County Leaders Back From Ukraine Tour

    “I have a deep appreciation for their understanding of freedom.”
   Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks has recently returned from a mission trip to Ukraine, where he, along with Lake County Property Appraiser Carey Baker, joined a team from Mission 823 to support the people of that war-torn nation. The group spent over a week in Ukraine surveying the situation and building relationships in support of the people.
   For Parks, the trip served as a chance to get an up-close look at a situation that has received mixed reporting in America, with many people voicing displeasure with the United States' involvement.
   “I had some questions,” Parks said.
   After the tour, he had answers.
   “I’m more aware now. It’s really important to try and help the people. They are fighting for the survival of their culture.”
   While reports from Ukraine at times raise concerns over potential government corruption, Parks said the people in the nation's communities need is real. He reported seeing bombed-out housing, churches, and commercial buildings. And he heard stories of human suffering.
   "There have been a lot of atrocities committed by the Russians."
   The team was joined on their tour by people from countries like Germany and Moldavia, nations near the fight that fear it could come to their shores if Ukraine falls.
   "I think it is extraordinarily appropriate for the United States to be supporting the war effort in Ukraine," said Shawn Sullivan, with Mission823. Sullivan helped organize the trip after a prayer breakfast in South Lake County raised awareness of the situation. Mission823's core mission is focusing on at-risk and traumatized children, with service to orphans, those in poverty, human trafficking victims, and abused and neglected children. In Ukraine, Sullivan was able to build relationships with providers.
   “We had received a recommendation from the administration of Kharkiv Oblast to concentrate our efforts in two regions of the state. These were regions of the state that had been under occupation, had endured heavy shelling, a lot of destruction and evacuation.”
   Mission823 has been active in Eastern Europe since 2014, when the Russian invasion of Crimea.
   “We began to serve refugee children and children who had been living under daily shelling by Russian forces. We began to see severe symptoms of PTSD in children at all of our social outreach events, and our youth camps.”
   Sullivan gave the privately funded trip high marks for achieving its goals.
   “The trip was a phenomenal success. Not only did Sean and Carey get to see the reality of what was going on in Ukraine, and determine in their minds what the situation looked like on the ground, but we were extraordinarily warmly received by all three administrations, and highly encouraged to return with solutions to the problems facing the hospitals, the fire department, and the police.”
   Sullivan said relationships going forward could include sister city programs with cities in Lake County.
   Anyone looking to learn more about Mission823 is invited to visit www.mission823.com.