The following is a letter from one of the missionaries that we worked alongside of. It's a bit long, but it also gives a good summary of ALL that we did! (I added some pictures...)Dear Students, Staff, Friends and Supporters of BFA’s Mission trip to Wrocław, Poland;
On behalf of our entire fellowship, Michelle and I would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Spring Break Missions Team from Black Forest Academy (BFA) and their many friends, family members and sponsors who made this trip possible through your financial support and prayers. We would especially like to thank the parents of these students for allowing us the privilege of spending half of their Easter break with your student.
The entire team displayed a wonderful servant heart, awesome team work, no fear of hard and sometimes very dirty work, and all without a single word of complaint. In fact, it seemed that the dirtiest work, that of digging in the basement, was one of the highlights for the team members. They may have a whole new appreciation for book learning after this trip.
The team left Kandern Germany just a few hours after finishing their classes. They had a 15 hour bus ride and arrived here just after 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning. After a short break and lunch we had a transport of supplies arrive that had 70 large sheets of plywood. The whole team formed a human chain and hauled all 70 sheets up to the top floor (4th floor) in less than an hour. This first task revealed instantly the uniqueness of this team of 17 students and 5 staff. The entire team exemplified a wonderful spirit of teamwork from the beginning to the end.
Beyond the hauling sheets of plywood to the attic , the team proceeded to install a subfloor, staple in place the vapor barrier over the insulation, attach support braces to rafters and clean up everything in the attic by the time they left. In addition, we estimated they removed nearly 10 tons of the blackest, stickiest mud from the basement by buckets, shovels, wheelbarrows and sometimes by hand. (Oh … one dead and badly decomposed cat was also exhumed and relocated elsewhere as a final resting place.)
One night during dinner the kids who worked down in the basement broke out in song..."Lollipop", which was on the CD they listened to over and over and over!
They actually sounded pretty good!Twenty-nine large windows were cleaned, guest apartment ceiling repaired and repainted, a mountain of insulation was moved from the lower floor to the top floor and all scrap wood was hauled back down the stairs, nearly 1000 cups washed, in addition to multiple hours of food preparation, shopping, laundry, and cleaning up was accomplished. A special project included cleaning two apartments for needy church members (one for a blind woman and the other for a family where the husband has been in a coma for nearly a year.)
On top of the physical work, the team helped with special music during our Sunday Worship service; performed two skits; as well, each had an opportunity during “Team Times” to give their testimony. The team members were also hosted for Sunday lunch in many of the homes of our church members. While overall, they were kept pretty busy, there was a bit of time for some shopping, visiting the concentration camp of Auschwitz, singing, playing games, watching a few films and a few went to a swimming park.
Glimpses of our visit to Auschwitz and Birkenau
Remains of a crematorium that the Nazis tried to destroy before they abandoned Birkenau.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable sights from Birkenau
Remembering...We would like to send a special thanks to the BFA staff who accompanied the team on this trip (Rachael Phillips for heading up the team and for her work in taking pictures and keeping parents and friends updated with pictures from time to time, Bethany Winnes, who organized meals, grocery shopping, housekeeping and laundry; Dr. David McCormack, and Ted and Betty Dick.)
Michelle and I would like to thank you all again for your ministry to us and our
fellowship. What a joy it was for us to host this team and see the wonderful young men and women that are being shaped to be impact their world at BFA.Gratefully yours,
Brett Hamilton
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