Voice of Ukraine

As the people of Ukraine initially faced the prospect of war in their country, offers of help poured in to missionary Doug Shepherd in L’viv, Ukraine. Trouble was, the supplies offered, while well-intentioned, weren’t always matching the specific needs they were seeing. Even if they requested exactly what they needed, shipping was another challenge: customs, high freight costs, and long transit times made shipping impractical. People were suffering from lack of medical supplies such as suture material, bandages, and tracheotomy kits, and couldn’t wait three to six months for red tape and slow freight.

After much prayer and discussion, an idea grew for which there was no model. Most people check just one bag when flying, but experienced travelers like missionaries, who have to move homes and families much more frequently than your average U.S. traveler, understood you could bring more. Much more. Why not fly in supplies as checked baggage on commercial flights? Six months of waiting would be reduced to 14 hours.