by Summer Kelley
ITMI partner, Brooke Nungesser, navigated her mini-van full of kids away from the curb. She was transporting the van load of kids to Bible Club in Gniezno, Poland.
Children find and read scripture, then participate in a related demonstration.
The Gospel is literally demonstrated to the kids at Gniezno Church's Kids' Club.
After the kids read from the Bible, they participate in a demonstration related to what they read.
At Bible Club, they'd learn about God's Word and hear the gospel. They'd have fun with other kids their age. They'd learn that Jesus wants a relationship with them; a message that is counter-cultural and unique in Poland, where Brooke and her family have ministered for over 10 years.
Brooke took one last look at the curb, and saw the backs of two of the children who were hoping for a ride to Bible Club but couldn't fit in her small van. They were already leaving.
Without experiencing the love of the Gniezno Church community, or the Good News.
She remembered with a wry smile, another recent time when 10 adults had crammed in the Nungesser vehicle for an event with Poznan International Church. It had been an uncomfortable ride.
Brooke and her husband, Richard, co-founded Bread of Life to equip the Polish to serve the poorest of the poor among them. It has grown into a network of passionate servants, loving the poorest of the poor in cities throughout Poland, Moldova and Cote d'Iviore. These are leaders and servants who have "caught the fever" for seeing, serving and loving those in need, and they've re-oriented their lives around serving the poor, and recruiting others to help.
The Nungessers also pastor Poznan International Church, a body of believers serving the International and English-speaking population in Poznan, Poland. It, too, has seen great fruit and growth under the Nungesser's vision and shepherding.
The Nungessers can be seen driving the “VBS VAN” all around the greater Poznan region to pick up kids so they can attend Bible lessons or take huge Bread of Life donations from one city hours away to the next.
They've found themselves chauffering the “vbs bus” through nearly every project with Bread of Life and Poznan International Church. They often have to take several trips or rent vans to accommodate the needs of vehicle transportation whether is is a retreat, Adventure Kids Bible Club, or Bread of Life mission teams or traveling kids' outreaches.
This summer, when a mission team came to Poland to serve - as happens almost every summer - they had to pay a ridiculous amount to rent a van to transport the team to its service locations.
A 12-passenger van would be GREATLY beneficial for the Nungessers.
Benefit #1: Better Stewardship of Time and Money
Making multiple trips and renting vans for missions teams are costs that could be saved if the Nungessers - and therefore their ministries - had access to a 12-passenger van year-round. Not to mention the time it would save Brooke - busy mom of three who works in two ministries in a foreign country - if working out rentals and making extra trips could be avoided.
These are resources that would be funneled back into the actual life-giving work of Bread of Life and Poznan International Church.
Benefit #2: Reach More People with the Gospel
With the additional seats of a 12-passenger van, that many more people - young and old alike - could be transported to the places where the Gospel is being declared through Bread of Life, Poznan International Church and other local churches.
Benefit #3: Better Demonstrate Gospel Hospitality
Having a bigger vehicle for the express purpose of welcoming more people into God's Kingdom demonstrates the willingness of Jesus to pursue us, the sacrifice He made so that we could be welcomed, and His life's focus on God's mission.
If anyone feels God laying this huge need upon their heart, the Nungessers would GREATLY rejoice in it and use the vehicle daily to bring the Good News of Jesus to everyone God places in their paths!
If you feel led to partner with the Nungessers, do so here.
Summer Kelley is a writer living in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and three kids. She’s had the honor and privilege of telling ITMI’s stories since 2006. She’s a homeschooling mom and a T-shirt and jeans aficionado who likes all things simple. When she’s not writing or homeschooling, you can find her honing her skills as what some might call a "suburban survivalist" as she learns to thrive in the suburbs with 3 kids. As a productivity and organizing enthusiast, she may or may not spend hours attempting to use technology to "save time.” Summer loves reading, the outdoors and Coca-Cola Classic from the fountain.