April 2, 2022

 

  

A Guardian Angel Suddenly Appears

 

Last night I transported two sets of families pictured above. Elena (mother) and Denis ( 11-year old son) are standing next to me. Olga (mother) and Zlata (15-year old daughter) are next to them.  Both families escaped from the most dangerous zones of warfare.  In fact, Olga and Zlata were one of the 6,000 people who escaped from Mariupol this week when a humanitarian corridor opened up briefly and then closed, trapping the remaining 200,000 people. 

Denis is the type of kid who can drive you nuts, but all in a good way. He's the type who can't shut up, has an opinion on everything, asks a million questions and blurts out answers in class while everyone else raises their hands. You get the picture. He talked nonstop during the three hour ride to Krakow. He spoke a little English and every once in a while he would say, "John, you are cool."  Several times he said, "My mother likes your car." And near the end of the ride he said, "My mother likes your car and if you want to give it to her as a present, she would be very happy." (in perfect English)

Here is another example how we volunteers have a network of people ready to jump in and help each other. I needed to know where to drop the families off and what were their next steps. I put out a text asking for help from an interpreter and Peter, my suitcase friend from Canada, responded immediately and via speakerphone, we were able to develop a plan.

They wanted to catch a train to Wroclaw and Peter found one leaving at 8:30.  It was going to be tight to make it on time. When we arrived at the train station it was 8:00 and my Maps app took us into a large indoor parking garage of a shopping mall. I started to panic a bit as I had no idea where the train station was in relation to the garage. I still had to help them buy tickets and get them to the right track. It took a few minutes to find a spot to park and as I pulled in, I noticed a young man getting out of his car. He was looking at us as if he wanted to help.  I asked if he spoke English and he replied, "Yes, of course." I asked if he knew where the train station was and he said, "Yes, I will take you there." I was so relieved that I almost wept. I told him these people were from Ukraine and didn't speak Polish so I was trying to help them get to their next destination. He immediately began to speak to them in Ukrainian! What were the odds of running into a man who spoke Polish, English and Ukrainian, and who was willing to take them to the train station just at the moment that I needed help! He turned to me and urged me to leave as he had matters under control. 

I didn't believe in guardian angels before, but I do now.