Support in Times of Crisis
The last two months have been filled with arrivals and departures at the Proem camp, plus an exciting addition to the Proem facilities and ministry. Please enjoy stepping through the journey with me:
Family Crisis Center for the Nations
A well-recognized iconic hotel building in downtown Tomaszow, the Hotel Mazowiecki, came available for sale, fully furnished. Word was sent out, and thanks to the amazing generosity of faithful friends and partners worldwide, Proem Foundation is now the new owner, and the building has become a place of support for families and individuals in crisis—it is the Family Crisis Center for the Nations.
The first inhabits who moved in at the beginning of June were our Ukrainian families—women, children, elderly fleeing the war in Ukraine who had been staying at the Proem Christian Center and Camp in nearby Zakościele. Because our regular summer camp season was set to begin, where Proem will minister to over 2,000 students from Poland and abroad, we needed to find a place for these families to reside as they decided upon long-term housing options.
Those staying in the center find not only accommodation and meals, but also professional psychological and therapeutic support and help in taking the next steps on the way to becoming independent and integrated within new cultural contexts. There are 50 rooms available, with space to host up to 100 people at a time.
While our first guests have been from Ukraine, in the future the center will also serve to support other families and individuals in crisis of life. Family Crisis Center for the Nations will be an extension of the scope of activities led by Tomy Family Counseling Center (which functions currently at the Tomy Christian Church) and will host various workshops and other helping initiatives.
900 Ukrainians assisted since February
When the war in Ukraine broke out on February 24, the Proem Foundation pivoted quickly and began to organize aid for refugees, opening up the Proem Christian Center and Camp for them to find assistance, help and even hope, light and new beginnings. There were mainly Ukrainian mothers with children, derailed and misplaced by war, from various parts of the war-torn country, as well as children from some of the Ukrainian orphanages. About 900 people were able to come through our doors in these past months.
For over half of these Ukrainian friends, new places of residence, education and work have been found in Poland, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Finland and Sweden. Some of them went to Canada and the United States. Some decided it was safe enough to return to Ukraine. Communities from nearby Inowłòdz and Timaszòw were eagerly involved in the collection of resources for refugees. Proem Ministries partners and friends mobilized and gave generously. I have had the opportunity to work alongside teams of volunteers from the United States and Poland.
In my next post, I will share some specific stories of hope that I have witnessed in the lives of our guests from Ukraine.
First campers from Ukrainian orphanages
Camp season began 3 weeks early this year. Our first 3 weeks were 3 different groups of children from Ukraine. Some were transported into Poland directly from Ukraine to have a break from the burdens and worries of war and enjoy being kids at camp. Others were Ukrainian children who have been staying in Poland.
These camps were designed specifically for the Ukrainian children by a therapist, who recruited other therapists and trauma-informed teachers to be camp counselors, caring for the needs of body, mind and spirit simultaneously. We had 70 kids the first week, 170 the second, and 120 the third. I especially enjoyed the times I got to see children care and connect with the animals at the part of the camp known as Zako Rancho, filled with alpacas, horses, bunnies, and goats—peace and curiosity came in equal measure.
After these three weeks of camps, Polish children and youth are arriving for their various summer camps that Proem hosts annually, until the new school year begins in September.
Proem Christian Center and Camp has returned to one of its main ministries, thanks to the amazing way God met the need for the new facility, plus the incredible service of volunteers from United States and across Poland who came and tirelessly worked on multiple projects and tasks in order to help in preparing for summer camps. At the same time, God creates and writes a new story of beginnings and hope in the former hotel, now the Family Crisis Center for the Nations.
-dorota