Readers may be aware of my interest in and support for Ukraine in their fight for freedom. Occasionally I write posts about events in this country under daily attack by Russia.
There are many opportunities to support Ukraine from direct donations to organizations in-country to funding students and persons living in the US and other countries of refuge.
I just learned about another long-standing organization called This Child Here founded by a Presbyterian minister in 2006. The leader is Robert Gamble who tells of his initial work with homeless youths in the disrupted society following the country’s independence. This effort came in mid career, after serving five years in the Coast Guard and then attending Princeton Theological Seminary to enter the ministry. He has served as pastor for five churches throughout the denomination.
He writes in 2007 of his initial experience working with an NGO in Ukraine to help homeless youth:
You don’t have foster families in Ukraine. No one can afford another child. “You have three children,”a taxi driver said to me, “you must be a rich man.”
While I am here there are times I drink too much but most times too little. I spend like a poor man but live a life that is rich. I listen to idiots, skeptics, learned people and fools, I learn from the suffering of children. I doubt and trust, give away and receive. I get robbed and restored, applauded and shunned.
I see churches void of life and attended worship with more life than my comfort zones can handle. I gave one sermon; it wasn’t in a pulpit , and I didn’t wear a robe . I stood on a rented stage in an old movie auditorium and it hardly lasted seven minutes, but I felt alive and honored as every word I spoke was repeated in Russian.
Today’s Work
Gamble’s work leading the organization now alternates between three months on the ground in Ukraine followed by three months of travel throughout the US fund raising for his 501 C 3. His current itinerary shows 98 stops with churches, local groups such as Rotary and “friends” on his September 7 to November 17 return.
His group’s purpose today:
We work with families displaced by the war. Thousands of people have fled cities in the east and arrived in Izmail, Ukraine in the west. As many fathers are in the military or still residing in places now dangerous, these families often consist of mothers and children.
We provide products from grocery stores, and centres for youth and children’s activities, including sports, music, art, and programs led by psychologists. Through these activities, summer camps, and the supportive community we have built, we offer therapy for the trauma and shock suffered by these families. This Child Here, Inc. is a Validated Ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The work is not without danger as recorded in this brief 2003 video.
His Belief: People Change People
When this war is over, people will read about what was done, not just between armies, but behind the lines where people help people and people change people, for the better.
This is an American who for two decades has invested his energy, mind and purpose with the belief that people changing people will make the difference in the future of Ukraine. And I believe in other societies as well, including ours.
As I learn more, I will share this person’s journey of a committed life.