By now, if you have been following us, you have been hearing about our 10Men Project launch. Hi, my name is Jay Stoltzfus, and our director Dale Armstrong told me that it is my fault this project was launched 😉 In March 2022, Dale and I were on the phone discussing what and how we could help a country fighting for its freedom, a country that was invaded by a superpower. We discussed the contacts we had that were in hyper gear trying to make a difference, and we really wanted an effective solution to help the many needs that had already emerged. The 10Men Project was born.
The mission was clear; we had an answer to the question, "How can we help in the best, fastest way possible?" Ten men, sacrificing ten days and raising at least $10,000 each to empower the pastors of Ukraine. The vision was born, now we needed to spring into action. In a matter of two short weeks, we had men willing to go and were raising funds. We had a launch date of "as soon as possible." A friend of mine stepped up to help. Levi Lapp became an integral part of the launch of the first team. We stepped into the unknown.
When was the last time you traveled into a war zone, traveling halfway around the world to answer a heart cry of people in need? A heart cry for freedom, for liberty, and to pursue happiness, a heart cry to be free from any tyrannical government. This first trip was so foundational to what we are doing today. Many questions were answered in the first few days. How will we proceed with this vision? How can we make it sustainable?
We quickly realized this would not be over soon, but we would have to be ready for the long haul. We watched our God come through time and time again as we were in the right place at the right time to fulfill the many needs. Answering the call for a pastor that had a vehicle break down as he was rescuing people from the city of Mariupol. His old jalopy was beyond repair. He still needed $2,000 for a nine-passenger van so he could continue evacuating women and children from Mariupol. Within 15 minutes, we transferred funds directly to his account, via a special Ukrainian banking app. He called crying, thanking us over and over as he was on the way to make the purchase. More people rescued; more lives saved!
There are people today that were brought to freedom because of the willingness of those that went and those that gave to the cause and answered the heart cry of a people in need. We quickly realized we do not have to reinvent the wheel. There was a system in place we could use. I dubbed it the Ukrainian Pastors Express. Pastors traveling from city to city, transporting much-needed food and medical supplies to the front, ministering aid to refugees, distributing food to their city. We simply joined the system that was already established. There was no need to make it an American system or do it our way but to come alongside and help those already helping.
Fast forward to today, 2023, what lies in store for the Ukrainian Nation? In many ways, things look bleak. Will this war drag on for years to come? We don’t know these answers, but we know who wins in the end. So, we don our armor and continue the fight. The battle is not won and there are many to save.
I am on a mission to fulfill a mandate that was given to me after the first trip: to send 50 teams consisting of 500 men and in total, raise 5 million dollars. As the Stateside logistics director, I am looking for doers. Those who are willing to say 'Yes, that's me. I can help. I will help. I want to see a nation changed, saved, set free, and delivered to liberty.’
My goal is to empower those who are already making a difference on the ground. Are you one of the 10? We have launch dates of April 18-28th and May 16-26th. If you are feeling the call, you can apply to travel to Ukraine here. If you have any questions about the project, please contact me at jay@armadanetwork.org
May God bless you in all that you set your hand to!