What Next?
Sitting down to write this update, I realized today’s date is May 21. A poignant reminder of how much life can change in a short amount of time . . .
You see, it was on this day 2 months ago that I began planning our efforts to help the people of Ukraine. March 21, which also happens to be my birthday, was the day I began emailing people – strangers – on the other side of the world to try and organize “something” to help.
To be perfectly candid with you, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing two months ago. The only thing I was confident in was the truth that I was stepping out in faith to follow a calling placed on my heart by God.
Fast forward to today, two months later, and I reflect over the 3 weeks our small team spend on the ground in Lublin, Poland; the $30,000 in aid we were able to distribute; and, most importantly, the sweet souls we met and were fortunate enough to help. But on the other side of this reflection comes the natural questions, What Next?!
To answer that question, we must consider other questions:
What is the need of the people today? How can we – our small team - help to meet those needs? Do we even have the resources to help? Are people here in States still interested in helping?
I, especially, have ruminated over these questions since returning on April 25, and here’s where I’ve landed in response to what’s next:
Our team’s goal is to develop a network of support for the people we partnered with so that their efforts can be sustained long-term.
To help achieve that goal, I am returning to Lublin June 8 – July 2, with Matt joining the last week of June. We are facilitating introductions between our new Polish and Ukrainian friends with larger American organizations, and will continue to work to raise funding in support of their efforts.
So, if you find yourself asking, What Next? Please consider making a donation to our efforts or sharing this update with anyone and everyone you think might be interested. It’s truly a collective effort and we are grateful for your support.
