Stand firm then

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place..." Ephesians 6:14

Week 6: Olena Bochkovska of Kyiv Jewish Messianic Congregation asked for our help finding a source and financing for Level Four lightweight ceramic body armor plates and vest carriers for five pastors, rabbis, and ministers serving as military chaplains, as well as two young men in the congregation in the Territorial Guard.

We also had been looking for a source of protective vests to purchase for the bus driver, Alex Matviichyuk of Our House ministry, and his team. They have been delivering humanitarian aid and returning to the border with evacuees since the war started. Alex and his team were entering heavily damaged areas with no personal protective equipment (i.e. bullet-proof vests, helmets, eye protection, etc). In addition, we knew of several men in Berdychiv making humanitarian deliveries with no protection.

However, purchasing these in the US is complicated and problematic. There is a manufacturing shortage of Level 4 plates. Special certificates are required to ship ballistic plate carriers overseas also specific US Customs documentation is required to carry them in luggage on board flights, and there’s no guarantee that they won’t be confiscated at the Polish-Ukrainian border. After a few weeks, Olena was able to find a source in Ukraine. The plates come from Europe and are NATO grade 4+ ceramic. The carrier vests are made from ballistic grade Cordura nylon in Ukraine.

Typically in the US, these vests cost $1200 each - not including licensing, shipping, or airline tickets and baggage fees. Olena’s source priced them at $650 each. We raised enough funds initially to purchase 10. Because of the reduced price, Twelve3One Ministries together with Olena were able to purchase 19. We would like to continue providing these vests.