Most of the refugees are now coming from Sumy and Horlivka, Ukraine,  where the bombing and fighting is intense.  There are fewer than usual refugees exiting the train and we wonder if they are being held at the border or unable to get the trains safely. One refugee told us that there were fourteen people squeezed into their compartment for eight.  Cars filled, we set off to the convent.  As soon as we pack the trunk and close the car doors, the refugees begin to relate their horrific escape which now is becoming very familiar.  The only difference is the intense fear which keeps escalating.   

Each group postulates a new hypothesis: Putin will bomb the entire country, Putin will strike the border, followed by Putin will invade Poland.  I'm getting so weary of hearing his name and I would love to say Putin, the former president of Russia, or "he who shall not be named".  Everyone is speculating, the refugees, the volunteers, the police, the Poles and even the Sisters. Fear is contagious, but so is hope.  What strikes me as is that so often the hypothesis and/or rumor ends with "we must pray harder or God is with us".  Keep the faith, good people, God is the only sure thing!

Today, I learned that most Ukrainians belong to the Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic Church.  Within our three-block radius, we have the Greek Orthodox Church, the Franciscan Church and the Cathedral.  I wondered why the Greek Orthodox Church and the Cathedral both have the name of Saint John the Baptist.  I thought it would be confusing.  When Pope John Paul II visited Przesmyl, he asked the diocese to give one of the Churches to the Greek Orthodox religion because they didn't have a worship space.  Mystery solved.  As I stood and looked up at the magnificent architecture, I see one of the refugee families leaving the church and I hope that they found strength and consolation as they gazed upon the icons and prayed within its sturdy walls.

What a joy it is to see them walking outside after being hunkered down in a bunker for about three weeks!  As we enter the courtyard, I see another child trying to ride a small bike with her mother.  Warmed by the sun, all of us could breathe the refreshing air and feel normal again.

In the morning, the Sisters who can drive a stick shift will be taking different groups to buses starting at 6:00 in the morning.  Mother Janina, Sister Margaret and I are traveling to Cmolas where I will see my brother, younger sister who resembles me and my sister-in-law.  Since I left Poland at the age of five, I have only seen my family in 1984 and 2012.  I am so grateful that Mother Janina offered to take me and both she and Sister Margaret will help with the conversation.  I am looking forward to seeing them, but there's always a sadness because distance separates us.  

Some of you are coming into this journey at various entries, so I want to describe the general process. The refugees enter Poland at the border, on buses, trains or by foot.  At the border, the Polish soldiers stop the trains and buses and check the papers of some or most of the travelers.  Sometimes the trains are so crowded that the soldiers can't reach everyone.  At the border, buses take the refugees to Tesco, which is the humanitarian center set up by the Polish government.  If they are on the train, they arrive at the train station in Przesmyl where Caritas volunteers feed them, help carry their bags, and help direct them to their next step.  The Sisters go to the train station several times because we never know when a train will arrive and look for mothers and children who do not have overnight accommodations and bring them to their convent.  They feed, clothe, provide a bed, and drive them to their next destination and gas prices are even higher than in the United States.

I am grateful that many of you are asking about how to donate to the Sisters.  They are trying to develop a Pay Pal account, but that might take another day or two.  Stay tuned and hopefully, the Sisters will have one by Thursday.