First Things

Today, Monday October 3, 2011, has been a day full of first things for me. Today was my first day to take the tram home all by myself. And then to take the tram back out to meet Stephen. Taking the tram always seems so easy when Stephen or another friend is there. Most of the time I just look out the window, check for landmarks, and enjoy the ride, but today I had to be on guard. I had to be vigilant. I had to watch for landmarks, figure out where the tram was and where I needed to go, and watch for people on the tram to make sure no one would pick my pockets. It was definitely an adventure. At the beginning I could not remember where I was supposed to get on the tram. So instead of getting on and going the wrong way, I just decided to walk to a stop that I was sure of. Eventually I made it back to our apartment safely and somewhat swiftly. I changed because it was so beautiful and warm that I wanted some summer clothes. Then gathered my things and headed back to meet Stephen. I realized going back to the Galleria Krakowska was a lot easier than coming from it. And thanks to my new cell phone was able to locate and eat with Stephen.

Another first for me today was baking. I love to bake. At home, any chance I got I was trying to make sweets or desserts for any reason. I just loved it! Being here has been difficult because up until this morning I did not know how to use my oven. I have felt so lost without being able to make and enjoy sweets. So this morning Stephen read the Polish oven manual and told me what setting I needed to use and how to use it. So this afternoon after all of our running around and meetings, I baked sugar cookies for Stephen to take to the Football Fellowship. Whenever I bake or cook, I always pray over the things I am making. I pray for God to guide and help me. I pray for the food I am preparing to taste and look good. And I pray that nothing bad will happen to the food, like egg shells, loose hairs, or intense burning. Well this particular cooking experience was going to be ten times more challenging because all my ingredients are in Polish, and I am using a new oven with new temperatures in Celsius and settings. I also talked to many other people here who said how hard it was to get used to cooking with the different ingredients, measurement units, heating units, and ovens. I was actually very overwhelmed and thought that I was not going to have enough time, and terrified they were going to taste awful. So as I walked quickly to Alma to pick up extra supplies, in case I had to make extra batches, I started praying for God to help me with the time, the cooking, and for the cookies to be good. God is so amazing! I had a perfect amount of time. I put the last cookies in the container at 6:25 and Stephen was going to leave at 6:30. Nothing was burned. Nothing caught on fire. I only had to make one batch. They tasted different than the US but they were pretty good.  I am starting to realize that nothing here tastes truly like the US. Some things that may be just as good, like lody (which is ice cream) but it is still a little different than the US. All things considered I was amazed at how God demonstrated love, mercy, and grace to me. He allowed me to work with and create a US recipe in a foreign land, and blessed me with a very decent product. I will have to admit that I did not have tons of faith that it would happen. I honestly thought I would have to call and say Stephen was not bringing cookies because they did not turn out. But God showed me a personal miracle and he was able to take some cookies!  

Going into Alma today was a new experience as well. Stephen had to run by the house so I went by myself, and he was going to meet me there hopefully in enough time to pay because they do not speak English. As I was looking in Alma, I realized this was not going to be easy like going to Wal-Mart. In fact this was the first trip I had taken to the grocery store completely by myself. There was no one there to read a package for me, there was no one there to ask a question for me, there was no one there to speak for me when someone asked me a question. Trying to find what I needed in a store where there was no English was very difficult. I had to rely on pictures to try to make sure I was getting the right ingredients. For once I could not ask questions so I had to just guess on my own. And if anyone talked to me I had to say either Nie Dzienkuje (which is no thank you) or Nie Wjem (which is I don’t know). And who knows they could have been asking me what my name is and I could have answered no thank you or I don’t know. It is actually pretty funny if you think about it. But I now have a new found respect for people who are trying to learn English in America, it is overwhelming not being able to read, speak, or understand. I do not think the Polish people should change for me or that America should change for those people, I just understand that it is hard, and I can be a little more compassionate and understanding, just like I hope and pray the people here will be with me.

Today has been full of adventures and first, fresh experiences. While these experiences have not always been comfortable, they have been interesting. God has tested my faith and dependence on Him. He has encouraged me to be brave and bold. And He has demonstrated that even in the tiny, yet important to me, things He is right there with me. Tomorrow is going to be a day full of government dealings as we register for our visas. Thankfully Stephen will be there with me the whole time, and thankfully he will be able to speak Polish because from what I hear the people in the offices will not. I am sure there will be some interesting stories that come from that experience. I guess we will have to see. Thanks for reading and supporting us!