Brandon: 

So as I was watching my Ukrainian team being impacted by this, watching the news, you know, first of all, I had that sense of frustration and anger against Russia for doing this. It was extremely unjust to see the impact that’s having on my people and the people of Ukraine. It was as sad as hurtful. And, and I felt like we, we have to do, we have to help these people. And, and talk to me, we, there were several things that we did to help them. First is nobody on the team is being laid off. So everybody’s going to keep their job full pay for as long as necessary. So they don’t have to worry about money. We’ve also provided a thousand dollars as a, like a, just to help them move, to get to wherever they needed to go to help with expenses along the way. 

Brandon: 

And, and I believe they also did an advance for one month as well, just to provide more resources for them to, to help them. We we’ve, we’ve done things like Lviv apartments for people to stay at. And so as a company, we, we were doing a lot, we’re matching their donations. And at the, when it, when it first hit, we were like, okay, activate the plan, make sure everybody’s safe. Okay. Okay. Do you guys have all the resources you need? You guys are good. Okay. And okay, how can we help? And so what, from first making people make sure people are safe. Once we were set there, then it was just like, okay, how can we help? Okay. Donated money. We were gonna coordinate things and help people get out of the country if necessary. So helping in various ways. And even though we were doing all these things, I still felt like it wasn’t enough. 

Brandon:  

And that there, that I want to do more. And, and I felt kind of helpless. Like I was just like, ah, what else can I do? I, I made a post on Facebook. I have a Ukrainian flag that I have been flying at my house. And, and, but it still is just like, it’s not enough. 

Brandon: 

Right. And, and I don’t want to just like, sit back and like, oh, that’s, it’s affecting my team person. People I know personally and love personally are being impacted by this. And, and when I heard that I had a couple people on my team, who’ve volunteered to go back and to serve in the Ukrainian armed forces and really put their lives on the line. And I said, that is courage. That is bravery. If they are willing to put their lives on the line to go and defend their country, their freedom and their Liberty, the least I can do is to go there to Ukraine with supplies and, and just show my that I stand in solidarity with them. And, and so I, I kinda like came up with a, made up, made up, came up with the idea of like, I’m going to go, and I’m going to just go and help on the, I don’t know if I can get into Ukraine. 

Brandon:   

So it was about Tuesday that I decided, I looked at the flights to Poland and, you know, people like, Hey, if I came, is there things to do? I was going to kind of mixed messages, like, yeah, I mean, you could pick up supplies and Warsaw and drive driving to the border. And as I maybe I’d get first aid kit, and I’m like, what do you guys need? And, you know, there’s different things that they needed. And, you know, a lot of stuff is already being delivered. And so it’s like, yeah, what would I really be an impact? 

Brandon:  

I was on the fence. I was like, I just don’t want to go and just be in the way. So I was getting opinions from other people and just kind of like, am I being crazy here? Or is this something good? And I was talking to one of the, one of members of my team on the ground. And I was just like, other things you can hear things that I could bring to the United States and what tipped it over the edge was, she’s like, do you have any way to get body armor or ammunition? And she’s like, we can’t get it here. And it’s, and people really need body armor. 

Brandon:  

A lot of the people in the armed services really about it, it’s we, we can’t get it here. And that’s when I was just like, yes, actually think I can get body armor. And so I called up the local military supply store and I said, Hey, I’m thinking about going to Ukraine. Do you guys have body armor? Yeah. We have plates and tactical vests and stuff like that. And, and, and then I did a quick search. Can I travel with body armor? Right. And, and apparently you can. And so I’m like, I’m like, okay, I’m going. 

Brandon: 

I’m going to buy a bunch of body armor, military supplies, take it over there with me, you know, see how far I can get with it. Okay. And so, so on the way I already had my stuff packed. So the night before I’d already packed to go and had everything, I need passport everything. So if I was ready to go, I was ready to go. If not, then, okay. I’ll just I’ll pack. So it gets on the meeting. I called up and, you know, I called my dad said, I’m definitely going, it’s okay. Be safe. You know, you know, whatever, we’ll help you do this. I said, and, and so I had people on, on the U S citizen. I need a hotel in Krakow and I needed a rental car. Can you book those for me? So I had people booking things for me while I was traveling to the airport to, to catch this flight on the way to the airport. 

Brandon: 

There’s a, there’s an army Navy, surplus store, just a mile or two away. I went in there and I said, get a bunch of stuff, ready, call him on the phone, get a bunch of stuff. Right. And go to Paul, are you going to deliver this stuff? And I need body armor. And so, and, and so we packed up, so went to the store, my wife and I, we picked up two full army sacks, full of military things. And I’m like, I was kind of like a kid in the candy shop. I’m like, okay, what do we got here? Right. So I’m like body armor, there’s vests there’s helmet. What else? We got the camouflage that you throw over things that hides it. There was a night vision goggles that we got. And, you know, it’s just like, what random stuff could they have? 

Brandon: 

Part-time getting that we have here easy we can get. And, and so it was just a bunch of military blankets and how much is just a bunch of random stuff that is just like this. They could potentially use this. Right. And as we packed up these two bags, full of body armor and all this stuff, they were just like heavy. And it took two hands to carry him. And that was my, that was my checked luggage. Right. So we go to the airport and cause my wife goodbye and bring the stuff in and drop it off. And just under the weight, apparently you can fly with 70 pound bags internationally. And I was like, oh, okay, cool. And so I actually could have fit more in there. I didn’t realize I was worried. It would be too heavy. And so yep. Just checked it. They didn’t have any concern got on the flight. 

Brandon: 

And essentially, like I told one or two people when I was like on the way there, and Ukraine said, Hey, I’m coming by the way. But I didn’t give any details where I was going to go, where I was going to be when I was going to see them. I just said, I’m coming. And I flew into, I supposed to fly into Krakaw. But the day before I left, they actually changed the flight to fly into Warsaw. And then I’d collect, I would take another flight down to Krakaw. Th this was, that was very important that that happened, that that flight was canceled because I flew into Amsterdam. And then on the way to, when I was in Amsterdam, I got a message from Heath saying, Hey, there’s this guy looking for a ride to the Polish border. And, and would you be willing to give him a ride? 

Brandon:  

And I said, yeah, sure. But he’s in Warsaw. And I’m like, well, I’m going to enact my final flight is going to crack out, but I’m going through Warsaw. Maybe I can just get out there. And so Heath connected us on telegram and I was just like, yeah, it’d be nice to go with somebody else. Who’s trying to get to the border as well. So I’m not doing this alone. And so I said, yeah, you know what? I’m actually going to get out at Warsaw and I’ll meet you, we’ll rent a car and we’ll drive, drive to the border. 

Brandon: 

And so I get to the rental car place and the guy’s like, I talked to the guy on the phone and he’s a Brit and he’s like, yeah, I’m from Britain. And I just want to come drive refugees out of the country, out of Ukraine to the border. And, and he’s part of this organization called Ukraine now. And it was, I think somebody invented like in the last couple of weeks and, and that their job is to go in and, and, you know, bring refugees out. They hadn’t been, so they hadn’t been set up for very long and they were pretty disorganized. And so they essentially said, Hey, we need drivers. And he’s like, all right, I’m going. And he flies to Warsaw and they’re like, oh, okay. We’ll just rent a car and drive into Ukraine and go pick people up. Okay. And so like, and so I’m like, well, if you’re going to go there, I’m going there, like team up and just drive together. 

Brandon:  

And, you know, so I go to the ticket, counter that with the rental place. And again, I’m here to get a van they’re like, yeah, there’s no vans available in the city. Like, well, this, this charity organizations already reserved that. Like, no, they haven’t. I’m like, there’s no like what? And so, and you couldn’t get a hold of buddy in the states who had set this up. And it was just, it was kind of chaotic. And, and, and, and, you know, and I had already had a rental car reservation, but as an SUV, but they’d given it away because I was late or whatever. And so they’re like, oh, we can put you in a BMW. And I’m like, I don’t want to drive to the border and a BMW. Right. Like we, some of that. 

Brandon:  

So I wasn’t even sure what I was doing, but I was like, okay. So I rented a car and I was able to get kind of like a crossover type car, a little bit more space, but not quite an SUV, rented a car. And I went and met with this Brit named and, and so we met up and he was at a hostel. He had been there for a day or so actually he went to, he was a crack out. We went up to Warsaw, trying to get a car, was able to get it. And somet up with him and in Warsaw. And we, he was like, let’s go, let’s go to the border. And so, so that night we just said, okay. And we, we stopped by a store, like a department store. And I bought a bunch of first aid kits and said, what else can I get? So I had all this stuff I brought from the states, what else can I buy? I bought a bunch of first aid kits. And I saw it when I was at this department store. I saw some flowers and one of the flowers was a peace Lily. 

Brandon:  

And so I bought a piece of Lily to take to, to Ukraine. And I don’t know what I was going to do with it, but I bought that piece of Lilly. We throw the stuff in the car and we just started driving towards the border. This is about a 4 hour drive, four or five hour drive to the border. We knew we wouldn’t be able to cross because of the curfew itself. So let’s just get close and then let’s stay at a hotel and then get up in the morning and hit, hit the border. Then while I was waiting for the rental car, I ran into this other guy. Who’s also, American is a Chinese American. And his wife was Ukrainian in Ukraine. And he was living in LA and he flew from LA to Poland was also renting a car. So he could drive to pick his wife up in Ukraine and bring her out. 

Brandon:  

And so we met, we exchanged your phone numbers and we chatted. This was important because he, that night also drove to the border and in his rental car and that morning, or no, it was in the middle of the night. He, he was told that he couldn’t drive his rental car to Ukraine because he wasn’t the registered owner of the rental. He couldn’t drive that across border. And we’re like, crap. And of course, nobody in the Ukraine Now organization had any idea that this was a rule. 

Brandon:  

Saturday morning. We were at a hotel in Loveland, Poland, and we’re like, crap. We can’t drive this rental car across the border. And so I’m like, well, you know, that’s fine. I don’t have to go to Ukraine, but I can leave the stuff at the border. But he was like, no, I came here to go help people in Ukraine. I need to find a way in. well, maybe we can buy a car. We can buy a van or something and drive across the border. And so he started getting on his phone and searching, and he found a van in Poland for like $3,000. And there’s this old, this like big con, like a big working van, you know, you put stuff in and he found a guy and he’s, contacted a bunch of different people where some of these vans, he found one and it’s about an hour north. And so we drove up, checked out this van, it’s big old van and it’s great for what he’s trying to do. 

Brandon:  

He wants to drive people around, deliver stuff. And this is like perfect. An old beat up van. It’s a couple thousand bucks. And it had like something crazy, like 340,000 miles on it already. And so we, we, we talked to this guy and he doesn’t speak any English, but his son spoke English. And so we were like, he was translating, you know, the van wanted to start. So they switched out the batteries from another van that he had into this one and started in and he had to like pump the gas in order to get it to work. 

Brandon: 

We’ll find a hotel we can stay at. And I will stay there the night and then drive across the border in the morning. I would get there. And that’s the first stop in Poland after the border. And so it was full of refugees and people look us coming here. This is the last stop in Poland before you go to Ukraine. So you have people coming out of Ukraine, staying there, and then you have people going into Poland, like us stay in there. And it was the, the, the, this probably quiet sleepy village was just, it was a mad house. And, you know, there’s McDonald’s is packed people, you know, you could tell that they’re like, there’s less chance to, you know, get internet or get some good food or whatever, before going across, you know, you see people with press there’s a refugee camp is right there. 

Brandon:  

And just, just a lot of stuff, busy, busy people, a lot of people around a lot of other bands. And we were going to different hotels and Hey, Nope, no vacancy, no vacancy. We, we probably went to the five or six, seven hotels, all booked, no vacancy crap. What are we gonna do? Well, maybe we’ll just like sleep in the van tonight. And then he’s like, you know, I think Ukraine now this organization is part of, I think they rented an Airbnb around here. So we’re like, let’s, you know, let’s look into that. Of course he’s asking about it. Nobody’s responding or, or whatever, but, but then like, oh yeah, it’s in the town about an hour south of Michelle. And we’re like, and it’s close to the border too. So we’re like, okay, let’s maybe what we could do is go down state that Airbnb cross the border there. So I left the rental car there and then we jumped in the van for all the stuff over into the van and drove down to that Airbnb, which is actually close to a, a ski resort. It was like this one next to a ski resort down in Poland. We had no idea it’s a ski resort either. We’re just like, oh, cool, great. So it was like a room that was rented for this charity or this foundation for people to stay at for drivers to stay at and whatnot, a couple miles from the border, but like, great. 

Brandon:  

So we got down there, it was like 11:30. By the time we got down there and just crashed there. So it was nice. We had a nice warm place to stay. Didn’t have to sleep in the car. They provided food in the morning that morning. We’re like, all right, you know, eight o’clock in the morning. Let’s go. And we start, we start going in the van when wouldn’t start looking like, so we’re like, sort of like, we’re like pumping the gas I’m done. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh no. But fortunately we, we, after probably five, 10 minutes, it was cold down there too. And this, we didn’t want to drain the battery finally started like, great, awesome. So we had all this stuff, the guy who was owned the place or at, or a relative of the person on the place, he was also driving back and forth to the border every day and dropping off supplies and picking people up. 

Brandon: 

But he didn’t go across the board. He just went back and forth the border. So he he’s like, he’s like, he’s like, you guys are going into Lviv? Like you guys are crazy. You kind of look like yeah, we’re a Brit and an American. We don’t know where we’re doing. We’re just kind of crazy. It’s like, okay, well, if he had this humanitarian sign that was in Polish and Ukrainian and he gave us a copy and said, here, put this in your window. That’ll help. And so we did that ad too. We got off in the morning  and on the way to the border, we see like couple of their vans and this like stop. That’s a little pissed off pitstop off to the side of the road where there’s a bunch of boxes of stuff. And we see people with bands and stuff like that. So we like stopped. 

Brandon: 

We turned around and went back and were like, we had an empty van and we’re like, do y’all just take some of this stuff in. Yeah. And happy to take it, like, yeah, sure. And there’s a bunch of Germans. So the, the, and so apparently they hadboxes, a whole tractor trailer full of supplies, like, like blankets and pillows and mattresses and clothes, everything you can imagine. It was donated by Germans and it’s dropped off here and they just couldn’t get it across the border. And so we’re like, we’re going to cross, we’re going into the beef, just pack it up. We packed up this van full of boxes of all the stuff and packed it to the brim. And they were like, awesome. Thanks. Right. And there, they were just trying to get it to the board and it’s trying to get somebody else on the border to take the rest of the way. 

Brandon: 

And they were having trouble with that. All right. Yeah. Let’s just, let’s take it in. So we fill up this van stuff, we go to the border and get it to the board. I mean, their cars parks, you know, for quite a ways away from the border. So people parked there, went in, so we were able to drive right up and once the security guard and you know, we want to do like, yeah, we’re gonna go across like, okay, there’s two people here that need a CRA right across the border. It could be, take them. We’re like, yeah, sure. Jump on in. And so it was a woman or Ukrainian woman and her French husband who lived in the Netherlands. And so they spoke English. She was going across the border to pick up her sick mother who was on the other side. And so she’s, she was at the end of her life and they just were worried that she would even make it here, wanted to see her and bring her back to them, but they couldn’t ever cross and nor could they walk across, but they couldn’t cross. 

Brandon:  

And so, so there’s four of us in this van roll, like crunched up, oh, wait, doesn’t have a driver’s license because he had lost it. And so that was part of where he needed a ride because I, I had a driver’s license, so he couldn’t drive in Poland, but he got to Ukraine. It didn’t matter. Cause it was like, whatever, it’s, there’s no law. Right. And so he’s like, once I get to Ukraine, I can drive around, but I can’t drive in Poland. So I’m driving across the border. There’s four of us in here in this van crammed up. And, and, and of course we’re waiting in line to line to, there’s only like three cars in front of us, but each one took like 30 minutes. It’s like, what in the world? So the pull aside, they finally get to us and none of us speak Polish, but they’re like, you know, we’re going to go to the Lviv. 

Brandon: 

But fortunately the, the woman who is with us spoke Ukrainian and you know, you can kind of understand a little bit of this stuff. And, and I think he might’ve spoken, creating as well, but the, the security, the border guard, but, you know, he was kind of grumpy. I can imagine, you know, talking to people all day long and, and so like, well, he needs to see the papers. And so we showed the papers and we’re like, yeah, we just bought this van. And you know, he he’s like looking at this stuff and he’s just like, he’s just getting really aggressive and like, upset. Like, what’s that like, you know, and, and he’s like, she’s like, do you guys have insurance on this? Or like, no, we just thought we don’t have car insurance. And so she told him, he was like, you can’t be driving. 

Brandon: 

I here’s the sun. She said, you can’t be driving without insurance. Like this crazy, you know? Well, like, sorry, we just bought this yesterday. We didn’t have time to get insurance. And, and the, the re we didn’t registered in their name. We just had a bill of sale and written in Polish. And the guy bought it from said, yeah, he bought this today. And, you know, and, and we’re just kind of like, sorry, and, you know, just like, like stupid Americans and Brits, you know, and they don’t know what they’re doing. Right. So, but so they go and he used to takes our passports stamps off and, and they were like, please don’t let us across. And we see what’s happening before us, where they’re like, checking the bat, the checking, the boxes of, you know, the car in front of us. And where are you going? 

Brandon: 

And we saw that guy got pulled off to the side and, you know, we were kind of overhearing the conversation and this is it. And they’re like, do you have a contact person? Do you have a, where are you going? What’s the address you’re going to, he didn’t have that. And so they’re like, you can’t go in without this. And so we were like, ah, do we have somebody? And so he started like contacting the people, James and the people that he was connected with. But again, this is in the morning at the border of Ukraine, Poland, it’s in the middle of the night in the United States. So nobody was responding and, and, and, you know, and even the people on the training side that could have responded weren’t. And so we’re like, we don’t, what do we do? You know what I mean? 

Brandon: 

So, and, and we’re like, crap. So we’ve got to figure that part out, but, you know, we say, oh, we’re here for humanitarian. They check our boxes and make sure that okay, there’s, you know, you know, we’re not smuggling anything like body armor, but so the, you know, the check that the, the Polish guard comes back and he had everything in a pack, he just handed it to me without saying anything and just walks off. Like, we’re like, does that mean we can go? And so we’re like, yeah, let’s just kind of go. And so we go, and then we go to the Ukrainian side, which is right next door, where are you going? What do you need to do? What are you trying to do? And we’re like, yeah, we’re here to deliver supplies to Lviv. And, and still, we weren’t able to get ahold of his contact. 

Brandon: 

So I had to call my team and contacted Liza, who was at the hub. And I said, Liza, Hey, I’m at the border. And I need somebody to vouch for me that I’m coming to visit them. She’s like, okay, let me, actually, it wasn’t a phone is a telegram said, okay. And so she gave her phone number and the security guard to her, and she was able to confirm, yeah, I know him. This is where we’re at. This is what they’re doing, stuff like that. So it worked out very well, but like, I was really hoping to show up with all this stuff without surprise, without like telling them. So they got ticked off, just had that. I was actually, but so yeah, it, it did the whole process getting into the country probably took about an hour, hour and a half. And then just like, gosh, it took a long time to get across the border. 

Brandon: 

And of course we had the woman who spoke Ukrainian cause she could translate and explain what’s going on, that she’s building, but they’re going to deliver supplies. And I think without that, we would’ve had a much harder time trying to communicate what we’re doing. And so it’s just like things just kind of someplace perfectly for everything to happen the way it did. But yeah, we, we, we finally got across the border and, and they, she is, we were at the final gate to, to crossing and got the spikes and we had to wait for it to go across for the check, our, our visa or whatever. She sees her mother in line and the one sees her mother. So she gets out, she’s like, oh my gosh. She’s like waving. And she’s like, run it into like, like you can’t be running here. Like, like you gotta like be checked. 

Brandon: 

And so there’s a guard came and chatted like God. So she didn’t have to see her mother be reunited with her, very happy. And, and then we were went on. So that was really nice to, to be part of that and help her get her mother and get across the border. And then from there, we, we, we took off and, you know, we go to Ukrainian gas station, our, our tire and our van was kind of going flat. And, you know, we, we go to the first gas station. Yeah. It’s just like, nobody speaks English and we’re like fill it up? And they’re like, oh my gosh. I’m just like, what did we say? You know what I mean? Andthen, oh, the other thing is like our internet doesn’t work. Yeah. Because we’re in Ukraine. So if somebody, you got to have the SIM card, it’s a, we’re using translations, but it’s using Google and now that didn’t work anymore. 

Brandon: 

So we’re like, like, and so finally he pointed at the tire and he’s like, you know, tire like, yes. So you have this with that. And it’s just like, oh my gosh. Yeah. Let’s we got to get to a place, get your period. So we drove in this fire about a two hour, so half hour drive from the border to Lviv and you drive it through the countryside. It’s really beautiful. You see a lot of like these Orthodox churches all over the, so, so many houses would like chickens in the yard and like little gardens that they’re growing things and just this quiet village, life, village, life, and farm land, and just very beautiful. And that part of the country is hilly. So we could see that along the way, there were, you know, various like checkpoints, military checkpoints, but you know, you know, we just kind of show Hannah humanitarian van and they just kind of pass you through at the border. 

Brandon:  

There was a pretty long line of people trying to get through both on foot, but also in cars. And so it, it probably went a couple of kilometers that the queue for the cars to get to the border and it was not moving fast at all. I mean, you see people just sitting outside their car because it hasn’t moved in a while and you can just imagine how long it will take to get through in their car. And just, and, and, and I have pictures and videos of all this. And, but yeah, we, we, we drove into the Vive, nice drive the roads. Some roads are smooth, but some are definitely like bumpy and, you know, rough, but, and then there’s pretty steady caravan of buses and vans going back and forth between the border. So we, weren’t the only people doing this and you see military checkpoints and yeah. 

Brandon: 

You know, various things. We never felt that danger in, in this ride. But as we got closer to Lviv, there became more checkpoints. And there was even like a barricade that all the traffic getting into Lviv, they kind of barricaded the city on all the roads. And so that the, the roads lead into that barricade backed up. And so it took probably half hour to get through that traffic jam, go through the barricade. You can only go through the barricade one vehicle at a time. So you have like three or four roads coming into one barricade. And there, you have to like weave around the barricades and you have security guards, you have military with guns and, you know, the, that arm, the sandbags with camo, but also they had those, you kind of see them there, the tank stoppers there, like those metal things, you see those kind of order place. 

Brandon: 

So we went through that and once we entered the city, it was, you know, like a city and, you know, people are moving about and we drove to the apartment and, well, this is where the, the Lviv flat was for the company. And we, and so I was able to, I knew where the address was, we drove right up and I was able to get in. And the, like, there was a gate to go to park in the parking lot. And so we didn’t have the thing. So I’m like, crap. Well, I knew that the apartment, so I was able to get into the apartment cause somebody was coming out, I jumped in and then I go into the it’s, this old, we built back during the seven year I get into the elevator. And I’m like, I think, you know, it’s apartment number 32, but like there’s 10 floors and it’s not the third floor. 

Brandon: 

And 30 is pretty high. So I’m like, it’s probably like at the top because like each floor had about five apartments. So I kind of calculated it. All right. And so I press a button 10 and nothing happened like, well, I don’t know. Maybe I need one of those passes to, you know, to get the elevator work. So I actually had to run up nine, 10 flights of stairs because I couldn’t get the elevator to work. So I get to the top. And I finally like, okay, apartment 30, two of my coughing and puffing. And I, I, I think I text she’s like, where are you at? Or I don’t know. Or I knock on the door and she, or I, I hit the doorbell and she thought I was at the bottom of the building. She’s like, oh, well, come right down and let you in. 

Brandon: 

And she opens the door and I’m standing right there. And so this is Brandon. So, you know, we hugged and, you know, the butcher, other people from the team there and their families. So, and it just, it was great to see them to hug them. And since to be there. And I w I said, Hey, I need to pass rent down. We parked the van. We came up when I came back, it was really good to just see everybody to, to hug them. And they had their kids there. One of our developers, Andrey, his son was there and he suddenly had no idea who I was. He came up and he’s wanting to play some plane with them. They have a dog, a lab, he was shaking his tail and wanted to play fetch. And it felt very much like a normal life and family and just happiness and just reunited with friends. 

Brandon:  

And it’s just good to see old acquaintances. It’s like, ah, this is awesome. And as warm and it was safe and it was clean and they had food and it, it, it felt very much like a family gathering. And that was a feeling that was felt when I was there and people come like, oh, Hey, you know, just seeing people that it’s been a while since I’ve seen him. And it was just so much fun just to be there and reconnect. And, we go pick up all the, the military supply, the bags and military supplies, and we bring it up there and we spread out, we open it up, we spread it out and they’re like, you can get this stuff. They’re like looking at the ammo. And they’re like, body armor. They’re trying it on. Like, you can buy this stuff. 

Brandon: 

This is crazy. And, and they’re like, wow, there’s like the helmet. And they’re like trying it on there. They’re just amazed at like, you can get this stuff. You can just like go to the store and buy it. And so it was just, it was a good reunion. They, you know, they, they brought out food and drinks and we just, you know, just reconnecting and, and, but, you know, the, you know, talking to them and the, the apartment is actually two stories. And so we went upstairs and they had a nice balcony that, that looks out over the city. And so we were up there and I was, I took time and talking to them about their experience and you know, what they’re doing and sharing different things and how they’re living. I was able to see. And there was only, there were only three bedrooms, but there were 11, 12 people there. 

Brandon: 

And so they had beds on the floor that people would stay at, but, but the, the apartment was set up because it’s sort of great because it had everything that was necessary just to survive and make do for this time, there were washer and dryer, there was a full kitchen, there was bathrooms and everything that you need to, to be safe and comfortable. And they were very much safe and comfortable there. So it was really good to see that and, and to be there for them. And, and then after that, we, they wanted to show where they go and do volunteer work every day. Most of them go down to this, this distribution center where supplies are delivered and, and then distribute to refugees or throughout the country. And it’s actually, it’s an old museum. And so they wanted to, to show me that and, and then show, you know, parts of the, be the historic part of the beads. 

Brandon: 

So we, and then we had a van full of supplies that we had to deliver. And they’re like, yeah, we’ll take that as well and distributed there. And so we, we got our stuff and we drove down there to, to downtown. And at the time we want to deliver it, there’s, it was like five o’clock in the evening. And there’s just too much is too busy at that time to take anymore supplies and said, come back in about an hour. So we had somebody on the inside who was just saying, yeah, comeback in about an hour or whatever. So we just, James and I, and Lisa, we went out, we walked around the downtown area of Leviev and we went and grabbed some food that, or a traditional Ukrainian restaurant is actually kind of cool. So Lviv what can around there, you wouldn’t think that a war is going on in their country. 

Brandon: 

It was very normal. There were a lot of people, but it was normal. Like the stores were open, the shops were open. People were eating, people were walking, taking pictures, and it was very much, it felt normal. And, and, and people weren’t living in fear. It was just, they’re living their normal lives there. And, and we went to this Ukrainian restaurant. It’s really interesting. She’s like, this is a place you have to go and you go in and there’s like this, like, it’s part of the decor, but it’s through this door and there’s this like old fat, Ukrainian, like guy dresses and like military stuff. And, and you have to say, you have to say Slava Ukrainia, which is Glory to Ukraine. And then you have to say back, I can’t remember it, but it’s just an, a glory to the heroes in Ukrainian. And that’s how you’re able to pass down and go down. 

Brandon: 

And then you go down these stairs, that’s a tight little stairs and you go down to them to this basement. And it’s like, it’s like this, this little place it’s kind of, it’s a bunker, it’s essentially a bunker. And you go down there and it’s strong. It’s like wood. And they had a TV up there and stuff like that. And just a couple of tables, but there’s like four sets of these bunkers where tables are at, and this is where you eat. And so there’s this restaurant and they bring a traditional, a Ukrainian food. And so we had Borsk and we had different meats and different things. And, and Lisa, she just ordered everything, but at least it gives us the traditional Ukrainian meal. And we had like, their traditional it’s like this like cold drink with different herbs or whatever in it. And it’s, and then the boar skin, you know, different things that had the meat. 

Brandon: 

And so it was great. It’s great traditional meal and it’s warm and cozy and safe down there. And, but, so that was nice to have. And then after that, we got back in the van and we drove to that distribution center, parked the van, and then they came and just helped us load it. We unloaded the boxes and, and they were able to show this where they work and they spend a couple hours a day. All of them there spent a couple hours a day volunteering, and, you know, they, vans are constantly bringing in supplies and then they have to go and they, each floor has different things. And so the first floor had a baby supplies. The basement had medical supplies. You go up to the second, add clothes. And I had another room, had more like bedding stuff like mattresses and sleeping bags and stuff for sleepy. 

Brandon: 

And then another room is just a whole room full of bags of just clothes that they hadn’t even got to yet. And so all these words, and this is like an old art museum, that there was no art in there. It was just kind of this old empty building that they had just kind of used as a great stage. And Eric, because they could have tons and tons of supplies, things that were needed. And so as things came in, they figured out what it was. And then they took it to the right area. And then as people needed things, they would go up and they would get with it. So if somebody is seed bank that go up and they know where the seat backs are, they grab it and bring it down and give it to them. And so that’s how this works. So it, and, and in and out, you know, stuff coming in and stuff going out as needed. 

Brandon: 

And then the first floor, they also had like a little area where there’s, there were women making food sandwiches and drinks. And so if you were hungry as workers, you can, you know, eat and have things to take care. So you, okay. So there’s like a registration centers. People wanted to volunteer, and they were so overwhelmed with people, volunteering that they had to put a registration because there’s some people just kind of come in, there’s chaotic, they had a credit registration, and they’ve actually had a stop. They’ve had turned people away because so many people have wanted to volunteer, which is incredible, well, countries invaded, but there’s so many people that wanted to help serve others, that they had to turn people away, but we were able to get in, cause we knew people on the inside. And, and so we helped them build the boxes. 

Brandon: 

We help take the boxes to the different parts of the, the place. And it was really, it’s really a good to see that, to see where they’re spending their time. And that’s one of the things that Lisa, when you talked to her, she should require that, Hey, if you’re staying here at the Lviv apartment, you need to, you can’t just sit around and feel sorry for yourself. You have togo serve, you have to go help other people. And so she required them and said, no, you guys have to serve and help. And, and, but I think it’s part of what has helped them through this difficult time is to serving others and to helping and causethey, and they they’re passionate about, they love it. That’s one of their favorite things to do is to go help and to serve down to that center. 

Brandon: 

And so after that, it was, it was kind of about late at night spot eight, nine o’clock at night. And I was just like, my plan was to actually get out that night. So get in, drop off the stuff, see everybody, you know, hug them or whatever, and then catch a train out. And I checked on the internet and there were definitely trains available and stuff like that. So she was like, all right, I caught a ride with Liza and a couple of others down to, so I said goodbye to everybody at the place. And I said, all right, I’m gonna go catch a train. 

Brandon:

But it was on that flight back is in the airport where I, I started to craft this message for, like I was thinking about all the things that I had experienced and what my team had experienced. And I was just like, I need to share this message with this world. Then I first formulated how the team there are really the heroes. They’re the courageous ones. They’re the ones that are staying firm in their country at their own risk because this is their country. 

Brandon:    

And they wanted to send their freedom. They’re the ones who are coordinating supplies and helping the refugees and helping the people in need. They’re the ones who are signing up and serving and volunteering to serve in the military military to protect their country. They’re the true heroes and all along the way, like, wow, it’s so great that you came. It’s so courageous of you. It’s just like, it’s not about me. This is, this experience is really to highlight that and the things that they’re doing that they’re doing and things that they’ve done. And, and so I started to kind of craft this message and, and I really got this deep sense of how truly proud I was to have Ukrainian people on my team. 

Brandon: 

They said, no, are going to fight for freedom. We’re going to defender of others, how proud I am of them, that they would do this and, and how honored I am to call them my teammates and that, that they’re able to be on my team. And it was just like, so I wrote this, this message of just truly how truly proud and honored I am, that they’re on my team. And, and, and it’s just like, I gotta do more to just magnified this voice of, and, and let people know how amazing these people are, how they truly are. And that’s what kind of got this idea going for doing a series where we’re listened to their stories, and then we’re getting it out there because really I can tell their story, but how much better would it be for them to tell their story, to hear directly from them? And we have the means, we have the resources, we have the, the ability to gather these things together, gather these stories together and to magnify that. And so that’s where the idea on the, on my flight home, I started pulling these ideas together and say, no, we’ve got to do something here to make this voice. And I was, I’m truly inspired by the team. They’re the things that they’re doing. And it’s, they’re the heroes. They’re the ones who need to be honored. They’re the courageous ones and they need their stories needed to be heard.