Lockdowns are commonplace around the world these days, with an estimated 3 billion people currently under some form of restrictions. However, lockdowns in the Majority World look different than those in the West. For instance, our national and international missionaries in Asia are reporting:
· In India, police are beating people with canes if they are found outside their homes
· In Malaysia, only 1 person is allowed to leave home to find food and the military has been engaged to ensure there are no violations
· In the Philippines, where there are millions in abject poverty, the loss of a daily wage (often of only a dollar or two) often means there simply is no food. Some local governments have started delivering meager food packs to the poorest communities – from the backs of garbage trucks
· In Myanmar, the government pretends there is not a serious rate of infection while, in fact, the cases are rising and for many, there are shortages of food and medicines
· In Vietnam, many have gone without work for more than a month
· Our partners in other Asian nations haven’t reported in yet, but we expect similar experiences
In the midst of these trying times, we praise God for the way that His people are caring for one another and for their communities. Local pastors continue to minister to their flocks, some by sending out sermons and devotions via WhatsApp to their churches; others, by delivering food and other necessities.
In all of these places, the financial need is great, as the trials of the virus and the lockdowns are compounded by the day-to-day challenges already confronted by the Body of Christ – from poverty to persecution. The same could be said for most of the 50 nations around the world where Timothy Two has projects underway or in development. We have established a “Family Fund,” which is solely designed to meet urgent, material needs of our national partners: the Timothy Two “family” throughout the world. If the Lord so moves you to give to this fund and help those laboring within these communities, you can do so here. In any case, please pray for the Lord to protect these people, to use these people to minister to the world around them, and to even use this crisis as an opportunity to show, through these people, the brilliance of His glory and the glory of His grace.