In March of 2022, Tim Barley (VBC Pastor/Elder) and Tim J. (Altamont Campus) travelled to the border between Ukraine and Poland. They were joined by Erich Weiger (VBC Global Mission Partner in Azerbaijan) and other pastors serving in Poland who were assisting those fleeing Ukraine due to the invasion, seeking asylum either in Poland, or moving west to other European nations.
Journal entries below are in chronological order, from the bottom to the top of the page. Questions about missions? Contact us at missions@vbc.online for more information.
Final Entry
Friday, March 11th, 2022
(By Tim B.)
We spent most of our time on this ‘recon’ trip in the the Polish town of Przemysl, about 2 1/2 hours from Krakow. Przemysl is Strategically located near to several Ukrainian borders. Because so many volunteers have converged in this area, it’s been very difficult to secure housing but through one of Erich’s contacts, we were able to find housing at an inn that’s housing volunteer leaders from various organizations, as well as temporarily housing Ukrainian refugees.
One of our main contacts is Tim Englemann, a YWAM leader, based in Germany, staying at the inn with us. Tim E. is helping to lay the infrastructure for YWAM’s efforts to serve and share during this crisis (yes, there are now THREE Tim’s to keep track of!). For those of you who aren’t familiar with YWAM (Youth With a Mission), it’s a global organization and often during international crises, they’re some of the first folks on scene. They tend to be younger people, very flexible and versatile, and they’re quite accustomed to responding to tragedies around the world, caring for people, and sharing the gospel.
We had lengthy talks with Tim E. in the lounge at the inn, and over dinner at a nearby kebab house. We actually ran into a Polish relief worker who saw us in our inn discussing plans and ideas to help address the crisis and he thanked us for taking the time to be so intentional about prayerfully and carefully discussing ideas to help. He said that there’s so much chaos and disorganization, at some border crossings more than others. Everyone wants to help but no one is ‘in charge’ in providing guidance so it produces a lot of confusion and conflicting information. In fact at one border crossing we visited, we were shown a room that had dozens of children who’d been separated from their families during the chaotic border crossings. Fortunately, by the time we arrived at that border crossing, all the children had been reunited with their families.
Tim’s already been in Poland for several days and he expressed that he’s observed extraordinary care from the people who’ve come to help from all over the world. Companies around Europe are giving employees time off for weeks at at time to travel to the border areas and volunteer. In fact, as Tim was talking to us, a young Polish guy walked by and chimed in on our discussion, and he got choked up talking about how shocked and proud he has been of his fellow Poles and their response to the crisis.
Currently, the weather is bitterly cold, and it even snowed when we visited one border. Some borders have a few scattered forms of shelter and others have very little, if any. It can take a very long time to cross the border - we’ve heard reports of people standing in line, in the freezing cold, for over twenty hours! Some people are succumbing to exhaustion, frostbite, or just collapsing due to a combination of factors.
Tim E. shared his vision to provide a place for exiting Ukrainians to come and find a peaceful transition from the chaos at the border, hot drinks, something to eat, a comfortable place to rest, worship music, a place to charge their phones, get a SIM card, and receive prayer and comfort from God’s Word. They’re looking for a vacant building or large tent that can be heated, all within a short walk from the border.
Tim E. knows that believers may not be able to respond to all the needs of the Ukrainians like many other NGO’s. Our expertise isn’t always medical or technical, but when it comes to the spiritual and emotional needs of others, and a compassionate response, that’s where believers must lead the way and shine their brightest!
As with most other worldwide crises, the help will likely dwindle in time, so it’s important that during these initial few weeks (or longer, depending on how long the conflict lasts), proper and effective care is provided for all of those in need.
The movement of the Ukrainians is primarily westward. Many don’t want to leave for a variety of reasons. For some, Ukraine is their homeland and so where Ukraine or Russia governs them, they don’t want to leave. Others want to leave, but if they do, they’re children could be set back as much as one year in school so they’re hesitant to do so, even in these dangerous conditions. Still others want to leave, but they’re staying in Ukraine as long as possible, and if they cross the border to Poland, many stay close by. This might be because we’ve been told that Ukrainian men between the ages of 16 and 60 aren’t being permitted to evacuate the country because they can be summoned for military service. This is why at the border, we’re primarily seeing scores of women and young children and very few young and older men. These women may have husbands, sons, or other male family members who are fighting in the war and so they want to be close by, in case they’re permitted a visit or for other reasons.
For those who do want to get away from Ukraine, one of the greatest needs is to secure transportation to the west. We visited several Polish/Ukrainian borders and some were quite chaotic while others seemed to be more organized. One border provided a check-in system for Ukrainians leaving their country. They signed up to get transportation to a specific city or nation, and volunteers would log in through the Wi-Fi and provide registration information, as well as destination cities to which they’d be willing to drive. Then, for example, it would be announced over a loud speaker that there four seats available in a vehicle traveling to Paris and if any wanted to sign up for those seats, they could approach the desk.
There are many issues in addition to the problems of organization and a lack of clarity. We met one woman at a border facility who is a believer with Awaken Europe’s and also has a background in law enforcement. She explained that she and her team had help expel human traffickers who had showed up to exploit the situation and attempted to lure unsuspecting women into their cars. There are also language barriers (Ukrainians speak Ukraine, Russian, and Kurdish, among other languages) so conversations at the borders in an attempt to understand needs, and also on long car rides are often limited and conducted solely through the assistance of Google Translate!
As for ministry, most Ukrainians are familiar with their state church, the Orthodox Church (the Ukrainians Orthodox Church actually receives financial support from the Ukraine government). Most Ukrainians have had some exposure to Scripture, the church, worship, etc. but many do not know Christ as their Savior and King. We found it interesting that in Poland, Ukraine’s neighboring nation, even though they spent years immersed in radical secularism as a nation, they have emerged with a deep faith and as a nation, they even profess Christ as their only King! We actually heard several people acknowledge this during our stay in Poland.
There are many faith based organizations in Poland to provide support and assistance - OM, Samaritan’s Purse, The IMB (International Mission Board), YWAM, Awaken Europe, World Vision, and many more. There were Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and Jewish and Muslim groups that had a presence in one of the border centers we visited, too. One idea we discussed is to try to coordinate with other evangelical, gospel committed organizations. If we could contact the point people for each of the organizations there, perhaps we could pool resources and become much more efficient in caring for needs, and sharing the hope of Christ!
Erich Weiger has decided to stay for an extended period of time in Poland and work with Tim E. and the YWAM team, laying the foundation for the infrastructure of a support ministry for all Ukrainians leaving their nation. We left him some funds to be able to assist those in need and help organize efforts to provide a safe place for Ukrainians to be supported and experience the love and hope of Jesus. We might send some people to assist Erich and others there by providing transportation to other parts of Europe (Tim J. just drove a group from the border to Berlin, Germany yesterday!).
If you’d be interested in helping with this ministry, please contact us missions@vbc.online and provide us with your contact information. Again, you’ll need an updated passport, to be COVID compliant, and able to drive a stick shift!
We are grateful for this wonderful opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Consider the words of Paul in Romans 10:11-17
For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Your brothers and co-laborers in Christ,
Tim B. & Tim J.
Friday, March 10th, 2022
(by Tim J.)
Hi All,
I write to you from a Lufthansa flight out of Munich to SFO. The last three days has been a blur, but I will attempt to pick up where my last update left off.
After eating breakfast at a local cafe recommended by Timo, Misha (whose birth name is Muhannad), Mohamed (this is the proper Egyptian-English spelling), and I made our way via my rental car to the Arrival Center in Northwest Berlin. Imagine a small university campus that’s been converted to house and feed thousands of people, and you’ll have a rough idea of what it’s like. For those interested in getting a bird’s eye view, here’s a Google Maps pin.
The Arrival Center was not accepting anymore registrations for the day when we arrived at 9am, so Muhannad and Mohamed were directed to the temporary housing site, which consisted of heavy tents and a makeshift kitchen area. After making sure they knew where to go and what to do next I said goodbye, which I did not want to do. I wished I was able to stay with them longer to help them begin the asylum process. We had a heartfelt goodbye in half English and half Arabic, and I was off
From Berlin I drove back to Krakow, which put me at my all-time solo driving record of twenty hours in the car in two days. After dropping off my car, getting a rapid COVID test, and grabbing a sandwich, I went to my hotel room at the airport, took a long shower, and started calling my family. Or maybe it wasn’t in that exact order. It’s all a blur.
I woke up at my all-time favorite wake-up time of 2:30am and headed to the airport for my flight. Tim Barley had let me know last night that he had arrived 2 hours early for his flight and almost missed it due to a long check-in process and security check. Luckily, my first flight was delayed by 7 hours, so I was 11 hours early for my flight (ha). This turned out to be a good thing in the end though, because I made a new friend from Bulgaria at the airport. We had breakfast together, talked for a while, and joked about how glad we were to be stuck in an airport.
I won’t complain about how my flight schedule turned out, but when we touched down in Munich, I went immediately to the front of the plane. When the door opened, I ran at full speed to make my next flight. I have not ran like that in many years
The pressure was off once I arrived at the line for my final document check. They needed to make sure again that I was vaccinated, had a negative COVID test in the last 24 hours, and was wearing a mask. I made it onto my flight just as they were finishing up boarding.
So here I am. On the final leg of my trip, God willing. Grateful for this incredibly opportunity through Erich’s invitation. Grateful for the immense outpouring of prayer support and financial support. Grateful for family, friends, VBC, classmates, professors.
Tonight I get back to SFO around 7pm, and God willing, will get my first full night of sleep in about a week (maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it doesn’t feel like one).
Thank you all so much for your prayers, financial generosity, support, and encouraging words over the past week and a half. Nineteen people in all made it to Germany from Ukraine as the result of this trip.
Erich will stay near the border until at least April 1st, and VBC leadership will determine how best to allocate the funds you all generously provided. The only potential issue I foresee in the distribution of your generosity is the difficulty in discerning “best” from “good” and “better” options. The needs are great, and there is no shortage of great options for directing funds.
Until our next trip…
Tim J.
Thursday, March 10th, 2022
(by Tim J.)
Hi All,
Good morning from the home of Timo and Manu Heimlich in Berlin! Yesterday morning I picked up my rental vehicle from the Krakow airport and was off immediately to the border.
After a two and a half hour drive, I arrived at the refugee processing center near the Korczowa border crossing. Walking in, I prayed, “God, please put the exact people you have for me to serve into my car.” I registered with the police as a volunteer driver and let the announcer know that I had four open seats to anywhere, as far as Berlin. They called over the speaker, and after a while, I was approached by a reporter from Al Jazeera who let me know that he had a young man going to Berlin. I asked the young man his name, and he said, “Muhammad” with an Arabic accent. I replied “Muhammad? Tatakallum ul Arabiyya?” (“You speak Arabic?”). His eyes lit up and he replied that he did. I then asked him, “min ayna anta, Muhammad?” (“Where are you from, Muhammad?”) He replied that he was Egyptian, from near Cairo. He arrived in Kharkiv only three weeks before the invasion to begin his university studies. I have not been paying attention to news, but apparently Kharkiv has been destroyed by Russian missiles.
Next to sign up for my car was an older Ukrainian woman, Valentina, who has a daughter in Berlin. She only spoke Ukrainian, so I was initially nervous that once she get in the car, it would be difficult to figure out where she needed to go in Berlin. And then, all of the sudden, one of the young men working at the information and announcement desk asked me if I was still going to Berlin. I indicated that I was, and he said he was also a refugee and was going to make a last-minute decision to go to Berlin immediately to seek refugee status. He let me know he speaks English and Ukrainian, but then he started talking to Muhammad in Arabic. Of course he speaks, Arabic, he’s from Iraq! I couldn’t believe it. Here I was at the Ukrainian border, and the Lord is filling my car with Arabic speakers.
This young man, Misha, is Shia Muslim from Najjaf, Iraq, and has been in Ukraine as a permanent resident for twelve years. His home is in Sumi, just four miles from the Ukraine-Russia border.
Time will limit the details I share, but after 10 hours of driving, peppered with conversations in Arabic, English, and Ukrainian, we arrived in Berlin, dropped Valentina off with her daughter and son-in-law, and then headed to the Heimlichs’ home in Pankow for an overnight stay, which Timo graciously offered to us. After 6 hours of sleep on their folding bed, I feel like a million bucks.
After breakfast, we will head over to the refugee processing center in North Berlin, and after goodbyes, I will drive 7 hours back to the Krakow Airport, drop off my rental car, get a COVID test, and check into the Hilton at the airport. If I’m COVID-free, I’ll be on a flight tomorrow morning back to SFO via Munich.
Please pray that:
-Muhammad and Misha would be quickly processed and given rooms at the refugee center.
-My COVID test at the airport would come back negative
I’m leaving tomorrow, but I still cannot believe I’m here. Erich will stay in Przemysl, ministering on the border until at least April 1. As of now, it looks like he will be working with a European team to establish an ongoing presence of ministry in the refugee processing center at the Korczowa crossing.
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. There is still a chance that Russia will withdraw and consider their “special military operation” complete. Lord, help Ukraine.
Best,
Tim
The road to the Korczowa border crossing.
A sign that a Ukrainian hotel staff person helped me make. It says, “My name is Timothy. I am a church worker and I want to help you.” And then has yes/no questions related to travel. I had it made before I knew that I would have English and Arabic speakers in my car.
Wednesday, March 9th, 2022
(by Tim J.)
Hi All,
I’m writing as a passenger in the great Tim Barley’s rental car. We are coming from our hotel on the border, after hurriedly packing to get Tim on the road to Krakow in time for a COVID test before his flight tomorrow.
Before returning to the hotel to get packed, Tim, Erich, and I were at a large reception center for Ukrainian refugees at the Korczawa Border Crossing. Imagine a shopping mall, lined wall-to-wall with cots, with thousands of mothers, grandmothers, and children. They seem well-fed, but many are restless, tired, and clearly heartbroken. Their husbands, fathers, and brothers were held back in Ukraine for compulsory military service. I filled my pockets up with little toys before going in, and looked for families with small kids who were out of sorts to give a toy to their parent or grandparent to pass along to them. Many, many smiles from both caretakers and kids for the gesture. It was my personalized, albeit small, an attempt at Matthew 10:42 (“whoever gives one of these little ones a… Batman toy?”).
While at the reception center, we learned that anyone with a smartphone can register instantly to be a driver for a refugee family. So, I’m riding to Krakow with Tim, because I reserved an SUV at the Krakow airport so I can volunteer to drive a refugee family somewhere within 10 hours or so of the border. Could be Germany, could be France. It seems, though, that most are wanting to go to Berlin, so that is the most likely option.
Please pray for my rental car pick up tomorrow (if they offered me a van instead of an SUV, that would be amazing; all the vans were rented out when I was looking at listings). After I pick up my rental, I’ll go straight to the reception center (about 2 1/2 hours from Krakow), register as a driver, and get on the road with a refugee family, God willing.
Please pray as well for a connection to a church wherever I take them. Many of these folks have family in other European cities, so it could very well be that I just drop them with relatives, but it would be good also if there was a family that did not have connections elsewhere that I could get hooked up with a church to spare them the unknown of being dropped off at a government center somewhere.
We heard while we were at the reception facility that human traffickers are coming in (anyone can walk in), offering free rides and shelter to vulnerable women and children, and then taking them to other locations and pressuring them into sexual exploitation. One team told us that they had caught men doing this. So, if I can get one family out safely and passed along to trustworthy helpers, I will be beyond grateful to the Lord for the opportunity. Please pray that our work will save many from exploitation and lead them to God’s mercy.
Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this trip, despite the difficulties we have faced. I could not do it without my wife, our church family, my family, and my professors behind it.
Best,
Tim
Left: Tim & Erich walking into Old Town Przemysl for breakfast.
Center & Right: Korczawa border crossing’s Reception Center (outside; they would not allow photos inside, likely due to human trafficking concerns)
Tuesday, March 8th, 2022
(by Tim J.)
Hi All,
After a full day of travel, our friends from Kiev arrived this evening at a Nazarene church in south Berlin. They were welcomed with dinner by a hospitality team from the church. I am astounded by God’s grace in answering your prayers and in giving them so devoted and persistent of a friend as Erich. From the moment they crossed the border until now, they have had a warm place and food waiting for them at each stop. They are living Matthew 6:25-33 in a way most of us will never have to, and have received all they need moment by moment, giving thanks to God for it.
Our team (Tim, Tim, & Erich) made it to the southern border this afternoon. We are staying in a small hotel in the town of Przemysl, about 7 miles from the border with Ukraine. We are sharing space with a YWAM team here who clearly are very passionate about helping the folks at the border. According to those who have some insight into what’s going on on the Ukrainian side, things are very bad. Women and children are waiting in line for up to two days in the cold (it’s really, really cold). This is leading to medical issues for many of them. Ambulances come and go several times per hour, to and from the gates at the border. While we were walking back towards the street from a crowd of refugees, several first responders were carrying someone on a stretcher. We could not tell if they were going to be alright, or even if they were conscious.
We spent a couple of hours at the Medyka border crossing, getting an idea of what we should focus on with our few remaining days. It looks like we’ll primarily be assessing the situation and gathering information we can use to potentially build out VBC teams to fill specific needs in the future. We are also keeping an eye out for specific needs and potential local ministry partners that we can supply with financial assistance. Tomorrow we will go back to the border and get an idea of what things look like in the daytime.
Please pray for the people at the border right now. They are incredibly vulnerable and suffering greatly. This current situation was described to us today as “only the beginning” and “definitely not the peak of the crisis.” If Kiev falls. It will be much, much worse.
Pray that the Lord would intervene and miraculously provide peace and healing for this region.
Best,
Tim J.
Photos from left to right:
Muraz and family at the church in Berlin. Answered prayer.
These kiddos spent 29 hours in a van on the Ukrainian side of the border, 22 of which was waiting to get through the border crossing checkpoint.
A vehicle spotted on the way to the border.
Medyka Border Crossing.
Monday, March 7th, 2022
(by Tim Barley)
I arrived in Krakow, Poland on Monday, rented a van, and drove to meet Erich, Tim J., and a family they’d helped exit from Ukraine to Poland. The family is from Kyiv and they’d traveled about 28 hours in the past two days, including 22 hours waiting in line to cross the border. Poland currently has an open border with Ukraine, but the sheer volume of people trying to exit Ukraine is crippling to the road system and it just takes an excruciatingly long time.
Tim and Erich helped arrange an AirBnB for the family (about sixteen people in total, including grandparents, parents, and children) for the night, as well as housing for them as they travel onward to Berlin tomorrow. Germany has vowed to be accommodating to any war refugees arriving from Ukraine and this particular family has relatives living in Berlin. So they will travel there tomorrow (8-10 hour drive) and begin their new lives. Some of the family members identify as believers and all were open to us and our prayer support for them.
One of the boys (Daniel) spoke English (he said he’d learned from school and video games!). He told us he was worried for all of the family and friends they’d left behind in Ukraine but one day, he is hopeful that he’ll return to Kyiv and resume his life there.
Daniel’s dad, Aziz, showed us his passport and told us that he came to Ukraine as a refugee. He’d arrived there from his homeland in Armenia and now, decades later, he’d leave Ukraine as a refugee again on his way to Germany. In spite of all the turmoil and uncertainty of what lies ahead, the relief and anticipation was clearly evident in Aziz and the other family members. They were grateful to be out and hopeful for the journey that lies ahead for them.
We ate food and shared stories at the AirBnB with the family until around 11:00 and then we took some photos with them, prayed, said our good-byes, and headed back to our hotel (about five minutes away).
What an honor it is to care for those who are hurting and in need of the reassurance of our Creator and King — especially as we live in peace and prosperity of America! We can’t help but remember Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25:40 — And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Please continue to pray for opportunities to faithfully follow the Holy Spirit’s leadership, to help those in need, and share the hope that can only be found in the Savior, Jesus.
Serving Him alongside you,
Tim Barley
As we all know, the conflict in Ukraine has produced tremendous turmoil around the world. The people of Ukraine are in a desperate state, trying to determine whether to flee their homeland or stay and weather this war, with no guarantees what life will look like after the fighting has ended - or if they’ll even survive. Many of us have seen images on the news of throngs of people attempting to cross the Ukrainian borders into neighboring nations, seeking a reprieve from fighting or asylum from the impending assault they may have to experience.
As we’ve been praying as a church in regard to our response to the situation in Ukraine, our question to God has been, “Show us how to serve You, help those in need, and share the hope of Christ.” Many from our church family have been asking what we can do, and how they could help. Financial donations have already started pouring in, even before we established the ‘Hope for Ukraine’ fund this past week. So when Erich Weiger (Global Mission Partner to Azerbaijan) contacted us last Wednesday, and invited Tim Johnston and I to meet him in Krakow, Poland, to meet some of his contacts in the region who are assisting refugees cross the border from Ukraine into Poland, it became very clear very quickly that we were to receive this as an opportunity God had provided. The elders quickly endorsed this plan and Tim Johnston and I both purchased our tickets and made plans to meet Erich as soon as possible. Tim Johnston left Friday and I left Sunday.
Tim has already submitted a couple of entries for our missions journal (go to the missions webpage and missions journals tab at vbc.online). I will arrive this afternoon in Krakow where I’ve rented a van/SUV and I’ll be driving to meet up with Tim and Erich near the Polish/Ukrainian border. Our goal is to transport as many people as possible to safety and shelter, while sharing the hope of Christ.
Many wonder why we go travel so far when there are so many needs in our own backyard. This is an important question! We should never neglect local needs while caring for global needs. We should be intentionally involved in both! That’s the heart of our Heavenly Father and it should be our heart, too. The Bible doesn’t use the phrase “world missions,” but our God is clearly globally missions-minded (Luke 19:10). It’s His desire for the world to know His love (John 3:16) and so the salvation of all nations should be a concern for every believer. That’s why we should all be willing and ready to go, serve, and share. Update your passport, learn how to drive a manual transmission, and have a GO-BAG ready for take-off!Global missions are important because God created humans to know Him. He cares about all people equally and longs for us know the truth about Jesus (1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus came to the earth to fulfill prophecy: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).Local and global missions is a fulfillment of Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20. In the New Testament, Paul and Barnabas were “set apart” by the Holy Spirit and called for a mission, or assignment, to share the gospel in Cyprus and Asia Minor (Acts 13:2). Listen to Paul’s heart: “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20). And that’s precisely what Paul did - he shared the gospel “from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum.” He eventually made it to Rome and had plans to go to Spain. The book of Acts showcases the commitment of the early church to spread the “Good News” and the writer, Luke, emphasizes the importance of global missions.So when we participate in global and local missions, we’re obeying the commission of our Savior and following the example of the disciples and other faithful believers who came before us. We are instructed to constantly seek ways to help the hurting, and share the good news of the redemption that’s only found in Jesus, thereby glorifying our God, who said, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation” (Isaiah 52:7).
If you’d like to be added to a list of people in our church family who are ‘ready to GO!’ should an opportunity arise to serve and share - either locally or globally - possibly with short notice, please email us at missions@vbc.online and let us know!
In Christ,
Tim Barley
Monday, March 7th, 2022
(by Tim J.)
Last night, we were able to get our Kurdish-Armenian-Ukrainian friends into an incredible Airbnb on the Krakow Main Square. I cannot describe the joy of retrieving the key for the apartment and opening the door for them. They had left their entire lives behind in Kiev, traveling as a group of 16, including 5 small children (we kept finding out about new folks with them as we went, hard to keep track of so many people operating in another language). They waited for 22 hours at the border before they were let through as refugees. Seeing their small kids playing and laughing, their moms relieved, etc, was worth the relatively minor discomfort on our part waiting for them on the other side.
Today they travel to Berlin, where they will be greeted and put up by the Nazarene church who covered their lodging last night. From there, the Nazarenes will help them with a long-term plan for seeking official refugee status in Germany. Their journey is not over, but they are safe and have the right things in place to succeed.
VBC Elder Tim Barley joined us last night around the time our friends got into their Airbnb. He was able to connect with two of the young men, Daniel and Aziz.
Please pray for Muraz (the dad/grandpa of the bunch), his wife, their children, grandchildren, and the other family members with them. It will be another long day of travel for them.
Today, we head 2 hours southeast out of Krakow to the border again. We will meet a German team serving the needs there, and potentially volunteer with the Polish government teams to transport refugee families locally. There is talk of human traffickers taking advantage of the crisis. Pray that the Lord would protect the vulnerable. It’s nearly all women, children, and elderly crossing the border.
Lord, have mercy.
Photos from top left to bottom right:
Our Kurdish-Armenian-Ukrainian friends met us across the border at McDonalds, where we got them fed before moving along to Krakow.
Erich’s joy at hearing that the group had been granted entry to Poland as a family, including the men.
A small Catholic shrine on the way from the border to Krakow. The Polish countryside has them everywhere. A very encouraging landscape of historical Christianity.
The Polish version of the Full House houses.
The entry gate to the Airbnb we got our friends into via assistance from a Nazarene team.
The stairs up to the Airbnb. I did not take pictures of the interior because I did not know how our friends would interpret it.
Sunday, March 6th, 2022
(by Tim J.)
Good Morning from Zamosc, Poland!
This is my third day in Poland. Yesterday, after our tire was fixed, Erich and I began driving to the Ukrainian border together to meet with a Brethren team from Germany. However, when we were about 15 minutes away from our hotel, Erich received a call from a Ukrainian friend who had decided to evacuate with his entire family (14 adults, 5 children), so we got their location from WhatsApp and drove north along the border for about two hours to the Dolhobyczow border crossing. They had expected it take about three hours to cross. It is now about 22 hours later, and they seem to be close to crossing just now. When we first arrived at the border, Erich tried to cross into Ukraine but the Polish border guard said in broken English something along the lines of “no way, Jose.”
So, we spent the night at the border, as there was no way to tell when this family would get through and Erich wanted to be around to greet them when they got through. However, at about 4am it became too cold to for us to stay in the van any longer (in the 20’s), so we made for the closest city, which happened to be Zamosc. All hotel rooms are booked by refugees and NGO workers, so we landed at McDonald’s for the warmth and hot drinks.
As I write this email, we are waiting for this family to meet us. When they do, we will buy them inordinate amounts of McDonald’s, pray for and with them, and then help get them to their next destination, which will either be Germany or Poland. Please pray that we can get them along where they need to be, and for the little ones and elderly traveling with them. I cannot imagine having to spend the night in a freezing vehicle with my family while fleeing for our lives, with not knowing where to go on the other side.
More updates to come—please keep praying!
Best,
Tim J.
Pictures top left to right:
My bed last night. 0/10 would not recommend.
Refugees who made it into Poland
More refugees (sorry for the picture quality, I was trying to keep up with Erich while snapping photos)
Friday, March 4th, 2022
(by Tim J.)
Hi All,
Thank you for your prayers thus far. After a short 11-hour flight, I had a layover in Munich and then was on to Krakow. As I write this, I am waiting for our brother Erich, a VBC Global Missions Partner from Fairhaven Bible Chapel, to pick me up at Krakow International Airport.
From the airport we plan to drive to the town of Przemysl ($10 prize for the first person who tells me how to pronounce this correctly). This will be about a 3 hour drive it seems, though it’s so close to the border with Ukraine we have no idea what to expect. Our hotel looks to be about 5 miles from the border crossing with Ukraine. Here’s the Wikipedia page for the town, as some may be interested in getting a glimpse.
Tomorrow should be a full day of ministry at the border—at least that’s the intent. I’ll be sure to send pictures of our time serving the people stuck there. At the very minimum, I have a bag of small action figures, dolls, and toy cars to hand out to children that are in transit and likely did not have time to grab toys, if they owned any to begin with (as I recall from work in the region in 2011, Ukraine is extremely impoverished outside of the large urban centers).
Please pray for the following:
Safe travel to our hotel
Rest and recovery for Erich and for me tonight (I’m entering the 25th hour of my day)
A fruitful day of ministry tomorrow at the Ukrainian border
VBC Elder Tim Barley’s travels Sunday evening
Thank you all so much for the prayers—they make all the difference in this work.
Best,
Tim J.