Imagine that you are about to sit down to enjoy a morning cup of tea or coffee. It’s a sunny, peaceful morning, only to have that silence broken by the very loud wail of an air raid siren. Just another morning for some in the Ukraine.
The signs of destruction are everywhere. Broken down or burned out implements of destruction litter some towns and villages. Buildings strafed by machine gun fire or bombs. Homes and apartments gutted, burned out or just destroyed. The streets are quiet, with sound of an occasional vehicle that passes by.
And yet, a sense of humour, as witnessed by the image of a city centre courtyard statue wearing a bullet proof vest.
Our guest speaker today was David Black, about to travel back to Ukraine for the 6th trip. The first was driving refugees from the Ukrainian/Polish border wherever they needed to go in Europe. Ten countries in four weeks and some 56 refugees later, he was hooked! His next two trips were volunteering on a farm that was short handed due to the war. Food was grown, prepared and shipped to the Defenders from this farm. It was a fantastic and rewarding experience, but he was compelled to do more.
He then connected with a Peterborough volunteer who introduced him to Ukrainian Patriot. This organization has distributed literally hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid, medical aid and protective gear to places where it is desperately needed. In addition to those deliveries which continue, the next project is a therapy farm for soldiers suffering from PTSD.
David described an interview he was doing when the sound of nearby artillery fire interrupted the proceedings. David assured the interviewer that there was no need for concern as it was outgoing. A second blast soon followed. It too, was outgoing. The next blast was inbound, and it was time to take cover, immediately!
It was a sobering morning meeting that also reinforced the good in people who are willing to go the extra mile. We thank him for his service and wish him “udachi” as he leaves again next week to continue the good work.