The coronavirus pandemic is disrupting lives all over the world. Chaos and panic sweep across national borders. Many fear the virus, while many more fear the hunger resulting from shutdowns.
Through all this turmoil and change, God remains the same. “From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. . . . To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine” (Psalm 33:14, 19).
Open doors in unique places
Like always, God is able to bring good out of bad. God is opening countless doors of opportunity to minister to people’s physical and spiritual needs. In some cases, our staff and contacts are ministering to people in places they were never able to reach before.
This includes providing Bibles to believers in places where Bibles and Christian literature are scarce. Believers in one such place decided to seize the opportunity to reach out to those facing fear and confusion. They found creative ways to minister to thirty thousand people amid the uncertainty of the pandemic. Through this, many people came to the faith and were given a Bible provided by CAM supporters.
Aid distributions reach people’s hearts
People in many other places are also drawn to Christ through aid and Christian literature. Many of these people would not be impacted with the Gospel if God had not opened unique doors through the pandemic.
One Christian worker said, “Because of the aid we distribute, we get in contact with many people . . . people with real hurts, real trials, and real griefs . . .” Recently this person visited with a woman who had just lost her one-year-old child. She said, “The pain in [the mother’s] eyes stabbed my heart!” The contact handed a New Testament to another worker to read 1 Peter 5:7 to the grieving mother.
The mother wondered, “Who is the ‘Him’ it talks about?” The worker responded, “God,” and explained that He loves her and wants to help her.
Quotes from around the world
“In my hands is a Bible, which also was given to me as a gift from you. I am very much thankful, because I had no Bible previously and I am glad to enjoy the teaching of Jesus and the books from the Old Testament.” —Malawi
“I’m a little scared due to the virus. How can I be saved? I’m not sure that Jesus is even real.” —USA
“The paralyzing fear and needs have caused many to seek encouragement and people to talk to. —Middle East
A father from Bangladesh struggled to feed his family.
One day he left his house and didn’t come back until nighttime because he couldn’t bear being at home with no food for his family. The next day our contacts were distributing food parcels and gave one to this struggling father. He told them, “You [Christians] . . . stand by our side.”
In one country, people are attending church and becoming believers since they saw Christ’s love through the aid provided at this critical time. A contact from one area said, “Praise the Lord for the ten families that accepted Christ as their Savior when they experienced the love of God.” Many of the families marvel that people from far away would help them.
Our staff members in various locations notice a new openness and hunger for truth. Our staff members receive increased requests for Bibles. One of them told of a man opening his heart to truth after years of hardening it. “Other family members who had no interest in the Bible have now also requested copies.”
Your support is also touching lives in the U.S. Many Americans are looking to God after interacting with Christians distributing food parcels. A man who received a parcel later connected with a worker and said, “I was moved by your gracious food drive. I have been looking for a new church in my neighborhood. I would like to know when you will reopen to visit you.”
Since then, this Anabaptist church in New York started a Spanish service for a group of Hispanic people who want to attend their church. Our contact shared, “We never anticipated this happening, but as a church we feel it’s a door God has opened wide and we are walking through.”
Positive reports from all over the world reach us at CAM. We are humbled and grateful to God for the way He is working in people’s hearts during these uncertain times, and we thank you for making this work possible!
