It was an unusual time for us. Everyone in our country was talking about the new coronavirus. Each day, many new cases were found in different parts of the country. Parks, markets, schools, and government offices were closed. We also had to shut down our church plant until otherwise updated by officials. Everyone was expected to quarantine at home. It was an order.
In the beginning, we turned on the TV news reports and watched people in our country as they started to search for face masks, hand sanitizer, and tools for sterilizing. People rushed out to shop. They were panic-buying food and essential supplies for their families. People needed face masks; however, we weren’t able to find them in pharmacies or online. Day by day, more and more people realized how severe the virus was. It had become a pandemic.
We could feel people’s fear. They were hopeless and depressed because they lacked personal protective equipment. Many lost beloved family members. Families ached. It was heartbreaking.
Home-quarantined, we couldn’t worship in our church plant but instead worshiped with our members and interests through the internet. We were so thankful for modern technology that allowed us to continue to meet with people, give Bible studies, and sing together. We had two prayer meetings every day through social media; one was in the morning from five o’clock to six o’clock, and the evening one was from six o’clock to seven o’clock. We also joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s 100 Days of Prayer initiative. We received the devotional material from the church’s leaders and prayed not only for our country but also for countries around the world.
After every morning and evening prayer time, we conducted a one-hour Bible study. We started in Genesis and have now gone through the books of the major prophets. We believe all this took our relationship with God to another level.
Eventually, we received permission to leave our homes. We started to discuss with our members and interests how we could serve our community and share the love of Jesus with people who had never heard of Him. We prepared outreach packages that included Hope Beyond Tomorrow (the Adventist Church’s 2020 missionary book). We printed the contact information for our church plant on the books so people could connect with us in the future. The packages also included essential supplies like face masks, alcohol swabs, and disposable gloves. We distributed the packages to our neighbors and people who served our community during the pandemic, such as security guards, cleaners, and mail carriers. While doing so, we didn’t forget our mission: to share the good news of Jesus with people who wanted to know more. We even used our Bibles to answer their questions, which we really enjoyed.
During our community service, we met many non-Christians. Although some people refused our packages, we believe God is working on them. Our purpose was to let them know there is a God who loves them very much and that our church plant is open for them.
Even now, we aren’t able to go back to our church plant and worship together. We will continue to use the online platform to worship, share Jesus, and study the Bible with our members and interests. Our baptismal class has three people who will soon be ready for baptism! Please pray for the rain of the Holy Spirit on our church plant and the people in our veiled city.
Global Mission’s priority is starting new groups of believers among unreached people groups. Often, this means that Global Mission pioneers, tentmakers, and Urban Centers of Influence operate in challenging places. When we share a story from a sensitive area, you’ll see it labeled as a “Veiled Country” or “Veiled City.” Please pray for these special projects and support them by visiting Global-Mission.org/giving and selecting Veiled Projects, FUND GM5040.
To watch video stories about pioneers, visit m360.tv/pioneer.
Please remember us in your will and trusts. Visit Global-Mission.org/PlannedGiving or call 800.648.5824.