What’s It Like Here with Lockdown?

(This woman sold her husband's phone for 2500rps ($33) to buy food.)

I don’t think any country or family has it “easy” during these Covid-19 times, but I do think Third World Countries like ours have it a little harder.  Many of the people who are day laborers or migrants are really struggling. These are the people who work every day to get income to supply that same day’s food supply. Without it, they have no food to eat. With lockdown, most of this population is without income and therefore without food. Today, news came that one lady died from hunger in Nep@l. 

Each day the news is filled with stories and pictures of desperate slum dwellers lined up at NGO doors for food donations or migrant day laborers walking thousands of miles to try to go back to their cities or countries to find food. The stories are gut retching. 

In our personal city, we haven’t seen these stories first hand. Throughout the country, there are government programs working to help those without food. Police, NGO’s, and churches are working to help care for those in need. Our city, being smaller in population, has many who are struggling, but no one that is starving to anyone’s knowledge. Our home church, as well as other ministries and local police are working to supplement the needs of those around us with food donations and even monetary help. 

(Waiting for food rations)

During lockdown our church has been able to:

*Distribute a month’s worth of food to 2 families in our church

*Give extra financial help to a number of families

*Distribute food to local day laborers in our community who were without income

*Meet weekly with these same day laborers to encourage them

*Share prayers and weekly devotionals with our regular fellowship

*We have been able to keep in touch with all our boys, encourage them in their online studies, and help them prepare for their college entry exams. 

*Lockdown opened up some last week and we were able to meet in person with 2 families from our fellowship, share a meal, and pray together. A few days later, a few people were tested positive for corona in our town, and the city went into more strict lockdown again.

 

(People crowding trains and trucks to get home- although this isn't an unfamiliar sight when lockdown isn't in place; now their is chaos and panic added to the scene.)

In our city, the strict lockdown which only allowed people out of the house from 7am-9am for food has now extended. We are allowed out until 4pm, but with the strict purpose of getting things from the market. We have not been allowed to drive cars since lockdown started in March. Scooters are allowed, but only one person is allowed on the scooter. Children are not allowed outside. Technically, they say walks outside are not allowed, although we see many people breaking that law. In the beginning the police were beating people who were not complying. We see more freedom as the lockdown has extended. 

(People walking the roads to get home being sprayed with chemicals to "remove" Corona)

With all of this said, we give God thanks for the location of our house, set in the middle of the jungle, with few neighbors within a few hundred feet and no police nearby. This has allowed us to get outdoors, enjoy fresh air and play with Hadessah. We personally have all we need and are stocked up on dry goods for a few months. We have been able to share and help our “neighbors” in need and those in our fellowship care. Despite all that is going on, we are blessed. All we can do is pray for those less fortune than us and ask God for mercy.  

(Waiting for food donations)

Please do join us in prayer for those starving and hungry during this time, but more importantly that the people of Ind!a and Nep@l will come to see Je$us as L0rd.