Our trip to Poland took us to the mountain village of Zakopane, located on the southern border of the country, in the region that is home to “the Polish Rockies”. After arriving, we listened with riveted attention as our host family, Kris and Mariola Kolt, recount what God had done in their lives to bring them both back to their home country as missionaries. Their story begins with fleeing the Communist crackdowns in the 80’s, taking refuge in Austria, immigrating to Canada, then meeting and getting married, coming to Christ, responding to a call to missions, training at a Bible college in the US, and finally returning to Poland to establish a church, two Christian schools and…a camp! In 2012, Kelly and Matt Collier traveled to Poland with their son Gabe (6 years old at the time) to work with Kris and Mariola to launch their first youth camp. Having recently finished updating our staff training materials, the timing was perfect to visit them again.
We had quite the group of kids attending this camp, many from the local orphanage and many with complicated and heartbreaking stories. Quite a few of these children have lost their parents naturally or have been rejected by their earthly parents. The children, as always, were diverse. Some were very tender. Others were quite defensive and self-absorbed. Understandably, the trauma of those backgrounds brought challenges. At the beginning of the week, we prayed that the handful of kids with behavioral challenges wouldn’t set the tone for the camp activities for the week. The staff worked hard. Some had taken the week off work and knew they would have to work extra hard when they returned home, but they saw the eternal value that this week of camp could have for the young people. We were thankful to have a worker form the orphanage assisting us as we cared for the kids throughout the week.
The kids enjoyed many hours of activities on the turf field and rubberized basketball court. Soccer and capture the flag were especially big hits. On Wednesday everyone went on a 6-mile hike through a valley in the Tatras Mountains. God’s creation is truly stunning in Poland, and we were in awe the entire time. As we finished the hike, there was a shepherd leading his flock of sheep through green pastures, caring for them and guiding them. It was a beautiful reminder of our Father’s care for us.
As we gathered at the end of the week, we marveled together at what God had done during the week. As the song service began at the end of the week, someone commented, “Who are these kids? And where are the kids from Monday?” There was such a change in their attitudes from the beginning to the end. On day 1, the song service was a struggle, but by the last day, they asked to sing more!
The staff was noticeably tired at the end of the week, but they expressed repeatedly how thankful they are for the opportunity to share the love of Christ with these kids, and see so many respond to that love, though not all have yet accepted Christ.
Even the orphanage helper who came with the orphan children told the staff that he felt loved and at peace among the staff during the week. One of the camp workers lives very close to him and intends to continue to share the gospel with him. Please pray for him and the children as the Lord brings them to mind.
As we returned home, we were overwhelmed by the love of the Good Shepherd who sought us out and rescued us. We praise Him for the privilege to share the hope of God’s love with this group of 32 over the course of the week and to see a few precious lambs enter the safety of our Shepherd’s fold.
