Mission Brief
Sunrise over the Baltic Sea (Sopot, Poland)
I traveled to Gdansk Poland on March 15. I met an amazing new friend, Nancy. She invited me to share with her home Bible Study groups on a future trip. What a small world: Nancy knew Lon Solomn from Jews for Jesus, and she encouraged Julia to attend McLean Bible Church. What an amazing God we serve! On Sunday during the Jazzowe Uwielbienie, I presented my testimony and talked about what the cross means to me. (This jazz group is headed by Piotr Jankowski. He is passionate about God and music. He and his family served on a SALT Serve in 2019.) My time in Poland was short, but very fruitful, and I can’t wait to go back. Video (Old Rugged Cross and My Testimony at 24:47, but please watch the whole video! It is amazing!
On Monday, March 20, I traveled to Germany to serve with Zoriana and do logistics research for SALT Serve Trip. Even though Zoriana and her family just moved, she invited me over to her new home. Her home was walking distance from my hotel in Krumbach. We had a nice snack, conversation and laughter. She and her husband helped me with my beat-up toe. (I hit my toe three times on a foot stool in my hotel in Poland. LOL.) Although I was to have a meeting at Dominikus Ringeisen Werk (DRW), which is the facility where the Ukrainian orphans are, it was rescheduled. On Wednesday, March 22, Zoriana’s birthday, I went to DRW and they put me to work. I documented the children and other things. I met so many people. It was a whirlwind. The Germans, Ukrainian staff, and children celebrated with Zoriana. It was an amazing day. Wednesday through Friday, I was serving at DRW. DRW can’t wait for our camp this July! Please pray fro this trip. Information on the trip.
On Friday, I picked up Anna. We stopped for tea and ice cream in a small city. As we were enjoying the snack, a woman recognized that I was American. She sat with us, and I shared my story. She is from Scotland and has a daughter with mental health issues. This little moment was a God moment. Anna, Zoriana and I had a wonderful lunch. It was a great time of food, fellowship and fun. Our time was short but great! I took Anna home and traveled to Stuttgart for the night. After checking in, I went to the lobby for dinner. The gentleman that checked me in said “thank you” to me. I was confused, but he explained that he had looked up SALTUkriane.org. He is Ukrainian and was thanking me for what SALT has been doing in Ukraine. I shared my story, telling him about serving and the future trip. He gave me his business card and told me he could help with hotel bookings. WOW! God is so good.
The next morning, I drove to the city where the Wings of Faith families live. This was a short trip, but every time I stop to visit I see God moving in the families. All the children were happy and adjusting well to school. There were some struggles but not so overwhelming. Erin shared that she has a moms’ group, and gave an update on the families. One family has returned to Ukraine, but the others are adjusting to their new homes. Three families have cars and are looking for work. All three autistic children are interacting and communicating. I was amazed. WOW! God is moving. One family is very happy that their autistic son is doing well, but their oldest daughter is struggling with a mental health issue. I could see the strain it has been on them. I shared that God gave them a wonderful gift, perfectly made, and they need to be sure their daughter knows this. I shared my personal struggles as a child. I could see weight lifting off of them, not all the weight, but some. Please pray for them. Every trip, even with the language barriers, makes an impact, gives encouragement, builds His family for His Kingdom. I visited with Kiril and Granny. (She doesn’t mind me calling her Granny.) Please pray for them. Kiril is struggling with discouragement. Erin is working hard to find the right place for them. Please pray for Erin! There are 41 Ukrainians in their small city! Pray for these new families.
I drove three hours plus to the Munich area for the last part of my trip. I had a few days for review, reflection and restoration before returning to America. I spent Sunday morning in a cemetery of 300 World War II criminals. Most of the world knows nothing of this place. Some of the dead are Karl Brandt (Action T4), and Paul Blobel (Babi Yar Massacre), and many others. This place had a sense of void, no sound, no sense of time, just strange wooden markers without names. These markers surround an empty, forgotten church. The churchyard had a wall and crooked trees in front of the Landsberg Prison. Hitler was imprisoned there, and it is still a fully functioning prison. Mold and moss reclaimed these old wooden, nameless markers, giving no notoriety to those that lay beneath.
On my last day, I visited another cemetery, but I was visiting to honor the White Rose students: Hans Scholl, Sophia Scholl, and Christoph. They are buried together at the Am Perlacher Forest. This is a beautiful place with maintained gardens in front of all the stones. It has been 80 years since these young people were executed by guillotine at Stadelheim Prison, a fully functioning prison (February 22, 1943). A bust of Sophia is there, one of four-women honored at the Wallhalla Temple (a hall to honor Great Germans). Also, three thousand Dachau victims rest here. There is a memorial inscribed on glass panels with the name of every victim who died. It is beautiful and sad. Both these places left a mark with me. As a disabled person, the Nazis carried out mass killing on the disabled first with Action T4. One place is where the doctor that headed T4 lays and other young people that stood up and laid down their lives for others. Photos from my trip.
This trip was both encouraging and inspiring! I am eager to return and be witness to God’s continued work among the German and Ukrainian people.