This last week once again, was busy.

While the boxes are slowly wending their way to us, I was determined to finish up completely all of the ones I already have! I wanted a clean slate before that big load arrives.

Anyway, here’s what happened.

Monday:

We did a lot of shopping for the trip planned later on the week. I had started last weekend by going a couple of times to the store so I had a head start on this load when the week started.

Monday morning Lena, Alina and Marina helped me by going to Lidl and Biedronka. With four of us shopping, we can fill up the vehicle quickly!

On Tuesday I asked the ladies to come and help me and we worked on making up quilt bundles. I had opened all of the boxes received to date, matched up quilts, but had lacked pillows. By Tuesday I had received quite a few pillows and in the afternoon the same three ladies helped me make up bundles.

Then once we get bundles made up, we fill up the vehicle and take them to the church and pack them in the room. We left some in the small trailer and just had the trailer at church ready to load up the trailer that was going on Thursday.

Wednesday: I worked some more on the bundles at the house and also dealing with some of the packages I get - there is always cardboard and boxes to handle, open, flatten, put away, sort, etc. Then, Wed. afternoon we went to the wholesale place to pick up the order that I put in on Monday morning before we went shopping.

We had a guest from the states arrive on Tuesday. His name is Mike. He arrived in time to help load the trailer.

Here is the back of the truck - which the men loaded at the wholesale place. Mike, my husband, had put in 2 - 60 liter containers in the back, and they took 120 liters of fuel to the people in Ukraine as well as food. Because the diesel was in there, he made sure to put only sealed containers of food in the back of the truck (things like mayo and ketchup) - not flour or buckwheat.

Then, we loaded the trailer.

Lena and Angelina needed to leave before we were completely finished so there are two pics of the trailer - one before the quilts were loaded up and one after.

Once Lena and Angelina left - we started bringing in the quilts to throw in on top.

Now here is the finished load with my husband, Mike, Marina, and our guest, Mike.

Thursday

While Mike and Mike were on their trip into Ukraine, I had decided to take a load into Otwock for local people. So, I met Lena and Marina at 11:30 at the local Lidl and we went shopping for food.

We then took the load to the white tent where they will be given out to refugees who are local. They hand out on M-Th-Sat.

This time they were in a hurry (because I was blocking someone trying to get in to where I was standing) to unload so we unloaded in record time - and I wasn’t able to find Edek to give him the two patches I have for him. I will have to give him a call.

In the afternoon I worked on some things in my living room, unpacking and dealing with boxes and packing up some vinyl bags by myself.

Mike arrived back about midnight.

Friday

Mike brought back Ania and Inna with him from Lutsk, Ukraine, so in the morning, after breakfast, I asked them to help me unload the load of vinyl packs I had worked on the day of Mike’s trip which I had worked on in the afternoon. They did. Then Mike got them on their train on their trip further - as they were heading to Berlin.

By the time my vehicle was full, I had 52 more quilts left to bundle up in the vinyl bags. I was hoping I had ordered enough pillows to finish up this load - without having too many sitting around taking up space til I get the big load in.

I did get enough in and hoped to finish them up on Sat.

Saturday

Originally I had though I would ask for help, but I really wanted to just say home, put on a baseball game and do it by myself. So that is what I did. I did finish up the 52 bundles which made me current on the regular quilts. Rebekah, an American who is staying at the church and was back in town briefly, helped me by loading the bundles in the vehicle and I took them over to the church on Sat. afternoon. She then helped me unload them into the room.

I came home from unloading that load, and put the rest of the vinyl packs that were all finished into the van and got it all ready to head to church in the morning. I figured I’d ask people who came to church to help me unload after church was over.

Did I mention that I’m shameless in asking for help?

So that is what I did.

While there, Artur, who has a neighbor housing some refugees, asked if he could take one for his neighbor’s child. I gave him three - one for the kid plus two women who are with the child (all refugees).

There really just isn’t room in that room anymore. The men here were just throwing them on top of the heap. Hopefully later this week we can give a good number of them away and move them out. I need to because there isn’t much more room in there.

Below is a little video showing a little better of the room currently (Sunday).

Oh. I forgot one more thing.

On Facebook I had seen in one of our local places for refugees, where a lady was asking for a small refrigerator for a refugee as the place she is staying has no refrigerator. As the weather warms, the balcony isn’t enough to keep her son’s medicine cool. She was asking for a small hotel type one. I contacted this lady, Dorota, to see if anyone had met that need yet - and no one had. I offered to get one. And so I (we - thank you!) did. Boy that makes that little action sound quick and easy, huh? LOL It wasn’t quite that seamless, but we succeeded in getting it to her on Tuesday.

The mom’s name is Lena. She shown below. She is very grateful! Thank you so much those of you who have helped!

So it’s been another very busy week! Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey!

Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store here!

Here’s one of the beauties we have!

Week in Review of Ukraine Efforts