The stories that broke Ben’s heart:
Bringing hope back to India
“I heard stories of people boiling leaves to feed their children,” says BMS World Mission worker Ben Francis. “My heart broke.”
When India went into lockdown in March, many people were left with a sense of dread. Workers in cities had no way to earn a wage, and people in remote villages already living on the bare minimum now had nothing. How can you provide for people, both physically and spiritually, in the face of such despair?
I’ve known Ben for a couple of years now, and every time I speak to him, he’s so joyful in the Lord. He can’t wait to share with you how many people he’s told his testimony to, how many people he knows have recently accepted the love of Christ into their lives. This time, though, it’s different. His joy is still there, but I can tell that the effect the Coronavirus pandemic is having in India is weighing heavily on his heart.
As we chat over the phone, Ben shares with me about the rural villages he works in in Odisha (formerly Orissa) and West Bengal. Lockdown meant that families of often six or eight people were living on nothing. Many of them live in villages only accessible by boat and with no transport running from the cities, so there was no way to bring more food in. And with many people who were now out of work travelling for hundreds of miles back to those villages, they were faced with even more mouths to feed. It wasn’t Coronavirus that was killing people, it was starvation.
For many people, it seemed there was no hope. But, thankfully, they were not forgotten. So many amazing supporters prayed for India and gave to the BMS Coronavirus appeal, and thanks to you, we were able to help towards the distribution of over 28,000 food parcels to people out of work in Delhi and Kolkata. Thanks to your support, Ben and his team travelled into as many villages as they could to bring life-saving food to families in desperate need, living in remote villages. But that’s not all they brought with them.
“I didn’t want to use this opportunity to preach the gospel,” says Ben. For anyone who knows about Ben, you’ll know that the Word of God is never far from his lips. But when reaching out to people nearing starvation, he felt God was just asking him to provide physical necessities like food and medicine. It wasn’t long however before he realised that the love of God was just what people wanted. “People started asking ‘Why are you doing this?’ And we were able to share our story,” he continues.
In a situation without hope, God opened doors that had never been opened before. People who had never before wanted to hear the Word of God were listening to Ben’s testimony. People were asking for prayers for healing and for their families. To people living in darkness, God had become a life-saving light. “A lot of new people have come to the Lord,” said Ben. “Those people now have hope.”
Thank you so much for helping Ben bring the light of Christ to so many people. The need in India is still great. Ben and his team couldn’t stay in each village forever, but they knew they were leaving the people there with a message that would keep them going through the darkest times, and with the knowledge that Christians cared. I know Ben, and I know that he will be so grateful for your prayers, so that he can continue to bring the hope of a God who can provide to the people who need it most.
Will you commit to praying for people in desperate need in India?
Please pray for:
- People who have recently come to Christ. Pray that they will stay strong in their faith and be able to share their faith with many others.
- People who have been left without food due to lockdown. Pray that the Lord will provide for them and that they will know his protection.
- India, as it grapples with rising Coronavirus cases. Pray for healing for people suffering from the virus and pray that God will provide for people who are out of work.
- Ben Francis and his family. Pray that the Lord will give Ben strength, and that he will be able to keep sharing the gospel with people who don’t yet know God.
- The many people across the world Ben trains in disciple-making and leadership. Pray that they will be empowered in the Lord, and that they will be able to share his Word with many people.
Words by Laura Durrant.
