the outing. As we were close to Auswitz half the group went there for the day but those of us with younger children went to a salt mine. Lots of walking underground in the dark--but anythings fun with a bus load of friends, right? Not long into the tour the guide told us that everything around us was salt. You could be forgiven for not realizing this as it was all grey. Then she said go ahead and lick the walls. Simon was the first one I was to just lick the wall! Most of us just licked our fingers--she was right, salt everywhere! Did you know that salt comes in different colors? I didn't, but now I know it comes in grey, red, blue, and pink.

5 days of conference ended with a wonderful worship and communion service. The teenagers served communion which was very touching for us parents to see the young people serving together.

We've always made conference a priority in our family because it is part of the connective tissue of International Teams. I'm really glad we flew all the way to Poland for this one.

On the last day we picked up a rental car and drove into the Czech Republic more about that later.

Revived Blog

We got back last night from our trip to Poland for the IT European Conference. After conference we spent 3 nights in Czech with friends. I was inspired again to revive this blog--so I'm starting again.