Saturday in Krakow

Today I had the opportunity to go to Krakow, the former capital of Poland and one of the few old world cities left intact after WWII. It was a fun filled day. On the 5 hour bus ride I had a chance to talk with two PROeM staffers, Stephanie and Zaba. They shared their heart for children at PROeM's pre-school in Tomasczow, and the growing opportunities to reach out to English Language Learners in the big city of Lodz.

In other news I have one more week here at camp.  Can you please pray for the following needs?
-pray for flexibility and patience on my part. I still do not know the specifics of my roles for the coming week.
-I was stung by a few wasps yesterday. Twice on my neck and once on my left hand. My left hand is very puffy and hurts. Please pray for healing. Medical care is limited here.  All you nurses and doctors out there: should I be concerned?

- We will have a new group of campers and a new support team from Ireland arriving tomorrow. Please pray that God would already be at work in their hearts.

Building Relationships

Eric and Julie are an American couple here working for PROeM. They are quite unique as a couple, because they have been married for nearly a year but have established relationships with PROeM staff that dates back prior to their marriage. To add another layer, they were never together in Poland longer than two moths at the same time. Needless to say they have their own unique relationships here with the PROeM staff. Eric led this morning's devotional out of Psalm 107. Basically the message was "Do we know God through our pursuits?"  Do we know how those who are close to us are doing with their pursuit of God? This perspective challenged me to reevaluate my relationships with other believers, and see that God has given me a greater purpose to pursue others for Christ by asking questions that have eternal impact.That is how Eric and Julie operate with the staff here at camp. As a result, it has encouraged staffers to ask the same questions of Eric and Julie. It is great!  I've seen it in the few short days that I've been here and hope to implement it in my life too.

A Return to Camp

So I made it. Thank you to all who prayed for my travels. Of course the flight was okay, but I missed my family every time I heard an infant cry or a young child get fussy on the plane. Crazy, I know.  Well I'm here and camp life is as I remember it: Mosquitoes, humidity and the mysterious odor from the back of the lodge. It's all here. I met up with the staff last night. My friend Robert will be the director for the next two weeks. Both weeks are "mixer activities" (sports, arts and craft) for elementary age children. He asked that I take a more behind-the-scenes role this week. I'll help out with the climbing wall and the zip line while getting to know the campers. Next week I will be more "present," as Robert put it. Last night (Wednesday) was the invitation night for campers. Praise God, 22 little campers came forward to give their lives to Christ. In previous years, PROeM made Thursday night the "invitation" opportunity. When I asked why they changed it, I learned that they just wanted more time with the campers that did make decisions, to discuss what it means to follow Christ. Please pray that these 22 campers would forge genuine relationships with their counselors and fellow believers so that when they return home they can continue a genuine relationship with Jesus. Thank you and please stay tuned!

Lift-Off

It's July 3, which means today is my departure day!  My flight takes off at 5:55pm from LAX.  Your prayers are much appreciated as I travel.  Hopefully by 10am tomorrow (California time), I'll be safely in Poland.  So today is the long goodbye as I pack and wait to leave for the airport.  While leaving my family is sad, I am looking forward to reconnecting with the PROeM staff and experiencing Poland again.  Also, an update on financial support: I am now only $250 away from my goal of $1900.  THANK YOU!!!  If you'd still like to support me financially, it's not too late.  (See below.)  Thanks for your prayers!  I'll post something again once I arrive and have WIFI.

One more thing: Some of you were having trouble commenting on this page. I think I fixed the problem.  If it still doesn't work, please email me or Chrissy.

Here's how to donate financially:  Send a check payable to PROeM to the address below, and include a note with my name on it.

PROeM Support Ministries

12910 Shelbyville Road, Suite 200

Louisville, KY 40243

The knee is better

Today I went to the doctor for a check up on my knee. Thank you all for your prayers!  Praise God, the doctor believes that the knee is getting better. He has ruled out the torn meniscus that he listed as a possible prognoses. He arrived at this conclusion since there has been a reduction in swelling and my pain level is dropping a lot. My mobility is much improved; I just cannot run any marathons anytime soon.  (Oh well.) He believes that the injury might be related to an injury from the 1980's when I wore out my cartilage playing soccer and created friction in the knee joint. All this to say I have been given the green light to go to Poland, but not to over-do it. Maybe I should fly first class, just to be safe.  Ha ha.  I am so grateful for all of your prayers and support.

Here’s how you can pray right now:

• Pray that the last $450 of my financial support will come in soon.  (See below for how to give.)
• Pray for continued healing for my knee and against other spiritual attacks as the trip gets closer.
• Pray that God would fulfill His purposes in this trip and that my thoughts, attitudes and actions would demonstrate His glory.
• Pray that God would work mightily through PROeM ministries this summer.
• Pray for my relationships with the missionaries in Poland, and for my role as an effective representative of Cornerstone Church.

And here's how to donate financially:

• Send a check payable to PROeM to the address below, and include a note with my name on it. 

PROeM Support Ministries

12910 Shelbyville Road, Suite 200

Louisville, KY 40243

One "bad" step for Soderlund

Here is a personal update. On Wednesday, my second to last day at work, I took a "bad" step and my left knee popped. Being one who has majored in the art of self inflicted injuries with a specialization in knee injuries, I thought I could walk it off, ignore it, get distracted and it would go away. Sadly it did not go away. Today I gave into Chrissy's petitions for me to see a doctor. The jury is out on what the problem really is, but the doctor seems to think it might be a torn meniscus (cartilage). He wants me to come back next week to see if my swelling has gone down and my mobility has improved. If the prognosis is not good, it may necessitate surgery.  If this outside chance becomes a reality, the doctor says my plans for going to Poland may be canceled - news I was not prepared to hear!  Please pray for me and my left knee. I will see the doctor again on Thursday June 21 and I will be sure to update the blog at that time.   In the meantime, let's assume that I will still be able to go to Poland.  I believe God will come through here.

This Summer's Theme is.....

Hi Everyone.  Guess what I just heard?  It's an update from PROeM on this year's camps.  This year's theme is  "Summer of Champions."  It is in line with the Summer Olympics in London and the European Soccer Championships being held in Poland/Ukraine. The Polish translation of the theme is "Lato na Medal" which means something like a summer worthy of a medal -- simply an "awesome" summer. Both these events will dominate the news during the time I am in Poland.

I also promised to give you an update on my support raising.  Thank you to those who have committed to praying for me.  I appreciate your prayers and value that above all else.  Thank you also, to those who have donated financially.  So far, $700 of the $1900 has already come in.  I'm thanking God for that!  Can you please pray with me that the rest would come in soon?  If you were planning to support me financially, could you please do so before the end of this month?  And if you are planning to pray for me, please email me and let me know.

Here’s how you can pray right now:

• Pray that God would fulfill His purposes in this trip and that my thoughts, attitudes and actions would demonstrate His glory.
• Pray that God would work mightily through PROeM ministries this summer. A small group of people run the entire operation. This includes the camping facility (which ministers to over 7,000 people each year), a church in Tomaszow, another imminent church plant in Lodz, and a fully accredited elementary school.
• Pray for my relationships with the missionaries in Poland, and for my role as an effective representative of Cornerstone Church.
• Pray that God would stir up a team of financial supporters. I need to raise $1,900 by June.

And here's how to donate financially:

• Send a check payable to PROeM to the address below, and include a note with my name on it. 

PROeM Support Ministries

12910 Shelbyville Road, Suite 200

Louisville, KY 40243

Thanks, Everyone!!