Archive for August, 2008

15 days?

Wow, can’t believe we have just 15 days left of fundraising!  Yet, we’re a long way off from being finished.  Here’s where we are!

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411 more donations needed

This is a very rough count, I haven’t added up all the eggs yet.  But we’re around the 56 donors mark.  We’re gunna need to ramp this up folks!  That’s it, just a quick update, more official news coming soon!

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A Polish perspective

I hope this finds you well. 
 
This is a bit longer than I know most of you will read, but I’ll throw it out there anyway, because I believe God will move on this.
 
A while back I asked some Polish friends of ours, this question “How do you think we could effectively reach Poland for Jesus, from a Polish point of view?”  Here is one Polish perspective:
 

Briefly, from my point of view Poland needs to be taught how to do cell groups and encouraged in the first years. This structure has to know that it is a part of a bigger project. Accountability projects for men and women need to be put together as well. Of course, the more people are taught, grown, and sent to evangelize among their peers the better. For me personally there is got to be a sturdy mentor program in place as well, so that people are not led astray by unsound theologies, or life circumstances they don’t have the skills to face etc. Apart from that, there is a dramatic need to show teenagers and young-adults that Christianity can be a fulfilling and cool lifestyle – there are too many connotations built around Catholic Church altar boy boring Christian life.

The greatest challenge – the tradition of the Catholic Church. It has its blessings and surely leads people to Jesus, but at the same time labels anything other than the CC a sect. There would have to be a conduit through priests to spread the good news and recognition of at least some efforts by the CC to change that. People in Poland who are not Christian go to church as well because it is their tradition!!! People in Poland don’t think that they need somebody else coming and telling them that they need Christ because they have been through all sacraments, and that fixes all dues with God. There is a warped perspective of what it means to be a Christian in Poland and it runs deep as it’s solidified over generations and centuries. There are unchurched countries, or countries that are openly hostile towards Christians, but Poland is a country, which believes to be Christian (plus following the one and only right church) although it’s very heathen. This belief that we’re Christian comes first when filling out opinion polls etc, but it comes last in actions and viewpoints.

 
I hope this helps in seeing the bigger picture, what we do in Poland is not just a vacation, or a visit with close friends, it’s a chance to bring what God has trained us in, equipped us in, and is calling us to do – to a place that has very little workers, and a lot of confusion and push back.  Read the “Why Poland” page and you’ll see that our vision is supported by the words above.
 
Help get us there this October, we need just 430 more donations of just $15…
 
Click to donate
 
Thanks for your support and prayers,

Travis, Alexis, and Emma Mielonen
“Enemy-occupied territory – that is what this world is.” – C. S. Lewis

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$15 makes a difference.

Hey Friends!
 
Well the first (partial) week of our $15 challenge brought in 20 donors!  How many more this week?
 
We just need 447 more donors (of just $15, or more), pass this along to your missions friends, family, churches.  We have $6,455 more to raise/contribute.  Remember this is for the team, not just us!  Keep contending in prayer!  We’ve been discouraged, but now we’re in God’s hands, and ready!
 
Click here to make your $15 donation.
 
Video, Mission Vission, Why Poland?

Visit our donate page for more donation options.
 
Thanks for your consideration, prayers, and support!
 
The 2008 East Hill Poland Team
Travis, Alexis, Emma Mielonen
Corey and Jenise Roach
Charis Gleason
Brandon Kraft
Aris Maniatis

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Emma’s dedication

Emma was dedicated last night, see pictures and read more about it on Travis’ blog.

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457 $15 donations to go!

We’ve had 6 nope 10 people donate or pledge so far and it’s been basically just a day since we started this campaign.  Thanks!  The amazing (strange) thing is that for the most part some of our largest, and most responsive donations have come from people we don’t have much contact with… now that could be taken as, well that says a lot about us in a bad way… maybe the people we see a lot are there for us in more than just donations… that’s for sure, they know our Prayer requests!

God is good, not because he brings the money in (although we are thankful for that!), but because he brings life, and has given us a purpose, and through that purpose we learn to be more like him, and bring more people to him.

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U.S. and Poland Set Missile Deal – NYTimes.com

Some very interesting news out of Poland, this has been years in the making, but the quickness in light of the Georgia fiasco is interesting.  Check it out: U.S. and Poland Set Missile Deal – NYTimes.com.

This could make for a fairly interesting future for Alexis and I, I can’t help but to think about some of the Armegedon end-times theories that talk about Russia as the invader from the North…

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The $15 challenge!

We know why we’re called to Poland, and we know God has not brought us this far just to turn back and say no. There is much work that has started and is incomplete, our brothers and sisters, our friends, await us to connect in Christ. To bring a message that is not laced with shame, guilt, or politics. To bring what God has equipped us with here to a place that is ready for the harvest.

So we’re taking a leap of faith. We have until September 15th to raise $7,000 needed for our trip to Kraków in October. Watch this video we’ve made, and then, pray if you will be one of the 467 people we need to donate just $15 by September 15th.


We will keep you posted here and via email with the latest numbers, stay tuned!

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Fundraiser dinner canceled

Hi Everyone,
 
Due to the small number of people able to attend our fund raiser this Friday, we have decided to refocus our resources into (hopefully) a more productive campaign.  The event we had planned for this Friday is canceled.  Stay tuned for the next couple of days while we re-work a new fund raising campaign.
 
Just FYI:  We need $7,000 by September 15th.  Stay tuned to this site for more information!
 
Stay tuned for more ways on how to help us get there!
 
Thanks for your understanding and prayers!

The 2008 Poland Mission Team

Travis, Alexis, Emma Mielonen
Corey and Jenise Roach
Charis Gleason
Brandon Kraft
Aris Maniatis

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We’re leaving on a jet plane…almost

Well we have made the deposit on our airfare, we need $4,755 more and we’ll have it all paid off!  That’s better than the $8,125 we needed just two weeks ago!  We are so thankful to God.  We need the remaining balance by September 15th… so we are praying, and seeking God’s will, on finding the rest.  If we had 100 more donors give $50 we’ll be good to go for the rest of the airfare.  If 100 give $70 we’ll have the entire trip paid.

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11 Days to Polish Feast

We have just 11 days to our Polish Feast fundraiser… If you are able to attend, visit the events page (under more, above).  If you are unable to make it, but would still like to donate, you may do so on the right. 

THANKS!

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