Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to accompany 100 pastors on a trip to three cities — Krakow, London and Los Angeles. The emphasis in each city fell on key figures from the 20th century fight against evil and tyranny: Krakow (Pope John Paul II), London (Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher) and Los Angeles (Ronald Reagan).
David Lane, of the American Renewal Project, organized and raised the funding for the trip, titled: “The Journey: A Spiritual Awakening.”
Throughout the days, members of the group tweeted out messages about what we were experiencing, using the hashtag: #HuckabeeJourney.
You see, Governor Mike Huckabee led most of the discussion at the various stops along the way, places where “ordinary men and women were called to accomplish extraordinary events in extraordinary times.” For example, we visited underground bunkers used by Winston Churchill during World War II, as well as the remains Auschwitz — the concentration camp used by the Germans in their attempt to exterminate the Jews of Europe. At each stop, Huckabee brought out the spiritual element of leadership which led individual men and women — some famous, others obscure — to perform courageous acts of valor in the face of evil.
Everywhere I went, I took photos, audio recordings, and notes — mental and written. I bought many of the kind of tour books sold only at historical sites. And after nine days and 15,000 miles, I came back to my family with a mind and heart full of all I had seen and heard.
It seemed like a good stewardship of what I’ve been given — and “given” is the correct word, as the trip was a gift to the participants — to write down some of the remembrances and application of what I saw and heard. I asked our team here at The Layman Online whether they thought you’d profit from reading a series of short pieces about the journey, and they said “yes” — so, here we go!
The first day of the trip was a travel day. For me, that meant traveling from:
- Louisville, Kentucky to Washington D.C
- From Washington, D.C. to Frankfort, Germany
- From Frankfort, Germany to Krakow, Poland
Phew! Travel days are long days! We got checked into the Sheraton Krakow Hotel with about eight hours to stay awake before bedtime (to get our body clocks onto Krakow time).
Fortunately, our hosts (David and Cindy) Lane and their team of travel-logistic-magicians knew exactly the recipe. They took us to the historic “Old Town” section of Krakow, where we immediately had our senses awakened by the beauty of the market square at night. In brisk cold, we stood in amazement and looked around at this medieval marketplace, one of the few places in Europe not harmed by bombing. The Old Town section was among the first sites chosen for the World Heritage List by UNESCO.
Here are some pictures of that first night. In the next post, I’ll write about the beautiful St. Mary’s Basilica pictured at the very bottom.
Scott Lamb serves as the Executive Director of the Presbyterian Lay Committee and as the President of Reformation Press Publishers.
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HI Scott,
I am looking forward to hearing the details of what Huckabee specifically shared on “the spiritual element of leadership”, something our times are in desperate need of in 2014. Thanks for giving us a peek behind the scenes!