Victory Prayer Garden: A Recipe From Friends in Poznan, Poland

During a Jewish Conference we attended in 2008 in Poznan, Poland, some Catholic friends we met, gave us accommodation in their lovely home. We were treated as if we were royalty by this precious family, who knew no religious bounds of denomination.

We arrived on a dark night, later than we expected, tried to find the flat on our own...after all, being world travelers, we could easily follow directions from Krakow and arrive without having to disrupt the family....right? Wrong!

It began to rain along our journey from Krakow. Cold winter rain. Dark highways. No lights to be found anywhere. Poznan was beautiful even at night. We found the general vicinity of our hosts, but couldn't fine their particular flat. Once we arrived in their neighborhood, the houses flowed together as one. Small doorways. Close knit. Invisible numbers. We had to breakdown our reserve and call them. Men don't like to do that, you know. Especially not my hubby! But to protect the innocent, I convinced him to call.
The family host was anxious to meet us, so was his wife, Isabella, who was just getting off work!
The children were little adults. Perfect manners! Smiling warmly at their strange guests from America. Baptists even......not Catholic!
But I'm ahead of myself. Valdi met us at the nearby mall and led us to his flat. We had just been right in front of it, of course.
They had prepared a feast for us. Polish style, open faced sandwiches, fruits of all sorts, desserts, coffee, and herbata....herbal teas of various sorts. They were interested in us and our mission. We were interested in what prompted them to welcome strangers into their home!
They told us they were members of an organization called Gennessaret......I hope I have it right.....it's an organization that does what the Bible teaches us to do......welcome the strangers and aliens as one of your own....and wow! did they ever!
We took many photographs of each other, smiling faces, broken English and Polish, and talked as if we'd known one another forever....what God can do with Christian love!
Anyway, one evening the conference ran late. It was dark, lightless, and raining again. We decided to stop and have a quick dinner and not be a burden on our host family. Wrong again! We did have dinner in a very beautiful and quaint little Thai restaurant in the mall...we knew how to get anywhere now, from the mall!!
It was after ten p.m. when we arrived at our host's home. Quietly, we used they key given to us....they gave us a key to their home!!!......and tiptoed inside. The dining room lights were on, the children waiting up for us.....Isabella and Valdi waiting patiently for us to come 'home'!
We felt terrible, but do you think they would allow that......not on your life! They said, "We must have dessert....it's is the children's favorite! They want you to enjoy."
Of course we were delighted. Late night dessert. Cheese even. Mmmmmm how would my night go later? Never mind that!
Isabella informed us that everything was all ready except for the last minute...... cooking the cheese.
Here goes and it IS delicious!!!

Cakes of Camembert cheese (for each person.....maybe one half to one cake)
egg beaten to dip the cheese cakes, finely ground bread crumbs to coat the cheese cakes.
Fry them until golden brown. Platter and serve with cranberry jam on top!
Fantastic dessert! Serve with hot coffee.....in Poland we used Jacob's which you can get in America in the ethnic section of the grocers.
Add wonderful conversation......hopefully with a hint of Polish accent and wal'la! A perfect evening with believers in Jesus the Messiah....of the Jews, Catholics, Baptists, Muslims, Lutheran's, Methodists.....the Messiah of the world......only BELIEVE....you believe in God, believe ALSO in JESUS, who IS God in the FLESH.....the WORD made flesh (read the book of John, chapter ONE!
Shalom! Pok'oj!

Prayer:
Father God, I thank you for friends who are believers in our Lord Jesus! I thank you for my Jewish friends in Poland, Germany, America and around the world. I thank you for my Chinese and Polish friends. Thank you that you allowed me to be part of their lives and them an important part of mine! I thank you for the Roma we worked with in Poland. You have blessed us with many brothers and sisters in the Family....the Family of God!
In Jesus' name I pray.....Omaine!