On April 10th, Novo hosted a Zoom call for staff and ministry partners, where we were able to support and pray for one another and hear reports from various parts of the world on how the pandemic was affecting their contexts. More than two months later, we’ve asked the same people to share a new report on what has happened since then, and the impact on their ministries.
May it serve as a spotlight on how COVID-19 is impacting people around the world and how to intercede with greater understanding.
In each report, you’ll first see the video report from two months ago, followed by a current update written by the same staff-member.
South Africa
The lockdown has eased and there's a lot more movement and a lot more activity than previously. Congregational worship is now permitted, with 50 or less people allowed to gather at a time. As of today, 7th and High school seniors have returned to school.
We have been doing some food distributions to the families of kids we serve, most of whom live hand to mouth, for the last two months. A lot of them are either unemployed or informally self-employed in fields not considered essential. As you can imagine, this means that a lot of their means for survival have, in a sense, been taken away from them...so they are faced with hunger.
Before the pandemic, we were running a local (ministry) apprenticeship program for local leaders in our circles, but all of that seemed to go out the window with this new reality. However we have been able to conduct the development sessions with 11 core local leaders online. We didn't want to completely disengage from leadership development, and this has now become our major focus.
From Thabo Malesa, InnerCHANGE South Africa
Italy
Here in Italy we were in lockdown for nine weeks. In mid-May the restrictions slowly began to lift, but it was not until about two weeks ago that most businesses were allowed to reopen and we were finally able to freely travel around the country. Most people here are still pretty fearful and avoid connection with people they are not related to or know well. Church has been able to resume gathering, but with rather heavy handed restrictions that have made it difficult to continue real connection.
Our ministry has really been one of prayer, lament, and sitting with those who've experienced trauma. Though much is opening once again, the intensity of the lockdown and the death and sickness that was experienced here have left an indelible mark on the psyche of the people; there is fear, sadness, and anger. We pray that God would bring much comfort and healing to the hearts of the people here and that hope would rise up, despite the realities of so much loss physically, relationally, and economically.
From Jeff Ott, ChurchNEXT Pioneering Initiatives Italy
Cambodia
Tides are shifting in Cambodia, and COVID-19 has helped bring that to the surface. While there are currently hardly any cases of COVID in the nation, the effects are all around—things are changing, and life in Cambodia will look different from now on. As of today, schools, universities, and religious institutions remain closed. Cambodian churches have tried to be creative and go online, but, in a collective culture, social distancing and online meetings seem very unnatural.
While COVID is not widespread, a recent poll shows that most Cambodians have someone close to them who has lost their job because of the virus. Garment workers and migrant workers who were sent home from working across the borders have been affected the most. One NGO that works with children in high-risk areas that we come alongside has been visiting families on the streets every day, checking on the children and praying with the parents. There has been more than one case of parents feeling so desperate for cash that they were thinking of putting their children at risk.
Please pray for families like these who were already struggling with poverty before the virus hit. Please pray with us for hope, and for God’s beautiful plan of redemption and restoration to unfold. Cambodia is making it harder and harder for foreigners to enter the country. Tides are indeed changing, and Cambodia seems to be shifting away from dependence on the West to looking to other countries like China for help. For the Cambodian church, this seems to be a time of testing—of drawing close to Jesus, putting all they’ve learned about faith into practice, and standing on their own—as many of the missionaries who encouraged them along the way have left the country. Could this be a season when the Cambodian church will rise like never before?
From Alice Collier, Ethne Cambodia
Honduras
Poor neighborhoods like La Guzman have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, as people who were barely surviving before have been commanded to stop work and stay home. Since the start of the pandemic shut-down, Jose and Célida have been willing to risk their own safety to acquire food for their hungry neighbors, courageously living out the presence of Christ in word and deed. You can read their personal account in this blog post.
From Jose Penate-Aceves, InnerCHANGE Honduras