Hello!  As some of you may know I am headed to Warsaw, Poland May 29-June 12 to serve refugees fleeing Ukraine.  As of today there are nearly 3 million Ukranian refugees in Poland, roughly 300k of whom are effectively homeless.  While in Poland myslef and a group of folks from Perimeter church will be helping to serve meals, provide basic medical care and help refurbish a hotel that is being converted into apartments for refugees.  The situation on the ground in Ukraine is beyond anything most of us here in the U.S. can even imagine and while things may appear fairly normal in Poland there is a lot going on that you will not see in the press.  Many of these refugees came across the border with nothing but the clothes on their backs and maybe some cash if they were lucky.  Most of the refugees are women and children as most men stayed behind to fight or, in some cases, were detained.  The Polish people have been incredibly gracious and have invited millions of refugees into their homes but with no end in sight to the war this becomes more and more untenable.  Due to language barriers and other issues such as child care it is very difficult for these refugees to find work and provide for themselves so the issues we see today are likely to persist for some time.  That doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what these folks may find when and if they can ever return home and/or how they cope with the loss of loved ones.  

While our time in Poland will be spent helping serve these refugees through several local churches the need for support will go well beyond our short time in country.  We will continue to donate our time, money and supplies as a church family however any additional support you care to provide would certainly be appreciated.  We have folks on the ground in Poland year-round and work with local churches and NGOs to make sure every dollar raised goes to the right places.

If you would like to donate please go to the link provided.  Thank you so much for your support and prayers as we work to support these poor folks who so desperately need our help.

Blessings, Mike Newsome