LWer follows her heart, helps rescue 1,000

STAND WITH UKRAINE

by Ruth Osborn

managing editor

It’s been 113 days since Russian President Putin ordered his forces to invade Ukraine. The country’s courage and grit has transfixed the world. The United States has provided more than $6.3 billion in security, humanitarian and economic assistance to help Ukraine prevail, according to the U.S. Department of State.

At home here in Leisure World, there have been protests and fund raisers to send aid. One Mutual 1 resident took it a step further. Jane Nam made it her personal mission to stand with Ukraine—literally.

It all started Feb. 24, the day Nam and her husband, Seon Cho, watched helplessly as images of Ukrainian women and children cowering from Russian invaders begin to unfold on television.

Day after day, the disturbing news reports splashed across the screen—people struggling to escape the war-ravaged country, who have been lost or separated from loved ones, who are hungry and hurting because their towns, apartments, schools and hospitals have been bombed into oblivion, those who are now destitute and utterly dependent on the kindness of strangers. “I was shocked,” said Nam, who is a Korean-American. “It was war, and I’ve lived through trauma like that.” War broke out between North Korea and South Korea on June 25, 1950, 10 days after Nam turned six. North Korea invaded South Korea, following clashes along the border and rebellions in South Korea. The war lasted three years, and when it was over, more civilians had died than soldiers.

As a child, Nam watched her unarmed civilian parents struggle to survive in a world ruined by indiscriminate violence perpetrated by armed political forces on every side.

“I was so frightened then, and as I watched the TV, I relived it,” she said. “My heart was pounding. I was crying. I could not forget. I could not sleep.” A woman of deep faith who spent more than 10 years working as a missionary in South Africa and Asia, she “prayed and prayed. And after 10 days, I got a vision, a dream. I saw Jesus looking at me with tears on his face. I called him and finally, I was running to Jesus, but he was gone. I knew I had to go.”

With the reluctant blessing of her husband, Seon, who knew it was useless to try and stop her, she left her cozy home on April 28. Thus began a month-long, 6,000-plus mile journey.

The only way in was through Poland, where her American passport secured passage, and refugees were still freely accepted. She booked the 13-hour flight into Warsaw, the country’s capital. She packed light, three pairs of pants, three sweaters, two hats, a pair of boots—and a bulletproof vest.

She had no plan, other than to follow God’s leading.

This petite 79-year-old who loves to line dance and paint had no doubt and a boatload of courage as she set off to points unknown.

She flew into Warsaw Airport, immediately hired a translater and set off to find ways to help. It wasn’t hard.

An estimated 300,000 refugees are now sheltering in Warsaw. They are among the estimated 2.5 million who have run to Poland since Feb. 24.

In one of the many large refugee camps, Nam was put to work chopping vegetables in big soup kitchens, watching children, registering people, keeping records, cleaning showers and bathrooms. Aid workers from all over the world had set up tents offering free food, medicine, SIM cards, whatever people might need.

She worked there for five days before finding a way to get to Kyiv.

“I want to get into Ukraine, but everyone says ‘no.’ That is, 99 percent say no, but God is listening,” and she found a way in on a train.

It was five hours to the border, where she waited for two days before Ukraine admitted her, thanks again to her American passport, one of only a handful of countries whose citizens are allowed in.

She donned her bulletproof vest and camouflage, and climbed aboard another train to Kyiv. It was an arduous trip. It took 20 hours with progress hampered by frequent stops as officials checked documents.

Upon arrival, she found a war-torn world. Ukrainians cannot even buy basics, like bread. There are few stores open, and not much to be had in Kyiv, so when Nam stumbled upon a bread factory, she bought a truckload.

“It was a gold mine of bread,” said Nam.

Wartime prices are steep, but “God provided every day, and every step seemed like a miracle. It made me cry as I saw how things unfolded.”

There were many extraordinary coincidences. For the twoand- a-half weeks that she was in Kyiv, there were no bombings. But even more amazing was that Nam, working with a network of local pastors, was able to help orchestrate a rescue operation that brought 1,000 Kyiv refugees to Poland.

As Russia invaded the surrounding area, scared people were crowding city centers, waiting for their chance to flee. She and Seon gave $50,000 themselves toward the exodus.

It cost $70 to save one refugee: Russian soldiers demanded $40 a head, and it cost $20 each for transportation and $10, for gas and food, said Nam.

The prices can fluctuate as local Ukraine pastors negotiate with Russian soldiers for the release of refugees.

“I prayed and prayed, and realized I needed to get 1,000 people out,” said Nam. “How can I get 1,000 people out? There was no answer.”

So she called Seon “and he almost fainted. We sent out an SOS to many places to raise funds.”

Quickly, the money poured in, a total of $70,000, and once the refugees had escaped, Nam felt free to return home. It took her 20 hours of travel; she arrived in LW on May 24.

Responding sacrificially to a humanitarian crisis turned out to be a balm for Nam’s soul.

She feels more at peace with her own past and is grateful she had the courage to take that first step into the unknown. She says she knows she was never truly alone; rather, she was guided by God, her father. And doing his bidding has always led her home.

Editor’s Note: Fund raising efforts are ongoing, and LW residents who would like to contribute can contact Jane or Seon at jane.nam51@gmail.com. Jane will be returning to Ukraine before year’s end.

LWer Jane Nam is surrounded by Ukrainian refugees. She was one of an army of international aid workers who flocked to the country to help those in desperate need.