Dear friends and family.

It\'s been two weeks since our team has been back and we have continued to keep in touch with each other and with our friends in Poland and those from Ukraine. I decided to delay sending this update until I had some time to think about it and process a bit.  I wanted to marinate with the thoughts and see what stuck out to me most about our time in Warsaw.

Originally, I wanted to go on this trip because I recognize a need in myself to cultivate an awareness of my dependence on God and I wanted to have an opportunity to experience His sovereignty and grace outside of my comfort zone.  This, of course, is exactly what a trip like this provides.  It is so easy to see how not in control we are when we leave our familiar surroundings.  Ever day brought situations where I had to wait because I was not able to make something happen.  And as I waited, God was moving people around into divine circumstances where he would bring us into contact.  And it’s the people that matter the most.       

It’s not a big surprise to me that the people are what my thoughts keep coming back to.  Those moments when you connect and communicate despite never having met before and not having any shared history.  Time and time again we saw looks of amazement when Ukrainians heard we had traveled from the US to help where we could.  Those looks often became tears.  I watched our team show love in so many ways every day.  I saw a lot of openness and bravery to reach out and try hard to figure out a way to communicate.  We were all so grateful for the technology of translation apps on our phones that allowed actual conversations to take place.  We began to recognize the same faces of some, and day by day, strangers became familiar and precious.  Many on our team met dozens, if not hundreds, while some of us only interacted with a few.

Those interactions made us feel close and known by people who we had never met before.  My closest relationship was with Lukasz (pronounced Wookash).  He is the building manager for the church and we demolished a whole room together under his direction.  He is quiet and seems tender and sensitive, but he works like an ox.  His father was the building manager up until he became ill and had to have a leg amputated.  Lukasz told me how nervous he was when they moved to Warsaw when he was 12.  And he also told me how good God is and how good everything turned out.

We were able to break down three brick walls and open up a large space for the Ukrainian preschool children.  Breaking down those walls was really a metaphor for what was happening all around us.  Lukasz told me that the Polish people are like everyone else, we get upset at minor inconveniences and we are all frequently irritable with each other when things don’t go our way.  But the people really seem ready and willing to come together when there is a cause.  Poland has stepped up in a big way for Ukraine. 

So, that’s my takeaway for this trip.  How can I see the way God does more clearly?  May I be ready to let my own walls of indifference, pride, and prejudice fall.  May I take an active role in breaking them down.  May God make me more sensitive even in the absence of “crisis” to put aside manufactured differences and to join others to show how loving God really is. 

Once again, thank you for the prayers and financial support and for trusting me to go and be a part of this work.  It really is a team effort and I’m glad to be one of those who got to go.  I have so many pictures and more stories if any of you would like to hear more sometime.

Thank you,

Joshua

Good afternoon everyone!

Poland has been an eye-opening experience.  We are working in a local church less than 100 yards from the Ukrainian Consulate.  It is the people of Poland who have stepped up to help their neighbors from Ukraine.  The consulate sends people down the street to this church for assistance.  The church has organized to provide paperwork assistance, meals, temporary housing, clothing, and much more.

Our team has been helping make copies of important documents (sometimes 50 pages worth), providing three meals a day, conducting classes for the many new Ukrainian children coming in, and going out of the way to figure out how to give comforting words to these displaced families (translation apps are trending with us!).  The overwhelming majority are women and children.  Two teams of our group are working in shifts to relieve the overworked church volunteers who have been going constantly since March.  They are tired and have told us how refreshing it is to get help.

We have also been asked to help provide more space for the pre-school aged children as this is an ever-growing group.  We are demolishing several brick walls to open up space.  This building was partly destroyed during WW 2 and the walls are old red brick covered in plaster.  Demo went well today and tomorrow we get to carry all the old brick down three flights of stairs! (Yeah, no elevator in this beautiful old building 😊).

Our team is happy to be serving alongside the caring Polish believers and spirits are high.  Thank you for helping make a difference here.

Good evening friends and family.  I wanted to write and thank you so very much for being part of this opportunity.  Your prayers and support are making this trip and the ability to show the love of Christ to literally thousands of Ukrainians possible.  I appreciate your trust and encouragement in doing this. 

Recent estimates state that Warsaw has almost doubled in size with 3.2 million refugees coming in.  They expect an additional 700,000 new students for school.  The numbers are overwhelming. 

It is comforting to know I’m not doing this alone.  Our team is very excited and energized to be put to use as God’s hands and feet.  And knowing that you are with us, too, challenges us to make the best use of our time and resources.  God bless you.

Joshua   

Good evening friends and family!  Our trip is only a week away and so much has been happening.  I wanted to send this update to share the most recent news.  We had the first team leave on Sunday, the 29th and despite best efforts to prepare, four of them were denied boarding onto the plane because of confusing regulations transiting through Amsterdam.  One was allowed to take a flight the next day and three had to be rerouted through Paris leaving the Thursday of that week.  Once the team was able to reunite in Warsaw, they got down to serious work.  Reports of hundreds of refugees lining up before dark in the early hours of the morning before the relief center opens and our team has been there, ready for them.  Making food, helping with child care, staffing a clothing \"store\" and countless other ways of showing the compassion of Christ\'s love.

Our turn is coming up.  We received news that someone had been willing to provide a closed hotel for housing for the refugees, but it would need a lot of work getting it ready.  That is most likely the job our team will be undertaking.  We expect to clean, paint, build extra beds and do whatever is necessary to help make these families feel cared for.  

I need to raise an additional $300 to cover the fee to rerout my ticket through France due to the previous issue of going through Amsterdam, but we don\'t expect any problems based on the first team\'s success.  I am so grateful for your continued prayers and support and I will keep sending updates as we go and while we are in Poland.

Thank you again.

Joshua

Hello once again!  I just learned the easiest way to help support our trip to Poland!  Copy and paste the link below and it will take you directly to my page where you can see upates and support us on our Poland trip! 

Thank you!

https://www.perimeter.org/journeys/159/members/7585

Hello again!

I was new to Perimeter\'s online giving system when I wrote my first email concerning Poland and didn\'t realize how to navigate the system from the receiving end of an email.  Very sorry for the difficulty.  If you copy and past the address below, it will take you to the \"Give\" page.  From there, select \"other\" and choose \"mission trip\" from the drop down box.  That will allow you to choose \"Poland/Ukranian Refugee/6-14-2022, which is my trip.  Finally choose me, Joshua Jenkins, as the \"participant\".  Again, so sorry for the confusion.  I appreciate your prayers and support so very much!

https://www.perimeter.org/give/give-online/