Travel and the Routine
Twenty six people comprised the construction missions trip to Poland to work on the Warsaw Theological Seminary building. The trip was organized by Stan and Julie Wagner. Twelve came from California; seven from Virginia Beach; four from Centerpointe Church; two from Utah; and one, David McKay (he took pictures and videos) from Springfield, Missouri. The four from Centrepointe were Pastor Chelle Waddell, Scott Glassic, John Olsen, and I. Ricky Singh was also slated to go. The work consisted of tiling, grouting, some finishing wallboard work, fixing the suspension brackets for ceiling tile, outdoor setting of paving stones, laying a cable, and repairing a roof of a shed. Each workday was begun with a devotional led by one of the team members. We left from Dulles airport and flew United Airlines plane to Frankfurt. From there on to Warsaw on a Lufthansa plane. Well four of us flew to Warsaw.
Ricky
The sad and almost devastating note of the trip was that the fifth member of the Centerpointe Church Team, Ricky Singh, got as far as Frankfurt, Germany. The Lufthansa gate agent would not let him board the plane for Warsaw because he did not have a US passport. Ricky is a US resident with a green card and has Department of Homeland Security travel documents. Stan and Julie Wagner had foreseen a possible problem and had said that he needs to check whether he, in fact, can travel to Poland. He assured us that he had checked and was confident that he could do it. He is in his early thirties and an experienced international traveler. It turns out he had checked with United Airlines but not with the Polish Embassy. At the Frankfurt airport I waited with him at the gate for boarding the plane for Warsaw as long as I could without myself missing the flight. He gestured to me that I should go. Because he was a mature, 32-year old, and experienced traveler I did go on to board the plane for Warsaw. I have to admit I was an emotional wreck. I felt responsible for him and I had left him. It tore me up. I was in turmoil and almost continually crying out to our God. The whole team also prayed. After a day or so, the spirit of extreme heaviness lifted from me and I felt that, having placed Ricky in God’s hands, that he would be OK.
On returning to Church I shared Ricky’s story and asked for prayer. Several people volunteered to do some informal checking: one is a UAL employee, one is air marshal, and one works for the State Department. I also did some checking. He had said he worked for Home Depot near his home. I called eight Home Depots within 10 miles of his house and no one knew him. Some stores I called more than once. I went to Ricky’s home three times since we returned. On my first visit I got no response but I went to the rear of the house and saw his activity of building a deck that he had told me about. I also checked with neighbors with no result. On the second visit I again got no response but saw the work had progress in his back yard. I was encouraged, but could not rest until I actually had made contact with him. The third visit was on Wednesday, October 17. I finally met up with him! He is well and was surprised that anyone cared or much less worried about him. Here is his story.
He got back the same day that we left him in Frankfurt. While he was waiting to get on the plane as a standby passenger (because it was sold out), two German policemen came by and asked him questions. At that point he had no boarding pass. They proceeded to search him. But he did get on the flight home. Earlier, he had talked to German immigration people but they would not let him out of the airport. He also had tried to book passage to India and Hong Kong – both without success. On the home front, his ex-girlfriend had access to his accounts and changed the password to his e-mail account and also erased all the e-mails. Our phone numbers were in his cell phone that he had left on the airplane. He has been working the night shift at a Home Depot near his home – about 65 hours a week since returning. Because he didn’t think his being left on his own in Frankfurt was a big deal he did not make a special effort to get in touch with us.
Of course I had tried calling him and sending him e-mails, all without success. Now I know why. I even left a message in his door on my second visit, but he did not get it.
Anyways, Thanks be to our God that he is OK and allowed me to finally see him and make closure on this adventure.
Vicki
When we left Vicki Schultz had been in the hospital. News reached us that she was getting worse. This news with Ricky’s detention had hit me hard and I had been in turmoil and crying out to the Lord. That night before going to bed I came across
Phil. 3:13b-14 (NLT) but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us up to heaven.
I thought of Vicki and how she has strained to reach that prize. Never-the-less, while she lives I pray for her healing.
Ryan
One day a member of the team, Ryan, had a seizure. Chelle saw it happen and rolled him on his side. Others came to assist. He had to rest a good bit after that.
Poland
According to Rich McLean, there are 38 million people in Poland; 95% of them are Catholic and 36,000 are believers. That is about 0.1%. 21,000 attend Pentecostal churches; 12,600 are members of a Pentecostal church. The Catholic Church does not teach hope of any kind. On Sundays (or Saturdays) 70% are in church regularly. One out of three adults is alcoholic. Wife and child abuse is widespread.
Ministry Opportunities
Out of six devotional opportunities, four were taken by the Centerpointe Team without any urging from me. There was ample opportunity for others to volunteer but as days went by our people stepped to the plate and delivered. I was asked to give a devotional on my Gideon experiences in witnessing. I mentioned several divine orchestrations of witnessing opportunities. On her turn, Chelle talked about us being friends of God, not just servants. Scott talked about divine guidance when we ask for it citing Abraham’s servant when he went searching for a wife for Isaac, as an example. He also related an example from his own life. John talked about how he as a hungry soul kept hungering for the Lord until he came into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
On Sunday we went to the International Church where Missionary Richard McLane (the missionary we worked with at the Bible School) is the pastor. Our own Pastor Chelle was part of the worship team. She played the piano (or was it a keyboard), and she and Stan Wagner had featured solo parts in “It is well with my soul.” Both did an outstanding job. Her solo especially touched us all. I gave a testimony relating to the subject of the Potter remaking us.
I am as proud of the Centerpointe Team as a father would be of his children that have accomplished something special.
Humorous Situations
John Olsen had a ball when the New York Giants beat the Redskins. He, being a rabid Giants fan, was on a roll making up all kinds of funny puns using words relating to the Giants. O, how he lorded it over me, a dyed-in-the-wool Redskins fan.
I made the mistake of mentioning that Grace calls me Sweetie Babe. O how John and Scott razzed me – even sticking an amorous note in the door crack for me (addressed to Sweetie Babe or something similar).
My roommate David had to leave early, like four A.M., on his departure day. He inadvertently locked the door and took the key to the desk. At the Arkadia Hotel once the door is locked it can only be unlocked with a key, even from the inside. I panicked momentarily when I realized that I was locked in. I looked out the window to see if perhaps I could climb down. The answer to that was no. So I remembered what John and Scott’s room was and proceeded to call them to ask them to get the key and let me out. Scott answered and nonchalantly said that he would get me out in a couple of days.
Sightseeing
The whole team went to Krakow from where we took a tour bus to the Auschwitz Death Camp. It was a sobering experience. One story we heard goes like this: The German commanding officer of the camp was going to take his family back to Germany. Their home at the camp was very near the ovens where the bodies were burned. The wife did not want to leave because at the camp she had access to everything she wanted; namely the jewelry and fineries of the poor souls that were relegated to the camp to await their death. What a sad commentary on human nature.
We also had ample opportunity to tour the “Old Town” of Krakow – what a beautiful city. I understand the allies did not bomb it during the Second World War because of its beauty. In Warsaw we also had opportunity to see the old town of Warsaw, shopping malls, and the Polish version of Home Depot, called OBI.
CP | Missions Blog 