A Day of Community Service
Having been raised in a different denomination, one thing I have quickly grown to appreciate since joining the staff of the United Methodist Foundation in September is the Wesleyan commitment to serving, whether it be assembling cleaning buckets in the wake of a hurricane or joining an overseas mission team for a summer project.
And God is so good at priming us for the next good thing. At an event marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the War in Ukraine, a member of the Staunton, VA, Rotary Club shared that he and a group of volunteers needed a few more drivers to help an organization called Ukraine Focus drive nearly 20 used ambulances from Harrisonburg up to the Port of Baltimore for shipping to the Ukraine. I immediately felt a tug at my heartstrings. Truth be told, one of the only things on my bucket list is to one day drive an 18-wheeler — just for a few miles in wide open space. But I spontaneously thought, “Well, it’s not a semi truck, but driving an ambulance AND supporting the war effort in the Ukraine sound like a real adventure.”
And what an adventure it was! The original start time of 6 a.m. was moved up to 3 a.m. to avoid morning rush hour in the greater Baltimore region. As a night owl, I realized it could be possible to rise at 2 a.m. to make the 2:30 a.m. meeting time if I stayed in a hotel nearby.
What a sight to see two rows of ambulances fired up and ready to go in the dark of night! The Staunton Rotary Club and Ukraine Focus had done an excellent job of advance logistics, liaising with the county police forces flanking Interstate 81 up to Harpers Ferry, WV. Each set of new police car escorts seamlessly took up the baton as we crossed each county line, ensuring our caravan of ambulances could travel relatively uninterrupted.
Back to my vehicle: the interior lighting did not work, so I could neither see the speedometer nor how much diesel was in the tank! Checking speed was not necessary, though, since we need only focus on keeping a close-but-healthy distance from our front man. As a photojournalist, I was tempted to shoot photos and video, however, the steering was quite loose so I dared not take my hands off the wheel long enough to capture images of this once-in-a-lifetime service adventure.
As it turned out, I did indeed get the opportunity to take plenty of photos, as the ambulance’s engine died in the middle of I-81 about 30 miles into our journey. In vain, I tried restarting the engine before rolling to a halt upon the shoulder. Thankfully, a knight in shining armor appeared in the form of Brandon Peavy, the owner of a Harrisonburg-based EMT services company and the previous owner of all of these ambulances. He briefly checked the ambulance and determined it would need to be towed.
So I hopped into his pickup truck, and we proceeded to bring up the rear of the caravan of ambulances. An interesting conversation ensued about the life of an EMT, small business ownership and the Christian faith we share. Upon arrival in Baltimore, more excellent conversations and fun fellowship followed with the other volunteers as we piled into two vans and shared a meal together on the return trip to Harrisonburg. A really fun encounter was learning that the man behind this initiative, Brock Bierman of Ukraine Focus, is a fellow alum of my alma mater. We graduated only a year apart in the same program, photojournalism. Such serendipity! The kind only God can arrange.
As I reflected upon the day’s events, I could sense how energized and uplifted I felt. And I was reminded of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 — “I will bless you, and you shall be a blessing to others, and I will bless those who bless you.” Indeed, we receive so much when giving to others. God is so true to His promises!