Sixty-seven Ukrainian women gathered for a retreat from June 11 to 14 in Zaniemysl, a small town outside Poznan, Poland. The event was hosted by the Church of the Nazarene in partnership with Evangelical Poland at Lake EPIC Campgrounds. The retreat focused on providing participants, many of whom have been forced to relocate and rebuild their lives while caring for families, with an opportunity to rest, reflect, and be reminded that God sees them.
The theme of the gathering was based on Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He makes everything beautiful in its time.” Sessions were paired with creative activities designed to foster reflection and conversation among attendees. Organizers noted that many participants were not Christians.
In preparation for the event, local tea club members had been offered Bibles but only a few initially expressed interest. Twenty Bibles were prepared for distribution during the final service; however, not everyone received one as some women came running to receive a Bible. One woman from a nearby café requested to study the Bible further with the team.
During the closing session, one participant stood up and said through tears, “Ukrainian women have no time to reflect inward. Each day, many of us work two to three jobs just to support ourselves and our children. Thank you for giving us time to look inward and to see that God cares for us and that He sees us.”
The retreat team included a woman from the Czech Republic whose testimony resonated deeply with several attendees. After her sharing, some approached her in tears saying, “Your story is my story.”
Reflecting on the weekend’s impact, an 80-year-old participant asked why they should wait until next year before holding another gathering: “We can do it again in August!” Another attendee wrote about her gratitude after attending: “Words cannot fully convey the gratitude I feel after this retreat... We may speak different languages and live on different continents, but our souls speak one language... This retreat showed me that God does not need passports or borders. He gifted us love and full understanding.”
