The Lord called our family to move to Poland in 2013. Then we had questions to God: why did You send us here? We received the answer a few months later. Hostilities began in Ukraine and the first wave of refugees arrived in Poland. Since then, we have devoted ourselves to serving Ukrainians in Poland. By February 2022, there were already 2.5 million Ukrainians in Poland.
After February 24, 2022, a huge number of refugees from Ukraine arrived in Poland again, fleeing the war. We had to quickly mobilize and find a way how we can respond to the current situation in Ukraine while physically in Warsaw, Poland. We joined the efforts of our church and decided to take part in helping displaced families.
We started to settle refugees in the families of Poles who opened their hearts and homes to mothers with children who fled the war.
Then we went to the border and served the intensive flows of refugees there, meeting them at the border.
We also found a hotel in Warsaw and together with an American organization settled families there.
God continued to open doors for us and now we serve daily in a huge refugee center in Warsaw. Now 1,500 people live there. Every Sunday we hold a Christian meeting there, which is attended by 40 people. We also hold individual meetings during the week and practically serve Ukrainians by helping them solve pressing issues.
Sergei studying the Bible with Ukrainian refugees at an expo center in Warsaw, Poland
Volunteers lead Bible studies for refugees.
My family and I also serve in the Ukrainian Center in the suburbs of Warsaw, which is focused on meeting the various needs of resettled families from Ukraine.
Every day mothers with children visit this center. We have free Polish language courses, various useful adaptation programs for women, sports and educational programs for children and teenagers. We are also starting a church on the basis of this Ukrainian center. At the first meeting, 30 people came who wanted to pray for Ukraine. This center touches 200 Ukrainians every month.
Over the past year, it is very difficult for me to say how many people we have helped, but we know for sure that hundreds of people have heard the gospel and dozens of people have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Some of them want to return to Ukraine, some have decided to stay in Poland, while others are going further to other countries. We believe that they will become true disciples by joining the believers in the place where the Lord will lead them.