Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for all the messages, emails and phone calls asking about our situation in Poland right now. To be honest when we first saw the news about the war, we cried and fell on our knees to pray as a family.
It is truly heartbreaking to see what is going on right now in Ukraine. It feels so strange and scary to be so close to the war…and at the same time we seek to serve as messengers of God’s love and hope in the midst of this crisis. We are safe and Poland is not a war zone. As many of you know, Wroclaw is based in the Western part of Poland, far away from the Ukrainian border.
Nevertheless there are over 2.2 million refugees from Ukraine in Poland who have already crossed the border; the first buses have come to our city. They are mostly children with moms and grandparents, as men stay in the country to fight for freedom. It is amazing to see how our whole nation has become involved in helping our Ukrainian neighbors. They need literally everything – food, shelter, clothes, medicine, toiletries, toys, etc. (Added 3/20/22: We are in the process of setting distribution center for refugees in partnership with other churches in our city.)
Our churches have opened up and serve to help in any way we can. We work closely with First Baptist Church in our city, the Baptist Union of Poland, as well as the city government in terms of providing needed help and assistance for refugees, as much as we can. For example, we recently got 6 double beds to people in need. They were used immediately at the First Baptist Church. We have extra expenses to purchase cleaning materials, mops and buckets that were needed. Our people are involved in various forms of voluntary help.
From Agneiszka: We feel an urgent need to ask everyone we know to help us. The situation is really difficult and the needs are huge. We want to help more and beyond. Everyone who comes starts new life with little children, no job, language, no father (because he had to stay) carrying only a backpack or carry on. We want to do as much as possible.
We really sense this is a great time of need and we as Christians need to share the love and hope of Christ in practical ways. God is good and we know He is with us all the time. Despite all the difficulties we continue with the School of Biblical Discipleship, School of Speakers and Generosity Path. We are moved to see how our students are involved in responding to the current crisis. Christ is the firm foundation we build our lives and ministry on and we share that message in word in deed.
We wouldn’t be able to do it all without your loving support and prayers. If you feel led to help with providing additional funds in response to the current crisis you can donate funds to Golden Apple Institute with a note “Help to refugees”. We will make sure that every cent is used to make a difference in the lives of people in need. Thank you for your loving care, prayers and support.
Prayerfully, and with hope, Wojtek and Agnieszka