THE HEART
OF ASIAN OUTREACH / Peter U, Chairman
The storms of life
Psalm
57:12
“Be
merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in
the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction
pass by.”
In a little village in
Andhra Pradesh, Ps Joshua has also been affected by COVID-19. His once thriving
church is only half filled now. Many in his congregation contracted COVID and
those who did not were too fearful to venture out. Ps Joshua and his whole
family are involved in ministry and they decided that the work of the Kingdom
had to continue, COVID or no COVID. They had to bring hope to those around
them. So, they began visiting the members, praying, sharing the gospel and
encouraging them. Many of the members were filled with fear, confusion, anxiety
and helplessness as coronavirus cases and deaths surged around them. Ps Joshua
visited those sick with the virus, standing outside their homes at a safe
distance to pray with them and reminding family members to observe the health guidelines.
He never gave up even
when he faced troubles and persecution. He was taken to the police station and
accused of forcing people to convert, and his wife was falsely accused of
running a brothel business with the girls coming to the church. He and his wife
were taken to the police station and interrogated. The police did not treat
them kindly but all the accusations proved to be false and the police had to
let them go. Roman 8:36: “As it is written,
for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter.” He had started building a church when the COVID pandemic started,
but due to the lockdown all work had stopped. He decided that it was now time
to start the building again, doing most of the work by themselves. Many asked
him why he bothered as people were still not coming to church, but he had faith
and believed that his faith in God is what gives him hope in the midst of this
pandemic.
He told his members he
believed that one day they would return to regular services in church and he
wanted to be ready for that day. Seeing his faith many members returned to attending
service, but he was careful to urge them to follow all health guidelines and
social distancing. In order to keep the numbers in church to a safe level, he
started a second service in another location 5 km away for the time being. He
and his family are the bearers of hope in the midst of pain and suffering.
Ps Munirathnam has
been in the mission fields for the last 18 years in a place called
Nagalapuram. He has already planted two churches
in this district, reaching out to the least of the least. The people here are
daily labourers in the rice fields and sugar cane plantations. People here are
very poor. Ps Munirathnam has faced many financial,
political and religious challenges over the years, but he has never given up
working tirelessly for the glory of God. During the pandemic he continued his
work for the Kingdom. Though things have been cancelled because of the
coronavirus, love is not one of them. He keeps his heart open to all those in
need, reaching out and helping the poor and the destitute. Churches were closed
for almost a year due to COVID-19 and all activities came to a standstill, even
agricultural activities ceased. People began to lose hope and started thinking
thoughts like, “We are going to die, why must we work?”
Faced with this
situation, Ps Munirathnam organized a 40- day fast
and prayer for protection from COVID-19. He did not expect many people to turn
up, but the church remained open 24 hours, and he stayed in the church the
whole time, fasting and praying. Word spread in the village and slowly the
Hindus started coming in groups asking him to pray for them; he did and shared
the gospel with them. Many came to the church with fear but left free from the fear
of death. It was a breakthrough to see the Hindu people enter the church,
setting aside all religious barriers. What the devil meant for evil, God turned
it around for good. COVID-19 has given Ps Munirathnam the opportunity to serve
the people and share the love of Jesus with them.
He shared a testimony
about a couple who had been trying for seven years to have a child. The husband
blamed the wife and became a drunkard, but last year the wife came to Ps
Munirathnam and he prayed for her and shared the gospel with her. She began to
feel hopeful and started to fast and pray. After three months she conceived and
gave birth to a baby boy recently. Her husband was overjoyed and stopped
drinking. Both of them have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
This pandemic presents
us with an opportunity to witness how the Spirit works no matter what may be falling
apart around us. Our faith invites us to respond to this pandemic in creative
and unique ways, born out of love, compassion and self-giving. Let us choose to
expand our compassion and be bearers of hope in the midst of pain and
suffering. Only this way will we change this story of pain and suffering into
one of compassion, love and victory in Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58: “But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand
firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the
Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”
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