The year is coming to an end, and soon a new year will begin, and we are incredibly grateful for what God has done in the past year - but those who pray for us and support the work we do have just as big a part in what happens. Paul writes to the church in Philippi that the fruit of his labor "... will be credited to your account ..." (Phil. 4:17). He wrote this because they had supported him with what he needed. In the same way, we know that the fruit of the work we are doing will be "... credited to you ..." who have supported us - and we believe it will be credited to you in abundance.
SEVEN NEWLY BAPTIZED
This summer we had a large baptism, where 22 people were baptized, but much has happened since then, and a couple of Sundays ago, we had another baptism. Seven people were baptized, and the nations represented were Poland, Ukraine, and South Sudan/Dubai.
On the Sunday we were to have the baptism, we chose to combine the Polish and English services. It meant a packed room of people from many different nations, and it was fantastic to see a congregation where people thrive across nations and languages.
A few Sundays ago, we had another baptism and there were seven new people who wanted to be baptized. Those who were baptized were from Ukraine, Poland, and South Sudan/Dubai.
Among those who wanted to be baptized, there were both young people and older ones. Several of them were also refugees from Ukraine who have been living in a refugee center that the church runs for the past few months. A couple from Belarus has a weekly Bible study group there. A few weeks ago, one of the new members of the church wrote to us and thanked us for the work we are doing with the church. I asked him what made him decide to come, and his answer was clear and straightforward - it was the sense of God's presence that he experienced.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
ICFL is the abbreviation we use for the international church, and it stands for International Christian Fellowship Lublin. In late September and October, several new people came to the church. This is because universities begin in October, and therefore there are always new students who seek out the church during that time.
In the past few months, I have also more intentionally involved the most faithful members in various tasks in the church. This can sometimes lead to extra work at the beginning, but in the long run, I think it will free me up a bit more. At the same time, it is also good to involve those who come to the church, so that they feel more belonging.
Martin is one of the new leaders in the church who has been a great help. He was a pastor in Zimbabwe before coming to Poland and is now part of the leadership team in ICFL. During the summer, there were fewer people at the meetings, but now we can see that people have come back from vacation. The picture above is from this summer.
FAMILY TRIP TO KRAKOW
Until now, the biggest challenge has been finding people who can help with the music. But one of the new people who has come is skilled at playing both the piano and drums. This allowed our family to actually take a weekend trip to Krakow without a lack of musical talent.
In Krakow, we had a fantastic weekend where we got to see both the Jewish part of Krakow and the salt mines that Krakow is known for. In addition, Kasia and Kamilla went to an art museum, while Sebastian and I had some extra time at Starbucks.
We don't often get the opportunity to travel in this way, and we could see that both Kamilla and Sebastian really appreciated being able to take this trip.
Heartfelt thanks to those who stand with us!
As we wrote at the beginning of the email, we are grateful to God for all the good things that are happening, but also very grateful to those who support us in our work. And we know that God will reward abundantly, for He has promised in His Word.
For us as a family, it is also incredibly encouraging to experience that we have friends and acquaintances who pray and think about us and the work we do. Therefore, we also pray almost daily for those who stand with us when we have our family devotion.
Best regards,
— Kasia & Ronald Gabrielsen