United Airlines international flights have loosened the baggage weight restrictions.  You may still check 2 bags, and each bag can now weigh a maximum of 70 lbs (up from 50 lbs).  Carry on sizes and weights remain the same as domestic.

1. SHORT-TERM TRIP INFORMATION PACKET

2. APPLICATION PACKET CHECKLIST

3. ADULT LIABILITY RELEASE AGREEMENT

4. MEDICAL RELEASE FORM FOR MINOR

5. MINOR LIABILITY RELEASE AGREEMENT

6. SHORT-TERM MISSIONS APPLICATION FOR GRADE SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN

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Attached is the most recent newsletter, and also a recent family photo, at the home of the Lahrs, our teammates here in Szczecin. 

This Spring has brought new adventures, new challenges and more “God sightings”, or mile-posts on the journey.   We are plodding along, making progress in the language and building relationships in our church,  community and among students. 

Certainly one of the greatest gifts was the “First-Ever Live Skype cast” with Fellowship, on Missions Week.   We did some practice calls with the tech guys and started the call early to make sure we had a good connection.  It was so fantastic, because we sat here in Poland in our living room, and saw and heard, real live worship in our own language, for the first time in over a year, except for the huge Europe Area Missions conference. 

Fellowship plays a huge part in this conference and sends the childcare team each year.  That is also a very special blessing, and helps us feel connected to you, in a very practical way. 

The care packages are really wonderful, and really communicate your care and support, but seeing the team, and knowing what a great impact they are making long term in Europe is really an indescribable gift.  

Watching the service on the webcam, we felt like we were right there in Knoxville.  The technology is amazing, and it has been a great way for us to connect live with our community group, For Better Or For Worse.  There were a few hiccups and glitches, and a toddler who was in the middle of potty training and had to “go potty” in the middle of the skype call, are parts of life that make it real, and remind us that children are not an interuption to our ministry, but that family is our first and primary ministry.  

 So many families all over Europe have been hit by the falling dollar, but God is faithful, and several people have increased their giving.  We will be visiting our supporting churches as well as visiting other churches in the district with which we have been in contact and developing a relationship.    In addition to meeting with friends and family, we will have several informational coffee and desserts about our ministry here, and the exciting ways we see God at work, and how you may join us. 

Of course the greatest blessing of the year is the healthy pregnancy, which is a gift from God.  So far everything is going well, and Christina is in the fifth month, and all the checkups and tests and ultra sounds have been very positive.   It is a girl, and Clay is already excited about his baby sister, and keeps asking when she is coming. 

He is so anxious, he even offered to go in an get her. 

Another highlight of the spring has been Easter, and all that means, but also being able to help with the Easter Program and seeing the seeds of creativity and thinking outside the box.   

We were able to use the drama banners, or billowing silk scarves which were so graciously donated by Fellowship.   Loren worked with Sondra, the pastor’s daughter, and the youth, and they choreographed the colorful billowing banners to Michael W Smith’s song Allelujah/Holy and it really was a home run!  The biggest challenge was that everyone wanted to participate, and there were more youth than banners. 

Loren also was able to use his years of  experience in carpentry and he and Bartek, the pastor’s son, built a life-size cross, which was used for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.  The pastor and his wife and another member contributed ideas and the result was fresh and new and not only visually powerful and symbolic, but the whole church body was able to experience and interact in the Easter message.   

So many times we feel that we only understand 20% on a good day, and that we can’t even contribute, but this was really exciting to not only bring creative ideas to the table, but to see the leaders of the church get on board and take ownership, and then to hear the positive comments from our Polish friends.   

It never would have been possible without people from fellowship, some of whom came on a short term trip to Poland, and used the banners in a short term summer trip.   

There is synthetic silk here, and we could have purchased something very similar, but the larger point is empowering people with tools and ideas, thinking outside the box, and helping them take part in the creative process– something which communism destroyed, and can’t be bought here for any price. 

Pray for the church here, as it is experiencing growing pains, and is seeking to make the Gospel relevant to a culture is religious, but sees the church and its message as a compartment, for Easter, and Christmas, but has little relevance to life on any given Thursday, or non-holiday. 

 Grace and Peace, 

Your co-laborers on the journey, 

Loren, Christina and Clay Ozanne

 If you have large items to donate (furniture, appliances, etc.), please wait to bring those items until the week immediately preceeding the sale (Tuesday, April 8-Friday, April 11).  They can be brought directly into the church lobby at that time.  If you need help getting your large items to the church, please call us at 470-2820×107 and we will arrange a pick-up for you April 8-11.

 We are also looking for items for the Silent Auction, which would include nice furniture, antiques, jewelry, etc.  Gift certificates or services from your business make great Silent Auction items.  We will provide tax donation forms to all who donate to the Yard Sale.

 We will need over 200 volunteers for the sale.  Volunteer sign-up tables will be in the lobby this Sunday, March 9, and again on Sunday, March 16.  Consider signing up with your community group or small group.  There are several areas of need, some on the days preceeding the sale, and some on the day of the sale.

 For questions, to volunteer, or to donate to the Silent Auction, please call Joan Whiteside at 865-470-2820×107, or e-mail jwhiteside@fefc.com

Notes (pdf of notes, 7 pages)
Slides (pdf of the powerpoint slide show, 6 pages-read left column, then right column)

You could go to Google or Alta Vista and get a gorgeous picture of wheat set against the gently-rolling foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, with the sunset casting radiant beams on the autumn wheat and brilliant fall colors of the leaves, but you would be missing the other side of the picture. That is, if you turned around 180 degrees, you would likely see a highway, or a subdivision, or a construction project. You couldn’t see what is behind this field of wheat. (more…)