501 Collective in Romania & Ukraine Reflections

501 Collective in Romania & Ukraine

When 501 Collective first put a team together to serve in Romania and Ukraine last April, there were a lot of unknowns.  Unknowns regarding the war, how we would serve, what the team dynamics would look like. 

It was through mutual friends that connections were made and 501 went to serve with and alongside Vital Solutions.  Through that connection, more connections on the ground were made.  And not just made, but sustained and built on.  One specifically being Fight For Freedom.

That is what led to another team in August.  And what will lead to the next team and the next team.

There’s something special about returning to a place you’ve served.  You don’t spend weeks building relationships, building trust, feeling each other out.  It’s already there and it’s ready to be built upon. 

With our team, over half of the team from April returned which led to an instant, ‘hit the ground running,’ when we arrived. 

And just like there was in April, many unknowns continued to surface.  Fight For Freedom (FFF), which was dedicated to prison ministry had just received 75 orphans from Ukraine with the Ukrainian government asking if they could take more.  New lands and buildings were acquired by FFF while we were present.  And more and more dreams and possibilities surfaced.  FFF will be on the ground, day-to-day fighting the good fight, and 501 will be right alongside them dreaming, planning, and supporting for the next phase.

Thank you to all of our supports and prayer warriors for being a part of these connections and relationships.