Hey everybody, Clay writing here. We're about to fly out, but wanted to give a quick update.

For those of you who are Mitch Hedberg fans, look what we saw! Neil and I thought this guy looked just like Mitch!













Megan mentioned something earlier about the "commie condos". Here's a little about them and a few shots:



Here's a quick look at the mall Megan wrote about and a funny restaurant:


Check out our last round of pictures from Poland:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2476711&l=70f8f&id=8329930

The train video from a few days ago didn't look too great, so here it is again:

Polska: Day 2

Hello! Our second day in Posnan is winding down. We are now sitting around the Mitts' coffee table, playing a game thought up during communist days: Super Farmer. It is really funny. I keep getting lost and wanting to read the directions, and then I realize that they are in Polish :)

Today we spent the day running around Posnan with Doug videoing. But first we had an amazing breakfast prepared by Lisa- so good! We went to the oldest cathedral in Poland- built in 1000 AD. Our last stop of the day was at this HUGE mall. In 2005 it was awarded the world's best mall. It is made out of an old brewery- pretty cool. 

We arrived home to yet another delicious meal from Lisa. We will be sad to leave her cooking tomorrow. Our flight to Warsaw and then Budapest, Hungary leaves tomorrow at 1:30pm. We will spend tomorrow evening getting around town by ourselves, and then John Henderson will be there on Saturday when we will do our filming. On Saturday we have one last day in Europe hanging around Budapest just the 3 of us. 

Here are pics of today:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2476281&l=d7093&id=8329930

First Day in Poland

We have almost concluded our first day in Poland. We started the day off with breakfast at our hotel. By the time we got there there were only 2 yogurts, 1 roll, eggs with mayonaise, and a vat of weenies left. When Doug picked us up, he told us that we could have asked the people in the kitchen to refill the table, which made us laugh. We waited in the dining room forEVER waiting to see if they would bring more bread. SO funny.

We then went to the Mitts' house. Clay and Neil filmed Doug and Lisa, and then they treated us to an amazing lunch. Breakfast had worn off quickly, so we were so happy to eat. Peter, a Polish pastor, stopped by and ate with us. He shared with us his heart for a revival in the Polish people. Hearing him talk made me excited. It is amazing how culture affects a people group's attitude towards and acceptance of the gospel.

Doug then took us around to several of the churches and church offices that he works with. Evidence of past communism is so obvious here. From old barracks to sky-reaching condo buildings. Many of the buildings have been painted bright colors, but several still remain black and gray, a reminder of things past. This is in contrast to the Mitts' area. I was surprised yesterday when we pulled up to their house. The neighbor hood is fresh and new. Very colorful.

We are now just hanging out at their home. Kabob pizza is on its way, and I think we are going to spend the evening resting and watching old movies. I am very excited. All of this quick traveling has worn me out! It should be a nice quiet night. Keep praying!!

Here are some pictures of our day. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2475857&l=54500&id=8329930

We're in Poland!

March 11 (12:30pm Poland time)
Well, we are now sitting in the Warsaw, Poland airport on a 4 hour layover. Just 3 Amerikanskis chillin' in Warsaw. Yes, we are Amerkanskis here. I love it. Yesterday was truly a great day. We were so encouraged by meeting our team in Huy, and are so looking forward to joining them in January. 

After blogging last, we had so much fun hanging out with the Boatwrights and Lindsey. We just hung around the apartment, relaxed, and spoke Anglais (English), which was awesome. Brent and Daisy are both graduates of New York Culinary School, so we let Daisy prepare us dinner. A trip to the grocery store was great for my nerves- I have been so nervous about what we would have available for us to eat when we come. The store was nice. Good produce and meat (including horse... :-/), and they even had a little tex-mex section with tortillas. How wonderful. And a whole aisle devoted to chocolate- the chocolate really was good there, that is a myth that has been confirmed. (Speaking of myths that are to be confirmed, I forgot to note yesterday that we also tested Belgian waffles. They are amazing. The ones we had were filled with fruit, and Neil ordered for himself which made him very proud. So, another point for Belgium- amazing waffles.)

This morning we rose at 5am to head to Poland. As we crossed the bridge over the Meuse, I was sad thinking about how short our time was in Huy. It is such a fun, beautiful place, and we so enjoyed the Expedition237 folks. We got to the train station early, and then made it like champs to Brussels (we made all our train connections, which was a relief ). The flight to Warsaw was uneventful, though the inflight meal service was surprisingly good- so good that I woke Clay up for it :) Ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, hard-boiled egg, bread, butter, and a chocolate wafer.... AND this amazing warm sweet cheese dumpling with peaches. It was unexpected and delightful. 

.......

11pm

Ok, we are now in Posnan! Doug Mitts picked us up at the airport and took us home to have dinner with his family: Lisa, Megan, and Michael. Lisa made taco salad which made us very happy indeed. It is funny how we really haven't been gone that long, but Texas food is still like manna from heaven. I don't think I have ever eaten so many tortilla chips :)

Megan and Michael are cool kids. They are 12 and 9 and both attend an all Polish school. Language is no problem since they were born here. We really enjoyed just talking to the whole family around their dinner table- such a sweet family. After dinner, we made our plans for tomorrow. We will be picked up around 9am and taken back to the Mitts' house (we are staying a bed-and-breakfast kind of place near their home), where Clay and Neil will film their interview. Then I think we are planning on meeting with the pastor of the Mitts' church, afterwhich we will tour the town. 

I will get some photos of Posnan soon to post. I think it will be different that you expect- atleast it is for me.

Good night all! 

Megan

Here are the rest of the pictures from Huy:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2475523&l=db72e&id=8329930

Update From Belgium

Hello All,

This is Megan, writing from Daisy and Brent's apartment in Huy. We have been here since yesterday morning and we are having a great time. It is rainy and cold, but we are learning that this is not strange for Belgium. I am so glad I brought my ski coat with the huge hood!! We were very tired yesterday, so it all seems like a blur. We got to Brussels yesterday around 8am and hopped a train to Huy. This is not as simple as it sounds. Let's just say we learned a lot about the Belgian train system. Check out the video below... We missed the church service due to train confusions but made it just in time for lunch. It was a Missions Sunday so lunch was Brazilian, which we thought was hilarious since our first experience with Belgian cuisine was Brazilian food. Either it was really funny or we were just extremely jet-lagged :)

We then hit the town with Brent and Daisy Boatwright, Lindsey Carver, Matt Freeman, and Megan Meyer. The Boatwrights and Lindsey are UWM Expedition 237 teammates who we will be working with in January. Matt is the outreach pastor at Westlake Bible Church, and Megan Meyer is a friend that teaches in Brussels but came down to Huy to see us. We toured around town for awhile, and then rested at O'Malley's Pub- it felt so “Euro.” :)

For dinner we had “frits” or french fries. Belgians eat it with mayonaise- you can just imagine how much Clay loved this. We also ate a big sausage. We were so tired that we could have eaten ANYTHING and been satisfied. On the way back to our hotel, I think we hit the stage of dilirium. I have never laughed so hard, or almost fallen down so many times. And is was raining. Needlesss to say, we were so happy to have hot showers and a bed.

Today we began the morning by heading to Liege to attend language school with the Boatwrights and Lindsey. We ate the BEST croissants. Seriously, guys, it is true about pastries and Europe- so amazing. Language school was good, though I think it will be better when I can understand French. Afterwards we walked around Liege. I poked my head into some clothing stores and got very excited- the clothes are great! That is something to look forward to. We ate at Chez Stuckies for Boulettes- a traditional Belgian meatball in a onion gravy. And of course it was accompanied by frits :) It was soooo good. Any who visit us in Belgium will have to try it (this is a plug for visiting us).

We are now at the Boatwright's apartment about to eat dinner. I think we are going to watch LOST too, which will be a nice reminder of home :) We leave at 6am tomorrow for Posnan, Poland. We will update the blog as we can get internet.We are so excited to be here! Pray for us!

Oh, and check out our pictures just posted on facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2474996&l=976f7&id=8329930

Support Update and Exciting Travel

It's been a busy last few months.  Christmas, New Year, and almost the first quarter of 2008 have come and gone!

The last few months have been incredibly encouraging.  We were given a number of opportunities to share with individuals and groups about what we'll be doing.  We've made some great new relationships and had an opportunity to renew some old friendships.  The Lord has been providing financially as well.  We're now up to 40% of our monthly support! We're really excited and encouraged by that.  We still have quite a ways to go, but these last few months have been a great time of seeing God provide.

We're also really excited about our upcoming trip to Western and Eastern Europe.  A week from now we'll be on a plane somewhere between Washington DC and Germany.  We can't wait.  We land in Brussels early next Sunday morning and should make it to Huy (where the team is and where we'll be living for the next few years) just in time for church.  I just found out today that they'll be having their "Missions Convention" that Sunday, so that should be a great morning to be there.  It'll be great to see our future team and location.  We've been corresponding with a few of the folks over there and we can't wait to meet them!

Be sure to check back during the next few weeks.  We should definitely have some good stories to share!

Moving right along...

We made it through French class! Thank goodness we were allowed to audit, though. French is tough! What made it harder was that we didn’t have a lot of time to devote to studying. It was a successful semester. The fact that we know ANY French at all is a huge jump from where we were a few months ago.

Good news on the support: we’re at 11% of our monthly support pledges and about 25% for our outgoing expenses! God has really been gracious this past week. As a slight discouragement, though, our monthly support requirements went up to $5,000/month. Not only is cost of living going up in Europe, but the dollar is pretty weak against the euro, making things a little more costly.

This support raising has been a neat time for us. It’s made us realize that we are in a position of complete dependence upon the Lord and other people to make this work. It’s tough, but a great place to be. PLEASE be praying for us in this time.

On another note, we’re excited about an upcoming opportunity – we’ll get to visit our team in Belgium for a few days in March. What makes it cooler is that Matt, our missions pastor here at WBC, will be able to meet us there and see our future team and ministry. From there, we’ll be traveling on to Poland and Hungary to visit some of WBC’s missionaries for a few days and video their ministry. It’ll be a great opportunity to bring back their stories to share with the WBC body. It’s great, too, that Megan and I get to do this together. And to add to that, Neil, my brother, will be joining us. The three of us have a great time together, and it’ll be a great opportunity for him to see missions and ministry in a variety of cultures. In addition to all that, he’s great with a video camera, so it’ll be great to have him along to help shoot.

A lot going on right now. Thanks for the prayers, support, and encouragement.

Happy Thanksgiving

I realize it’ been a LONG time since we’ve written. There hasn’t been a lot to report recently. We sent out a few letters here in Austin and have had a great response. When we got our first response card returned, it hit me that there is NO WAY we could do what we’re going to do without the support of our friends and family. It’s really cool that it’s a collaborative, group effort like this. We have no option but to be dependent upon the Lord and others.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share something I read recently. The paragraph below is from City of God by Augustine. Of everything we have to be thankful for, a list that could go on and on and on, this takes the cake:

“We can never sufficiently thank Him for the gifts of nature: that we exist and are alive, that we can enjoy the sight of earth and sky, that we have a reasoning mind by which we can seek Him who has made all these things. Yet, for the greater gifts of grace there are not hearts enough or tongues enough in all the world even to try to thank Him. For, when we were burdened and broken by our sins, and our minds were turned from His light and blinded by the love of the darkness of iniquity, He did not leave us to ourselves, but sent to us His Word, who is His only Son, so that, by His birth and passion in the flesh He assumed for our salvation, we might learn how highly God esteemed our human nature, and that we might be cleansed from all our sins by His unique Sacrifice and, by His Spirit, have Love poured into our hearts, so that, with all our warring over, we might come to everlasting rest in the supreme blessedness of gazing on His face.”

Wow.

Have a thankful day.

le français et plus (French, and more)

We’re now embarking on our third week of French class at Austin Community College. It’s pretty tough, but it’s been good. It seems like the pronunciation is going to be the most difficult hill to climb. We’re both so used to Spanish where everything is phonetic – not so in French. It’s quite amazing how the French language can take somewhere around 25 letters and reduce it to one syllable. OK, maybe that’s a little extreme, but not too far off. We’re auditing a night class twice a week. It’s great because we can learn and participate in as much as we want, but come test time, there’s no pressure! Talk about relief! It’s actually a pretty good way to take a language class – our primary goal is learning the language, not making a grade. It’s been fun so far. We have to be realistic with our expectations and not be discouraged if we don’t come out of the class with perfect French-speaking abilities (which we wont, we’re sure). The goal is to get oriented with French, learn some basic vocabulary, and get a good understanding of the pronunciation. We’ve already seen this to be the case in just the first few weeks, so it should be a good semester.

In other news, we’re getting close to sending out our first prayer/news letter, which will get the ball rolling on support raising. We met with Matt, the missions pastor here at WBC, a few weeks ago to confirm that WBC stands behind what we’ll be doing. We left the meeting feeling really encouraged. Matt agreed to write a letter endorsing us and saying that Westlake Bible is excited to send us out for these few years to serve with United World Mission. It’s great to see churches and mission organizations truly seeking a partnership in these kind of situations. After all, the goal of local churches and mission organizations are (or at least should be) one in the same – to effectively use the resources God has given them to bring more souls into a saving, worshipping relationship with Him. John Piper begins his book Let the Nations Be Glad with this simple yet profound statement: “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” Throughout scripture God calls for unity among believers. Its encouraging to see churches and organizations across the world work take this mandate seriously and work toward one common goal of glorifying God by drawing worshipers to him from all corners of the globe.

For those who wish to pray, please pray 1) that our French class would be profitable and help build a foundation for learning the language in the future, and 2) that we would operate with diligence in the support raising stage and trust the Lord to provide what we need when we need it.

Thanks!

Not-So-Critical Update

We figured it's about time to answer the question that's been on everyone's mind: "What would Clay and Megan look like as Simpsons characters?” Well, the day has come. Here is a picture of what we would look like if we were ever able to take that vacation to Springfield we’ve been talking about for so long. Thanks to simpsonizeme.com, you too can see what you would look like if you appeared on an episode of The Simpsons. Check it out. It’s fun.