Poland

 Tomorrow night... or tonight we'll be sleeping in a hotel in Warsaw, and I'm having trouble sleeping in our two beds pushed together. I think Garry cracked the window open, so I'm hearing extra outside noises, and I was lying on my arm wrong and it was sore. We've been keeping the windows in the main room open, but not the bedroom, except when it was hot last week. There's no screens, but very few bugs come in.

You might wonder what Poland was like for us, after so many years in Ukraine. It turns out there are only a few people who speak some English, and or a little Russian, but we got by. It's definitely a different country, but there are similarities in language and some words are the same in Russian or Ukrainian and Polish. A pharmacy is an aptenka, a furniture store is meble, advertising is reklamy instead of reklama, they say den dobray instead of dobray den for good day. but many things are different. We've only learned a smattering of Polish words- shkelp (sic?) for shop, lody is ice cream, cheast is a greeting for hello or goodbye, but it only sounds close to that, we can't get it quite right. 

However, we have enjoyed the people, the beautiful countryside, the opportunity to help some Ukrainians displaced by the war. When Garry came at the beginning of June, they were helping as many as 67 families an hour with food aid with a long line of people waiting when the doors opened three times a week. This past week only 27 came, and we handed out extra stuff, as they decided to close the center, although the Ukrainian families will be able to come to the church's Polish help center for disadvantaged people. Most have found jobs, many have returned to Ukraine, they will be mainly the women on their own with babies and small children that will still need help, as they don't have a grandma with them to watch the kids while they work.

Friday was the last day for the center, after there was a pizza dinner for all who had helped and Cezary gave them certificates and Polish Bibles, and we got one too. Saturday a big group helped empty the store, return borrowed things, put things in the storage container Garry painted and sort clothing to either go to recycling or go to the church for the help center there. 

Well I'd better try to catch a little sleep before we go to church, they are having a farewell potluck after and Garry is supposed to say a few words at the service. Cesazy will take us to the airport this evening. I just need to repack and well finish packing up to go to Hungary for the conference before heading home. 

Keeping busy

 Well only a few more days here in Novagard, but don't worry we will be busy 'til the end. Today we have our last kids English club, the kids have ranged in age from about 4  to 12, and have differing English and task abilities, so it's good it's only about an hour and we do crafts too. Today will be shrinky dinks, after mouse finger puppets yesterday, with Canada balloons to take home, so it should be a big finish. They are enjoying singing head, shoulders, knees and toes.

Friday will be the last Ukrainian center day, and Saturday we aren't just packing up the apartment. we're helping pack up the center, with fewer people coming now they are going to roll it into the Polish help center of the church- at the church. They had rented the building here for four months, Garry arrived the beginning of June when 40 families would come (that's times three times a week so 120) but now it's open twice a week and maybe a dozen came on Monday. 

We are still getting our five mile walk in everyday, sometimes in the evening instead of the morning though. Yesterday the belt broke on the van as we were driving back from having lunch at Cezary and Andrea's home, so Garry had to drive to a nearby town twice (23 km) with Cezary so it could get fixed. 

Sunday we fly to Warsaw in the evening, and there's going to be a potluck after church Sunday to see us off. Then it's off to Budapest for our EEFC Europe mission conference.

Here's a closer look at the Novagard  Mayor's house (city hall) and the Catholic church in the square downtown. The church was restored after the war, they have the damaged 1922 bells on display outside. Apparently 60% of the town was destroyed in the war. 

and this time next week we'll be heading to the airport for our flights home. 

Quiet weekend

 Instead of flying or taking the train somewhere, we drove to the nearby city of Stargard. Founded in the eighth century the city has old churches, and many medieval walls and towers remain standing. It's also where Cezary drove us last weekend to catch the train, so we hoped to find the Chinese restaurant again. 

We left around eight am, since nothing is ever open early in Poland it seems. On the way we stopped and checked out some village churches. We're really impressed with my new phone's camera, by the way. We even found one with an open door and peeked inside.

It seems every little village has a Catholic church, still in use that was restored after WWII. We took a smaller road Garry had biked (partway- it was 40 kms and he'd done 23) there and a slightly bigger one home, so more churches! It started raining, and we had not brought coats, so we were happy that it had pretty much stopped before we got to Stargard. 

Yes the one church has a wooden tower and the inside church photo is actually this church with the stork nest in the photo.

We found a place to park near the old city wall and started our walking tour. We were disappointed to be told the museum was closed, but there were some signs on the route with English on, and we didn't get sprinkled on much, so the morning was a success. 

This church was amazing from every side, with interesting brickwork, towering walls and stained glass windows.

Around 11:30 were heading toward the last church on the walking tour route when we walked right past the Golden Dragon restaurant, so we went back when it opened at noon and enjoyed lunch before finding the van and heading back to Novagard, finding more churches along the way. We did see and small dairy farm and checked out what was growing in a field and nearly got stuck... and still don't know what the crop was!

Sunday went to Cezary's church and took our usual afternoon walk after lunch out at a restaurant by the lake. 

Another week

 Next week will be our last here in Novagard, then we are off to Budapest for the EFCCM European Missionary Conference and two weeks from today, we'll be back home in Manitoba. This week was much like last week, picking up bread, helping with the food handouts at the center and doing the English club for kids on Wednesday and Thursday. Of course those were the two hottest days of the week 33 C (or 91 F). 

Wednesday we did our 8 KM walk at 6:30 in the morning, Thursday it was 8:30 and we only did 2 miles because it was too hot out already. The class is from 11 to noon. On Thursday two kids came in late, they had walked there without their mother because their baby brother was sleeping, the girl is seven and the boy is maybe nine! 

They were doing some work outside our apartment building this week, on Wednesday the water was off for several hours, we were debating cooking versus going out for dinner (we had shopped after class for ingredients for dinner), at five, still no water, but it came on at six and I made the planned stir fry on bulgar (I needed water to cook the bulgar).

Thursday evening we walked to the grocery store, instead of Garry's usual bike trip to the basketball court (often with the neighbor, an about eight year old Ukrainian boy). Afterwards, there was some thunder and rain, it cooled off some, although it's still muggy today. Pastor Cezary was sick today so his wife came to the help center instead, we didn't have many volunteers today, so I got to put more items out for people when they came. 

Back in the village in Ukraine, the church had VBS, and the farm is still baling straw.

Weekend in Torun

We had talked with Caesary about maybe doing some sightseeing during our weekends, maybe flying to Krakow or somewhere else in Poland. I did some looking online and discovered Torun was four hours away by car (it was almost five via train) and the old town looked interesting. If you've never heard of it, it's the birthplace of Copernicus, there's a planetarium, although we only walked past, because we were so busy! 

The train ride was almost 5 hours after Caesary drove us to Stargard so we wouldn't have to change trains, leaving at noon. The seats were six to a compartment, we were in the center seats facing each other, while the ladies in the other seats, who didn't seem to be previously acquainted, talked around us the whole time.

We ended up taking a taxi to the hotel, probably saved us getting wet, because it started to rain as we got to our room. We were right in the Old Town, across the street from a large old church. We went for a walk to find dinner in the rain, sat under an umbrella on a patio, they said food would take an hour as everyone had popped into the restaurants as the rain had started coming down harder. It didn't take quite that long, and it was a great meal, so worthwhile. We went for a walk after as the rain had slowed down, the buildings, churches, old town hall were all amazing to walk around. 

We messaged our friend Marina from Zaporosia, who we had discovered was living in Torun after I had picked it as a possible place to visit and arranged for her to come in the morning and go to church with her. After breakfast at the hotel, Marina came and we walked to the bus stop with her, talking all the way. We were early and met a few people and had tea with the pastor before church- it was a Baptist church that Marina has been attending, she arrived in Poland in May. There was lots of singing during the service, some songs we recognized that we know in English like  The Deer Pants for Water, or Amazing Grace, which we have sung in Russian also of course, and one song they did was one they always sing in the village church in Nikolaipolia at the end of the church service, so we have sung it in Russian many times. Of course they were all in Polish, but we tried singing anyway. The pastor's wife kindly helped us find the scripture references in English.

After church we headed back, Marina went to change into walking clothes to go sightseeing with us. First we looked for a place for lunch, the restaurants were busy and we ended up in a fancy place called Foodie, which was an experience. Garry got the taster menu with five small courses including dessert. Dessert was his favorite. He also had herring, goose liver, fish with vegetable pasta (my entrée), and duck (Marina's).

 Two hours later we were off to see the sights. First we took a boat tour on the Vistula River, then walked to find the Leaning Tower and went in the opposite direction to find the Teutonic knights' castle ruins, which we toured. 

We got back to the hotel after five, and while Garry tried to buy return train tickets with the help of the desk, I discovered a message on my phone from another young lady we knew who is also living in the city! We arranged to meet for coffee at seven o'clock, and had a great time talking with Sweta, daughter of our dear friend Tonya from Dnepro and SEI. She took us to the cat café. Which had live cats walking around but also a robot cat to deliver your order. 

Afterwards we discovered the organ concert was still on across the street in the church and caught the second half hour before another walk before bed. Ceasary had emailed us our tickets, because he had to buy them when the desk had trouble doing it. 

In the morning we enjoyed breakfast again (if you're ever in Torun, I'd recommend Hotel Solaris) and went for a walk around the Old Town. We took a taxi at eleven to the train station for the long ride back. This time only one lady in our compartment, and she got off after the first two hours, so we opened the window and enjoyed fresh, cooler air for the rest of the trip.

Caesary picked us up again and we went to a Chinese restaurant to eat before heading home to the regular life. Garry went to the park with the neighbor boy to play basketball while I sorted laundry and cut out elephants for Wednesday's English club.

Torun is also famous for gingerbread, like cookies. We didn't end up going to the museum of gingerbread, where you can make your own. There were lots of shops selling it too. 

Work

 

So far I haven't really written about what we are doing here for mission work in Poland. The schedule has changed a bit from what Garry was doing last month, the Polish- Ukrainian help center is open just two afternoons instead of three, Tuesday and Friday at four. Every morning but Sunday we pick up leftover and misshapen bread at the bakery in Karsk, the next village over. On those days it goes to the center, and we bag it up after the second run after 8 am. We pick up the mistake ones around six am. 

We get our five mile walk around the lake in before lunchtime, and go back to the center after three o'clock to bag help sort and bag up free (somewhat off) produce from grocery stores. Today there wasn't much, but Tuesday everyone who came got two bags. Someone brings leftover doughnuts we bag up, everyone gets a few to take. The Ukrainians can come once a week for twelve weeks for stuff. The first and last week they get extras, like soap, sponges and tea. They get milk, cereal, flour, sugar, canned fish, hotdogs, cheese, sour cream, butter, ketchup, tomato paste, pasta, jam. Moms with babies can ask for baby food, milk, diapers and other things. People with kids get a pack of three candy bars, for each kid. They can also look through the donated clothing and toys for children.

 On both Fridays after the center closes at six Garry has driven to a place where there are workers picking berries staying and handed out leftover bread. People came running to get some.

Wednesday and Thursday this week we started a kids English club at the church at eleven am for an hour, since it was advertised only at Tuesday's center time we were pleased there were kids there the first day. One family was from Dnepro even. We ended up doing our walk in the afternoon those days.

This weekend we are taking the train to the city of Torun, where Copernicus was born, there's some old castle ruins too, and we plan to see Marina from Zaporosia, who is living there. The train ride is about five hours long.