When God intervenes
By Nikali | Philippines in Pacific Asia
When the pandemic hit the Philippines and extensive lockdowns were announced, our foremost question was “What will happen to the ministry?” As I grappled with confused emotions, God intervened in a powerful way. I was amazed as God enabled our lives and ministry to move forward in ways that exceeded our understanding.
With the economic problems caused by the pandemic, we were worried that those to whom we minister would suffer. But God sent different organisations, churches, groups, and individuals to provide our communities with weekly essential relief like food and hygiene kits.
We also thought sharing the gospel with the community during COVID-19 would not be possible. But God gave us opportunities to witness and share his love as we handed out relief to those who gathered in small groups outside our apartment. In the midst of the curfew and restrictions, we were able to engage them at a more personal level by hearing their stories and sharing the message of hope.
The women’s discipleship group’s spiritual hunger spurred them to meet weekly for bible study at our apartment, despite the lockdown. To aid the couple discipling these women God provided a car to travel and meet many physically. The Lord enabled us to run discipleship sessions for kids every fortnight, too.
Through the provision of laptops and stable WiFi, we were able to advance our outreach to the urban poor communities. Leveraging technology, we were able to have fellowship and spiritual conversations with the weavers. Consequently, we were able to continue with our ministries while staying engaged with the community and team members. This helped the team members to bond and build closer relationships through weekly prayer meetings and training sessions.
One major lesson we learned is to use every resource available within our reach wisely and innovatively, including gadgets, scholarships, Internet, reliefs, crafts, car, printer, house space etc. When God empowers, no resource is too small for his use. We also learned the value of reaching one person at a time. As much as we have been investing time and efforts in groups, investing in one-to-one interface is crucial. Above all, being rooted and fully dependent on the Lord allows God to work powerfully and supernaturally through us and our team.
First published in SIM East Asia's SIMNow magazine.
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