Featured Photos: The top photo gives you a visual of some of the firefighters in Kharkiv that work tirelessly in responding to the savagery of Russian bombings. The side photo are rolls of firefighting water hoses are stacked and pallets and have been delivered to Chernihiv, Ukraine where they are desperately needed in fighting the fires ignited by Russian bombings. These were shipped to our Montgomery, AL warehouse and loaded into a container on May 17.
Amazing Development!
To highlight the amazing partnership and logistics consider this: Coeur d’Alene (Idaho), Lenoir City (TN), Fair Lawn (New Jersey), Montgomery (AL), Gdansk (Poland), Lublin (Poland), Chernihiv (Ukraine) and Kharkiv (Ukraine) were all connected and worked seamlessly in this action! The truism states, “When you master a task it looks simple.” The complexities of these actions are often unknown but we have an excellent network established that makes the difficulties of these shipments look so easy.
Snippets of communication
The shipments neither a quick action nor a simple task. Each shipment is multi-faceted and often challenged in some way. It is not just collecting “stuff” and loading a cargo container. It is not just saying, “I want to ship this.” To illustrate the complexity of every load, here are a few snippets of communications regarding the container going to firefighters in Kharkiv (in actuality there were reams of emails that made this action successful). In addition to the below there are many that assist us with various aspects of each move.
Thanks John and Charita, I am now in Kharkiv, Ukraine but will be departing in 3 weeks. Probably not enough time for the shipment to reach here by then, but I will make arrangements for someone to pick up in Kharkiv, when it does arrive. Brian…
Thanks Brian. Keep your head down! Tell the good people in Kharkiv they are in our hearts and prayers! We have shipped a good amount of relief items there. I have some very good friends from there. John…
Will do John! Kharkiv is my favorite city in Ukraine. Brian…
Thank you lets go with that! Mekhi… ALCON! We are set to receive! Mekhi has sent confirmation on trucking! It should be here by Saturday. All is looking good. A special shoutout to the Idaho Fire Fighters!! THANKS TO ALL! John…
Hi John, Did you receive the shipment from the firefighters in Idaho ok? What is the timeline for the next leg to Khatkiv, Ukraine with your shipment? Things are pretty tense over here these days. Brian…
Yes I received Monday am on schedule. We are waiting for loading scheduling (we hope to load this week but nothing is nailed down yet). After we load here it will take about 30 days to arrive at the destination. I have been following briefs on Kharkiv and it is disheartening, John…
Thanks for the update, John. Ukrainians are strong. They will prevail, Brian…
Hello Maria! I hope and pray you are doing well and your family is doing well! There are two containers being shipped to you in the near future. The first container, half of which is yours to distribute, contains various disposable medical supplies. The other half of the container contains firefighting equipment to be picked up and distributed. The other container contains rice meals for your distribution. These containers have not been shipped but will be in the near future. More information will be provided as shipment nears. May God continue to bless yours and your team’s service. Mike…
Dear Mr Michael, Thank you very much for the great news! When can we expect the shipment in Kharkiv? Kind regards, Mariia…
We loaded this morning & I’ll send you final load inventory! May 17 loaded 1,257 boxes/bags and 2 pallets weighing 17,540 pounds total value shipped $290,275.00, John…
Dear John, Thank you very much for this update and for your so important help! Kind regards, Mariia…
Hello Bogdan, This container was loaded and is on its way to Poland. The USA side is paying for door-to-door delivery. The final delivery will be to Kharkiv. All documents are located in a shared folder. Hello @mariia, this is consolidated cargo. Please make sure when this donation arrives, pallets marked for the fire department will be forwarded to their proper recipient. @’Oleg S, please share your recipient’s contact information with Maria. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions. Charita…
Dear Mrs Charita and the team, I checked on the map that it takes 12,5 hours from Lviv to Karkiv and 16 hours from Lviv – Chernigiv – Khrakiv. Maybe it would be better to pass by Chernigiv in order to deliver a firefighter shipment? We may also arrange the delivery from Kharkiv to Chernigiv, if required. Kind regards, Mariia…
Hello Mariia, This load is fully assigned to your organization, which means you will need Akt Peredachi signed by the other recipient. Nevertheless, when this cargo is ready to be moved, the driver will speak to you, and delivery can be arranged in whichever way is cheaper and better for that moment in time. Charita…
Hello Charita and Mariia, I am writing on behalf of Oleg. The contact in Ukraine for the firefighter department equipment is Volodymyr. His phone number in Ukraine is +380 67 xxxxxx. I have a question. The final destination for the firefighter shipment is Chernihiv which is in a different part of Ukraine. To understand, is the location of pick-up for the firefighter department goods in Kharkiv or is it possible to have it delivered to an address in Chernihiv? Just let me know one way or another, so that we can make arrangements in Ukraine. Brian…
Hello Brian, It is not a problem to deliver them to final destination, but all the details have to be worked out when we are ready for delivery. Charita…
Dear Mrs Charita, Thank you for your response. I am asking you regarding the supporting documents in order to know what should we prepare for the border from our side. Also, if main part of inventory is firefighting equipment wouldn’t be better to do the act peredachi for the recipient of this firefighting equipment? Kind regards, Mariia…
The documents you will be getting will be issued by Polish NGO, Bogdan will reach out to you when documents are translated to Ukrainian. Charita…
Hello Everyone, Your cargo is scheduled to arrive at Polish ports on June 30th. Please ensure you are ready to receive and have all the documents ready. @Bogdan, this cargo is being paid by USA to door. Please make sure all the invoices are issued to WOCP. Charita…
July 25, Hello Everyone, I am happy to announce that this donated cargo has been delivered to Kharkiv. Please make sure to contact Mariia to pick up the fire department equipment. Charita…
Dear team! I am happy to inform you that we have started the distribution of medical materials, first happy doctors’ photos are attached. Also, all firefighters’ equipment has been well delivered to Chernihiv free of charge due to volunteer help. Please find the photos attached. And the last good news is that our team has launched the distribution of rice too. Soon I will send you a photo report. Here are the thanks post that we published a week ago regarding your help. Thank you very much for your valuable support to Ukraine. This touches our hearts and motivates us to continue. Best regards, Mariia…
Thank you Mariia! May God continue to bless you and your team’s effort to care for your countryman. And may God provide the resources to help all those who love Ukraine! Mike
Joy and Satisfaction
One of the greatest joys in our work result from unforeseen developments as in this action. Charita had been contacted by the Idaho firefighters. They had a contact in Kharkiv pleading for firefighting equipment and supplies to help as the horrors of Russian bombs devastated the civilian population. The supplies were only enough for half a container. So, we asked Mike Lawson if we could send medical supplies and equipment to his contacts in the Chernihiv Region so the container would be stuffed full. Mike’s response was as usual—positive and energetic!
At the same time, we were offered a container of enriched rice meals. Mike paid for the shipping costs and a number of orphanages, elderly, and other vulnerable groups that were desperately needing food were given food.
In early May we received the supplies from the Idaho Department of Lands, arranged logistics and loaded the container. The shipment to Montgomery was preceded by this communication from the Idaho Governor’s office:
“Wildland firefighting gear for Chernihiv, Ukraine. Hello All, I hope this reaches everyone outside of the Idaho Department of Lands. Bjorn asked if I could coordinate this shipment with Charita. So, if you could please include me on these emails for the time being, that would be great. I will just need an address to ship to in Montgomery and we’ll get this on the road. Michael is out for a few weeks and I don’t want to miss an opportunity to get this shipped. Thank you! Kelly”
Arrival and Distribution
Mariia followed up with clearance, logistical coordination with the Fire Fighter’s contact and distribution of the medical supplies that we sent.
“Dear team! I am happy to inform you that we have started the distribution of medical materials, first happy doctors’ photos are attached. Also, all fire fighters’ equipment has been well delivered to Chernihiv free of charge due to volunteer help. Please find the photos attached. And the last good news is that our team has launched the distribution of rice too. Soon I will send you a photo report. Here are the thanks post that we published a week ago in our area regarding your help: “KHLIB volunteers, we sincerely thank @worldofconnections World of Connections, Michael Lawson, Charita Shteynberg (World of Connections), John Kachelman, the Hardin Valley Church of Christ, the Dalraida Church of Christ and many others for your invaluable support and cooperation 💙💛 Your contribution is extremely important to our cause and we are deeply grateful for your dedication and help. Your generosity and efforts help us continue our mission and change lives for the better.” Thank you very much for your valuable support to Ukraine. This touches our hearts and motivates us to continue. Best regards, Mariia
Mike Lawson’s update PDF
UA-Missions-July-2024Hillsboro’s Buckets
The Hillsboro Church of Christ (Nashville, TN) initiated a Family Bucket collection and, at this point, have 386 buckets filled and waiting to ship. This is not enough to fill a container so additional items are being solicited. We are grateful to Scott Saunders (Healing Hands International) who is storing these buckets until sufficient volume has been collected. Joining in this effort are Roberto Santiago (Nashville, TN), Kathy Cadden (Columbus, MS), and Alvin Creasy (Waynesboro, TN).
Alvin has often assisted our efforts by securing miscellaneous medical supplies that are desperately needed.
Kathy is constantly searching for items to ship. Kathy sent this note: “John I can get 4 skids of rice meals from Dale in Louisville but I can only barely put three on my truck. Food would be great for orphanages and IDPs.”
Beto sent out the below bulletin regarding his efforts in this action:
Beto-Rescued-document-2Thus far we have completed approximately 700 moves of the kind described in this update since Russia invaded Ukraine. The early eagerness to assist has lessened but the critical needs continue. We continue to be offered amazing commodities, but funds to deliver are scarce. With winter’s bitter cold approaching the critical needs increase. We will continue doing what we can with what we have and trusting in God’s power to strengthen us. Will you join with us and help the Lord’s Church respond?
John L. Kachelman, Jr. Ukraine Missions, Dalraida Church of Christ, P.O. Box 3085, Montgomery, AL 36109
You must be logged in to post a comment.