POLAND 2009 - Skateboarding Outreach in Belchatow

Bełchatów, Poland
Friday, August 14, 2009
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Skateboarding Outreach in Bełchatów
After going to Radomsko to do outreach at the skate park for two days last week, I felt that we should go to the skate park in Piotrków-Trybunalski this week. I was able to do some outreach at this skate park two years ago. But when Damian, Jonas and I pulled up to the skate park, there was a tent set up and a “bouncer” who told us the skate park would be closed until Monday due to a concert that would be taking place Sunday night.

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So we headed 30 minutes west to the skate park in Bełchatów. This is also a skate park I was wanting to do some outreach at. The skate park in Bełchatów is a nicer one. But when we pulled in, there weren’t any skateboarders. There were a couple of younger kids on rollerblades and some other youth hanging around. We asked them if there were usually any skateboarders who come and skate there. They said that there were, and that they would show up soon. Sure enough, a car full of skaters pulled up and as they entered the skate park, they all came and greeted us, shaking our hands, as seems customary here in Poland, not just at the skate parks, but in churches, too, which is interesting. People here are so kind and polite.

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I just started skating with them for a while. Then I noticed that they looked really familiar. So I asked them if they were from Bełchatów. They said that they were from Piotrków-Trybunalski. I told them that they looked familiar, and asked them if they were among the guys who were at the skate park in PT two years ago, in 2007, when I was there. Three out of four of them said that they were there and that they remembered me! One of them I have already been friends with and communicated with on MySpace over the past two years. They already heard my testimony back in 2007! They were excited to skate with me again, and we got to shoot some video, which I will include a short film for Bełchatów as I did for Radomsko. I asked them about any local skaters from Bełchatów, and they said that they were all in university now. But I was so excited to connect with the guys that I connected with two years ago, and continue to develop relationships and shine the light of Christ. We skated, talked, filmed and had a blast. Damian once again connected with the younger crowd, which is great. We really get to team up as we are going to these skate parks for outreach. This next week, Damian, Jonas and I will be in Warsaw for three days working with a mission team, and are hoping to hit one of the skate parks there as well. I will keep you updated on our continued evangelistic efforts at the skate parks here in Poland.
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Christian Young