Doing Your Bit
“I’ve done my bit.” Having been married to a Brit for more than 30 years, I have heard this British phrase many times throughout my adult life. The quintessential “Stiff Upper Lip, Jolly good show, Bob’s your uncle” crowd also loves “Doing One’s bit.”
What does it mean? “Doing One’s bit.”
- To make one’s expected contribution
- To contribute work to that of others in a group
- To do one’s share of a job or a task
- To make an individual contribution to an overall effort
You’re Going Where?
Since Darrell had a week-long business trip scheduled for London, of course I asked him to make a slight detour to Poland so that he could help us bring bags over for Ukraine. It would be easier if there were 3 of us flying, to bring the 15 x 70-pound bags filled with medical supplies and Bags of Blessings for children and soldiers. Of course, he agreed – so we rerouted his flight and continued packing.
Bags of Blessings
It takes about an hour to prepare each Bag of Blessings, so for the past 3 weeks we have been making these bags, being careful to check off each item that goes inside. Thankfully, many of you also sent in Bags of Blessings, so after these were checked, we could start sorting and packing. In addition to the Bags of Blessings, we also packed children’s and adult medicines for civilians, as well as IFAKs (Individual First Aid Kits) for soldiers. Some of the most important items inside our stuffed duffle bags are sets of thermal underwear, handwarmers, beef jerky, emergency blankets, Nyquil, scar cream and wool blend socks, hats, and gloves. We did all the packing at our house, and you can imagine that we used every available room. (Sorry, everyone who lives in my house!)
Turkey and Cardboard
Even our Thanksgiving dinner was prepared and eaten amongst the never-ending Amazon delivery boxes, stacked in almost every corner of the house. Our two resident Ukrainians, Sasha and Yulia did much to prepare these life-saving duffle bags and we would not have been able to get everything ready without their help. They both translated the donors’ letters and wrote in Ukrainian what the letter said or made their own hand-written encouraging notes for every Bag of Blessing and IFAK. Imagine the warm wonderful feelings the children and soldiers will have when they open the letters and read in their own language, a special message all the way from America.
The Struggle is Real
Our journey to Poland was not without a struggle, but God was with us, and He smoothed our path. Imagine the cost of checking 15 oversized duffle bags. One of our dear supporters, however, reached out to his Delta friend and managed to receive permission to waive the excess baggage fees on 10 of our bags! Such a blessing, and this person was just doing what he could – using the connections he had. Thank you, Delta! And even British Airways didn’t charge us the full amount they could have, for the 5 bags that went on BA. Thank you, BA!
Everyone Loves a Good Airport Lounge
Our journey seemed like everyone who had anything to do with our bags or flight, was doing what they could, to help our project succeed. We even got into the airport lounge for free! Everyone was pulling together and working within their sphere of skill or expertise. Many of our prayer warriors were praying specifically and without ceasing.
Crossing the Border - Again
Our brave Ukrainian team arrived safely after travelling two days (by van) to reach us in Poland. After a meal and good night’s rest, we loaded the van this morning, prayed together and off they went – heading back into Ukraine. Please join us in continued prayers for their safety and security.
Frequent Flier
Darrell’s journey was a little longer than ours, as he actually had to fly to London, sit there for 7 hours, and then fly to Poland. After he successfully brought the bags to us, early the next morning, he then flew back to London for his week of business meetings and sure-to-be stimulating conference. As he headed back to the airport to catch his last flight, we thanked him profusely, but he just smiled and said, “Just doing my bit.”
Want to do your bit too?
Tomorrow is “Giving Tuesday” and we hope you’ll consider a donation to Hope Now. Click on the blue donate button or contact us to find out how you can help Ukraine today.
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Meanwhile, just in the past year, Ukraine has suffered 124,500-131,000 total casualties, including 15,500-17,500 killed in action and 109,000-113,500 wounded in action, according to the document entitled "Russia/Ukraine - Assessed Combat Sustainability and Attrition." And not just on Monday, but on every day in Ukraine, people just like us remember and honor the loved ones who have died these past 457 days defending their country. With your help, Hope Now does whatever we can to help protect Ukrainian lives – civilians and soldiers alike.
