On February 25, 2016, there was a meeting at the EST Educational Center with Lidia and Leszek Czyz.

Leszek is the pastor of a Lutheran church and parish in Wisla-Malinka (in southern Poland). For 30 years he has also been involved in the organization of the Week of Evangelization in Dziegielow in Cieszyn County near the Polish-Czech border. The Centre for Mission and Evangelization of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church (Lutheran) is located in Dziegielow. Leszek is the author of Return to the Father’s House, Let Us Cry Father, and co-authored Heroes of the Faith with his wife, Lidia.

Lidia is a teacher, co-organizer of meetings for women, including the annual Breakfast for Women in Wisla. She is the author of numerous articles, short stories in magazines, and books, including Stronger than Death and Birth Pearls.

Faith – the daily, demanding heroism, day after day – was the topic of the meeting with Lidia and Leszek at EST. The discussion focused mainly on the characters of their books. Lidia talked about her relationships with people that inspired her to write the novels, their fates and how the publication of the books influenced their lives. Pastor Leszek indicated that the heroes of the Bible were not perfect human beings and that their faith was built on the basis of everyday life and the decisions made in “ordinary” life situations.

Leszek and Lidia answered questions about very difficult issues – the suffering and practical help for people struggling with the pain of losing a loved one, as well as alcoholism, family tragedies, and co-dependency associated with addiction. The authors were willing to share their experiences regarding the creation of books and information about their next novel. After the meeting, Lidia and Leszek signed books and were also available for individual questions and conversation.

The next meeting with authors will be on April 23, 2016. The speakers will be Alina and Henryk Wieja, who will discuss their books on marriage.