Friend Ships collaboration results in shipments to war refugees

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) -The situation in Ukraine is beyond desperate and heart wrenching to witness on our screens.

Friend Ships at Port Mercy in Lake Charles is doing its part to send relief.

The second of two trucks was filled with supplies, useful to people who have lost everything. It went to Houston where it will be shipped to help meet the needs of war refugees.

The unprecedented horror and cruelty in Ukraine is uniting many groups throughout the world who want to help provide relief.

About a half dozen groups provided goods to send to refugees. Plus loading assistance in Houston was provided by Medical Bridges. The shipments are being coordinated by Heaven’s Reach Ministries in Arkansas.

Friend Ships Director Sondra Tipton explains the trucks will go from here to Houston:

“We’re sending the second of two truckloads of goods that are going to be loaded onto sea containers in Houston for Romania. The Romanians are going to accept it and use it to help Ukrainian refugees,” she said.

The cargo includes new clothing, shoes, children’s travel bags with blankets and hygiene supplies. She says it has been a wonderful collaboration.

“A lot of organizations including Feed the Children, and Walmart and Good 360, and Yesterday’s Sportswear. Just a lot of donors that we have.”

The tragic situation reminds her of an attempted coup and kidnapping of Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991. Friend Ships was in Latifa.

“They were so frightened that women were coming up to us with their babies sobbing, saying, please take my child back to the United States, because I don’t want this child to grow up in this environment,” Tipton said.

At that time, the coup failed and Gorbachev returned as president. Tipton urges people to pray for those suffering today.

Friend Ships will also send medical supplies from its satellite location in Israel.

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