kbjones11

June 16, 2022

Gratitude

This is the fourth installment discussing my experiences working with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Go here to see the other entries. More pictures of my particular group can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

*Refugee families waiting to move on to their next destination.*

Not only have Ukrainians shown a remarkable resilience in the face of such terrible atrocities, but they also continue to have a great sense of gratitude during these times. Every single Ukrainian that I spoke with in Poland (dozens, if not hundreds) all expressed sincere thanks for any help they were receiving. Tears of joy and relief came amidst tears of fear, sadness, and anger.

Many of the people I met had a sense of wonder that anyone would care enough to help. They figured that no one in Western Europe or America would know where Ukraine was, or that it even existed. “We’re here with you,” was all I could muster in such moments.

One woman told me of leaving Mariupol the day before with her daughter and grandson. The battle was still intensely raging at that time. She cried as she related the death of her husband, who happened to be the only one home when their apartment building was bombed just a week before. Her son-in-law was fighting, and she hadn’t received any word about him for weeks. She motioned to her sleeping grandson, all of nine-years-old, as she expressed horror of what was to come of his life. There was no plan yet as to where they would go, for how long, and if they could ever return to their homeland. And yet, in the same breath, she spoke of how grateful she was that they had a place to stay, someplace warm, with beds and blankets, and food. She marveled at it. She was so thankful, even just to have someone to listen to her.

Merely minutes after talking with her, I met another woman with a similar story. Her husband had died well before the war. She was in her seventies and confined to a wheelchair. She had arrived a few weeks previously with some family. Given her poor health, she was unable to move on to another place, but was worried about holding her family back. They were working on visas to another country, with the plan that she would likely stay put in the shelter in Warsaw. She was so scared, and had to completely depend on others for everything. And yet, instead of expressing dismay or anger or cursing God or anyone else, she told me how glad she was that she was in the center, that she had a place to get the support she needed.

The center where we were included cots to sleep on (see below), three meals a day, our medical and dental clinics (which included many medications available for free), free glasses, visa applications and help for multiple different countries, laundry, clothing, and play areas with toys, among other things. It certainly wasn’t an ideal location for people to stay, but they all seemed grateful to be there.

I dare say most people wouldn’t react this way in such circumstances.

Just some of the many things offered to refugees at the center:

*Cots available for refugees in a giant expo hall.*

*People checking into our small clinic.*

*Small clothing area for those in need.*

*Panoramic view of most of the pharmacy.*

*Our volunteers sanitizing hands before a meal.*

*People gathering to get their free glasses.*

June 10, 2022

Gifts

This is the third installment discussing my experiences working with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Go here to see the other entries. More pictures of my particular group can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

*Extra clothes from a donation tent being sent to refugees elsewhere in Poland.*

One of the funnest things about being serving in Poland was giving gifts to kids in the shelter. We had LOTS of stickers to give out, which appeared to be one of the greatest things the kids could ever get. They had so much fun with them, and remarkably, the walls were NOT covered in them. My friend Zac brought some other small toys and candy that we would pass out. I expected fighting or whining over the limited gifts, as all kids are wont to do, but I didn’t see any of that. They were happy to have anything.

One afternoon, Zac was giving out small sticky, rubbery toys that will stick to the wall when thrown. The kids loved them. (It was my job to hand out the candy, something which the parents loved just as much as the kids.) One girl around eight-years-old walked up to me after all of the toys were gone, and handed me one of the little items. “It’s a gift,” she said in Russian. I told she could keep it, but she really wanted to give it to one of us. She just wanted to be able to help, somehow.

The next day I was playing catch with a small football that one of the boys had. Pretty soon there were two boys playing with me, who each had a football. After a few minutes, they grew tired of playing and moved on. Leaving me with two footballs, I yelled “Wait, you left your ball.” One of them turned around and just said “Keep it, or give it to some other kid.” The cynical person would just say that they didn’t like the football, and quickly grew tired of it. That’s a possibility. But I choose to think that they were simply kind enough to share what they had, and knew that others may appreciate it even more than they.

Many of the people in the center who cleaned, or translated, or dished up food, etc. were refugees staying in the center. They wanted to participate and be part of the efforts. They knew they needed help, but they also recognized that others needed it, too. They were all in this together, so they wanted to do their part.

I met a young woman in the center who was an intern in Ukraine. She had finished medical school, and began her training in anesthesiology last year. However, since she had not completed her first year of post-medical school training, she was unable to practice medicine in any way. She reached out to the clinic where we worked when she first arrived, and was told that she couldn’t help out because her English wasn’t good enough. However, she very desperately wanted to do something medical so that she didn’t lose her knowledge and skills. We were able to find some volunteer work that she could do in the clinic. When I told her, her smile was huge, and she thanked all of us profusely and repeatedly. She was able to offer some meaningful service there, and I’m hoping that she is still able to help even after we left.

During my week in Krakow, I volunteered at a clothing tent where people could come and get free clothes. There were so many donations, that many of the clothes were sent elsewhere around the country; the large tent simply didn’t have room for all of them. I assume that the clothes were donated from around the world, I’m not even sure all of the places. And while it likely wasn’t the majority of donations, a significant amount of those clothes available for needy families came from other Ukrainians.

It’s a gift.

*Refugee donation tents at the main train station in Krakow.*

*A crow of refugees gather at the clothing tent (left tent) in Krakow.*

*Semis full of donated goods waiting at* *Polish-Ukrainian border.*

*More semis full of donated goods waiting at *Polish-Ukrainian border.* The line was at least a mile long, and would take multiple days for all of these trucks to get into Ukraine.*

June 8, 2022

Poland

This is the second installment discussing my experiences working with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Go here to see the other entries. More pictures of my particular group can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

On February 23, 2022, very few people in the western world knew what the Ukrainian flag looked like. A request to describe anything about it would be met with blank stares, except for those who envisioned that it may still resemble the flag of the Soviet Union, hammer and sickle over a dark red flag. I dare say that even most Polish people, immediate Ukrainian neighbors to the west, would have no idea. But once Russia invaded Ukraine for no legitimate reason outside of Putin’s selfish maniacal narcissism, millions in the western world immediately recognized the depiction of the blue sky over the fields of golden grain that is the representation of the country that I love.

The flag is now ubiquitous throughout the United States and Poland. (It likely is elsewhere, but I have only been in Utah, Washington, DC, and Poland since the war began, so cannot comment on other areas.) Signs of the flag with supportive text have popped up everywhere.

Seven million Ukrainians have fled the terror of war into other countries, 90% of whom are women and children. Over half of these refugees have gone to Poland. Another eight million Ukrainians have been displaced within the country. Many of them have since gone on to live elsewhere, with multiple European and North American countries opening their borders to refugees, along with others around the world. Two million Ukrainians have returned to their country. (All stats taken from this BBC News story.)

My first week was spent in Warsaw, at a former expo center repurposed into a shelter. While it could theoretically accommodate many thousands of people, there were only around two thousand during my stay. The influx of displaced Ukrainians had slowed down by this point. Many of those who had not already gone to another country were planning to return to Ukraine. I went with the great people at International Medical Relief, a phenomenal group of giving people, most of whom were health care professionals. The group bonded easily and strongly, and I believe that only enhanced our ability to serve the Ukrainian people there.

My second week was supposed to be my own return to Ukraine, but it wasn’t to be. The circumstances surrounding the “mission” in Ukraine changed (as is common in war-torn areas, of course), meaning that I was unable to accompany August Mission into the country. Instead, I went to Krakow to spend the week helping Ukrainians there. It mostly involved assisting in clothing donations and other similar activities, but was much less intense in scope and schedule from the first week.

The Polish people and others around the world are the biggest heroes in this tragedy. I believe in a religion of love, and no one has shown more love and open arms than the Polish people in the last three months. As far as I am concerned, they will go straight to heaven for their kindness. Not only were flags and signs ever-present throughout the country (see collages below), but many everyday signs were changed to include Ukrainian. Places of literal and figurative refuge and material support have popped up everywhere. Children’s books that include stories in both Polish and Ukrainian became common to help children adapt. Miracles happen every day, and the people of Poland are a miracle to the people of Ukraine.

Ukrainians are some of the most resilient people in the world. They have the perfect combination of humility and a F**k You attitude that has led them to defend their country much more effectively than was expected. One of the volunteer translators at the center showed me a picture of his eight-year-old niece in Kiev. She was standing on the charred remains of a burned Russian tank in the middle of the city, flexing her arms with a look of triumph on her face. That is what the Ukrainian flag truly stands for. The world is quickly learning that.

*I think this is simply AMAZING at expressing Ukrainian determination.*

*Multiple places across Warsaw and Krakow expressing their support for Ukraine.*

*Multiple places across Warsaw and Krakow expressing their support for Ukraine*, *including soup and children’s activities.*

The next entry will include a lot more personal stories from the wonderful people I met.