The Five Loaves and Two Fishes Moment: How God takes what we give and multiplies it

July 9, 2022 – Remembering the Ways of God

Standing between two massive warehouses in Warsaw, Poland, I feel a cool, evening breeze. The breeze carries the laughter of Ukrainian refugee children playing soccer in an empty parking lot with my son, Asa, and my friend, Jason. 

The breeze carries the sweet smells of a food truck manned by the Dutch volunteers from the town of Zwartsluis—an entire town whose residents take turns weekly to travel to Poland to feed Ukrainian refugees at the Expo: the largest refugee relocation center in Warsaw.

The breeze carries the scent of cigarettes from refugees weary of waiting. Waiting for visas that never seem to come. Waiting for SIM cards to talk to loved ones in occupied territories. Waiting to be reunited with family, with no idea when that will be. Waiting to return to their homes or what’s left of them. Waiting for this cursed war end. Waiting to see what the rest of us will do.

The breeze carries a week full of memories for me—rich, deep memories of meeting people who have suffered but still smile. Of volunteers who have come looking to spread joy, and return having discovered it for themselves. Of people who are doggedly courageous. Of weary workers who get up every day and do it all over again.  Of Polish people who refuse to quit caring, when their history is marked by those who didn’t care for them.

The breeze carries my recollection of answered prayers. Answers too numerous and precise to be a mere coincidence. Answers so carefully delivered as to affirm that I did hear God’s voice when he burdened my heart for these refugees and their children 100 days earlier.

I know I must leave, but I want to stay just a bit longer and remember. I want to remember that when God places a burden on your heart, he is able to bring it to pass through his strength alone. I want to remember, that for a people who have suffered greatly—God isn’t distant—he is near. I want to remember both the goodness and the greatness of God, that he can take our five-loaves-and-two-fishes effort and multiply it in mind-blowing ways.

February 2008 – You Can’t Outgive God

This is a story that has its beginnings 15 years ago in a seminary outside of Kyiv, Ukraine. While teaching a module at the seminary, I stumble upon a dozen freshly printed Christian titles. The books stand proudly on a bookcase in a language I cannot read or understand: Russian.

Earlier, I’d perused the seminary’s library of nearly 25,000 books: all of them in English. But these books are different. They can be accessed by a Ukrainian reader. They stand out because there are so few of them. Titles that would have been denied a printing 20 years earlier now demand a reading in the language of the people. On that day, standing at that bookcase I make a promise to God that if I ever author a book, I will give my titles freely to the Ukrainian people. A few years later the seminary takes me up on my offer. They publish six of my titles in the Russian language and began to distribute them in a land that used to exist behind an iron curtain. 

At the time, the decision seemed so simple. Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” How could I not share with others, what God had shared with me? I get busy with ministry a half-a-world away and forget what I’ve done. 

It’s February 2014 and the Russians invade Crimea. In America it hits our headlines briefly but gets pushed back by the latest celebrity news. To the Ukrainian people, however, it’s an ever-present reminder that they live in the shadow of an aggressor. One year after the invasion, Safe in the Storm: biblical strategies for overcoming anxiety, is translated, and published for Ukrainian readers. 

February 2022 – A Book to be Given Away

The Russians invade Ukraine. As they do, I learn of a German ministry partner who has printed 5,000 copies of Safe in the Storm in Poland and sent the books into Ukraine. I also discover that the book’s biblical paradigm is being used to train counselors to help those experiencing trauma from the war. At this stage, Ukrainian women and children are flooding to the boarders in vast numbers hoping to find refuge with their European neighbors.

March 16, 2022 – The First Step of Faith

Hearing of the numbers of Ukrainian refugees, three friends and I imagine what might happen if we could print 25,000 copies of Safe in the Storm and distribute them to refugees throughout Europe. From our German ministry partner, we learn the cost of printing in Poland. We agree to try to raise the funds: $25,000. 

March 31, 2022 – The Precision of God

A local businessman hears of the book order and calls to ask how he might help. He recounts a business deal that went bad years earlier in which he lost a lot of money. However, he adds, just two weeks earlier his past business partner wrote him an apology and included his first repayment of $25,000. He added, “you tell me you need exactly $25,000. I’ve been asking Jesus for the last two weeks what I’m supposed to do with this money and now I know.” Before we’d even attempted to raise funds, God had provided the exact amount!

With the book order in the printer’s queue at Czeyn, Poland, we began to think about distribution. My friend, Jason agrees to coordinate the trip. He becomes an invaluable and trusted ally. I decide to take my 16-year-old son, Asa with us to help with the heavy lifting:). 

This is when it first dawns on me that we are trying to distribute 25,000 copies of a book in Russian—a language we don’t speak, to Ukrainians—another language we don’t speak, in the lands of Poland, Czech, and Romania—three languages we don’t speak! I can count on one hand the people I know personally in Poland. Furthermore, we are repeatedly told that the refugee population is fluid—constantly moving. What plans we make for distribution today may be obsolete tomorrow. 

I realize that I’m in way over my head.  The very place God wanted me all along. Perhaps this is what Gideon felt like when God whittled his army of 32,000 down to 300.  If this thing happens, I tell myself, it will only be by the power of God.

April 2, 2022 – God’s Divine Connections

A few days after we’ve placed the order for 25,000 books with ARCA printers in Poland, veteran missionaries, John and Dasia Ambromavitch, join us for a Sunday service in New Jersey. As we talk, I discover that they know the printer we are using. And that the ARCA print shop is in their hometown of Cieszyn, Poland! Dasia will become the most valuable player in our distribution. While we don’t realize it yet, she will be the liaison to 75% of our contacts when we arrive.

April 5, 2022 – Don’t Forget the Children

Dasia will also play another role. God uses her to remind me that there are not only adult refugees, but there are also children. And lots of them. In the first stages of the war, a Ukrainian child became a refugee every 55 seconds. Over lunch, she shares of a warehouse in Warsaw that is housing 5,000 women and children. The number staggers me. It echoes in my head. For three days I can’t stop thinking about it. 

“A Ukrainian child has become a refugee almost every single second since the start of the war.”

UNICEF spokesperson, James Elder

A quarter of a mile from my house there’s a 3-mile run through the countryside. I love to take this run when I need to think. It passes two horse farms, crosses two bridges, and has enough hills to get my heart pumping. Looking back at that day, I had no idea what was about to take place. But God did. As I ran, I kept thinking about the 5,000 women and children. I tried to imagine a building big enough to house that many people. I was thinking how the 25,000 books being printed would help those frightened mothers.

And that’s when it happened: I realized I had a book on anxiety for the women, but I had nothing for the children. 

Still running, I wept and wondered. I wept for children who were frightened and far from home. And I wondered what if they had a story that reminded them of home? I wept for children who had to leave it all behind. And I wondered how precious might a story book be to them? I wept for children who would never see their parents again. And I wondered what if the story could share how much God really cares about them.

And right then I voiced this prayer, “Lord, I’ve never written a children’s story. I don’t even know if I can. But if you want me to do this, I’m willing to try.”

By the time the run was over, I had a burden on my heart and the seeds of a story in my head. Two Ukrainian children lost in a storm. They’re pulled from the sea, by a lighthouse keeper. He shares with them how they can know God really cares. A few days, later, they are restored to their parents.  A simple but vital premise for a displaced child: you may feel alone in the storm, but you’re not.

I return from the run to tell my wife, that while I have no idea what I’m doing, I believe I’m supposed to write a story for refugee children. That night I place a call to a young artist whom I’d used for last minute projects before.

Mikaela Schweigert is an elementary art schoolteacher. While she is an excellent artist, she had never illustrated a children’s book. She agrees to join me in the effort. We both decide to do the work pro bono so that all the funds raised will go to printing as many books as possible for the children. That night I receive my first sketch from Mikaela. For the next 33 days, she maintains her full-time job during the day and works on this project through the night. Often, I will receive her completed images between 1:00 and 3:00 AM.

April 6, 2022 – Nicolai & Natasha

I text my three friends the idea. “Last night, I had an epiphany. I realized that we were printing books for adult refugees, but not for children. I started the story of Nicolai and Natasha. A brother and sister who discover a lighthouse in the Black Sea after being lost in a storm. In the end, the children are reunited with the parents. Please pray…this is new territory for me. It’s a companion book to Safe in the Storm. Refugee moms would get their book and then the kids would get this story book with pictures.” I receive three affirming messages and their promise to pray. I begin to write in earnest.

April 15, 2022 – The Good Friday Text

It’s Good Friday, the day we remember the death of Christ. Mikaela is now sketching out the final pages of the book. Right before I preach, I receive a texted image from her.  It is her pencil sketch of Christ on the cross. It dawns on me that in less than 100 days, 25,000 Ukrainian children will be seeing this image and hearing the gospel perhaps for the first time. I’m overwhelmed with the thought. That night, a young college student overhears me talking about the book. He gives me an envelope as our first donation: $400.

April 18, 2022 – The Thirty Minute Edit

If you’ve ever published a book, you know the value of an editor. You also know it’s painful. I meet at Starbucks with a friend and my daughter who have agreed to serve as editors. My friend asks me if I want him to be kind or to cut to the chase. I tell him there’s no time to be kind. There are children waiting. In about 30 minutes, he points out several flaws in my story, reshapes the main character, and changes the arc of the story…I’m back to writing again.

April 19, 2022 – Going Forward by Faith

On April 19th we receive the bid from ARCA printers in Poland through our German ministry partners. 25,000 children’s books will cost $19,800. There is only one caveat. The cost of inflation is rising so rapidly in Europe that they can only hold the bid for 24 hours. The story isn’t completed. The illustrations aren’t done. We haven’t confirmed a translator. And we only have $400 towards the effort. I email the bid to my three friends who guide Biblical Strategies with me. We all agree what we should do. The very next day we accept the bid.

April 21, 2022 – Nicolai and Natasha Reach the Island

I receive the first painted illustration from Mikaela. Nicolai is carrying his sister on his back. There’s a lighthouse in the distance. The land is barren with a night-blue stary sky behind them. It’s beautiful and inviting. It feels like a children’s adventure story. I decide to call the book Safe in the Storm: A Ukrainian Children’s Tale. One day after we accept the bid, the first online gift arrives from a young family to fund the children’s book effort: $5,000.

April 22, 2022 – The Ukrainian Bride

Over a decade earlier, I performed the wedding for a Ukrainian bride and American professor. I reach out to the wife, Yana, and she agrees to do the translation. We determine it would be best to do a dual translation: Ukrainian with a Russian subtext. When she receives the finished English text two weeks later, she will translate the entire book into two languages in three days.

April 24, 2022 – The Displaced Children of the World

Meanwhile, I’m still working on the second draft, while attending a counseling conference in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s been 18 days since I first had the idea and I’m nearly finished. Each night as I fall asleep, my mind is on the 2.5 million refugee children coming out of Ukraine. I awaken with a start at 2:00 AM with a burning question in my mind. If there’s 2 ½ million Ukrainian refugee children, I wonder how many refugee children there are in the world?

I google it. 36.5 million.  That’s right. UNICEF reports there are 36.5 million displaced children in the world. You can add up the 10 largest cities in America and you won’t reach that number. I toss and turn the rest of the night, unable to sleep.

May 3, 2022 – The Final Page

I complete the final draft. 28 days earlier, God had burdened me with the needs of Ukrainian refugee children throughout Europe, finally the writing is finished.

May 8, 2022 – The Paint Dries

At 1:07 AM Mikaela finishes her final picture. As testimony to the Lord’s strength and her perseverance, consider this: while maintaining a full-time job, she has painted 25 original pictures in 18 days.

May 9, 2022 – The Screen Printer

Gary Lizzi is a good friend who runs a screen-printing business. I’ve often used him for graphic design work. He will need to create high resolutions images of Mikaela’s illustrations, then recolor each digital image to match the colors in her 25 painted images. Finally, he’ll add a text that has now been translated into two languages that he cannot read. The book is 48 pages. Gary completes his work in five days.

May 14, 2022 – 40 days and 40 Nights

The file is transferred through our German ministry partner and arrives at ARCA printers in Poland. The timeline sounds miraculous. On April 5^th, I had an idea of a story for refugee children. Safe in the Storm a Ukrainian Children’s Tale has been written, edited, illustrated, translated into two languages, graphically designed, and delivered to the printer in exactly 40 days. Only God could have done this.

June 18, 2022 – The Final Gift

We receive a text from Poland with the image of the first covers of A Ukrainian Children’s Tale coming off the press. To date, we are only $276.00 short of the $19,800 needed for printing. Within minutes of the that text, we receive a text from missionaries in Ireland that have followed the story. They ask if they can help with the funding. They make a $300 donation. The entire first printing is paid for on the day it is coming off the press.

June 2022 – Distribution Begins

ARCA Printers is in Cieszyn, Poland on the Czech Republic boarder. They are the printing house that our German ministry partner (EBTC) uses in Europe. ARCA plays another vital role for our distribution. They ship their product throughout Europe.  Before we arrive, they will have shipped 11,000 books into Ukraine (via our EBTC connection in Berlin) and 2,000 books into Romania. They will also ship 14,000 books to a warehouse in Warsaw, shortening our travel time when we arrive.

June 28, 2022 – Medical Supplies to Mariupol

On a last-minute connection before he leaves for Poland, Jason meets with Daniel Willoughby in Wilmington, Delaware. Daniel works with our ministry partner, EBTC Berlin Germany. As we will be borrowing the van from EBTC during for our distribution in Poland, Daniel is looking to see if we can also transport some medical supplies when we return the van. Daniel connects Jason to Liz who works with a humanitarian non-profit. Liz is looking for medical tape for the hospital in Mariupol—a city that is occupied by Russia on the East Coast of Ukraine.

As Jason used to work for 3M, he volunteers to see if he can acquire some supplies state side. He mentions that perhaps he can get a pallet of medical supplies. He later doubts that he has promised more than he could provide, but it is not more than God can provide.  In the end, one pallet grows to six and then to nine! Unbeknownst to us, these pallets of medical supplies will play a vital part in our distribution of Safe in the Storm books into Russian occupied territories a few days later.

Jason has developed significant connections with three people before he departs for Europe. All three live in Poland. Dasia Abramovich was born in Cieszyn, Poland she served as a career missionary to children until her recent retirement. Alex Ivanchuck was born in Ukraine, but his parents moved to St. Louis when he was a child. He presently serves as a missionary helping with the refugee effort in Warsaw, Poland. Tomek Krazek is a Polish pastor. He pastors a church right outside of Warsaw. Ukrainian refugees now comprise one third of his congregation.

July 2, 2022 – Destination Warsaw, Poland

Jason flies to Berlin to pick up the cargo van that our German ministry partner (EBTC) has agreed to freely loan us for the book distribution. He travels to Warsaw and connects with Alex and loads 14,000 books for distribution from the warehouse in Warsaw.

July 4, 2022 – Dependence Day

It’s Independence Day in America, but this is the day we discover how dependent we are upon the Lord. Asa and I fly into Warsaw, Poland and Jason picks us up at the airport. We are three typical Americans who only speak English. We are at the mercy of the English-speaking people that God will send us.  After a brief stop by the hotel, our first distribution will be with a Pastor Mehow. We have an address of a Polish church and the name of a pastor, whose Russian speaking congregation uses their church building for services.

The Polish speaking church secretary doesn’t speak English, but recognizing Pastor Mehow’s name, she calls him on her phone and hands it to Jason. Jason doesn’t speak Russian or Polish, so he dials Alex. He puts both phones on speaker and attempts to get them talking to one another. It isn’t working. Occasionally, the Polish secretary jumps out of her chair and shouts something into both phones and the returns to her office. God is teaching us that we must depend on him. Pastor Mehow is less than 100 yards away, and we can’t get to him.

Into the middle of all that chaos, the Polish speaking pastor walks into the lobby. He speaks Polish, Russian and thankfully English. “I can take you to Pastor Mehow” he says. Within minutes he is translating for us with the Russian speaking pastor. We leave 800 books. We also give away the first copy of the children’s book to a young Ukrainian refugee named Victoria. God’s simple reminder that victory will only be accomplished with the help of the Lord.

It’s 1:00 on our first day, and Asa is hungry. We find a small Polish Deli where we hope to order something to hold us over until dinner. We don’t speak Polish, and the server doesn’t speak English. We attempt to point at pictures on the menu. Thinking we’re ordering a small order of Perogies, two huge plates of food appear—followed by the perogies. God is reminding us that we can’t even feed ourselves without his help.

After lunch Jason, Asa and meet Alex and his team at our first large refugee drop. In the parking lot we pray for God to open doors. Alex and I approach the front desk within the facility and are turned away. The contact we had hoped for is not there, and the woman in charge will not give us access.

As we leave the facility, we walk directly into a Pentecostal group that has been given access previously.  They agree to take the books and distribute them for us. A few days later we receive a text that shares how they were distributing the books at another facility that we had not planned on visiting. God’s plans are so much better than ours.

That night we have dinner with Alex, and Pastor Tomac and his wife, Ivanka. We’ve agreed to meet near Old City Warsaw. Parking is a challenge; we’ll need to find a place on the street and walk several blocks. Jason spots a place and pulls in.

He sees a Ukrainian care sign on the building and realizes he’s parked in front of a temporary refugee center. Another car pulls in adjacent to us with the same symbol on their back window. Jason strikes up a conversation and discovers he’s talking to the president of the refugee center. His center services 700 refugees. We drop 400 books before we head to dinner.

July 5, 2022 – The Place that Started it All

This morning’s plan is to visit the EXPO—the largest refugee center in Warsaw. This was the facility that I’d heard about just 90 days earlier; the warehouse housing 5,000 women and children that had prompted the writing of children’s story. For several months, this place has served as the stimulus for my writing. After being turned away yesterday, however, from a similar location, I have my doubts that we can gain entrance.

Pastor Tomac meets us at the facility. This is a big facility, and it’s a process to gain admission. We will move the van five times before we meet the supervisor, Kasia. Each time Tomac and I enter a building, Jason and Asa pray for an open door. I remain skeptical, not wanting to get my hopes up. At one stage, I comment to Jason, that “We just haven’t gotten our ‘no’ yet.” Jason replies, “Maybe we just haven’t gotten our ‘yes’ yet.”

We enter Warehouse E. Tomac informs me that this is our final stop. As we wait for the supervisor, he strikes up a conversation in Polish with a warehouse operator, Jamal. Several minutes into the conversation, Jamal looks at me and says, “I speak English too. Do you have any questions?”

The supervisor, Kasia, arrives. Tomac begins the explanation of why we’re here. Jamal slides over next to me and begins to translate their conversation into English. Tomac says, “Phil, tell her about the book.” 

I hold up the children’s book and say, “Thank you for what you’re doing for the refugees. I wrote this book when I heard of this place. I wanted the children to have a message of hope. It’s called Safe in the Storm a Ukrainian Children’s Tale.”

As Tomac translates my words into Polish, Kasia rubs her arms, smiles, and says something in Polish. Jamal translates her words for me, “she says she just got goose bumps—that you would think of the children, write a story for them, and come all this way. She says stay as long as you want, and what books you can’t give away, we’ll give away for you after you leave.”

We pull the van up opposite a food truck, staffed by volunteers from Holland. We throw open the back doors of the van and sign books all day long. We meet amazing people. One woman, still recovering from the trauma of war hides behind a van, afraid to approach us. I take her an anxiety book, point to my name, and sign it. She smiles a thank you, then comes out from behind the van for a picture.

I meet Alexander, a young Ukrainian soldier with a cane. I sign a book for him, he rolls up his pant leg to reveal a soft-ball-sized hole in his thigh. He types quickly in to google translate. I read: “From the war.” Martin, a Dutch teen volunteering at the food truck, guides us through a warehouse filled with cots and we give out books to Ukrainians whose only belongings are gathered in a small satchel. Jason and Asa play soccer with a young Ukrainian, Sergei and his friends. Later, Asa pulls out an American football and introduces the kids to field-goal kicking—an empty parking lot serves as the field.

As the day nears an end, I leave the van and walk towards the front of the warehouses. I’m looking for time alone with God to absorb what I’ve seen. An older man with both feet bandaged up beckons me from his wheelchair. I can’t understand a thing he’s saying, but I do understand he needs help. I begin to push the chair. We pass one warehouse after another, and he’s always motioning further. Finally, we arrive at his destination—a makeshift health center. He smiles and nods his appreciation. I’m humbled. As I walk back, I thank God for the chance to be his hands and feet half-a-world-away from my home.

Asa finds me. “Dad, there’s someone who wants to meet you.” A woman back at the van is pointing to my likeness in the children’s book—the lighthouse keeper, Constantine. She points at me and laughs. Then she pulls out the adult book on anxiety. She takes her fingers and drags them down her cheeks to simulate tears. In broken English, I hear another man’s voice translate. “She cries because it helps her” he says.

We meet Kasia back at the storage center and unload two pallets of books for distribution later. Asa and I take a final picture with Kasia—the supervisor whose simple “yes” enabled me to hand deliver a message of hope to the very people I had written it for.

We’ve emptied the van of nearly all our books in Warsaw, so we head down to the Word of Life Camp in Giersch (the third largest city in Poland). Tim Good and his family have served there for 20 plus years. We arrive just in time for dinner. After dinner, I speak to the teenagers attending camp that week.

Along with the Polish students they have about 15 Ukrainian teens. I sign books after the meeting for them. Having friends still serving in Ukraine, I talk with the Ukrainians about the dangers and destruction to their country. They weep and so do I.

Word of Life’s facility is beautiful. Jason and Asa call it a night. But my body is so wired from the events at the EXPO, I can’t settle down until 3:00 in the morning.

July 6, 2022 – Prayer Makes a Way

I teach on anxiety during the morning Bible hour with the campers, and we give away the adult book on anxiety. We spend time with Seth Heydinger and his family. Seth’s wife is Ukrainian. His father-in-law reads the children’s book to his son Eddie that night in Ukrainian. For breakfast the following morning, Eddie requests 3 omelets just like Nicolai, the main character in the book.

Tim gives us a tour of the facility. I also meet Sergei and his 8-year-old son. Sergei serves as an elder at a local church. He gets a vision for the books, and he begins to share them with his church. We empty the van of all that’s left. The WOL’s Poland staff is heading to the Ukraine border within a few days and will send books into the WOL Ukrainian team still operating near Kiev.

With an empty van we head to ARCA Printing in Cieszyn where we’ll connect with John and Dasia Abramovich. Before dinner they take us to a Lutheran Camp. They are planning meetings for the weekend where hundreds will attend. I’m there for a five-minute presentation with the director. They have a shipment of supplies going into Mariupol.

Mariupol is on the Eastern Coast of Ukraine. Russian shelled this city mercilessly and destroyed 90% of it. There are still 100,000 Ukrainians living there, even though it is occupied by the Russians. Dasia has heard that they might take 4,000 books into Mariupol with their supplies. But due to a shortage of funds they change their mind. We leave them a number of books to distribute to the refugees who will attend their camp meetings.

After dinner, with John and Dasia we head to the hotel. I can’t hide my disappointment that we are unable to get the books to the people who need them the most on the Eastern front. Together we take this to the Lord. All three of us pray that God might make away. Jason remembers his contact with Liz and the medical supplies and reaches out to see if they could take the books. She responds with, “we move at night and in the shadows, making it difficult to distribute the books, but I’ll check.” Later, she reaches out and says she can move 2,500 books into Mariupol with their medical supplies.  All of those books will be shipped to the only operating hospital in Mariupol! None of this would have would have been possible without Jason’s God-ordained meeting in Wilmington, Delaware one week earlier.

July 7, 2022 – God Spreading the Message of Hope to the Nations

We arrive at ARCA Printing and begin to load the books. Dinusha, a supervisor, gives me a tour of the operation. The sounds of the various machines make it hard to hear. Copies of The Ukrainian Tale are having their covers affixed. I turn around to see the adult copy of Safe in the Storm coming off another press in the German language. I’m overwhelmed again. Both the Germans and Ukrainians have translated this message of hope and are sharing it with their people. I had forged these principles for overcoming anxiety in the counseling office, the classroom and the pulpit. God is using the power of the printed word to share it with others through translations in languages I cannot speak or understand.

Dinusha introduces me to her director. I began to tell them of my journey as she translates for me. They are thankful to have been a part of what God is doing for the refugees. As we prepare for future printings, I ask Dinusha what’s an average print job for their company. She replies: 3,000-5,000 books. I pause. We had ordered 51,000 books in a single order. She goes on to tell me that A Ukrainian Children’s Tale had run nonstop on their color press for four solid days in June. I could never have imagined this. God is doing something that only he can do.

With Dasia and John, we cross over to the Czech Republic. At an Evangelical Lutheran church, we will meet Pastor Martin, and the chairwoman of a Refugee Service, Ilona. Martin takes several hundred books for refugees, but it’s the conversation with Ilona that stirs my interest. As she looks at the children’s book she responds with “we could have used this book 8 years ago.” Then she begins to tell me of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Iran, China, Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan—all pushing up into Europe. I’m getting an education in parts of the world with which sadly I am totally unfamiliar. In rapid fire order, Ilona is putting nation’s names to the 36.5 million refugee children I want to help. I make a mental note that I need to talk with her again.

From there we meet with Pastor Peter. Jason refers to him as a gentle giant. I think of him as a librarian. He seems unassuming, but when he talks about books there’s a twinkle in his eye. He recalls stories of smuggling Christian books in with his father who was a pastor during the communist era in Poland. He understands the value of a book to change a life. He’s requested 2,400 books. After he hears our story, he asks for 1,000 more. Within two weeks of our initial delivery, Peter will be requesting additional books. We pick up more books at Arca Printing and begin the 4 ½ hour drive through the mountains of the Czech Republic to a Word of Life Camp that used to be a communist retreat center.

Adelle is a youth worker there who heard about the books from a Facebook post. Earlier, she sent us an email expressing their interest. When we arrive, we learn that with the war going on, Ukrainian children will be crossing the border to experience a week of summer camp in the Czech. They need the books. We drop off hundreds of books and share our journey with the staff.

Adam, one of the staff members, thanks us and tearfully adds, “What God is doing with you just put wind in our sails.” I’m reminded how weary the Christian workers are in Europe as the war rages on, and how much they appreciate a simple visit. We spend the night in a quaint hotel in Cernan Horne, preparing for an early start the next day.

July 8, 2022 – The Balkan Road and Other Refugee Stories

The sun comes up at 4:30 AM in this part of the world; we’re on the road before 6:00. It’s a long drive back to Cieszyn, Poland, and we’re nearly out of books again. One of Dasia’s contacts was a pastor serving on the Czech side of the river. His home is next to his church. He greets us and invites us into his home.

We pass an aging German Shepherd mix, and he comments, “that’s a refugee dog.” As we enter his home, there’s a parakeet screeching in the cage on the counter. He smiles and adds “that’s a refugee bird.” There’s another dog rattling a cage in another room. It sounds like I’ve entered a pet shop; an ever-present reminder that when refugees travel, they do not travel alone. A half-a-dozen mattresses fill the space that used to be his office.

He begins to tell his story. His aging parents still live in Mariupol. When the war started, phone service was interrupted there. He couldn’t contact them for 2 ½ months. Presently 90% of the city has been destroyed. There is no electric, food, or water. The 100,000 remaining residents are surviving off the humanitarian aid that arrives daily. When I ask if his parents would ever consider leaving, he pauses, shaking his head. “Probably not. Their home is all they have. They’re fortunate. A bomb landed 100 meters away, but their home wasn’t severely damaged.”

He continues, his words unassuming. “I tell God, I’ll take care of the refugees here. Please take care of my family over there.” Our conversation shifts to the refugees he’s caring for. He adds, “We try to meet their physical needs. But there are also psychological needs.” He tells of children staying with them who run and hide when they hear a plane overhead. Of a mother who covers her ears and trembles at loud noises. Of people who are frightened and anxious. The refugees didn’t leave the war behind; they have brought the trauma of it with them.

His phone rings, a van arrives, and our conversation is cut short. His church has collected clothes that need to be transported to the van for one of the refugee centers. We help him load the van. A refugee comes in rejoicing that his visa has cleared. As he leaves, another will take his place.  

The pastor smiles as he serves, but his weariness is palpable. He is helping hurting people 24 hours a day with no end in sight. We leave the remainder of our books with him and head in the direction of the printer. But there’s another stop we’ll need to make first.

The Balkan Road

Ilona first got involved in helping refugees through a prayer meeting. She heard of the needs of refugees in the Balkans and began to travel there to meet with them. After our brief meeting two days ago, I asked Dasia if she could arrange another meeting. Our team meets with her for lunch. Ilona is a practicing attorney, but her real mission is to help refugees. She and another attorney founded the Refugee Center (a local organization in the Czech Republic to aid displaced people). Her limited English doesn’t hide her excitement in talking about her mission. She speaks with firsthand knowledge when she tells how people cross over through Turkey and follow the Balkan Road up into Western Europe. She’s been there. She’s seen them.

When I ask further about the Balkan Road, she hurriedly opens her laptop, spilling her soft drink in the process. I can’t read her PowerPoint as it’s in Czechoslovakian, but it’s the map she’s after. Three separate routes come up out of Turkey. The refugees hug the national borders, looking for ways to find acceptance in a new country. They come by the millions; many of whom are children traveling alone. They are repeatedly denied entrance into the countries through which they are traveling. They may be beaten, rejected, and often pushed back. But still they come.

Ilona continues, “Some children are born on Balkan Road, they are a people without a country, no birth certificate or land to call their own” “And on the Balkan Road” she adds, “They are disconnected from their people. They are more ready to listen. They are more open to the gospel.” Ilona is on a tight schedule. She graciously excuses herself to another meeting. But before she leaves, she turns to me and says, “Get ready. The next wave of refugees is coming out of Northern Africa.”

iCare Ukraine

Back at ARCO Printing, we load up another 8,500 books and prepare to drive to Krakow. Pastor Tomac has made a connection for us there. The NGO, iCare Ukraine, puts together individual care packets and distributes them to newly arriving refugees as they cross the border. They want to include our children’s and adult books in each packet.

As we near the facility, we discover that our English-speaking connection will not be available. We find ourselves dependent on the Lord and we pray. It is raining hard, and we arrive a few minutes before they are locking up the warehouse. A videographer happens to be working on a project who speaks both English and Polish. He translates for us, and we back the van into a massive warehouse and unload 8,000 books. Within a few weeks nearly all these books will be gone. We’re 150 days into the war and refugees are still crossing the border in large numbers. The need remains great.

Later that night, we meet a local campus pastor. His ministry is to the many international students who study in Krakow. His wife just had surgery, they are in the process of moving, and they have three young children. Still, he meets us at the hotel to receive the books. There is so little in the language of the people. Again, I’m amazed at the commitments these brothers and sisters in Christ have in their desire to help others.

July 9, 2022 – Have We Learned Anything from the Past?

Our van is empty again. It is hard to imagine, that we have nearly completed our distribution in five days. The three of us take the morning and visit Auschwitz Birkenau—the largest Nazi Prison camp. The foundations of the barracks give silent testimony of the evil that can live within the heart of humanity. The property is massive. We spend the morning walking through it in silence, reading the placards that describe what took place there during the Nazi regime.

Most prisoners would exit the trains, be ushered into a wooded area, and stripped of their clothes and belongings. Standing naked in the woods at the door of a building, they are told to enter the group showers. But they are not showers, they are gas chambers.

Once the counterfeit shower room is full, the doors would be locked, and Zyklon B gas would fill the room. With the execution complete, the dead bodies would be dragged to the incinerator. It would happen over and over again. 1.1 million times to be exact.

Twenty Jews would organize a revolt. They blow up one of the gas chambers, but the other would remain in operation. When Germany surrenders, the German soldiers blow up the other chamber, hoping to hide the atrocities of what took place there. That collapsed building remains. A reminder that history is the ultimate accountability partner.

As we walked through Auschwitz Birkenau, you couldn’t help but draw the comparisons that evil was still having its effect on humanity. Putin wanted Ukraine, just like Hitler wanted Europe. We exit the infamous death gate of Auschwitz and cross over the railroad tracks. There is no laughter, just the increasing burden to help more.

Return to Where it All Began

On our drive back to Warsaw, we decide to visit the EXPO—the warehouse that started this journey—one last time. There’s a new group of Dutch volunteers manning the food truck. Enrico, a reporter for his local Holland paper in Zwartsluis, Holland wants to tell my story. As I share the story with Enrico, I grow reflective and pen my opening entry of this journal. I am overwhelmed that God would make a way for us to help people who are hurting so badly.

Remarkably, today marks the 100^th day from that first $25,000 gift that started this journey. In 40 days, we had written, illustrated, and translated Safe in the Storm: A Ukrainian Children’s Tale for refugee children. In just six days we had distributed 25,000 copies of that book and 25,000 copies of Safe in the Storm: biblical strategies for overcoming anxiety. In less than one week, there were now 50,000 books offering help for the anxious in the hands of Ukrainian refugees throughout Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, and Romania. There is a sense that the work was done, but a deep longing to do more.

Jason and Asa pull out the soccer ball and kids join in. As we are packing up to go, Jason’s young friend, Sergei is tugging at his side. Using google translate, the two overcome the language barrier. Sergei speaks into his phone and holds it up for Jason to see.

“Are you leaving?” his phone reads.

“Yes,” Jason replies.

Sergei speaks again, his phone translating.

“When are you coming back?”

Jason’s phone says one thing. But his heart says another.

His heart speaks for all of us when it says, “Soon, Sergei. Very soon.”

We are presently raising funds for our second printing and distribution. If you would like to help us help Ukrainian refugee children and adults; you may donate here.

Phil Moser is the author behind the Biblical Strategies series for personal growth, counseling, and discipleship. His men’s small group study, 4M Training, helps men apply key spiritual growth dynamics. His unique small group videos are beautifully filmed at National Park locations and are offered free of charge. They are an excellent addition to the Biblical Strategies family of resources. His works have been translated into Mandarin, Russian, and German.