We started off the day as a group with a breakfast at the hotel before splitting into two groups to work in different places within the city Piotrków Trybunalski. My group and I went to a local high school to play the best high school basketball team in the region.

Seeing as they were in high school, our plan was to take it easy and have some fun with the game. Little did we know who we were dealing with. They came out (very) strong gunning for the W and, unfortunately, succeeded.

After the game, all the local elementary schoolers who had come out to watch the game came on to the court for a couple games of knock out. They made sure not to leave the building until everyone of them got a picture with each of us.

Since a majority of the buildings we are in while we are here aren’t air conditioned, we’ve been working up quite a bit of sweat. After the game at the school, we stopped by the “Biedronka” (translation: Ladybug), which is their local chain grocery store for popsicles.

After a quick break for lunch, we headed to a local daycare to join a few kids in some after school games. Despite knowing only a few short words outside of “cześć” and “tak,” we have made some awesome new friends here in Poland. The kids will speak fluent Polish to us as if we know what’s going on, and with a smile and a nod, we become their best friends.

After all the games were over, we returned to the hotel for a dinner with the team before a 25 minute bus ride Tomaszow for live show from a band working the festival with us. At the end of the show, we came back to Piotrków for some authentic (two foot long) kebabs and chocolate McFlurries to end the night.

It has been so amazing to explore a new country while also seeing what God is doing here! Despite the long days and short nights, we are all experiencing something very special in the work we are doing.