POLAND 2009 - Belchatow

Bełchatów, Poland

Sunday, February 8, 2009
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Visiting A Friend’s Home Town
We had the opportunity to go with our friend, Damian, to his hometown of Bełchatów. After a half-hour bus ride we arrived and Damian showed us around the town. Bełchatów is a thriving place with an interesting mixture of old and new; a place where traditional churches and modern graffiti art exist side by side.

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I would like to share a couple of things. First of all, I would like to say how awesome of a friend Damian has become to us. His love of God and of people is very evident. He has come to our place this last couple of weeks after Kid’s Club and before he leaves for university in Wrocław, to give us Polish lessons and to fellowship. We have been able to minister to him and he to us. I would like to ask for prayer for him as he leaves for university. I believe that God has placed a call to missions upon his life. Please pray that God would guide him and direct him in all of his ways.

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Also, another interesting thing that I noticed about the city of Bełchatów: The city logo is symbolized by Adam and Eve being tempted in the garden. In fact, one of the ploys, or catchy slogans to get people to come to visit Bełchatów, according to Damian, goes something like this, “Be tempted! Come to Bełchatów.” After talking to Kasia the other day, this seems to have been the city logo for hundreds of years now. I wonder why the prominent people of the city chose the temptation and fall of man to represent their city. It is a bit more affluent city with a population of 60,000 people, I think, yet no evangelical church except, from what I hear, a small charismatic home fellowship. This brings me back to the whole spiritual warfare thing. Where do you start in undoing something that may very well have lasting impact on a city like this? What are the spiritual ramifications of choosing to have your city represented by original sin? I was definitely praying as we were walking through the city. But this isn’t even the city we are living in. I pray that God would bring more and more Spirit-filled believers to come and break any curses that have been placed on this city, perhaps unbeknownst to its’ current inhabitants, and that they would continue to work of spiritual warfare and evangelism in a very non-evangelical place. If you think about it, please also pray for the freedom of the people of Bełchatów.

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Christian Young

POLAND 2009 - Homeless Shelter Ministry

Piotrków-Trybunalski, Poland

Thursday, February 5, 2009
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Homeless Shelter Ministry
Last week Daniel asked if I wanted to do some ministry at a homeless shelter that he has been visiting and ministering at. I eagerly took him up on this offer as for five years, we ministered with The Salvation Army, much of which was focused on the homeless. Daniel asked if I could bring my guitar, sing some songs that I wrote and perhaps share my testimony.

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When we arrived there yesterday, the first thing we saw was a man that they had pulled in off the streets who had drank and drank and drank, and when he was found was up to his hip in his own excrement and had frostbite. They were shaving his head in the łazienka (bathroom) because he also had head lice. They had called the ambulance who were on there way to pick him up and bring him to the hospital for medical care. I hear that this homeless shelter is the nicest one in town, as the manager has taken her time to make it feel quite like a nice home. This shelter is connected with the Red Cross. Daniel had previously asked if any other Protestant or Catholic churches came to visit the homeless, or if they had sent any counselors. They said that no one with any religious affiliation had ever come to the shelter before. We feel blessed that our small evangelical church can be “Jesus with skin on” to the people at this homeless shelter.
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Anyway, Daniel, Mark and I then went upstairs where 6 or 7 homeless guys gathered around, along with the manager of the shelter. I started by asking Daniel to translate the words of the original song “I’ll Find My Way” and proceeded to sing it. I could tell that right away they were all fully attentive. Then I gave my testimony about how I had walked away from God at a young age, and how I had gotten into bad things like alcohol, drugs and wrong relationships. I told them about my near death experience when I had overdosed at age 19, and how I had remembered at that time that if I were to die, that I would hear God say one of two things: (1) “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into My rest,” or (2) “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.” Knowing that I would not hear God say the first thing, I cried out for Jesus to save me. He did save me. I was at the lowest place of my life. I then read to them from Matthew 5:6 where Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” I told the guys that another translation would be “broken in spirit,” and how it is when people are at the lowest place in their lives that they can encounter salvation that is only through a personal relationship with Jesus. It is when we are completely broken that God can reach down and put the broken pieces together. It is interesting that the Beatitudes start with brokenness, and then go into being merciful, peacemakers and pure in heart, as I believe the road to these things starts with brokenness before God.

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Everyone listened intently, but one young man in particular seemed to really be tracking and connecting with God as I shared. His name is śymon (Simon) and he is 29 years old. He wanted his picture taken with me afterwards. I sang two more songs, “In The Silence” and “Where The Wind Blows.” Daniel translated “In The Silence” for me. They were glad that we had come and even asked us if we would come back next Saturday night at 6:00 pm sing and share as they will invite a bigger crowd of maybe 20 homeless. We felt honored and agreed to come back. Thank you Lord, for allowing us to minister to the “least of these” here in Poland. This world will only change as lives are changed by Jesus, one person at a time.

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Please pray for the homeless who were there and heard the message, and especially for śimon, who I hope to continue to develop a relationship with. Also, please pray for our meeting next Saturday night, that God would bring the right people to hear the right message at the right time. Thanks guys.

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Christian Young

POLAND 2009 - Spiritual Warfare

Piotrków-Trybunalski, Poland

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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Spiritual Warfare
We have been engaging in some low to mid-level spiritual warfare ever since we arrived to Poland, meaning that we’ve begun to seek the Lord as to what has been holding the people of Poland in bondage for centuries. I mean, you can see it in people’s faces as you walk down the streets here. Oppression. Bondage. We believe that these and other things in Poland have their roots in history and culture intertwined with the demonic, as we sense such strong spiritual strongholds over this area. The result? Maybe 0.2% of Polish people being born again. Of course, only God knows the heart and the real numbers, but I don’t think it’s too far off.
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The day that Kid’s Club ended, Jordan and Justine were getting ready to pray before bed in their room when Jordan almost turned white. She just stared at the floor of their room. Then she began rubbing her eyes and doing a double-take. Then she began to cry as she was scared stiff. When asked what was wrong, she said that she was seeing something slimy and light blue in color with black lines in it moving back and forth across the floor. The lights were still on in their room. Immediately the hair stood up on the back of our necks, even though I was in the other room. We began to rebuke it in the name of Jesus, but we were all so exhausted from the week, so the kids all crashed in our room that night.
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The next day, we all went into their room and prayed, each one of us, against the power of the enemy in Jesus’ name, pleading the blood of Jesus over our lives. As I was praying I heard Jordan and Justine whispering back and forth. When I finished praying I asked them what they were whispering about. Jordan told me that while I was praying, she saw this same creature fly up into the air and head out the door down the hall. I had even prayed against anything bad that may have taken place on this land in times past. This is our life. Spiritual battle. We have chosen it. Of course we reassure our children that we hope to see even more of the holy angels in our life and ministry. But I believe that we are hitting a nerve. Through the warfare prayer. Through Kid’s Club. The enemy is scared and can perhaps sense a paradigm shift coming in the heavenly realm.
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We have talked to Daniel as well as to some missionary friends here in Poland about the need to engage in this spiritual battle. The church holds a prayer meeting every Wednesday night, which we will definitely be a part of. But as I talked to the leaders, we all recognized the need to engage in this battle. We will be doing some research here in the upcoming months. Research on what has taken place, in Piotrków-Trybunalski, specifically. For instance, one of our friends was telling me that back in the 1500’s the counter-reformation meetings took place in one of the old buildings in town. This could very well explain much of the animosity of the Catholic Church here in Poland toward the evangelical church. My hope is to gather the small remnant here to go to this place and publicly repent for any sins committed in times past, as well as break any curses that have been brought onto the people of this city because of these meetings. We believe that acts like this begin to loosen the grip that the strongholds over this city have had for centuries. This is just the beginning. We will be gathering much more information and are praying for wisdom from God as to how to continue to proceed.
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2 Corinthians 4:3-4 states that “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” The truth is, that people in Poland have been blinded by Satan, and we are praying that God would remove the blindfolds that Satan has placed upon them, so that when believers here do share the gospel, it will be a seed planted in fertile soil. We need your help. Please join us in this spiritual battle. How many people die in Poland everyday without a personal relationship with Christ? The numbers are staggering. Oh for a holy discontent with this. Oh to know the heart of God, which “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Oh for a revival in Poland. Please let us know if, after you read this and are praying, you sense a word from God specifically for this situation. Again, we covet your prayer partnership. We will fill you in on more details as we continue to seek God specifically on these things. Please pray for our family’s protection as well, if God brings it to mind. Thank you guys so much.

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Christian Young

POLAND 2009 - Jordan's 9th Birthday

Piotrków-Trybunalski, Poland

Monday, February 2, 2009
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Jordan’s 9th Birthday
Yesterday Jordan celebrated her 9th birthday. I think she had a great day. We started the day with church in the morning, where there was a time of worship, a recap on Kid’s Club from the previous week, prayer, a short message and communion. Then, after the service, they had snacks and the church people sang happy birthday to Jordan and another lady who had a birthday.

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From church we headed over to Daniel’s house to spend time with him and his family. Had a great lunch. Then Jordan and Justine got to go outside with Daniel to go sledding down a small hill near their house. From there we went to Mark and Naomi’s (fellow missionaries to Poland) home where they made Jordan a cake, had games and opened presents.

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Today, our family walked to a toy store where Jordan got to spend her birthday money on a stuffed animal (a German shepherd dog- no big surprise there). I am sure that she missed hanging out with friends and family back in the States, but I think with her new friends here in Poland, her 9th birthday was a memorable one.

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Christian Young