POLAND – KPRC 2 reporter Zachery Lashway is headed to Poland this week, exploring the situation there as Ukrainians spill across the border to escape the violence in their home country.
Sunday, March 27, 2022
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Hi Insiders —
What a trip it’s been... we are finishing where we started, in Warsaw.
Today was my first opportunity to see a little bit of the town after several LIVE shots for KPRC and KSAT. Today, we went LIVE from outside the Royal Castle where POTUS addressed the world from on Saturday. He said, “Puttin cannot remain in power.” The White House was quick to downplay his remarks. The Royal Castle is in Old Warsaw, a beautiful section of the city. Locals tell me the majority of Warsaw was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt.
Tonight, I had the opportunity to meet up with a dear friend’s nephew and his partner. The two have a flat with three children. They also have an extra apartment where they are hosting a total of six Ukrainian refugees. A grandmother, daughter and four grandchildren. The family is sharing the two-bedroom apartment. The children start school tomorrow and are so excited to have a bit of normalcy. I learned this over dinner, after a long walk through parts of Warsaw you only get to experience with locals. I had the best Italian ravioli I’ve ever had in my life. Go figure, the most delicious Italian food in Poland. After dinner, we walked around. I saw the Russian consulate. It appears someone shot red paintballs at the gate. It’s heavily guarded by Polish police.
Almost everywhere we walked we saw the Ukraine flag next to Poland’s flag. Reinforcing Ukraine is supported, which leaves me with great peace and hope as we get ready to leave early tomorrow morning.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to show you around Poland this past week. It’s been an honor and privilege.
I will see you all soon.
ZL
Saturday, March 26, 2022
From Bialystok to Narewka to Warsaw
Insiders –
What a day it’s been!! We woke up in Bialystok, met up with a volunteer at an area Baptist church, that’s receiving donations from Texas Baptist Men (which is coming from generous Texans). She brought us to meet a wonderful family hosting Ukrainian refugees. The family of five lives in a SMALL, walk-up apartment. They are hosting a family of five. Ten people are living in an apartment that I’d say is smaller than 1,000 sq. ft. The family has melded so well. Their story is heartbreaking, tune in to KPRC 2 tomorrow.
We left Bialystok bound for Narewka. It was an hour drive. This is a VERY rural area approximately 20 miles west of the Belarus border. Here we visited a church/children’s camp. A group of Ukrainian refugees had arrived shortly before we pulled up. One family, through a translator, told me, they left, and an hour later their home was destroyed by bombs. Another family said they live close to Kyiv and they decided to leave because they have a military presence that was bombed in their town. They said they would go home if the skies over Ukraine would close. They could live with war from the ground, but not sky.
As we were leaving Narewka, we saw bison!
The drive to Warsaw was about four hours… once we got into Warsaw traffic was awful. Turns out, streets were closed because President Biden was in the area. I saw the motorcade pass by, but everything remained shut down. We (my photographer and I) had to walk half a mile with our luggage and gear. It took us close to an hour to walk that, because police had sidewalks closed, in addition to streets.
Throughout all the areas we were in today, we saw signs of solidarity. Whether it was a picture hanging in shelter, colored by a refugee, Ukrainian children playing with Polish children, or blue and yellow lights on buildings… it gives hope to Ukrainians and the rest of us who care and are helping.
See you tomorrow!
Friday, March 25, 2022
Good evening, Insiders –
A light night, turned into an early morning. We were supposed to meet downstairs at 7:30 a.m. (local time), but I got a text message from a volunteer with Texas Baptist Men saying our plans were being moved up.
We were heading to a warehouse that was donated by the Baptist church to be a storage facility for goods and food. A truck was coming in with a delivery, but that truck apparently was arriving earlier than anticipated. So, we quickly got ready and headed over there. At the facility, I spoke with volunteers with TBM who reiterated this mission is different than any other relief mission they experienced. They said this is sparking responses and action from all nations. “It’s unifying the world.” I spoke with another volunteer there who was in Chelm from Latvia. He, along with others, have been transporting goods from other Baltic nations to Poland, and then in departing, bringing with them, refugees. He also brings fuel with him, which is truly remarkable.
After spending time at the warehouse, we headed back to the Baptist church. There, I’d say about 30 refugees showed up when we were there. One van with 15 refugees, mostly elderly people. One man is blind. Another woman could barely walk. I helped her manage steps and carried her one bag, YES, ONE BAG into the church, which is now a shelter. Her entire life, their entire lives, reduced to ONE BAG. Think about that for one moment. It is heartbreaking. It gets me choked up thinking about it. None of these folks spoke English, mostly Ukrainian and Russian.
We stayed at the church for a few hours to go LIVE. We took pictures with volunteers before parting and used translators to wish the refugees the best in their travels.
We then made the four-plus hour journey north to Bialystok. This is where I am writing to you tonight. It’s a beautiful city. On the way here we took secondary roads. Very bumpy secondary roads. We hugged the border to Ukraine and Belarus on the journey north, never crossing the border. Due west of Ukraine, we passed through two checkpoints where we had to produce our passports to Poland police. We passed more officers in the process of setting up checkpoints. We saw hundreds of deer along the way and two moose! I felt like I was home in the Adirondacks of Upstate NY.
Tomorrow, we plan to visit families in Bialystok housing Ukrainian refugees, supported by TBM. The pastor of the local church and a Poland resident (born Ukrainian), two people we were supposed to meet will be headed into Poland to deliver a truckload of goods. Again, we’re not disclosing where for their safety. The woman, who now lives here, calls her parents twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night to make sure they are still alive. They’re back in Ukraine. This is life for the folks in 2022. I am hoping to go on Zoom with her tomorrow. We plan to go LIVE for the morning shows (afternoon here) from a town southeast of Bialystok called Narewka. It’s approximately 20 miles from the border of Belarus, but there is not a crossing there. Here in this town, there are additional families who have opened their homes to refugees. Again, supported by the generosity of Texans. Tomorrow evening, we plan to head back to Warsaw where we will wrap up our trip where we started it. Over the weekend additional volunteers with TBM, the “second team” will arrive while team one will head home. We say goodbye early Monday morning.
Goodnight.
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Insiders –
Today was our first FULL day on the ground in Poland. We traveled from Warsaw to Chelm early this morning. Chelm is a city approximately 15 miles away from the Poland-Ukraine border.
We woke up at 5 am (local time) and it’s almost midnight here. This is my last (hopefully) assignment for the day. I really look forward to this task because it allows me to reflect on a more personal note and a more in-depth level than what I can in my reports.
The drive was nice. Rand, with Texas Baptist Men, drove. We three grown guys are piled into a small Kia SUV -- us, and all the equipment. During the three-hour trip, I only saw one stop sign and one pothole. The roads are pretty well maintained, but apparently, the poles don’t believe in stop signs.
When we arrived in Chelm, we went directly to the historic district to scout out a LIVE location. If you saw my LIVE reports, you probably noticed how beautiful that part of town is. If not, here are some photos to show you.
We broadcasted LIVE for you, our KPRC2 viewers, and our sister station’s in Roanoke, San Antonio and Jacksonville (my alma mater).
After hours of hits, we went to a Baptist church, turned shelter, with the help from Texans. Several volunteers with TBM have been working at this church to serve thousands of refugees that are passing through. Their work is remarkable. Tune in tomorrow morning to watch our report.
We also spoke with refugees. One Ukrainian woman was telling me her friends in Russia do NOT believe her regarding the war. They do NOT believe Russia has invaded Ukraine. They suggest she and her family are making this up. She thanked us for reporting on the matter and telling the truth.
After conducting several interviews at the church, we traveled to the border. It took about 20 minutes to get there. When we arrived, I was shooting a video, and immediately a volunteer with an organization that has set up shop at the border to aid refugees asked me not to film. I respected his wishes and listened to him. He expressed great concern for his safety and the safety of others, including the refugees.
So, while I will not share that specific video, I will describe to you what we saw. The area is very well secured. From military to law enforcement officers, gates and vehicles. I spoke with one young man who just arrived at the border after an 11-hour journey from Kyiv. He, his sister and their cat Mars are heading to Germany to stay with family. They hope to someday return to Ukraine. Along the road is a sidewalk and porta-potties line that sidewalk, as do garbage cans every 10-20 feet or so. Also along the guard rails, food for animals, blankets and chopped firewood. Ash remains from extinguished fires. It’s quite jarring to see. Also disturbing, were the stray cats and dogs in the area.
The work that is being done and the work that will need to be done is great. Although this entire situation breaks my heart, I am moved to see humanity come together the way that it has.
Any questions? Reach out to me on social media!
Until tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Hi Insiders –
We made it to Warsaw, Poland. What a day it has been. VERY emotional. I’m exhausted and did not sleep much on the planes so I apologize if what to come is all over the place. I need to go to sleep soon, to wake up early to head to Chelm. This drive can be anywhere from 2.5 to 4 hours. We plan to visit the border and a facility where Texas volunteers are hard at work.
Shortly after landing, we met up with Rand from Texas Baptist Men. He is who I have been coordinating with for weeks. Rand brought us to The Baptist Union of Poland’s headquarters, a beautiful campus, tucked away in a gorgeous residential neighborhood within Warsaw. We toured the buildings and met so many incredibly strong people, mostly refugees.
I spoke with pastor Dr. Mateusz Wichary. He, with help from TBM transformed campus buildings into shelter for Ukrainians fleeing their country. We were able to speak with several refugees, with help from Mateusz translating Ukrainian into English. (Make sure you tune in tomorrow to KPRC to see our stories.)
I interviewed Mateusz first. We spoke outside on the lawn in between all the buildings. The weather was perfect. Sunny and mild temps. Children, Ukrainian children were running around, appearing not to have a care in the world. Inside, their guardians, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles… more than 120 of them, all busy: cleaning, crocheting, cooking, planning and praying.
During my interview with Mateusz, I asked him, ‘What is your biggest challenge?’ During that question, without notice, my voice cracked. I paused and asked the question again. I blinked many times to clear water from my eyes. As I was asking that question, I could see the challenges in his eyes. He has done so much good, for so many people; but it’s been challenging. All of it. His response was, “Sometimes you don’t know how to help them, you’d like to; but you don’t know how.”
He does, although it might not always feel like. This was the first of many weak moments I had throughout the day.
Talking with Maria, a mother of two sons, one in Ukraine, the other in Boston. Maria has two grandsons. Helping me to understand, Mateusz, translated what she said. Her youngest grandson was with her at the shelter. His brother, the older one, was forced to stay back in Ukraine to fight in Putin’s war. She hopes to be reunited with her family in Boston. In the meantime, she crochets.
As I was leaving, she asked Peter, another refugee I met, who speaks English (fluently), if there was anything I could do to help her get to America now. I felt that question. It was direct. I, along with Rand and Peter assured her there are people advocating for refugees all over the world, that she has the whole world on her side.
Peter, a father was at the shelter with eight of his family members, including his 80-year-old mother. He hopes to join a relative in South Carolina.
I met another woman, who is at the shelter with her daughter. She could not speak English, so with help from Mateusz, she told me she wanted to stay close to the border, because she hopes to return home to Ukraine. As does much of the world.
More tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
En route to Poland…
Hi Insiders –
Today is Tuesday afternoon. Right now, I am writing this entry from inside Newark. This is our first layover. We have another one in Amsterdam, before arriving to Warsaw tomorrow afternoon.
I hope to communicate with you in a less formal, more personal way through these journal entries. This will also be a way for you to engage and ask me questions about what we see and experience.
When we arrive to Warsaw, we will be meeting up with folks from Texas Baptist Men, a Texas-based organization that is on the ground in Poland, helping Ukrainians evacuate their country. Volunteers with TBM are providing these folks with help and hope, by converting places or worship into shelters, among other services.
We plan to stay in Warsaw Wednesday night and head to Chelm on Thursday, head to the Ukraine-Poland border, travel north to Bialystok, before returning to Warsaw.
This morning I woke up around 4 AM. As I was getting ready to head to the airport, severe weather moved into the metro area. Made for a very interesting ride to the airport. Because I arrived early, I was able to catch a delayed flight (still hours before my scheduled flight) to Newark. What a bumpy ride (probably one of the most turbulent flights I’ve experienced). This is a picture I took from above the storms that passed through Texas this morning.
We’re scheduled to board in a few hours. Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, follow along on social: @KPRC2ZachLashway on FB, IG and Twitter.
