United Methodist Church in Willmar builds light units for Ukrainians living without power
Oct. 18—WILLMAR
— Members of the United Methodist Church in Willmar gathered in the basement of their church after their weekly service, on Sunday, Oct. 15, to build 40 light units that will eventually go to Ukranians living without power.
The Ray of Life solar light units are rectangular-shaped light units assembled in parts. With an LED light and a solar panel, each unit will provide eight to 10 hours of light on a fully charged battery. Each unit also has an AC adapter to power most electronic devices such as laptops and cell phones.
The solar light units were developed by Jon Prusa, a refugee from Czechoslovakia who fled his country in the mid-1970s, according to Dave Nonnemacher, who arranged for parishioners to assemble the lights.
Nonnemacher, who works for
New Horizons Foundation USA
, a non-governmental organization based in Romania, explained that he and the CEO of
New Vision Renewable Energy
, Ruston Seaman, have been friends for a while. He met Seaman through Christian community development.
The components for each light kit are made through New Vision's job training programs aimed to help at-risk youth in the community of Philippi, West Virginia.
Nonnemacher said he had visited places like Romania and Moldova many times before, often along with
For God's Children International
Executive Director Joel Burkum, as they both worked towards similar social missions in eastern Europe.
"I've known these guys for many many years." Nonnemacher said in an interview. He was in Ukraine visiting two different communities in March 2022, about three weeks into the war. "I was going to go back in February of 2023 and I just started thinking there's a lot of people living without light."
So he called Seaman and asked about his progress on the solar lights.
The COVID-19 pandemic had pretty much stopped everything for the company in the Appalachian region, according to Nonnemacher, but Seaman was able to get enough supplies to make ten light units.
Nonnemacher brought those ten light units with him when he returned to Ukraine in February 2023 with Burkum. Four of them went to the Odesa region, while six were distributed in Zaporizhzhia by the Mariupol Chaplin's Battalion.
"One I know for sure went five kilometers from the front in the Bakhmut region," Nonnemacher said. "Then we found out people were coming to borrow them from each other ... and when I heard that it was like 'we got to do this.'"
Once back home, Nonnemacher and his friends started reaching out to other friends, organizations, churches and anyone willing to help.
That's how Ladonna Hebrink came across the mission. She happened to be at Nonnemacher's church during a service where Nonnemacher preached via video from Ukraine.
"I had a scripture that day but I was in Odessa," Nonnemacher said, "so I did it with a friend of mine in Odessa on a beach."
Hebrink later found an article written by Christa Meland and published on
Minnesota Annual Conference United Methodist Church
's website.
According to Meland's reporting, Nonnemacher and Seaman had ordered components for 200 more lights — with roughly half already sponsored — and were looking for more sponsors.
Each light unit costs $125, according to Nonnemacher. For an additional $25 ($150 total), water filters are also provided.
"Light brings hope, hope keeps people alive," he said.
Hebrink contacted Nonnemacher in May of 2023 asking him about how to get involved.
Nonnemacher said he was blown away when Hebrink volunteered the United Methodist Church in Willmar to help put together 40 lights before ordering all the components in August.
As of Sunday morning, 77 lights were already in Ukraine and about 120 lights were shipped on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The 40 lights built Sunday will be part of another shipment of 120.
Nonnemacher said he hopes that Ukraine will not be swallowed up in the news cycle given current events in the Middle East.
"You can't put a priority on what's going on now both in Afghanistan and Gaza," he said. "The Mariupol Chaplin's Battalion, along with other organizations are still going, and they're going to all the places they went before."
Nonemacher said those who wish to help people in Ukraine can direct their energy in lots of positive places but, "the beauty of this is that (people) put this together, they touched it, they did something that's going to be given to a Ukrainian. It's different than writing a check."
Those wishing to get involved directly with the Ray of Life Light builds can contact Nonnemacher at 218-626-7222.
