A Familiar Face

When you live in a foreign country any familiar face is a welcome sight, no matter how distant a relative (see first picture). On Saturday we decided to take a 2 hr drive to the city of Lublin. Upon arriving into town the kids where itching to get out and do something so we decided to look for a McDonalds (preferably with a playplace) and after driving around the city for 25 minutes we found one. Its always funny to watch our kids interact with the Polish kids. The boys each got a "Shrek" toy in their happy meal and they began throwing it down the big slide first and then they would come down right after. A Polish boy about their age caught onto their game and began to wait for the toy. When it came down he would take it before the boys could get it and throw it as far as possible. This really bothered my boys and they asked him to stop but there is that whole language barrier thing, though I think he knew what they were asking. Ginger and I just sat back wanting to see what they would do. It was funny to watch their problem solving, they literally huddled in a corner and came up with a plan that required Caleb to wait at the bottom of the slide for the toy to come down, grab it before the other kid, and save it until Bradey came down. This worked to perfection a few times until Caleb and the Polish boy got to the toy about the same time, Caleb preformed a textbook box-out/ hip check and the toy was secure. Is it bad to say that I was beeming with pride?

I guess my point in all of this is to say that the boys have some big hurdles ahead of them in the months and years to come as we try to adapt to this culture. The biggest being starting school this fall in a completely different language. Yesterday we got a glimpse of how they'll conquer these hurdles---as a team. No doubt it will be years before they realize the great blessing God has given them in each other but Ginger and I are seeing the blessings already. They are evidenced everytime we send them off to sunday school, they're not only the new kids, they also don't understand a word, but they have each other(imagine what it takes for little kids to walk through that door). When they walk out to play in the park, they are foreigners and the new kids on the block, but push comes to shove and they are a team. Now I know some of you are wondering why I haven't mentioned Aubrie, but if you know her you know she'll be fine. I think she has a Polish vocabulary of almost 20 words already, doesn't know a stranger, and will most likely publish her first book in the fall : ) Ginger and I are beginning to see some of the different gifts and talents God has given our children and we find assurance in knowing that He has prepared them for this great adventure. Remember to pray for Caleb, Bradey and Aubrie--but don't pity them, they're having a blast "wiving in Powand" as Bradey says.