As the war on Ukraine continues into its second week, more than 1.7 million Ukrainians have left their homes for refuge in neighbouring countries. 

Ed Dickson is the overseas director of Loads of Love Humanitarian Aid and Mission Society. He and his family have been serving orphan children, seniors, refugees and local churches in Ukraine since 1996.

"I was working at the University of Guelph in Ontario as an associate director for the George Morris Centre. I started doing some mission trips after being radically saved at the church in Chatham, Ontario. I just wanted to give my life," Dickson explains. "I ended up doing agricultural consulting overseas. I happened to go to Ukraine, where we were doing a conference for agricultural restructuring in the country, and kind of by chance, I walked into an orphanage in the city where there were kids with special needs. It absolutely rocked my world. I couldn't forget it."

Ed says when he left the orphanage, he felt like a giant teardrop from heaven fell and hit him on the head. He says it was then that he realized that God loved those kids and that he had orchestrated everything in his life up to that day.

"I devoted my life there. I moved there," said Dickson.

Ed is currently on a year-long furlough in Canada but recently returned from a trip to Ukraine. 

"I was there the week before this all started. Everything was so surreal. 99 percent of the people in Ukraine were just going on with their lives. They really didn't believe anything would happen," Dickson explains. "It was the furthest thing from their imagination that Russia would invade. It was pretty surreal." 

Now two weeks in, Loads of Love Humanitarian Aid and Mission Society has over 40 full-time staff in Ukraine and over 100 partner churches that they are channelling all their aid through. 

"A lot of times, I'm saying maybe it's time to get out. Maybe you should run for your lives now. They all look at him and say no, God called us here to help and we're staying."

Ed says thanks to those volunteers, thousands of people are receiving food and other necessities. 

"Even right in Kharkiv, where the war is going on around them, the pastor there is still working. The church is packed with food and stuff that they've been able to get. They're distributing food to people out there," Dickson explains. 

At this time, Ed says the most important thing is that people know and understand that things are going on and there are ways to help. 

"Every single prayer that people pray is like another miracle. We're seeing miracles happen, and we know why they're happening. Every time someone gets down on a knee for the people of Ukraine, a miracle is happening."

Today on Connections, Ed shares with us what his team is doing back in Ukraine. He'll also share how we can pray during this difficult time.