In mid-March, the CPA sent out a donation letter in five languages to raise money for Ukraine. In doing so, we recommended three trustworthy Christian organisations to which all addressees could donate directly. Some of the donors also sent money to the CPA for Ukraine, and we are happy to tell you about a project that could be financed in this way.
Through a contact person we learned that ReMiDia, a mission and diaconal work in Slovenia, offers a summer camp for Ukrainian children. Our contact works for the police chaplaincy, which offers the camp for policemen’s children. But because he lives right next to the Ukrainian border, he is also very affected by the need in Ukraine and helps where he can and also takes care of Ukrainian policemen. One such policeman approached him and asked if he could bring children of policemen from Ukraine who are half-orphans to the summer camp.
We can all hardly imagine the stresses and strains to which both the Ukrainian police officers and the Slovenian police officers stationed near the border have been subjected in recent months, how much suffering they have had to witness. Nor can we comprehend the trauma the war has caused these children who have lost a parent. We are very grateful to be able to make a small contribution to help here.
Many thanks to all donors!
Donations for the CPA and its national and international projects are still welcome.
Read the report about the successful camp:
Summer Bible Camp of the Ecumenical Police Chaplaincy Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic 2022.
From 7 to 13 August 2022, the Summer Bible Camp of the Office of the Ecumenical Pastoral Service of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic took place in Telgárt.
39 children participated in the camp.
Accompanied by an adult, the widow of a deceased policeman from Ukraine, among them were 6 children of policemen from Ukraine who had lost their fathers during the war conflict.
The Office of Police Chaplaincy, in cooperation with the Police Officer in Ukraine and the Christian Police Association from Switzerland, wanted to bring at least a little smile and peace in the spirit of collegiality and help to the children whose lives have been permanently affected by the war in Ukraine.
We would like to thank our colleagues, police officers from Switzerland, for their positive response to our request and for funding the stay in the amount of 1150€ of children from Ukraine in a camp in Slovakia. We would also like to sincerely thank the Office of the Minister of Interior of the Slovak Republic for the donation of promotional items and reflective elements for all children in the camp.
The theme of the summer Bible camp was: You are of great value to the Lord God. Each participant of the camp also received a commemorative letter on which this central idea was written. The main Bible verse: For God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that you may have fullness always and in everything to every good work. (2 Cor 9:8) was a supporting thought to realise that God is the source of sufficiency of all that is necessary for a good life. Each day the police chaplains prepared reflections, themes and songs for the children that spoke about God’s love for us.
In the evenings, we discussed with the older campers many of the issues they live with: their expectations of life, family, school and their attitudes towards issues that affect society. All this from the perspective of the Christian faith, which says that the life of each of us has a meaning and we are important to God.
As the camp was located in the beautiful nature of the village of Telgárt in central Slovakia, the campers went on excursions from there to the near and far surroundings. Here is a selection from the rich programme:
We visited the Bell Museum in Šumiac, the famous Muran Beech Forest and observed how the river was formed at the source of HRON. We also saw the famous Chmarošský Viaduct, over which we travelled by train as we returned from a visit to the highest water reservoir, Palcmanská Maša. The water temperature and weather were not favourable for swimming, but the pleasant surroundings and the possibility of renting boats or just sitting on the bank of the reservoir and observing the surroundings shortened the time and we had to hurry to catch the train. We also visited Murán Castle, Chateau Betliar and as part of the tourist activities we climbed up to the hut under Kráľová Hoľa Mountain. From there, the fittest walked in the direction of Kráľová skala to Telgárt, the others hiked a shorter way back to the bus to Šumiac. Finally, the children had the opportunity to relax in the Aquapark in Poprad, some also completed another hike in the High Tatras.
During the camp, a rare visitor came to greet the children one afternoon – actress Simona B. Roman, who comes from Eastern Slovakia and has starred in several Hollywood films, for example with Wesley Snipes. After the outbreak of the war, she came from England to help as a volunteer paramedic at the Slovak-Ukrainian border, where she also met police chaplains who were there as coordinators of the welcome teams. She told the children about her life journey, that it is important to have a dream and follow it, not to give up and to try in life, despite many obstacles and problems, to overcome all situations knowing that God helps where a person is proactive in terms of good. We thank God for His protection and guidance during the summer Bible camp.
Milan Bartko and Milan Petrula
Police chaplains
