He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. ... You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'" ~2 Chronicles 20:15,17

Having just come from the bank where there were further problems with PESEL numbers and melduneks (SIN # and ???), not to mention the mention of more fees and required visits to the notary and court... needless to say, this verse just seemed to JUMP OUT at me :)

So, not tomorrow, but Friday, God along side, we will face them! HA!

(By the way, did I mention the bank approved the loan? YES!)

Why do I do this to myself?!

I've been asking this question most of my life :) This week has been eventful, and it's not over yet. I've been planning and orginizing the first cooking class of the year. I don't mind, it's like my own little pet that I nuture and take care of, but it's a lot of itty bitty things to do. I love it and I hate it. Calling people, buying groceries, getting receipts. Hastle. But tonight, once again, it will all be worth it. We'll be making apple crisp. Easy, fast and cheap.
This morning I gave a presentation at Agata's highschool, telling the kids about the Amish and Mennonite communities in North America. It was ok, short and sweet.

What's Up...?

You should ask: What's down? -My bank acount, that's what.
I didn't know buying an apartment could be so expensive, and I'm not talking about the actual cost of the apartment! Every time I turn around it seems I have to pay someone else some other fee for some inexplicable reason.

The best/worst example of this is the natary's fee. On Friday we went to sign the preliminary agreement. Naturally, I payed the translater. And of course, I payed the owners a small security. But WHY would I then have to pay the notary 3% of the cost of my apartment??? What did she do? She sat. She read. She asked a few questions. She sign the paper!!! Yeah, I'm peeved. Lawyers! I guess that says it all.

Anyway, now the papers are signed, the application is in at the bank and I'll find out in 2 weeks if the loan is approved. Phew. For 2 weeks, I have a bit of time to relax.
All we do now is wait.
The hardest thing to do :)

Psalm 62:5 ~My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my expectation is from him.

Psalm 130:5 ~I wait for Jehovah, my soul doth wait, And in his word do I hope.

Psalm 40:1 ~I waited patiently for Jehovah; And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

Big Changes

To buy or not to buy. That has been the question for some time now. Well, the day has finally arrived. A 5000zl reservation fee has been payed on medium sized apartment in the area of Poznan known as Jezyce. I'm terrified honestly. It's such a huge decision and, in this country, such a risk that I'm afraid it may go horribly wrong.

You see, in Poland, in order to get a loan the bank requires that you have already signed a pre-agreement for a piece of property. Well, the owners of the desired property require some kind of security before they will sign this agreement, namely, a down-payment.

So, in the next month I'll be putting down a lot of money and praying really hard. I would really appreciate if you could keep this item in your prayers as well. Pray that the bank would speedily process and approve the loan. And pray that I can cope. I was a nervous wreck yesterday after signing the first of many documents.

Below are some (not so great, I know :)) pictures of the apartment. You have to look beyond all the furniture, it won't be there when I move in. Also, my WONDERFUL real estate agent, Kasia, negotiated that the kitchen cabinets, sink and stove be included for only a 1000zl more. So, though they are not the most elegent you've ever seen, it will really save me some money.
If everything works out, all this stress will definitely be worth it.

On a lighter note, Wendy and I explored a Laundromat Cafe last night. Really great idea, but we both agreed that if you take your clothes somewhere in order to clean them, it would be better if people weren't allowed to SMOKE! We both opted for taking our wet laundry home to dry. We'd have to hang it anyway to air it all out! Crazy country.

Today is All Saints Day. National holiday! YAY! At my school we had Monday and Tuesday off too. Aahh, it's great to be a teacher. And, one of my Thursday classes asked to switch to yesterday, so I'll finish early tomorrow and then work Friday and it'll be the weekend again!