Poland and Sweden

Aside from a little altercation in the late 1600's there isn't much to connect Poland and Sweden other than the last couple weeks of my life. We had our ReachGlobal conference for our Europe staff in Wisla, Poland and then Kristi and I went to Stockholm to meet with some church leaders and planters to talk about how ReachGlobal might possibly further the progress of the Gospel there.

Wisla is a nice ski resort in the southern part of Poland, so it makes a great place for a bunch of missionaries to go in the summer for a conference. It was great to spend a day fasting and praying together as well as reconnect with friends from around the continent. Quite a few significant conversations took place over the five days we were together. One important event was saying farewell to our International Leader, Rick Burke. I've worked with Rick almost as long as I've been in Europe and I've profited from his influence in my life over the years. He has been a great boss and an even better friend. He's taking a role as missions pastor at First Free Church in St. Louis, MO so I'm planning on staying in contact with him in the future.

Kristi and I went to Stockholm with Gary (Associate Executive Director of ReachGlobal) and his wife, Karen. We had a great time together because we match up well. Gary and I enjoyed our lengthy meetings where we were learning about what God is doing in the free churches of Sweden. Karen is an educational consultant so the conversations with Kristi were frequent and practical. We all enjoyed learning about Stockholm and the Church in Sweden. One thing we came away with was a better understanding of the decline of the local churches over the past eighty years and the need for starting new churches for this generation.