In the darkness, as the bombs drop on Ukraine, there are people huddled in the basement of an orphanage which has ties to Petrolia.

For years, New Life Church has been working with the Chatham-based charity Loads of Love in Ukraine. Pastors Sam Welten and Tim Brown have both been to the country a number of times with mission teams, running summer camps and helping the Christian community there.

They’re now watching in horror and sadness as Russian President Vladimir Putin bombs their friends.

Welten says they recently held a prayer service for safety and peace for their friends and their nation.

“It really hits home for us because we have personal relationships with a lot of these people,” he tells The Independent.

“It’s a really sad thing for me especially when they mentioned cities and I’ve been in those cities. It’s not only some distant kind of thing – I mean – I’ve been there and know the people.”

Welten says it is particularly hard to see the destruction in the capital, Kyiv.
“When you know that some of the most hospitable people on the planet are being victimized by this, basically, dictator from another country – it is just insane to me.”

Ed Dickson of Loads of Love agrees. He’s in Chatham right now as his daughter goes to school but he’s lived in Ukraine for 25 years. “Everybody I was with did not believe there would be an all-out invasion,” Dickson said.
“The idea was too insane.”

Dickson, who is married to a Ukrainian national, said his neighbours are now “hiding in basements. They were completely caught off guard,” he said, adding he’s encouraging everyone to have faith “Jesus is with them” and to pray. 

The Petrolia pastors are getting information from Dickson about the friends they have made in Ukraine. Loads of Love employees are still in Ukraine.

Welten says there are “lots of stories about some of the workers going to grocery stores and buying food so they can they can help these people out whether they’re in subways or in homes in the smaller communities.”

Brown says the urge is strong to reach out and help, even though it is difficult. “You build relationship and you don’t just want to build relationship, but you want to check in to see how they’re doing like and what needs are – what needs can we assist in right now,” he says.

New Life is collecting monetary donations to be used for the workers of Loads of Love. Donations are being accepted at the church or online and they’re asking people to indicated the money is for Ukrainian relief.

Both Welten and Brown say they to do more to help. “The Ukrainian people are going to be hurting for years to come – it’s just the destruction, the buildings and rebuilding. And I’ve already told (Dickson) whenever it happens that the country’s open again – that we can travel – I want to be one of the first ones that offers a team to be able to come and help,” says Welten.

While Brown, too, wants to return, his family has already provided shelter to the Ukrainians. Brown found out just last week that his mother, Adeline, before she passed away this year, had given money to Loads of Love to buy an orphanage for special needs children.

Dickson, Brown says, explained, “I want you to know that building is all special needs kids,’ he says. ‘It’s incredible.’ And he says, ‘but I want you to know that building has an amazing basement and it’s not just those kids right now that are using it as a bomb shelter, but the community right around there is all using that basement, this bomb shelter.’
“ And I got thinking ‘man, mom would be so happy. Like, she is so happy. She’s looking at it all.’”

• with files from Pam Wright/Local Journalism Initiative-The Chatham Voice