Sunday, September 21, 2008

And I came to just touch the Polish youth . . .

Imagine going to a public housing building and getting "attacked" by 40 kids who do not speak any language that you know. Imagine the joy on their faces to see that someone does care and wants to have fun with them. Imagine knowing that the country that has taken them in also fears them because of their religion and you have no power to make their lives better. Imagine spending the afternoon painting fun images, but you have to be careful that you do not offend their religion and the moms are watching your every move. Imagine walking away from this building with some kids crying because they don't want you to go even though your smile was the only thing that they understood . . .

If you do it to the least of these, you are doing it to me . . . - Jesus

My afternoon was filled by spending time with a refugee camp from Chechnya. They are a group of about 150 in all and are seen as lower than the dogs in Poland. There is nowhere for them to go. They escaped the brutality of the Russian military and ended up in Katowice. There is a group who is trying to show that not all Christians hate them or fear them. It was a moving experience for me. To see and touch and smile and even hug these beautiful children who have known nothing but war, fear and hate. I hope to return to paint more "Spiderman" faces in two weeks!

3 comments:

Jen said...

That's really exciting! Are you going with a group from your church in Katowice?

I'm afraid I don't know much about what's been going on with Chechnya ... what is their religion? In what ways do you have to be careful not to offend?

Anonymous said...

This ... warms my heart, my friend :)

Tyler and Melinda said...

Wow, Alice! When I heard about this group I was heartbroken, and I can't imagine what joy and sorrow there would have been being with them for an afternoon. But I am sure that they felt so loved and cared for by this group, a feeling they haven't experienced before from the people around them. It's so amazing what the heart responds to.
Keeping you in our prayers dear friend. Hugs!!!