CBF’s Eddie Aldape works
Eddie Aldape (left) pictured with a new friend at the Ukraine border. “I had helped his family weeks before,” Aldape said. “He was so happy to be able ot thank me in person.”
long days to move Ukrainian refugees through Slovakia By Jennifer Colosimo to Ukrainian refugees; so, when tensions increased for their families back home, Aldape wanted to do more. “When these families would come to these border towns and were trying to take a train out of Ukraine, there were just gobs of people. kilometers. You’d get to the front of the line thinking you’re going to Romania and That’s the you’d end up in Poland,” Aldape said. “They didn’t know where they were, often couldn’t communicate. I thought if I was a little bit closer, I average round trip Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field could help.” personnel Eddie Aldape often makes as he transports He started writing to different pastors and field personnel asking goods and people to and from the Ukrainian border who needed his help. Shane McNary, field personnel in Slovakia, was towns in Slovakia. the first to respond. McNary had received $30,000 from CBF’s Ukraine There, 250,000 Ukrainian refugees have come since early Relief Fund to purchase and set up a central distribution center in March—some for a few days as they connect with family and friends Markovce, Slovakia, where churches could centralize the goods they in other countries and others for a week or more, as they search for had collected to help refugees there and those still in Ukraine. somewhere to go. They are in churches, temporary lodging centers Aldape requested and received permission to go, and received and hotels, relying on donations to survive and leaning on frantic $7,000 from the Ukraine Relief Fund for his own travel expenses, communication from strangers acting on their behalf, hoping just to lodging and to rent a van to help transport those goods and help stay together and get somewhere safe. The days are long and, for women, men and families get from the border to wherever they Aldape, often blur into the night with a border that doesn’t close just needed to go. because it’s bedtime. When he arrived on March 16, there weren’t any large vans to A CBF field personnel serving in Albacete, Spain, and a veteran be rented, and local pastors were afraid to wake him up after hours. firefighter, since he possesses an urge to help others that is intrinsic, “That’s what I am here for!” Aldape would petition. With a smaller Aldape’s rarely concerned with what time it is. That’s a good thing, van, but more to spend on fuel (and a reputation for working around because he often hits the road at 9 a.m. and doesn’t return until after the clock), he hit the ground running. First, he helped repair a church midnight. where refugees were staying, and now regularly picks up groups from He works until he’s done all that he can that day, and then goes the border and takes them to churches, hotels, train stations, bus to bed looking forward to doing it again the next day. In fact, that depots, airports and even to relatives’ homes. He loads his van with mindset is what sparked his temporary move to Slovakia. In Spain, he supplies to unpack at the border, or to stock and organize the new and wife, Macarena, were already providing their own ministry support distribution center. He provides the families at the hotel where he is
Three hundred
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