HOW DID A GREEK BABY’S CHRISTENING PRODUCE HUMANITARIAN AID IN UKRAINE?

 

HRH Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia attended a Christening in Athens but no one could imagine how this event would affect the lives of so many women, children and elderly citizens in far off Ukraine.

 

Princess Katherine received the following email from a very well-known Heart surgeon, Prof. Dr. Afksendiyos Kalangos “Dear Highness, You have already met the father Michail during the christening of Afxentios in Athens. His two sons are priests in Kharkov. His son father Serhiy as well as father Michail himself can help you to precisely identify the needs of people affected by the war."

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Princess Katherine did not waste a moment. She contacted a friend for many years, Edward Wayne Jr. of The Bridge of Life.  Serbian citizens, Edward and his wife Tatjana, were providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine at the exact moment he received the email from Princess Katherine.

 

Edward contacted the above-mentioned Father Serhiy in Kharkiv and requested a list of all urgently needed supplies. The list was extensive and it was distributed to several volunteer organizations who had warehouses in Lviv, Ukraine.  Everyone joined together to address the needs of Kharkiv.

 

A Truck was located but finding a driver willing to drive straight into this Red Zone was a challenge. Two young volunteers, Igor Shyba and Igor Shumylo, took control of the entire Operation. After hours of work and planning, it was decided that a train could be provided to transport this large shipment to Kharkiv.

 

Items were donated by Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Jewish groups in a wonderful demonstration of interfaith cooperation for a common goal. Working together to provide Humanitarian aid directly to those in need during this very critical period.  A group of volunteers was assembled to gather all of the needed items from several locations and package them for shipment. A truck was provided to transport the entire shipment to the railway station.

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The railway station was filled with Internally displaced families and space was very limited.

 

The Plan B was the  Ukraine Post.

 

The Post Staff were very helpful and provided all things necessary to prepare the shipment. All was completed and the Bridge of Life Team drove off into the night to get a good rest and prepare for the next crisis situation.

 

It is a long way from a church christening in Athens to a dark railway station in Lviv, Ukraine but that is how miracles happen when people have faith, work together and desire to help those in need.