We recently were able to check in with our mission partners in South America, and ask how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting them and their work with our people group. In our previous post, we shared how the virus is impacting our people group and how especially devastating it could be to them.
LOCKDOWN IN SOUTH AMERICA
In the country where our people group lives, the government has cancelled all flights in and out of the country! Inside the country everyone is truly locked down at home, and even before the countrywide lockdown, our people group’s villages were closed to outsiders.
Our mission partners’ ministry is built largely on presence and relationship. Because our people group is still described as unreached, the existing believers are few and there are no churches.
So our partners have had to get creative.
Primarily, their communication has been through texting or messaging apps. They are especially able to let believers know that they are thinking about them and praying for them. One of their newest believers, Leo, (you can read Leo's story here) has been the most active communicator. He messages nearly every day with at least a simple “hello.” and asking for scripture to read.
But our partners have only recently made a number of contacts in new villages, and many of those relationships have not developed to the point of even sharing phone numbers. So during this time of separation, those new relationships are not able to develop. Please pray for these people in particular that even during this absence, God will continue to move in their hearts.
FUTURE CHALLENGES
As with all of us, the future holds a lot of uncertainty. Once the government lifts some of the travel restrictions, it will still not be safe for our partners to return to our people group’s villages right away. The coronavirus threat will continue to be a greater for them, and our partners would not want to be the cause of an outbreak. The person-to-person ministry will continue to be a challenge for our partners the rest of the year.
This is another reason that the oneMESSAGE.tv community’s Video Bible Storying Project can take on even greater importance in the future. It gives the ability to share God’s Word in a way that oral learners can see and hear without threatening their health.
YOU CAN HELP
If you are a part of the oneMESSAGE.tv community on a monthly basis, thank you for sharing the mission. If you have given in the past, but it has been a while, please consider giving again or even becoming a regular partner. Maybe you have been following the oneMESSAGE.tv story and now is the time to become an active part of it.
Regardless of where you are at, thank you for your interest and your prayers!