Are you F***ing kidding me????

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Yep. I am ticked off. I have tried to contain my anger for this last week when the news came out. It's hard. Officially hosting has been off the table for quite some time. Unfortunately we did not get this news from the organization that brought me N and Y. I put the pieces together by reading information. According to Ukraine's Social Ministry, hosting has not been an option as long as Martial Law is in place. Basically, martial law is when the military and not civilians apply the law. Additionally, it means that males within a certain age range are not allowed to leave Ukraine and have to be available to fight if needed. 

Well, last week, Ukrainian Social Ministry made a public announcement. See this announcement below. I took a screen shot but the pic comes from this link https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/Intercountry-Adoption-News/-resumption-of-hosting-programs-in-ukraine.html#:~:text=On%20June%2011%2C%202022%2C%20the,abroad%20for%20health%20and%20recreation.

Basically, it is saying that Hosting programs can resume! YEAH! Right? Nope. Not so much. The highlighted section states that orphans are not ELIGIBLE to participate! WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? The children that would benefit the most from hosting are not ELIGIBLE. How frustrating is this? I cannot understand why the children with the greatest need would be ineligible to participate. Just another example where politics supersede the best interests of people, more importantly children. 

As a family, we have been struggling with when (not if) N and Y will return. Just last night, my oldest son, Hunter came into my bedroom and started crying because he missed them so much and wanted to know when they would return. The way that we get through this is to watch videos from when they were here. We smile and laugh and talk about them. We pray for their return. That is about the best we can do. 

I often struggle in silence. I think about the plans we had this summer together with them here - camping, soccer camps, water parks, farmer's markets and just hanging out. One business, that has been SO supportive, Industrial Dance Project in Crown Point (https://industrialdanceproject.com/ ) is having Parkour day and I had hoped and planned for Hunter, N and Y to attend! I even got T-shirts for all of them.... The day is this weekend. Sadly, they are not here. So I am left with T-shirts to remind myself of their absence. 

Struggling to find the words...

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This week has been a bit difficult. My sweet N turned 14 this week. He has been in the system since 2018 at least. He still remembers life before the orphanage. Not only has this kid had to deal with going into the system, he has been there for a good part of his life, with his siblings, travelled and visited different families and NOW, in the middle of a war. He has seen and lived through more than so many of us in his short life. I hope and pray that you had a good birthday (again, how is that really possible?). But I pray and hope that you know that we are thinking and praying for you daily.

I have not received any updates regarding anything for hosting. The organization has started to focus on hosting children from Malawi. We are still getting requests for help from many of the orphanages that we work with in Ukraine and we are doing everything we can. As far as I can tell, the Ukrainian government has extended Martial Law through the end of August. And because of this, hosting is on hold at least through then. 

It is so easy to forget that this war is going on. It is halfway around the world. Is it affecting us? Yes, financially. However, are we losing lives? Are we starving? Are we having to run to the basement when we hear the sirens? Please do not forget. We are witnessing history repeating itself. 

Stalin did this back in the 30's. Putin is doing it again - 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/world/europe/russia-ukraine-food-supply.html

Hitler committed Genocide. Current studies indicate that the rhetoric being used and the actions that have occurred are following this same path in Ukraine - 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/27/europe/russia-ukraine-genocide-warning-intl/index.html

Please. Help. 

My final day in Poland

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I had written this after spending the day in Warsaw but I never posted it. I have learned quite a bit about WWII and the Holocaust. I studied in Poland over 20 years ago and visited Auschwitz, Birkenau as well as Dachau. However,  I had learned minimal about the Warsaw Ghetto. We took the day and did a walking tour of the Warsaw Small and Large Ghettos. Warsaw is considered one of the youngest cities in Europe due to Germany leveling it towards the end of WWII. Warsaw made the decision to try to salvage what they could and what they could not, they built some of the buildings to look as if they had never been destroyed. Everywhere you turn there are constant memories of those who lost their lives. So many question how the Holocaust could happen and I learned so much:

• The Germans encouraged the separation of the Jewish and Poles and both groups believed the Germans so they went along with it (Jewish were told that the Poles would steal their money and the Poles were told that the Jewish had diseases). 
• The two Ghettos (Small and Large) were connected by a bridge (see picture in the movie below). This allowed people to cross from one ghetto to another (often to go to work as they were still required to work).
• Over time, the Germans provided less and less to those in the Ghetto, basically starving the people. Those that survived were transported to the train station and sent to working camps (for example, Auschwitz). 

PROEM... and our last day with the kids.

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This picture says it all. While with the kids, we did a number of activities including charades, Red Light Green Light, water balloon fights and painting. Children often express their feelings well with drawings and this says it all. A "v" over the Ukrainian flag (which I have not figured out what that stands for) and an "x" over the Russian flag. Even when why try to take their minds off the horrors, they still remain.

Here are some of the pictures of our time with the kids. It was wonderful seeing them smile and hearing their laughs. They connected with us. We enjoyed our time with them. It has been a very intense week, emotionally and physically. I will miss my time with them in Poland. I have made some connections that I hope will be lifelong and I hope to bring my children here some day. Poland was where I learned of my love for travel and with its rich history, it a place that I will never forget. 

We also had the opportunity to visit a wonderful organization here in Poland - PROEM. They are an organization that has grown over the years and includes a variety of opportunities for Polish children ranging from school (preschool - high school) to camps. They have also been so welcoming and will offer camps for Ukrainian children this summer. I strongly encourage you to learn more about this organization and if you feel drawn to donate, you can do so and choose your cause (of course, mine will be Ukrainian Children's Camp). 

Proem's website here

Cleaning, organizing, packing and... some time to sightsee!

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Today was a pretty difficult day. Three women and their children were leaving for the US. I had met these women the first day I was here. They are so brave. They had their COVID tests and, right now, as I type this, are flying to the US. More than 24 hours of travel. Again, it is not a good-bye, but a see you soon.

Also, there has been a little boy here with whom I have connected. I have not spent a lot of time with him, but yesterday, as we were leaving for the day, he stayed close to me. We hugged and I told him I would see him soon. But he didn't want to go. He reminds me a bit of my N. When I asked if there was something he needed. He said "yes". I asked him (all via a translator app) "what do you need?" and his response "help". We both were fighting back tears. He would not go into detail because he did not want to talk about it. These children here are going through so much. So much pain, trauma, and not knowing what to do with it or express it. I hope that I am able to see him again before we leave...

To end the day yesterday, we were able to do some sightseeing. We visited a 1,000 year old church and cemetery, both of which were very beautiful. It was very calm, quiet and peaceful there. 

Prayer for Ukraine

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The last two days have been very busy. We have organized, moved, reorganized, moved, prayed and played. This camp is beautiful and provides so much for their community, the Polish people as well as the Ukrainian refugees. This is truly a safe place for people to feel comfortable in a very scary situation. Some have been here for weeks while others stay for only a short time. Many have very strong hopes to return home (Ukraine). 

Yesterday we were able to pack up all of the clothing donations so that they can be taken to other camps and churches. Over the next few weeks the camp will be having a church camp for children. This ministry happens every summer and the only difference this year is that there will be a week that will be for Ukrainian refugee children as well. This children's camp will also have therapists available to work with the children to help them better understand and express their feelings and grief during this difficult time. I cannot express how amazing this camp is! There are so many people here that give so much, it is a way of life for them. It is a very humbling experience. 

Here is a video of the work that we have done over the last few days:

And, yes, we did a lot of work today! But we also had a ton of very happy experiences! We were able to play with the kids! We had 3 legged races, egg races, water balloon fights and I even got to show off my drawing skills! We all had a blast! We also were able to experience three baptisms, and a Ukrainian worship night. It was a wonderful way to end the day! There are so many people here who have been such a blessing, and because they are blessed, they bless others. It is so amazing to see how much people give - time, money, talents, etc. 

Here are some pics from today:

There are so many people here that I ask you to pray for. To maintain their anonymity, I will use just an initial:

D, A, M, D - These leaders have so much love for this place and work so hard to provide for so many people. Please pray that they continue to receive the resources that they need to continue to be an amazing place for refugees as well as those in their community.

M, M and kids - These women have been here at the camp while their husbands had to stay behind in Ukraine. They will be going to the US to stay with friends for the next few months. Please pray for their safe travels and for them to be reunited as a family. 

Groups of volunteers - There are many here that come from various areas around the US - Michigan, Indiana, Kansas and so many more. Please pray for their safety, love, generosity and support as they continue to go beyond their borders to help those in need. 

I end tonight with a beautiful song. We heard it tonight at the Ukrainian Prayer Service. It is a recording from the actual service, two young Ukrainian women singing the song Prayer for Ukraine. 

Witamy w Polsce - Welcome to Poland!

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Well, after a very long day, I have arrived. I left NW Indiana at 4:00 pm on Saturday night and arrived at the hotel one hour outside of Warsaw, Poland at 7:00sh pm Sunday night, granted, I am 7 hours ahead of home. We brought over 19 pieces of luggage (humanitarian aid). It took over one hour to get everyone checked in and by the time we made it to the gate, we were just 1 hour or so from boarding. Unfortunately, we were delayed quite a bit. But we finally boarded and made it to Warsaw! But... somehow one piece of luggage has been lost or stolen. We are praying that it is found and gets to who needs it as it is EXTREMELY important. 

I met Oksana, a young woman who has been fighting right on the front, going back and forth between Poland and Ukraine. However, this is not the first time that I have actually met her. She was the one that travelled with N and Y this past Christmas. She has been doing so much and fighting so hard. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. 

We also met Daniel, who is one of the directors of the camp where I will be serving. It is a beautiful camp, very peaceful. I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to help these people. Their lives have been turned upside down. They are far from home, some without members of their family, their personal belongings, but, they are safe. 

The war/conflict with Russia seems so far away when I am home. For many in the US, it may not affect their day to day operations so they do not think about it. However, here, it is everywhere. There are Ukrainian flags. There are pictures. There are numerous groups bringing aid. Even when we arrived at the airport, there was a small kiosk with someone readily available to help Ukrainian refugees. It was amazing to see the outpouring of support and aid for the Ukrainian people. 

As I get ready to get some sleep tonight, I want to say thank you. So many of you have helped support me over the last few months. There are too many people to personally thank (and so many who don't want to be named), but please know that your support means the world to me and my family. Without it, we would not have met N and Y, we would not have opened our hearts and homes to them, their lives, their culture and, now, their conflict. Their fight is our fight. And I am blessed to help in any way that I can.