On Saturday, March 19th the Second Baptist Church in Springfield, MO was the site for a fundraiser to benefit Convoy of Hope and its efforts to aid the citizens of Ukraine. This is not one of those internet campaigns to encourage you to support an organization you have never heard of before. At least, I hope you know what Convoy of Hope is.

They were founded here in Springfield and have had an impact all over the world. Saturday, at least two representatives were at Second Baptist. Sara and Ethan Forhetz National Spokespeople and former KY3 anchors finished the event with information about Convoy’s work in Ukraine. They were not the featured Master and Mistress of ceremonies.

Yakov and Olivia Smirnoff were our hosts for the afternoon. If you do not know the Branson entertainer, comedian, Doctor of Psychology, and former Ukrainian citizen you must have lived under a rock for the last forty years. Yakov came to New York City in the ’70s and became famous as a Russian comedian.

His English was learned after he came here and his most famous line is, “What a country.” If you have driven by his Branson theater, you have seen that on the sign. This was displayed along with the line, “You’ll laugh your Yak off.” After the pandemic hit, it was changed to “You’ll laugh your mask off.”

Smirnoff was a stage name he selected to go along with one of his jokes. He says that when he and his parents got off the plane in New York City he saw a sign that said, “America loves Smirnoff” and he knew he came to the right place.

The audience at the concert Saturday enjoyed these stories and much of what Dr. Smirnoff does now in seminars around the world. He uses his sense of humor to help us understand how we can continue our relationships through laughter and a better understanding of who we and our spouses are.

After the presentation of the Star-Spangled Banner, Olivia rendered the Ukrainian National Anthem beautifully. I had never heard of this song before and did not understand what Olivia and Yakov called it. Apparently, it means “Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished.” This seems to be a most poignant sentiment for these times.

Stories of the family and friends that are in their country and the fact that Mrs. Smirnoff’s parents have arrived safely in Poland were shared with us. Olivia told us that she is not a professional singer and does not appear on stage often. She related how Ukrainian mothers are having difficulty feeding their babies because the stress of the attack makes many women unable to produce breast milk.

Before listening to what was said on Saturday, I already was praying daily for this tragedy to end. My prayers have intensified and I am doing what we were asked to do. We were requested to pray for Putin and the Russian people as well.

In an especially tender moment, Yakov read a letter from a captured Russian pilot. He had written it to his mother to assure her that he was safe. He told of how after bombing the people of Ukraine and going down in his plane he was tended by a Ukrainian doctor and was being treated humanely.

We need to continue our prayers that this war will end and that the Russians will be able to return home as well as the Ukrainian refugees. If you wish to contribute to the relief efforts of Convoy of Hope, you can go to their website at convoyofhope.org. We were told that 93% of the money donated will be used for the Ukrainian relief efforts.

©Copyright 2022 by Charles Kensinger