THE CRIES OF UKRAINE
NOW, the heavy-lifting begins…..
By the time you get this, I’ll have just landed at JFK. Now the heavy-lifting starts. In the last two weeks, I’ve seen a lot, I’ve heard enough, I’ve cried too much and I’ve pounded my fist until it bled……
You know I’ve never been afraid to pick up a shovel or a sword to save a child no matter what corner they’re sitting on, where they’re from or how they got there. This is why the Nehemiahs for the Nations campaign for Metro is so relevant at this time in world history.
Having been on the ground there in Ukraine, I feel like I can cut through the differences between fact and fiction, political noise and sound bites, and those who just want their name on a banner.
That’s why I went there. I needed to be confident in how and why I communicate to people, what the needs are and what can be done over the long term.
No group or organization can do everything. We all know that. But when you can get the right people like Nehemiah said, people that have a mind to work, those that have a heart for God, have a “whatever it takes” mentality, and they aren’t concerned about who gets the credit. That’s when something great can happen.
As I said, NOW, the heavy-lifting begins…..
Myself, the Metro U.K., Metro Switzerland teams, along with fearless frontline folks we’ve connected with there on the ground are now plowing shoulder to shoulder. We have put together a 3-level approach. IT’S BEEN PUT TOGETHER EVEN AS WE SPEAK.
I. OUR PART
a. RESCUE AND RELOCATION: As many of you already know, last week we were able to facilitate the evacuation of 3 orphanages; one that specifically dealt with handicapped children. We have calls coming into our Ukraine partner center from other towns and villages that are begging for help. We rented buses, got drivers, and did our best to find enough fuel to make the trips.
b. FOOD SUPPLIES: As supply routes are constantly cut off, we’re working with trucking companies and drivers to get supplies to our partner center in Uzhhorod, in the western part of Ukraine. The supplies are loaded on the trucks and delivered to the trouble spots around the country that are harder to get to. Things like soup, bread, baby food, bottled water and diapers are THE BARE NECESSITIES. We’re calling it the “Soup, Soap and Hope” department.
c. BODY ARMOUR AND HELMETS: a Christian businessman in Austria has linked me up with a manufacturer that produces body armour and Kevlar helmets. As I drove through the nation, I saw 18, 19-year-old young men guarding checkpoints to highways and communities without any body armour or protection at all. They need that help urgently.
I want to call this part of Metro’s work, PUTTING ON THE FULL ARMOUR OF GOD.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
II. YOUR PART
a. BUSES You’ve heard me talk about renting buses to get individuals and children out of the shelling and bombing zones, then get them out of the country. Here is how this works.
To rent one bus for a one-way trip is between $800 and $900 to get to a location. Then they drive the people back to the center in Uzhhorod. Most of the locations that we’re getting the most requests from are on the north, middle and south side of the country. Each bus carries up to 40 people. It takes about $1100 to $1200 for fuel to make the run to the place where the people are. It’s pretty close to the same amount of money to get them out of the country. That’s a very practical thing and extremely important at this point. The buses are the biggest tool to make the extractions happen.
b. FOOD SUPPLIES:
The food supplies that we’re working on are able to be trucked through Poland and then go to their destinations. We’re having Christian volunteers in Switzerland and U.K. that are renting trucks themselves and doing food drives from their own towns, villages, and churches. They load the trucks and drive themselves through Slovakia, across the border into Ukraine then to Uzhhorod where our main supply center is. Again, that’s practical and any of you can be part of it and can certainly get people to help.
c. BODY ARMOR AND HELMETS
The manufacturer’s cost to produce a bulletproof vest which will stop a .308 round is $268 and it will be $45 for the helmet. That’s an extremely good price and almost at cost. He will get these vests and helmets through Poland and across the border to be distributed to the young men who need them immediately.
I trust that this plan I’ve laid out for you will help you to understand what needs to be done and how it can be done, and hopefully you can communicate this to others. It’s being implemented right now. If the Lord puts something on your heart, you can go to our website. www.mwc.org/ukriane or call any of our offices around the world. We’ll certainly help to facilitate whatever the Lord puts on your heart to do.
What is the 3rd part of this 3-level plan?
I’ll share it with you soon….. and it will BE CONTINUED……