Monday and Tuesday we hosted the Kids Camp. On Wednesday we had a free day to explore Warsaw, or in the case of the group I went with – explore the entire country of Poland in 18 hours. That post will come later, and I’ll move straight onto Thursday for this one, which was the day my group assisted the Warsaw Volunteer Mission in hosting a ‘free market’ for families in need.
We arrived at a warehouse used by the WVM to store all of
their donated items, such as clothes, furniture, toys and an assortment of
other things. First we had to move everything in the warehouse into the area in
front. The room used to store everything was about the size of about two
regular sized bedrooms, and it was filled about 6 feet high everywhere, with
only a small space to walk in the middle. Removing everything was not too difficult
once we got a system going, but we were still unpacking well into when the
families in need began to arrive (about three hours total of constant work). I
was very disappointed to not be involved in this heavy lifting process due to
my hand still being broken, but I was able to help lay out pieces of clothing,
which ended up taking up almost half of an entire parking lot.
As the week went on, the group agreed that everything got
more and more meaningful and touching as we went into the world of the families
and people in need that we were helping. On Monday and Tuesday, we were in the church,
which was very welcoming and convenient, making everything very easy and
comfortable. Now we had gone into the middle of the poorest part of Warsaw, and
had none of the things we did at the church. (We had a van running constantly taking
people to the restroom) One family’s story in particular stuck with as we
continued in the week. One woman had three boys with varying forms of
autism. The goal of the WVM is to help
those in need, which they do very effectively, and once people no longer need the
assistance of the WVM, they continue to stay in touch – many of them actually volunteer
and help others once they have set up a stable life for themselves – but this
family has never been able to stay on their feet. They came with a suitcase and
a bunch of grocery bags which they filled with old electronics and other
valuable things. They also took a large rug, which we rolled up for them. They had
left before we could give any more assistance. Then on one of the bathroom
runs, our assistant pastor saw then walking along the side of the road. As soon
as he got back, he took the van out to find them and take them where they needed
to go. I was unable to go with on that, but I know we got them there fine. That
story is one which I don’t think can really be effectively put into words. The feelings
of just being there, knowing the need these families were in, seeing how grateful
and desperate some were for clothes and other small items we take for granted
is something that I cannot find the right words to explain it.
After the free market, we weren't sure what other things we
may encounter, but we were very surprised at the amazing things that
happened the next day…
2 comments:
Ian, you know I love this...(and I remember you said there was only a tiny bit of stuff left that people didn't take/need) And since pastor saw the woman with the 3 autistic sons walking...and gave them a ride home..they'll know how to go back and check on them...(Thank You God) How wonderful that you could help with all this, my dear..God bless you
Ian, you are a blessing. What a gift you were able to give and also, receive. I pray that the Lord continues to bless you well beyond this trip.
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