Storms and power outages hit the Pitman area every once in a while. One such storm in early January 2024 brought heavy rains and winds. Lights flickered for most, and the power totally went out for many. Some were without electricity for days.
In many places in the world, the power has gone out and won’t be restored for a long, long time. The electrical grids in war-torn countries, such as Ukraine have become unreliable and non-existent. People have had to learn how to live without refrigeration, heat and lights.
Darkness is difficult. It’s depressing. But we are called to be the “Light of the World.” In His sermon on the Mount, Jesus was referring to God’s truth, but He also commanded us to care for the needs of others.
When war and darkness descended upon the people of Ukraine, we decided to do something about it.
We heard of a project in Minnesota which was building solar powered lights and delivering them to the needy people in Ukraine. Inspired by the need and the dedication of those who began the project, we decided to join in the effort by sponsoring the purchase of some panels.
These panels have been delivered! Ukrainians who have been living in darkness are now in possession of the lights which we helped to provide.
The Seeds of the Project…
Our involvement in this project began when Pastor Jim Bolton discovered an article about this “Ray of Life” project. The article was published on the website of the Methodist Church’s Minnesota Conference. It described the efforts of New Horizon Foundation’s Dave Nonnemacher and others in Minnesota who had a vision of providing relief to the people suffering from the war in Ukraine.
Good thing Pastor Jim reads his emails!
For the full story about the Ray of Life project, view the post that announced this project:
PUMC to Help Provide a Ray of Life
PUMC embraces the Possibilities…
The article and the mission ignited the hearts of PUMC’ers and we jumped on board to raise funds to purchase some light kits. Initially we had hoped to assemble the lights ourselves, but logistics required that they be assembled in Minnesota. No problem. From beginning to end, this project has been about God’s people from several states (and countries) working together to provide these “Rays of Life” to the people who are in need of them.
The kits that we purchased would be sent to a High School in Minnesota where they would be assembled.
Our Missions Team announced the project and inspired the congregation to become involved. They set a goal of purchasing 10 light
kits during the month of October (2023). The proverbial “fund raising thermometer” was created and displayed in the narthex. As people contributed to the special offerings, the progress was marked by filling in the thermometer. We hoped that we could reach the 10 light goal by the time the project ended in October.
By the end of the month, not only had we reached the top of the thermometer, but we had to re-scale the markings! We set what we considered to be an ambitious goal of 10 kits, but by the middle of the month that goal was reached and we raised it to 15 kits. By end of the month we has raised enough money to purchase 19 kits! The thermometer was shattered!
The light kits were then placed on order, and they were delivered to a high school in Minnesota for assembly.
High School Students Assemble the Lights…
Schools often hold assemblies, but this one was a different!
“Our” light kits were assembled by students in a High School in Minneapolis, MN. This school, Lincoln International High School, is not a “normal” public High School. It is a charter school whose students come mostly from culturally diverse backgrounds. The people assembling these light kits come from places such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Iraq, Kuwait, and Somalia.
It is fitting that this project to help people who are fleeing the ravages of war is guided by people who were refugees themselves.
On November 7 (2023), we received word that our light kits had been assembled and were ready to be shipped to Ukraine. A vision was being fulfilled. We were sent the following photos of the build:
(Click the Previous and Next buttons to cycle through the pictures)
The Lights are Delivered to People who Need Them….
During a two week span starting on March 14 (2024), Dave Nonnemacher traveled to Ukraine to oversee the latest delivery of lights and water filters to the people of Urkaine.
In the photos below, Dave hands out Ray of Life units and water filters to the people in Preobrazhenka (which is about 6km from the front). Within those boxes are the lights that we sponsored. The situation there is desperate, and the people told Dave that they greatly appreciated the lights. These lights have been proven to be very useful and they’re greatly desired by Ukrainian citizens.
The group picture at the bottom is a photo of the Mariupol Chaplains Battalion, the group who is distributing most of the Ray of Light kits (350) that have been delivered thus far to Ukraine.
People in Ukraine have now received the fruits of our efforts. From Minnesota, to Pitman, back to Minnesota, across the Atlantic, and finally to Ukraine, this project has taken almost one year. But civilians in the ravaged Southeast section of the country (the “grey zone”) have now received a piece of hope thanks to these “Gospel in a Box” units.
For PUMC, it all started with an email. For the Ukrainians, the ordeal hasn’t ended yet and much remains to be done and endured. But over the months of this project, God continued to be faithful. His love worked through us (and others) to to shine a “Ray of Life” into the darkness. May God’s light continue to shine, and may we continue to be attentive to His voice!
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To learn more about the Missions work at PUMC, click this button: Beyond Our Community
