Poland Part 1: Arriving in Krakow

Wes and I had the privilege to go to Poland with my dad (and a few members of his church) to connect with a local church in Krakow, 4th Baptist of Krakow (they require them to name /register as 1st Baptist, 2nd Baptist, etc).  Besides Wes, Dad and I, the other Americans who came from KY (Edgewood Baptist) were Ella and Morgan (sisters), Andi, and CJ. 

Dad had been several times to Poland and visited the 4th Baptist of Krakow (met the pastor, Piotr) but when he and/or his church went before, they worked with the IMB missionaries in the area. We had two wonderful IMB missionaries from American, Kirstin and Albert, who attend 4th Baptist of Krakow to help us with navigating Polish culture, the city, and the church. They have lived in Krakow 16 years and were a tremendous help and encouragement. But the difference for this trip was that our group was mostly spending time with the member of 4th Baptist of Krakow and supporting them in their ministries. 

Wes and I started our journey by flying to Washington DC to meet up with Dad and the others. Unfortunately for us, we were the two middle seats in a row of 4 on our long flight from DC to Belgium. I brought my lovely Needoh fidget toy :) and we watched many movies, didnt sleep, and walked laps on the plane. We had short lay over in Belgium on our way to Krakow so we had to get a chocolate and a Belgium waffle. The waffle was good but different in that no syrup provided but just a sweet glaze. 

When we arrived in Krakow we stayed at their mall and ate with Albert and Kirstin. 

As Europe does, public transit was great and we navigated buses, trams, trains and ubers during the week. 

We were tired but stayed awake to adjust to the 6 hour time change by getting an overview of week from Kirstin, Albert and Paster Piotr at the IMB home based.  

We got into our hotel that afternoon. It was very nice. I booked them for us and because Poland is more affordable, we were able to stay a very nice, newer boutique hotel in a great location. Dad told his church members not to get used to these conditions on mission trips. Also the costumer service (which is not big in Poland per missionaries) was excellent. They called me from Poland several times ahead of trip and were very accommodating to all the team members needs while in the hotel. Everyone was pleased. 

Park by hotel

We attempted to stay awake until dark, so we roamed around Krakow Old Town which was just two tram stops from our hotel. 

I ended up bring home a piece of watercolor art as a souvenir 

We had perogies our first night since Poland is known for them. They boil them (never pan fried) unlike in the US. They were stuffing was yummy but I do prefer the pan fried.