Do zobacienia, Polska!

I am leaving Poland in the morning headed to Berlin, Germany.  Nine more hours in Kolobrzeg and I will soon be headed home.  :)  Kolobrzeg, I will miss you.  But how loved by God I feel when I realize the opportunities I was given this year!!!  God, you know me from the inside out.  Thank you for placing the desire to go to Poland in my heart and for letting me see my dream come true.  Ja kocham cie.  


Jest koniec...

Photo taken on a sunny day in May 2010.  

Watch and Wait

The very thing that separates us also connects us.

Sobotę na Morzu Bałtyckim

Photo Blog - May

Looking out the window of Room #208; May 18, 2010.

So many snails on the trees!  They were awesome!  May 17, 2010. 

Yet another snail.  They were mostly green, orange, and yellow.  So cool.  :)

On the boat we took to Bornholm, Denmark on May 2, 2010.  This sign makes me laugh for three reasons.  1) It's in English and only English...the majority of people who ride this boat are Polish.  2)  What's up with "It could be against the law"?  Are they unsure?  = P  3) I don't know if you can read it that closely or not, but "throw" is spelled "T-H-O-R-O-W".  : (  

Lights on the boat we took out to Bornholm, Denmark on May 2, 2010.  

At the castle ruins on Bornholm, May 2, 2010. 

While leaving Bornholm, we saw this boat with a billion (yes we counted) seagulls flying around it.  It was insane!

A couple was enjoying watching the sunset and I thought it would make a good picture.  : )

No explanation necessary.  

I think I should dedicate this to Erin since she loves tulips so much.  The sad thing about this picture is that I passed by this place a few days after taking the picture and the pink one was gone.  : (  

Welcome to the European Union.  : )

Meet my best friend; he goes everywhere with me.  And the keys go to Room #208 (IF you couldn't figure that out by the big numbers on the tag) where I teach two of the three evening classes I have.  

No explanation necessary.

I went for a walk and I ended up chasing the sun.  : )

I found another heart, Nick.  

Nick jest w domu!!! :) (Nick is home!!!)

Photo:  I think this was taken by Carlene.  It's the only one I have of him when he arrived.  :) 

Thank you so much for praying for Nick while he was away.  After a few delays due to the ash cloud from the volcano in Iceland, he arrived home on May 13, 2010 - last Thursday - at 11:30 in the morning.  :)  Please continue to pray for him as he tries to figure out some more practical things now that he is home (school, work, etc.).  :)  Thanks again for keeping him in your prayers!  

"As Is"

The tag said "$7.50 As Is" and my eyebrows rose in amazement.  I had never found one this cheap.  I admit, I was skeptical.  Angles, lines, colors...beautiful!  But the scuff marks, chipped edges, and more than normal wear-n-tear saddened me.  Mixing perfection with abuse, confusion etched my brow.  Should I buy it?  I shoved a hand into the front left pocket of my jeans and my fingers brushed against several bills.  I counted by touch.  $6.  I sighed in frustration.  It sat in front of me, what I had been looking for since I was eleven and in the fifth grade, and I didn't have enough money.

A thought entered my mind and I reached my hand into the other pocket of my jeans.  Coins slid through my fingers and I hurriedly pulled them out two-by-two, reminding me of the Bible story of Noah's ark.  Putting on my first smile of the day, I counted.  53 cents.  My hand automatically swam around my pocket once again to make sure I hadn't missed any accidentally.  I could feel the beginnings of a headache and I tiredly ran a hand over my eyes.

"$7.50 As Is".  The words taunted me as I turned and walked away.

Photo:  Fall 2009 in Vancouver, WA. 

Incomplete

These words came to me during the winter one day when I was walking home through the snow after teaching.  I don't really know what was on my mind that day, but I grabbed a pen and paper as soon as I got to my apartment in case I couldn't remember them later on.  I never finished it and I have no idea where I was going to go with it.  I will say this, however:  You are beautiful just the way you are.  Never ever believe otherwise.  

Clothe the trees with linen and lace

Make a china doll out of that ugly face. 

Paint the eyes and make them blue

So long as she does not look like you. 

Add some rouge to that pale cheek

Find the perfect color that you seek...

Photo:  Flower I found near the office; edited...obviously.  

From the Year 2008...

Photo:  Flying into Portland, OR in November 2008.

________

... I love attending orchestra and band concerts.  At the beginning, when they are tuning, it sounds crazy, disjointed, awkward, and the most incredible reality hits you when the director holds his hands up, ordering attention, and all the instruments flow at various intervals in order to create music.  I think that's the way life is and relationships.  At the beginning, you have no idea what it will create, how it will come about; [as] you come closer and closer to starting the actual piece, you look the director in the eye [when the melody begins] and thank him for pulling something so disjointed together in a smooth stroke of meters, measures, octaves.  ...

June 30, 2008

________

Two days ago, I turned 20 years old.  If that isn't crazy, I don't know what is.  Two decades.  That's ridiculous and somehow reassuring at the same time.  Something has changed in me.  I know it has.  And it's happened while I have been at WWU.  But, problem is, I don't know what has changed.  I am still me, but I'm not.  I'm still me, but I'm more.  I find myself becoming more solid as the days pass.  More grounded in who I am, but at the same time, less sure of where I am going.  I want to rewind the tape and play back all the good things in my life.  The reassurances that what I'm doing is right and perfect and good.  Somehow, I don't think I will ever be treated as a child ever again.  But...will someone hold me when I need to be close?  Will someone cradle me when I need comfort?  ...  Will someone smile because I smile and laugh with me because I chuckle? ...

July 15, 2008

________

Such is life a forbearance on the truth, as one clock speaks to another in attempt to gather forces and slow down.  

A gentleman paces back and forth in the parlor, waiting for the object of his affection to show her pretty face.  Gathering courage, his pace slows, confident she will arrive on time.  Time, the infidel of space, the intruder on the happiness of many, and the faults of all.  

Too quickly it leaves, so quickly it comes; the suddenness of its appearing takes one by surprise and moves her to step up to the plate in an attempt to swing again.  

July 22, 2008

________

... I miss Christine.  I hung out with her last week and I miss her.  I always enjoy hanging out/being/talking with her.  She's just so...real.  And we've been friends going on 3 years now.  Honesty is so sweet to find in a friend - someone who laughs at you, but explains that they didn't mean to hurt you, but you're just being so ridiculously stupid, how could they not laugh, then hug you in the same consecutive seconds?  ...

August 17, 2008

________

There is a road I travel, 

How far it goes, no one knows. 

There is a speedbump - 

I slow down and smell the roses. 

There is a shudder in me, 

And I stop to figure out what went wrong. 

There's an increase in the speed limit; 

I give it all I've got ~

I race to win the prize. 

There is a face, a body, hands, eyes, emotion flooding, 

And I struggle to push on the brake. 

There is a look of peace - 

As I slow way down - 

    and give them a chance to 

    make amends. 

There is a road I travel; 

I hope that soon, I will 

    have a companion to share 

    my journey with. 

August 28, 2008

________

Limbo. 

What does it feel like to wait?

It's a tugging on your heart strings

when you cannot answer the call. 

It's the warmth of a shower

you cannot feel because of the chill. 

It's the nervous shudder you feel

when he asks and you do not know the answer. 

It's wanting to be near him  

but having to stand so far away. 

It's needing to talk

but having to work on homework instead. 

It's raising the bar

when you just reach the top. 

It's knowing rain will come

without feeling the drops. 

It's sucking in a deep breath 

when all you need - a solid slumber. 

It's waking up, 

    knowing who you were dreaming of, 

    knowing waiting is the only real answer there is. 

October 14, 2008

________

I wish I could fly

On wings of the dawn - 

Be taken to another place and time. 

Where pain was gone

and love stood firm. 

And surprises always made people happy. 

I wish I could stay, 

Right here, right now - 

Sleepy, but content, in your arms. 

Don't make me leave - 

Don't make me go. 

All I really want is to be here. 

     Right now. 

    With you. 

    Sleeping - tightly closing my eyes. 

    The bed bugs - 

    Won't harm me, 

    If you stay - 

     

        Stay with me. 

November 2, 2008

________

So many ways to tell someone you care about them.  But what about the ones who only respond with silence?

Silence - the deafening sound of someone screaming at you when no words will do. 

Silence - the overwhelming power of glances in each other's direction. 

Silence - remembering that there are no words to make the pain go away. 

Silence - feeling comfortable with someone you know in and out. 

Silence - waiting in anticipation for what will come next. 

Silence - sitting in limbo, not knowing where to turn or even if turning is the best option. 

Silence - wondering if what you did was right. 

Silence - holding it all in, for fear of cracking and ultimately...breaking. 

Silence - peace with the world and with yourself. 

Silence - trying to subdue the happiness you feel behind the biggest smile when you look into his eyes and feel cherished.  

November 4, 2008

________

So sad, so sedentary. 

She sits in the cafe' - hands folded.  

       Hands clenched. 

                       Released. 

                             Tightened. 

                                    Loosened. 

                                           Limp. 

So tired of holding it in. 

Can't find the words to say...

And she smiles quietly to herself. 

      It doesn't make sense - 

              She never does. 

Wanting to see him, if only for a 

                 moment 

     is on her mind. 

She thinks about him quite often, 

     but she also knows that he can't be

                  everywhere

           at                        once. 

"This is only for the birds," she says 

quietly, folding her hands, clenching

them loosely, and waits for 

him to show up - 

                            waiting was never simple or

                                 easy. 

(But it's worth it.) 

November 26, 2008

________

Photo:  In my dorm room at WWU in December 2008. 

Drogi Pociągu

Hoping I don't get run over, but this would be my 

expression if I did.  :)  May 10, 2010.

Chrystus nadziei...

Chrystus nadziei
(Polski wersja)
Michelle Tumes


Jak daleko się od pokrewieństwa ...
Jak wędrować daleko od domu ...
Może ci z Jego łaski, za ...
Pod zapach Jego miłości ...


Jego aniołowie mogą oglądać i trzymać ciebie ...
Podczas snu w nocy ...
Delikatne ręce Bóg cię dotknąć ...
Jak Budzi się z rana ...


Może on wnieść masz nadzieję, że ...
Nadzieję, że nigdy nie wiadomo ...
Niech Chrystus nadziei ...
Ściskam Cię coraz bardziej ....




Christ of Hope
(English Version)
Michelle Tumes


As I travel far from kinship...

As I wander far from home...

May He grace you with His favor...

Neath the fragrance of His love... 

May His angels watch and keep thee...

As you slumber through the night...

The gentle hand of God will touch you...

As He wakes you with the morning light... 

May He bring you hope...  

Hope you have never never known...

May the Christ of hope...

Embrace you evermore....

Photo: Budzistowo, Poland; ten minutes from Kolobrzeg - April 2010.

Evasions

I can't sleep.  I never can anymore.  Sleep has evaded me more in Poland this year than it ever has in Washington or Idaho.  Frustration.  Anger.  Tears.  They come one right after another.  I am tired of being tired and not being able to do anything about it.  But I realized today (more assuredly than at any other time) that my lack of sleep is directly proportionate to how full my head is when I get ready for bed.  Recently, it's been (as you might have guessed) overflowing with thoughts, ideas, memories, and faces of people I know and love - back home and more locally too.  My mind races at night with everything I didn't have time to process during the day and the list is usually long and hard to consume.  

This evening, I asked God if He could show me something more.  Something I might be missing.  Skipping over accidentally in order to see the things I want to see instead of seeing the things He wants me to see.  So, I opened my Bible to the next book on my "list" to read.  Habakkuk.  Interesting book, actually.  Habakkuk is complaining to God about how evil seems to be winning and how he wants God to step in and help His people.  The result is a conversation with God as He tries to explain to Habakkuk that He has never forgotten His people and will save them in His time - no sooner, no later.  

"Our Lord, how long must I beg for Your help before You listen?" 

Habakkuk inquires of the Lord.  

God replies to Habakkuk,

"At the time I have decided, my words will come true.  You can trust what I say about the future.  It may take a long time, but keep on waiting - it will happen!"  

So often I feel as though I'm like the little boy in the picture:  out in the open without protection, without direction.  My shadow is the only thing that marks the passing of days, the changing of seasons.  But light somehow finds its way to me; the sky breaks and the sun comes shining through.  

He knows my name and I know His voice.  I will wait.  

Photo:  Taken from the third-story of School No. 3 (Room #208) where I teach.  May 5, 2010.

Castles in the Sky

Silently they f
                       a
                            l
                                l
one by one
until there's nothing
left but ruins.
Brick
laid
on
brick
crumble to
            p
i      
    e
c
es
and disappear
from the empire
that once was.
And silently they f
                              a
                                   l
                                       l.
Silently they lie,
unaware;
forgotten
kings of history.
Words are all that's
left.
Silently,
kingdoms shatter
like glass
and lie
un       attended and
abused.
Silently they speak.
Their voices
unheard
but used at full volume.
We hear only
the turning of
p   a   g   e   s
and the s h    i f  t   i n  g
of silent bodies
in uncomforta-ble chairs.
Silently
they scream for
vengeance
and mercy mixed
with
wrath against
the enemy.
And silently,
my castles in the sky
turn to dust
inside these four walls
l   i    n    e   d
i
n
e
d
with
chalkboards.

Photo: Classroom in Bowers Hall, WWU; Winter Quarter 2009

Bornholm, Denmark - A Photo Blog

On Sunday, May 2, I set sail for Bornholm, Denmark for an adventure.  I was accompanied by Dominika, my Polish friend from Warszawa, and William, my American friend from Pennsylvania.  We left at 7:00 in the morning and arrived back in Kolobrzeg around 10:30 at night.  Long day, but SO worth the lack of sleep!  :)  This is a photo blog depicting some of the things we saw.  Enjoy!    

~RS

Funny Faces - Dedicated to Becky

Point being:  Never leave me alone, bored, in the car, and with a camera.  = P  

Photos were all taken while waiting in the van for Tom to make a "quick" run to a local store in Koszalin; February 2010

27 Days

Four weeks, and I don't know if I am ready.  

It passes in a flash.  

Just yesterday, I arrived. 

And tomorrow I leave. 

God, give me the strength to say goodbye. 

Photo: Somewhere between Koszalin and Kolobrzeg; March 2010.

I believe faith is a dance...

I could see it all from here.  Your hands, your lips, your face.  Even your feet have something in common with mine, for they have walked along the road of indecision, discontentment, expectation.  And I could see it all from here.  I could lose it all in a moment, but just for having it now, I am filled with joy, peace, love.  And if I lose it all right now, I know that you would do anything to help the pain lessen.  I am comforted by the fact that you love me.  I'm praying that it will be enough for me to know that your heart overflows with love for me.  Only for me, and....I could smell the sweet scent of you and be lost in this moment with you forever.  The next day doesn't matter.  Just now, just today, for it is all we have.  It is all we are given. And I could smell the sweet scent of you, like rose petals floating in the breeze.  Lifting, swaying, moving with the unseen hands of wind, taking it from the stem and placing it in my hair.  You lift your hands and make a make a square, hold them out in front of you as if you are taking the perfect photo.  Of me.  How you make me feel so loved, I will never know.  You are unseen, but I know that you wrap your arms around me.  Just when I need it most.  And I could fall into this world, fall into this dance.  You have invited me onto the floor.  We move and twist, and sway like trees and you take my hand in yours.  My body would fit in the palm of your hand, but you choose only to take my hand.  A question in action.  I answer by smiling, by lifting my eyes to yours and stepping out.  Steps of faith, my feet are walking on air and following your lead.  And I could fall into your world so easily.  I could listen to your voice all night.  It sounds like twilight and your eyes wink at me like stars whenever you speak of nighttime, sleep, passion.  I am still walking on air.  Faith steps.  One-by-one, I move forward because you have asked me to.  And I could listen to your voice until morning breaks...

Ask me to dance, Lord.  I could never say no to You.  

Photo:  On the pier in Kolobrzeg at sunset; April 18, 2010.