{"id":10305,"date":"2022-03-04T20:45:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T20:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=10305"},"modified":"2022-03-07T11:17:47","modified_gmt":"2022-03-07T11:17:47","slug":"adventist-churches-in-poland-serving-as-places-of-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/adventist-churches-in-poland-serving-as-places-of-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Adventist Churches in Poland Serving as Places of Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

04 March 2022 | Rzesz\u00f3w, Poland [Dejan Stojkovic and ADRA Europe with ted<\/em>NEWS]<\/p>\n

Seventh-day Adventist churches in Poland are becoming shelters for Ukrainian refugees. The Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA) in Poland is working in cooperation with the local church and a large number of volunteers to show solidarity with refugees from Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was absolutely beautiful to see this church, and the work they are doing,\u201d said Dejan Stojkovic, Trans-European Division Youth director, reflecting on his ongoing visit to the Rzesz\u00f3w\u00a0 and Przemysl Adventist churches in Poland. \u201cTo come back from the border with Ukraine and start a Sabbath with the volunteers and the refugees is very special,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe family is getting bigger,\u201d said Marek Micyk [Photos: courtesy of Dejan Stojkovic]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marek Micyk, Polish Union Conference Youth director, also felt moved by the experience and the palpable solidarity. \u201cI like this picture we are creating…\u00a0 To see that even amid disaster, we have family everywhere. Those people that are coming, we do not know them yet, but we know already that we are family. The family is getting bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both leaders urged church members to continue praying and supporting reliefs efforts. \u201cAs a second Sabbath just started, while the war is raging in Ukraine, we are grateful for these volunteers and pray for ways to brighten the corners of the world where we live,\u201d said Stojkovic.<\/p>\n

Can I Hug You?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael Peach joined the ADRA team in Poland all the way from sunny Australia. At night, when he was supporting people fleeing Ukraine, he met an elderly lady that touched his heart. “As we stood shivering at the border an old lady walked up to my colleague, gave her a big hug, burst into tears and said, \u2018THANK YOU\u2019. We hadn\u2019t done anything, but we were the first friendly faces she\u2019d seen in a while,” Peach shared.<\/p>\n

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Michael and Dejan serving at the Ukrainian border<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The people of Poland have literally opened their homes to their neighbours fleeing Ukraine, it is a beautiful thing,\u201d Peach continued. \u201cAt midnight it\u2019s -5\u00b0 Celsius and thousands of women, children and pets are crossing the border with no real certainty. Some have relatives waiting for them, but most board buses to reception centres where they can be linked with a Polish host family. This week ADRA has been providing blankets petrol (the nearest petrol station is 100Km from the border) and USB power banks.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Search of Peace <\/strong><\/p>\n

It is estimated that 1 million to 2 million Ukrainians already live in Poland. Many fled in 2014, after the takeover of Crimea and the beginning of the war in eastern Ukraine. And now, so far, at least 505,000 Ukrainians have gone to Poland. It is the prayer of us all that peace will come soon.
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