Today was touring day for the Holocaust survivors so we were there with them. The strategy early in the camp is to be present, to serve, to be quick with a smile, and to look for opportunities to interact. The tour began with a bus ride to Ggansk where we would spend 2.5 hours walking around the old city. From Gdansk we took an hour boat ride to Sopot, a resort town on the Baltic Sea with high end accomodations (think Hilton Head beach connected to the historic Savannah district).
I feel like yesterday and today’s interactions will open the door to tomorrow’s gospel conversations. I was struck by the camp pastor’s chapel session yesterday morning. He basically introduced or reintroduced the Pentateuch (The Book Of The Law, Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy) to the Holocaust survivors. This struck me because even though I know that many Israelis are athiests, I expected them to at least be familiar with the fundamental books that called them into a nation. Their unfamiliarity confirmed to me what God had been speaking to my heart, to approach them as if speaking to atheists. Whether they are truly atheists by definition is debatable, but there is little doubt they live their lives as functional atheists.
Please be in prayer for the team from our church as well as the larger team of Christian who are here seeking to minister God’s love and truth to these dear people. Pray for opportunities to have exploratory conversations of faith, that the greater meanings of life would be realized.
-Matt