Sally Hinze, retired church consultant with the Union Baptist Association, is quick to remind you that God is still in the miracle business. Sally—along with about 30 individuals, 10 churches, and a handful of partner organizations—experienced a series of miracles and “God moments” as they worked together this spring to send a shipping container full of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
“Visiting Ukranian pastor Vadym Kulenchenko mentioned the need in his homeland,” shares Sally, “and next thing I know, I have churches asking me where they should take their donations. I immediately reminded God that I had no clue how to send a shipping container, and if He wanted this to happen, He would have to work it out – and we watched in wonder as He did just that!”
Sally, who served with Vadym on a board for a Ukrainian camp, had no idea where to even start the process until Sergey Khripunov, a member of WoodsEdge Community Church, provided this insight. “Sergey had done this before and even had a truck full of medical supplies to donate to our effort,” Sally shares, “so God brought him into my path at just the right time to help us make this outreach a reality.”
“ I immediately reminded God that I had no clue how to send a shipping container, and if He wanted this to happen, He would have to work it out – and we watched in wonder as He did just that!”
In no time, Westbury Baptist, St. Stephens UMC, Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist, Bethel Baptist of Sealy, The Foundry UMC, West University Baptist, Willow Meadows, and members from dozens of other churches joined the effort.
All Hands on Deck
Sally says another miracle took place early in the process while she was volunteering at the Christmas store at the Mission Centers of Houston (MCH) Gano Center in December. “I was telling Executive Director Jeff Chadwick about this grassroots project to help the destitute people of Ukraine, and he tells me about his new Compassion Center by announcing, ‘Hey, I have a warehouse!’”
Sally watched God at work as miracles involving people and money happened with little or no effort. As a first step, Pastor Charles Frazier secured 17 donated pallets to load into the Mission Center’s box truck. Sally admits that she did not have to recruit any helpers. She shares, “I just prayed and saw Him bring me a valued team that helped make it all happen.”
Sally believes God also provided for the Sports Catalyst nonprofit to handle the tax ID and donation logistics as the UBA Facebook page kept many in the church community in the loop on how to participate.
The Rice University Baptist Student Union, Fory Trust Orphan Care, UBA, and the Rotary Club of the Heights assisted, and Mission Centers of Houston’s Compassion Center became the critical hub for storage, assembly, and packing.
Explains Jeff, “Through our new Compassion Center warehouse, Mission Centers of Houston secured and donated about 50 cardboard boxes and provided a pallet of bed sheets and comforters and several pallets of clothing.”
Pastor Sheldon Jackson (pastor of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where the Compassion Center warehouse is located) secured a forklift and Pastor Frazier applied his warehouse expertise to load the items into the container.
“What a faith-builder to look back and see how God made it all happen in a matter of weeks.”
“When we needed $10k in shipping costs, God provided that and more,” Sally reports.
“I watched in awe,” she shares, “as 33 volunteers and 136 work hours later, we had 17 pallets containing food, clothing, hygiene items, medical supplies, household goods – and tubs of stuffed animals and toys for the kids — wrapped and loaded into a 38-ft. container headed for Poland, and ultimately Ukraine.”
Knowing the realities of Ukraine devastation, and the key participants, gave Sally the comfort level to step up and coordinate this massive initiative. “It is rewarding to know that every nickel involved went to Ukrainian relief,” she adds, “and what a faith-builder to look back and see how God made it all happen in a matter of weeks.”
Shipping time required a full month, and the container arrived first to Poland in late March before shipping into Ukraine into the able hands of former camp director and pastor Sergey Moskovka and his team.
April Canik has worked on a church staff, consulted with churches of all sizes, and currently serves as Communication Director for Mission Centers of Houston. She is a Baylor alumnus with a passion for kingdom communication. April loves helping churches and organizations share faith-building stories.
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May we take encouragement from Lough Ah Fook’s story. God can use whatever “small” thing you’re doing for the gospel today to make an impact you could never imagine.