The stories that broke Ben’s heart

The stories that broke Ben’s heart:

Bringing hope back to India

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“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.

BMS worker Ben Francis
Ben Francis is always joyful in Lord, but it's hard to feel joy in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Food parcels being distributed in Odisha
Ben's team were able to help bring life-saving food parcels to rural villages in Odisha (formerly Orissa).

“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.”

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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.
Download the prayer points and share them with your church

Words by Laura Durrant.

Covid and the care home: A wake-up call for the West

Covid and the care home:

A wake-up call for the West

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It was reunion day at the Chênes Verts nursing home in the Parisian suburb of Gif-sur-Yvette – a long-awaited moment for residents and their families who had gone two months without any visits. It had taken staff almost three weeks to work out how to safely re-open the doors of the care home in this new world, one governed by Covid-19. But finally, on 11 May 2020, the first three visitors were able to see their loved ones face-to-face, and the emotion was palpable…

BMS World Mission worker Christine Kling has been visiting the Chênes Verts nursing home regularly since becoming a part-time chaplain there in 2017. Amongst her other pastoral responsibilities, she counts her visits to residents in their 70s and 80s, many living with dementia, depression, or other serious health conditions, as an important part of her job. In the West, our interest in nursing homes is likely related to whether we’ve ever visited one, had a relative move in or perhaps worked in the sector. But recently care homes have been front page news, with questions raised over whether they have been woefully underserved by governments in the Coronavirus pandemic.

Refreshingly, Chênes Verts has always been front page news for the residents of Gif-sur-Yvette. “The care home is the only one in the town and everyone has known a relative or a friend staying in it,” says Christine. Many people’s childhood memories include singing Christmas carols to its residents. The care home is at the heart of the community – a rare position for most care homes in Western culture. Christine lists underpaid staff, the difficulties of the job itself: the pain, long hours, night shifts and a lack of recognition as just some of the well-worn issues many Western countries have yet to address. But the arrival of the Coronavirus forces us to confront them.

Indeed, we’ve been required to confront many things this year. And as Chênes Verts prepared to welcome back visitors for the very first time, we could become inured to the talk of strategies, of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), of five-step plans and coded alert levels. But take a step back, and it’s heartbreaking to think of a world where something as simple as an aged parent being visited by a son or daughter must now be handled like a military operation. 

Two women in PPE
Christine mobilised a group of volunteers to sew 40 surgical gowns from old bedsheets for the care home staff. More gowns are still needed, as PPE is in short supply.

The risks to health of opening Chênes Verts care home back up were high, but the emotional toll of refusing family visits was just as high a price to pay. 

An elderly woman with two people in PPE.
Full PPE has to be worn to protect the residents at the care home.

So, on 11 May, visits were by appointment in a dedicated room. Social distancing measures were in place, of course, along with temperature screening and the compulsory wearing of masks. “The elderly residents didn’t always understand why they could not touch their visitor, why it was only one relative at a time and for 30 minutes,” says Christine. “There were expectations and stress from both sides after having waited for so long – a lot of emotions – so we had to be sensitive and caring.”

An elderly woman in a chair
Irma, a care home resident, had been a member of the French Resistance in her youth.

An initial screening test set the opening of Chênes Verts back, as it revealed asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 among residents and staff. Ten of the residents were discovered to have contracted the virus, and devastatingly, three passed away in one weekend. Thankfully, a number of others are on the road to recovery. “Death is very much part of care home life,” says Christine. “Every six months we have a memorial service to remember the ones who left us.” But, in the context of Covid-19, death feels different. “After having fought for two months to keep the residents safe, the staff feel like we’ve lost a battle.”

How does Christine offer up support in such difficult times, and how can we as Christians do the same? “Fear, grief and stress characterise the overall mood in France,” explains Christine. “In a secular country where death has been ‘sanitised’, managed by experts at hospitals, care homes, etc, for many years, this crisis has been some sort of awakening in rediscovering human vulnerability and finitude. For the time being I am listening to the staff and residents when they want to speak, to acknowledge their pain and grief. If people want to pray, I offer prayers.” And as Christians offering comfort in uncertain times, we have the additional promise that we will never be alone.

“The Holy Spirit, the comforter, the helper, is with us always, teaching us how to love others as Jesus loves us,” Christine says. She’s been reading John 14 with her church, and is very aware of both the challenges and opportunities created for Christians in the West by the Coronavirus crisis. “Covid-19 might be the new challenge for the Church to reach out to the ones in need, to dare to care.”

The care home is just one place where Christians can share this love and serve the local community. Indeed, reunion day at Chênes Verts was only possible thanks to the bravery and help of volunteers who stepped in to co-ordinate the visits, sew gowns and gather enough PPE. “The first day of the visits was a very special day. The laughter behind the masks and the sparkling eyes provided moments of happiness but also a little balm for the heart,” says Christine. “When it is possible to come together again, we will remember this day at Chênes Verts.”

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Words by Hannah Watson. Inspired by this blog post, written by Christine Kling

In crisis: ‘Look for the hope no-one but God can give.’

In crisis:

‘Look for the hope no-one but God can give.’

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Genesis Acaye used to sleep in his shoes. Living in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp during the civil war in Uganda, he never knew if he would have to outrun soldiers in the night… or walk with them if he was abducted. These are his lessons for living through a crisis.

Thankfully, since the end of the civil war, Uganda has seen a number of years of blessed peace. BMS World Mission worker Genesis has been able to support local farmers in re-learning vital farming methods almost lost through those years depending on the support of IDP camps.

But the years of hardship felt in Uganda have helped its people prepare for future crises. As the UK and Uganda alike steel themselves against the Coronavirus pandemic, we spoke to Genesis to see what advice he had for UK Christians in these trying times.

God will intervene and give wisdom to people who will come out with answers

Many people in the UK have not lived through a crisis of these proportions before, but in Uganda, whole generations faced many years of civil war. Can you tell us about the struggles and uncertainties you faced?

Life was very hard. Every family in Northern Uganda in one way or another was affected by the war and lost at least one relative. We would walk every evening to go and sleep in town and then go back home in the morning. The soldiers would only guard the town; therefore, everyone was crowded in the town or in the bush trying to survive. The rebels would move from home to home looting and abducting people. They would kill those who tried to escape, the weak ones, or to scare people from escaping.

I remember when I was at school, we used to sleep fully dressed up with a jacket, shoes and trousers, ready to run at any time or ready to walk when abducted. Students had been abducted before from my school and the trauma was there, that at any time rebels would come and abduct students. At night you would be half asleep and half awake. Any small sound would cause you to check around or run. If you were travelling, you just had to rely on God that you didn’t enter an ambush because many lost their lives in ambushes.

Everyone at some point in their life will have a moment where they need everlasting hope and comfort that no man can give, only God

How has the experience of already having gone through extraordinarily tough times prepared you for the Coronavirus pandemic?

In 2000, we had Ebola in Gulu, and many lost their lives. We are living the life of 20 years ago again and the news from around the world, especially Europe and the USA, makes us worry. What if the spread increases, shall we be able to contain it? We are scared, but we have hope in God.

I know that the Coronavirus will affect the world and us for some time, but I believe at one point it will go. God will intervene and give wisdom to people who will come out with answers to the virus. The war has prepared me to look at what takes place around the world, therefore I pray that God will comfort and heal the families affected.

What is the situation like under lockdown in Uganda?

Farmers are already facing challenges due to the lockdown. Most of them get their seeds from town and there is no transport, as motorbikes are not allowed to carry people even though it’s the most common form of transport in the rural areas. Farmers have to cycle for 45km or more to buy hoes and seeds, etc, and those who cannot ride have to pay more or resort to low yielding seeds. Access to seeds is already a problem as well as an increase in the prices for the seeds. If the farmers miss proper planting in the first rain, then we are looking at famine around June and July.

The communities are very worried too: there are no church services, no school, no public and private transport. Only those riding bicycles and motorcycles, on foot and driving trucks carrying goods are allowed to move. No-one is allowed to carry anyone, not even a sick person unless permission is requested.

You can help people in Uganda, and across the world, right now.

Your support can provide farmers in Gulu with seeds that could prevent life-threatening famine. You can also get food parcels to people who’ve been affected by floods elsewhere in Uganda, as well as providing PPE, hygiene products and mental health support across the world. We need you to make all this possible. Please, give to our Coronavirus appeal today.

How can UK Christians draw near to God when things are tough?

I learned to trust in God every day and every night during the war and up to now, I know that humans still have limits and at some point, the cross is everything. Even if the Coronavirus was not there, everyone at some point in their life will have a moment where they need everlasting hope and comfort that no man can give, only God.

Trust God every day in all the ups and all the downs. The valleys come to us at different times and hours and ages, but remember to trust in God. Some of them are so painful and you may feel so lonely, but remember to trust in God, for he said: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55: 8-9).

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than yours thoughts Isaiah 55:8-9

How can Christians encourage and support people in their community at times like this?

Christians can stay connected and united and pray to God at such a time. You are available and you have a role to play. Whatever position and capacity God has given to you, use it well to serve others. Do what you can according to what God has given you.

We lived in the IDP camp for 27 years, being fed by people around the world whose hearts had been opened by God. They supported us generously for all those years. Some of us are alive now because we were fed, supported and prayed for by those people. I am reaching out now to farmers with seeds through BMS support so that in three months, they will have food to eat. You can do the same as an individual, a family, a church and a wider community.

Is there a Bible verse or a prayer you can teach us in the UK, to lean on when life seems uncertain?

Job said this on the worst day of his life: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1: 21). Remember we live because God allows us to live – despite what is happening around us, lean on the Lord, for his faithfulness endures forever.

Whatever position and capacity God has given to you, use it well to serve others. Do what you can according to what God has given you

How can the UK pray for Uganda at this time? And for your project and the farmers you work with?

  • Pray the spread of the virus will be reduced and stop eventually and that life will go back to normal in Uganda and all over the world.
  • Pray for wisdom on how to support the farmers at risk of famine during this time.
  • Pray for good rain so that the farmers can plant the crops that will provide food for the community.
  • Pray that additional resources will be available to support the farmers in terms of seeds to feed their community, because at the moment most of the items have their prices doubled, making it harder for the poor communities to access them.
  • Pray for victims of flooding in Kasese, having to deal with the loss of their homes and livelihoods as well as the Coronavirus pandemic. Pray that they will receive the support necessary to rebuild.
Pray for the world on Sunday 31 May

Join Baptist churches across the UK on Solidarity Sunday, 31 May, to pray for Uganda and the world during this global pandemic. Find everything you need here.

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BMS Coronavirus world response

BMS Coronavirus world response

You are playing a key role in the global response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus through your support of BMS World Mission. 

Supporting this

Coronavirus has changed the world – and every one of us has been affected. Yet, while the pandemic threatened to disrupt our local and international bonds, you have been standing with your brothers and sisters across the globe and saving lives.  

You have been at the heart of the global Baptist Coronavirus response through your support of the BMS Coronavirus appeal. As of November 2020, you have helped more than 36,000 people, in 24 countries, across four continents. You have so far donated more than £288,000 to help thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people survive this pandemic.  

And, with your support, BMS will continue to respond for as long as help is needed. 

The impact of your gifts has been experienced by people in countries across the globe, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chad, Colombia, Greece, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, South Sudan and Yemen. You have kept hospitals running, fed the hungry, counselled the fearful, prayed with the isolated, healed the sick and helped to stop the spread. 

Coronavirus global response: you helped more than 36,000 people

The Coronavirus pandemic has impacted every single one of us, and many of our global neighbours do not have access to the health and social care systems we are blessed with here in the UK. You have chosen to make a difference to tens of thousands of these people through your generous giving. Thank you for sacrificially choosing to help others when things in your own life may have felt uncertain. 

BMS is continuing to accept financial gifts to support the global Christian Covid-19 Coronavirus response. Visit the BMS Coronavirus appeal page if you would like support this critical work. 

Most of our mission workers and partners remain in their countries of service, following social distancing measures and continuing to bring hope and help in the communities to which they are called. We are so thankful for your ongoing support for all of our team and our work across the globe. 

Image of a cross stopping dominoes falling and text 'You can help. Visit the BMS appeal now. Coronavirus appeal.'
Go to the appeal

Our local response

BMS UK staff continue to work from home wherever possible. Our commitment to churches and supporters remains as great as ever, so you will continue to enjoy resources, hear updates and receive news about your part in God’s work around the world.

If you need to get in touch with us, you can give us a call, drop us an email, or write to us using these contact details. We want to do everything possible to support you and your church family at this time.

BMS workers on home assignment are following Government guidelines and continuing to share stories of their work with UK churches through virtual speaking engagements. BMS Speakers are also available for virtual visits. If you would like a mission worker or BMS Speaker to ‘visit’ your church, please contact Meg by emailing mchester@bmsworldmission.org  on phoning 01235 517631.

BMS Coronavirus response

This is what we have achieved, together: 

  • Kept hospitals running in Nepal by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff and contributing to hospital running costs 
  • Provided emergency food parcels for vulnerable families in Sri Lanka 
  • Provided food and hygiene parcels to people with little to no daily income in Nepal 
  • Enabled the BMS-supported Guinebor II hospital to continue saving lives in Chad, safely 
  • Counselled frontline workers, Coronavirus patients and affected families in Afghanistan, as well as providing PPE. Averting suicides and spreading positive key messages across the country 
  • Helped slow the spread in Mozambique by providing soap and handwashing guidance to thousands of children and teachers 
  • Provided food parcels and basic PPE to at-risk families in Albania 
  • Supported the provision of medical care in Yemen
  • Enabled pastors to continue supporting their communities (which had been impacted by Covid-19 and Cyclone Idai) through the provision of phone credit in Mozambique 
  • Improved food security in northern Uganda through the provision of seeds
  • Set up a Covid-19 hospital in northern Chad, providing the initial equipment and medicines needed 
  • Provided food parcels and soap to vulnerable families in Bangladesh 
  • Delivered food parcels and basic hygiene items to struggling families in Tunisia
  • Supported preschool education in Mozambique by supplying workbooks for children and support for teachers 
  • Provided food parcels for vulnerable families in Peru 
  • Distributed more than 28,000 meals to people struggling to find work in India 
  • Provided food and basic hygiene items for struggling families in western Uganda 
  • Provided face masks and food parcels for health centres in Mozambique 
  • Helped provide food and hygiene supplies for those struggling in Lebanon 
  • Provided face masks for refugees living in Lesvos, Greece 
  • Provided food supplies for struggling refugees in Turkey 
  • Provided small grants and training for people to re-start and strengthen businesses in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru 
  • Provided food and medical support for vulnerable families through churches in Palestine 
  • Provided food and raised awareness of Coronavirus in Nigeria 
  • Provided food parcels in South Sudan 
  • And more! 
Outside a Chadian hospital.
Your support is enabling crucial temperature screening at a BMS-supported hospital in Chad.

Thank you for your continued support

The actions of faithful Christians like you are even more important in times like these, as we seek to do more to fight the threat to life, health and wellbeing posed by the Coronavirus pandemic. We ask that you continue to pray for the world as it responds to Covid-19. Here are some prayer points to guide your prayers, which you can download and share with your church family. Please feel free to download the prayer points PDF and email or message it to your fellowship or small group. 

  • Pray for the response to the virus around the world. Pray that God will enable the work of our partners to continue where possible, and that our workers who are actively fighting the virus will remain healthy.
  • Pray for our mission workers and UK staff. Pray for those who have travelled back to the UK, that they are able to continue their crucial work remotely.
  • Pray for people spending time in quarantine or self-isolation. Pray that they might receive the support they need, and that they might stay safe. Praise God for the commitment of those in voluntary isolation, that they will play a real part in slowing the spread of the virus.
  • Pray for governments and world leaders globally. Pray that the Lord will bless them with wisdom and that they will make proactive decisions that will benefit their countries, and the global community.
  • Pray that God will slow the spread of the virus. Pray in the name of Jesus that those who are ill will be healed and pray that God will bless the work of the people and organisations who are working on a treatment. Please pray especially for the medical workers around the world who are risking their own health to treat the most vulnerable. Pray that they will stay healthy and that their work will be fruitful.
Support the global Coronavirus response
Download the prayer points

Prayer resources

In addition to the prayer resources available below, we have a wide range of video updates from our workers and other resources to help your church engage with the global response to Coronavirus.

Visit our online church resources page to download these copyright free for your recorded or live online service.

Take me to the online church resources page