A 12-year-old girl, an amazing sixth grader, traveled all the way from Kyiv on the train by herself.   Her mother works in Wroclaw, a city in Poland. The war broke out and in a panic, her mother called everyone she knew on her cellphone to help her daughter escape.  The church came to her aid and put her daughter on a train and her mother raced to the border so she could be there to greet her daughter. If children arrive unaccompanied, they are placed in an orphanage until their parents can find them. I can't even imagine the helplessness and desperation of a parent when they can't be there to help their child.  When mother and daughter arrive at the convent, relief floods their faces as they are welcomed in.

I meet a 16-year-old boy looking at a train schedule to decide which city his family might choose.  When I ask about his journey from Horlivka, he shrugs his shoulders and says it was fine, but crowded.  He tells me that he is quite accustomed to travel. I smile at his je ne sais quoi which makes him quite appealing.  He spoke english very well, so I was able to ask him a few more questions. Horlivka is being bombarded by missiles, so I asked if the missiles frightened him.  He said:  I didn't think about the missiles, they were at a distance and I wanted my family to be safe".  After staying in an underground shelter, the family decided they would be better off at home.  Four days later, their decision made, they leave for Poland. Unlike the other refugees who told their stories with much angst, he relates his story very calmly without much ado and I wonder about the resiliency of youth.  I'm hoping it is.

One of my students has a relative in the army and he is stationed here in Poland.  When I walk around town, I keep looking at the upper arms of any soldiers who cross my path to see their flags, but I have not spotted any from the US until now. This afternoon we saw five huge unmarked army vehicles parked along the side of the road and Sister Malgorzata (Margaret)  says they are American.  I am tempted to approach them, but they look so formidable and dark that I decide to just walk on. We are grateful for their presence and service! 

Over two million refugees are seeking refuge in Poland. The number is staggering and sometimes I feel like I am doing so little since the convent can only accommodate 30-40 people every one or two days. When I start feeling discouraged about the extent of what I am doing here, I remember one of my favorite quotes from Mother Teresa:  "Do little things with great love".  I can do that!  I can make beds, fold some sheets, draw portraits and help in any small way and more importantly, pour love into each small act of compassion. Ministry isn't about how much we accomplish, but the quality of our presence in each encounter.  I can't speak Ukrainian, but I can look at each person in their eyes, give them my best smile. and fold my hands in a praying gesture that I can offer to them.  I will never know if my little things made a difference, but I know there's more love in the world. 

You might be wondering about my visit with my brother, sister and two sisters-in-law today.  I was so happy to see them and even happier that Mother Janina and Sister Margaret accompanied me.  My Polish vocabulary is limited to a five-year-old's knowledge of the language and the Sisters translated at times as well as helped with the conversation.  Saying good-bye, my sister and brother hugged me tightly not knowing if we would see each other again.  As I sat in the car on the way back to Przesmyl, I thought of the Ukrainians and how many have said a similar good-bye.

A family of four including five month old twins just arrived. How cruel to make a mother and father travel into an unknown destination with newborns!  They are absolutely beautiful, the next generation of Ukrainians to carry on this strong and proud heritage.

"Habemus" (we have) a Paypal account for anyone who would like to donate.  Here is the link to be used:  Paypal.me/uaref. The name on the account is Malgorzata Grabowska who is the treasurer for the Little Servant Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in Przesmyl, Poland.