After almost a year of preparation, BCE’s first international mission trip is finally here! We met at the airport on Friday morning, got our tickets, had a time of prayer with family and friends, then headed for the security line. We each were a mix of emotions: for some it was their first trip out of the US, for others there was sadness at leaving their families for two weeks - balanced with excitement about meeting Holocaust Survivors, for others there was the mental list-making and hoping everyone remembered their passports, and for all there was a real sense that God is certainly up to something and we have the extreme honor of being here to watch Him move. Our three flights went fairly well. The weather was bad in NY, so the wings were tilting right and left as the plane touched down. That was a real nail-biter for a minute, however, the rest of the flights were smooth and pleasantly uneventful. Polish Christian Ministries directors Dave & Sandy Hatfield were there to meet us at the airport. Our fellow Ostroda workers coming from other parts of the US had all manner of airline issues, including cancelled flights, lost luggage, and missing a flight because the ticket printer kiosk ran out of paper (seriously!) For those fortunate enough to arrive on time, we had the opportunity to eat lunch with Go Send Me Ministries director Kazik Barczuk and his family. Eventually everyone made it to Warsaw and we made several new friends as we traveled the three hours from there to our destination. Finally, after 32 hours of travel time, we made it to Ostroda Camp around 8:30PM local time on Saturday. It was a long, long two days in one, but we were so excited to actually be in Poland!! We all enjoyed a traditional meal of golabki (stuffed cabbage) and homemade Polish kielbasa, served by Ostroda Camp directors Andrzej and April Korytkowski. With tired eyes and full bellies, we climbed the stairs to our rooms and fell fast asleep. Grand adventures await!