According to an article, the veteran Linda Mitter and her team helped Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw, Poland. Mitter is the chaplain and assessor of the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention Disaster Relief.

Mitter shared that she did not think she would go with the mission before joining the team. She thought there was another person who could do the job better. However, she felt that God called her to join the team. Then, she made the decision and joined the Send Relief fact-finding team. She said that she felt at peace after making the decision. 

In Chicago, the team gathered and headed their way to Poland. The following day, they arrived at their destination. They assisted Polish Baptist churches with their needs. They helped Ukrainian refugees in different parts of Poland, including Warsaw, Zelow, Chelm, and Gdansk.

The Team

The team Mitter joined is led by Tom Beam, North Carolina Baptist DR Director. His members include director John Heading, from Ohio Baptist DR. Also, three North Carolinians joined the team. One of them works as a medical doctor. Additionally, Mitter was part of their team.

Ukrainian Refugees In Poland

When the team arrived in Poland, Mitter shared that Poland arranged facility centers on their border. All the Ukrainian refugees are assisted in the facility, giving them their needs before heading to refugee camps, said Mitter. 

She added that numerous Ukrainian refugees had just passed by, heading to different destinations. Mitter said that many private homeowners in Poland accommodated Ukrainian refugees. They allowed them to take shelter on their property. Also, she said that there are 115 Baptist churches in Poland. Many of them are helping Ukrainian refugees.

The team traveled across different areas in Poland. Their first location was Warsaw. The team met different leaders, including Mateusz Wichary, vice president of the European Baptist Federation. They talked about the crisis amidst the situation of refugees.

Over a month since the Russian invasion started, many Ukrainians fled to different countries, including Poland. Warsaw, Poland's capital, now holds more than 300,000 Ukrainian refugees, according to a source.

Then, the team checked and visited churches serving as refugee camps in the area. Also, they checked areas where churches and facilities could be used as camps for Ukrainians.

Also, they traveled to Zelow, where the team met Pastor Greg Skobal. He and his congregation helped each other as they joined other churches that opened their doors for refugees. Mitter shares that the church pastor is happy to serve and welcome the Ukrainian refugees.

The team also visited the Baptist Church in Chelm, 16 miles from the Ukrainian border. The church pastor, Henryk Skrzypkowski, shares that his church already bought beds and other supplies. They were prepared before the start of the Russian invasion, said Mitter. Additionally, they went to the Gdansk First Baptist facility. Mitter stated that the facility holds long-term refugees and accommodates 40 to 60 refugees per night.

Their Mission

The team established recommendations for SBDR and presented them to Polish Baptist leaders. The SBTC DR Director, Scottie Stice, stated that the SBTC DR would join its other teams, including California, Missouri, and Arkansas, to help Romania and Moldova, which also helps Ukrainian refugees.