Whenever I get discouraged or feel like my prayers are only going ceiling high I think about my time in Poland…
I was traveling around Europe on the second part of my adventure (the part where it was just me, my passport, my suitcase and rail-pass; the first part having been on a tour bus.) People had told me Poland was harder to traverse due to not many Poles who could speak English. But I had a dream to fulfill… and the only way to accomplish it included going into Poland.
I can still feel myself sitting in the train compartment reminding myself why I decided I couldn’t leave Europe without visiting Poland. My compartment had emptied out and, not being able to understand anyone I was extra alert for when we would arrive in Warsaw. I said a quick prayer for help and pulled my suitcase down and was strapping on my backpack when a man in the hallway said “it’s another forty-five minutes to Warsaw”. I had not noticed anyone in the hall and have no idea where he came from. He told me he was originally from Poland but had moved to Australia several years ago. His English was a little hard to understand, but he spoke English!!!
When we pulled into the train station he carried my suitcase off the train for me and wished me well. I will always wish I had looked back in time to see him wink and disappear (isn’t that how angels finish their assignments?)!
I found my connection to Krakow and accomplished my purpose for going to Poland in the first place… To stand under the gate entrance to Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
That adventure also taught me that the best things in life are worth the effort it takes to accomplish them!
It’s been almost five years now since that train ride, but I can still see that man leaning against the window and wondering where he came from! I will never forget God’s faithfulness in showing up in that moment! If God is for you NOTHING can stop you!
