A BMS year in review

The difference you made in 2021

A BMS year in review

Join us for a year in review, exploring all God did amidst the challenges of 2021. Rejoice in what he’s achieved through you and your part in the BMS World Mission family.

You raised your voices

At the beginning of the year, you stood with us as we petitioned for equitable access to the Covid-19 vaccine across the world. We’re so grateful to everyone who added their names to the petition (over 3,000 of you!) for joining us with our colleagues at The People’s Vaccine Alliance and the Baptist World Alliance in raising awareness of this crucial justice issue.

You subscribed

Engage, the BMS magazine, was packed full of stories you made possible in 2021! We celebrated Engage’s fiftieth issue in 2021, and got to share stories of how you’re saving lives from a disease the world forgot in Chad, of people coming to faith in Thailand and of bringing justice to people wrongly imprisoned in Uganda. If you want to hear stories like these, make sure you subscribe to Engage!

You gave

BMS supporters have been incredibly generous this year – and your giving has made an amazing difference. Whether you helped raise over £47,000 to help feed vulnerable families in Uganda, Afghanistan or Peru, or were part of the amazing response that raised over £287,000 to help those at risk of Covid-19 in Nepal at the 2021 Baptist Assembly, you can be certain that your gifts have changed and saved lives this year. Thank you!

You prayed

A man walking past a mural — Photo taken in 2020.

While we had much cause for joy this year, we also experienced much sorrow. As the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, you prayed for the safe evacuation of BMS mission workers, and for local people to stay safe in the country. While we’re pleased that some of our partner’s work has been able to continue, we ask that you continue to pray for this nation, and for peace and stability to be seen there.

BMS stories you loved this year!

Love your neighbour: Lessons from Kosovo – five ways you can love your neighbour

Are you willing? – BMS workers Paul and Sarah Brown reflect on ten years in Thailand

The hospital, the miracle and the impossible secret – bringing people to faith in Chad

Food for thought – you’re helping feed school children in Nepal

They are not alone – coming to Christ in the face of persecution in India

You took a stand

You took a stand with your brothers and sisters across the world by sharing the BMS I Will Stand Harvest appeal in your churches. Thanks to your support, you helped raise over £139,000 to help provide Bibles for people who’ve never heard the gospel before, give Bible training to new believers, and support church planters as they share the Word of God.

Thank you!

You’ve done all this and more in 2021 – thank you so much for being part of the BMS family this year. We can’t wait to see how God moves through all of you in 2022! Why not share this story with your church, so they can see what they’ve been part of this year?

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Words by Laura Durrant.

A roadmap to safety

Vera, Nagammah, and the gift of hope

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Meet Vera and Nagammah. They live a thousand miles apart, but their stories both end with hope, after you helped them to get their Covid-19 vaccines, against all the odds.

Nagammah doesn’t know much about her family background, or her true age. Her identity card lists her as being 67 years old, and had she been in the UK as the Coronavirus pandemic hit, she might have been among the early recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine. Instead, she was in her home country of Sri Lanka as the world began to spiral into chaos, and the wealthiest nations began to scrabble for and stockpile vaccines. With no birth certificate, no family support and no letter inviting her to receive her dose, Nagammah was facing the threat of Coronavirus alone.

Over a thousand miles away in Albania, Vera did have a vaccine waiting for her. But all around her were whispers of fear and confusion about the origin of the new virus, as well as misinformation about the vaccines intended to protect against it. Looking around the streets, numbers of people taking precautions such as mask wearing and handwashing were also falling, especially in poorer districts in the capital of Tirana. Being over 70 years old, with a number of serious health conditions, Vera’s life would hang in the balance if she were to catch the virus.

By April 2021, the worst had happened: Vera was seriously unwell and struggling to breathe. Taken to hospital, where she was placed on oxygen, Vera didn’t know whether she had contracted Covid or not – no-one had the time to stop and explain it to her. It was only after three weeks that she finally felt well enough to leave the hospital ward with its anonymous nurses in their big white suits. Once back at home, Vera felt frightened and unsure. All she’d seen and heard left her more in the dark than ever. Surely, she came to think, the vaccine couldn’t be for someone like her.

A woman in Albania holding a hygiene pack. — Your generous giving was a lifeline for vulnerable people in Albania like Vera.

If you gave to the BMS World Mission Global Covid relief appeal this summer, you were there for Nagammah and Vera, and the local health workers who likely saved their lives. Because you gave, a BMS-supported vaccination centre was kept running in Colombo, Sri Lanka – one that Nagammah heard about through her church. But it wasn’t just the clinically vulnerable that were receiving life-saving help.

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A man receiving a vaccination. — People in Sri Lanka can safely receive the Covid-19 vaccine, thanks to the funds you raised.

Hygiene packs — The hygiene packs handed out from our partner in Albania included all the essentials you need to feel safe.

The centre also got the vaccine to people like P Jayanthi. In her 50s, P Jayanthi was working in a fast-food restaurant when the pandemic hit. Suddenly, the busyness of work became a daily threat as the bustling restaurant filled with customers, with no respite in the evening when she returned home to a shared boarding house. It was only when volunteers told her about the vaccination centre that you’ve helped to run that P Jayanthi realised she didn’t have to choose between earning an essential wage and her health. “[Volunteers] helped me fill in the forms and gave us a bottle of water while we were waiting… Then they took me to get my vaccine and there was even an army doctor to whom I could speak about my concerns. I realised that I had nothing to fear,” P Jayanthi told centre workers, her eyes creasing into a smile.

In Albania, it was also kindness, understanding, and meeting people where they’re at that helped Vera. It was Tek Ura, the BMS-supported church and community centre in Tirana, that Vera turned to when she was unwell, and it was workers there that helped her feel confident enough to get her vaccine when she felt better. Vera came along to one of the “Staying Safe, Living with Covid” sessions that your generous gifts helped to run. These sessions reached hundreds of people with vital information about how they can stay safe as the pandemic continues on. At her session, Vera received a hygiene pack containing face masks, hand sanitiser, antibacterial spray, cleaning cloths and soap – all those things that so many of us came to rely on through rising cases and multiple lockdowns. Kindness and care enabled Vera to feel that the gift of good health was hers to enjoy. And it’s allowed her to re-join her church and community with confidence. As for Nagammah? She went along to the centre in Sri Lanka with a close friend. “We got the vaccine sooner than we thought,” says Nagammah. “The registration process was perfect… Many people helped us because we are old.”

Whether you’ve donated to BMS’ work fighting Covid, supported our health ministries, or prayed for BMS workers during the past year, you’ve been part of Vera and Nagammah’s stories. And not only theirs – this is just a small snapshot of the incredible impact your support has had in so many precious lives. Without you, Vera and Nagammah and people like them may never have got their protective vaccines, or been given a roadmap to safety. Thank you for your generosity in ensuring that they did.

Hear more stories like this!

If you’d like to hear more stories of people you’ve helped through the Global Covid relief appeal, or through BMS’ ministries all around the world, you’ll find them in issues of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine. Subscribe now so you don’t miss your copy.

Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage magazine.

How to vaccinate the world

Join Hannah and Laura from BMS World Mission’s Advocacy Team, as we journey through one of the biggest issues facing the world today: just access to the Covid-19 vaccine.

Looking to the past

How many people do you know today who have suffered from polio? I imagine the answer is probably no-one, or at least very few. Cases have decreased by 99 per cent since the 1980s, and what was a tragically widespread disease is now only found in three countries in the world. And the reason? The vaccine was never patented, allowing for it to be made accessible worldwide and saving countless lives. In a recent blog post, BMS surgeons Mark and Andrea Hotchkin argue that the same attitude is needed to eradicate Covid-19.

A man and a woman outside a hut in the desert. — Andrea and Mark Hotchkin provide vital healthcare in Bardaï, Chad.

“Could you patent the sun?” These are the famous words of Jonas Salk, the creator of the polio vaccine, when asked who would own the vaccine. It’s a phrase being used by The People’s Vaccine Alliance, of which BMS is a part, to campaign for intellectual property waivers on the Covid-19 vaccines. Waiving the patents means vaccines can be manufactured across the world. Those waivers, however, are currently being blocked by Western countries, and have been since 2020. “It seems that for the rich nations it is unthinkable that this should be proposed. It is apparently just not the way our world works,” say Andrea and Mark. “But it doesn’t have to be this way.”

The struggles of the present

A woman in PPE — Rachel Conway-Doel is BMS' Overseas Team for Relief but is also a trained vaccinator in the UK.

So how do you go about co-ordinating a relief effort that is clouded by such complicated issues? Laura sat down with BMS’ Overseas Team Leader for Relief, Rachel Conway-Doel, to ask how she’s been facilitating BMS’ Coronavirus relief response since the beginning of 2020, and how BMS is supporting just access to the Covid-19 vaccine.

Laura: When you see what happened with the polio vaccine, how does that relate to what’s happening today with Covid-19 vaccine?

Rachel: So, this is the point of the People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA). Their big thing is access to the vaccines – and one of the biggest things around that is the international intellectual property sharing. If the blocks aren’t lifted, it means that more manufacturers can’t make vaccines, and that means restricted supply, which means fewer people get vaccinated.

L: How does that link to BMS’ role in terms of the Campaign for a Covid-free world?

R: We’re part of the PVA, which is calling for equitable access – and intellectual property waivers are one of the biggest ways we’ll be able to achieve this. So it totally aligns with our petition, and it needs all the noise it can get. Because without the noise, the heads of state and big organisations won’t feel like it’s as central an issue.

On the ground

Many of us in the UK feel instinctively that vaccines are safe – but all around the world, fears about being made to have a recently developed vaccine are very real. Hannah spoke to Daniel and Regiane Clark, BMS workers in Peru, to hear why, in many contexts across the world, vaccine hesitancy is grounded in culture and history.

Hannah: Can you tell us how the Covid pandemic affected life in Peru?

Regiane: Since the pandemic started last year in March, the lockdown was very strict for Peruvians. The army was patrolling the streets, and you couldn’t go out… It was very difficult, and very hard, especially because 70 per cent of the population are informal workers who work out in the streets.

Two BMS mission workers and their daughter smiling into the camera. — Daniel and Regiane Clark have been advocating for the Covid-19 vaccine in Peru.

Daniel: And many don’t have bank accounts, or access to the internet.

H: Did you hear of many people becoming ill with the virus, and being hospitalised?

R: We did, but most people were dying at home… They would prefer to stay at home and be treated with natural medicines and by relatives, because the hospital might not have spaces.

D: There’s still a history and a legacy from the [Peruvian dictator Alberto] Fujimori era, of women who were sterilised. Some women were forced to be sterilised, or a lot of them were Quetchua-speaking but were given documents in Spanish, and they thought they were signing up to one thing. But they were signing up to not have any more children.

H: I’d like to ask you about the webinars you’ve been preparing – I think there was one around family health in the pandemic, focusing on good practices and myth-busting?

R: I think most people want the vaccine… but they have doubts. Maybe they had bad experiences in the past. The problem is, there is information going around Peru and in other countries in South America, confusing people. People think they could get side effects, or other kinds of diseases that would be worse by having the vaccine.

H: So when you are doing a seminar like that, what content would go into the web events?

D: These are new things… the one that will take most time is the one around debunking myths and reinforcing good health.
I think it’ll be true of other countries – not just Peru – that people do have a reason not to trust… you’re having to engage with what is quite a legitimate fear, a legitimate concern.

The workshops planned by Daniel and Regiane are just one of a number of ways that our partners are seeking to make just access to the Covid vaccine a reality. If you’d also like to be part of making a difference, why not sign our petition, the Campaign for a Covid-free world? Your voice will be added on those calling the UK Government to make decisions for the good of everyone, not just the wealthiest nations, when it comes to equal access. And we’ll keep you in the loop with how else you can be involved in supporting vaccine rollouts in the places we work, too.

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Words by Hannah Watson and Laura Durrant.

A tale of two crises

Ten years on:

A tale of two crises

Ten years of fighting. Ten years away from home. Ten years with the constant threat of danger and death. But also, in spite of the heartbreak, ten years of God’s incredible love. This is the Syrian civil war, ten years on.

It may have largely disappeared from our news feeds, but the Syrian civil war and subsequent refugee crisis are still raging on – and in many ways, are worse than ever. According to the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development (LSESD), BMS World Mission’s partner in Lebanon, the number of Syrian families in Lebanon now living in poverty has increased from 55 per cent to 90 per cent over the last year. But even in the midst of these devastating crises, our partner has seen God at work.

It's estimated that one in four people in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee.

Crises within crises

BMS World Mission has been supporting Syrian refugees in Lebanon since 2011, when we first provided vital food and hygiene kits to families in desperate need. Over the last decade, we’ve continued offering crucial food support, and have also helped get Syrian children back in education at BMS-supported learning centres. But since the Syrian crisis began in 2010, the situations in both Syria and Lebanon have grown more and more desperate with each passing year. Today, around one in four people in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee. And Lebanon itself has faced a financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and the tragic Beirut blasts, all over just a couple of years.

Our partner tells us that these challenges mean that both Syrian and Lebanese families are struggling more than ever to find work so they can afford basic necessities like food and rent. Rabih*, a Syrian man, told our partner that, “I believe that the refugee crisis has worsened the economic crisis… If I make any money, I feel that a Lebanese person is more deserving of it.”
In the midst of such tragedies and despair, it’s hard to see how this situation could come to any kind of positive conclusion. But that’s where you come in.

A father stands in the centre surrounded by his two young sons and daughter in a camp supported by BMS partners LSESD. — "If I make any money, I feel that a Lebanese person is more deserving of it.,” said Rahib, a Syrian man supported by LSESD.

Your faithful generosity

Throughout these crises and tragedies, BMS supporters have responded with incredible compassion and generosity. You might remember our Syria’s Forgotten Families harvest appeal back in 2016, which raised an incredible £435,479.90 – the biggest response to any of our harvest appeals to date.

Because you refused to forget Syria, you’ve made a real difference to people like Nour*. Nour and her family regularly struggled to get enough food on the table, and in the tough economic climate, her husband often can’t find work. But thanks to your generosity, her seven-year-old daughter Samia* was able to start school at a BMS-supported learning centre back in 2019. Even though the Coronavirus pandemic struck a few months into her schooling, Samia was still able to keep learning with lessons sent over WhatsApp. “I thought they would not care about our family much,” said Nour. “I was surprised when […] the teachers actually called to help with the lessons.”

Not only is the centre providing Samia with the education she deserves, it’s also a lifeline for Nour herself. She receives food parcels from the centre every week, and it’s also become a place she can go to unburden herself of her worries.

“I eagerly waited for one of the staff to call me because I can cry and laugh and vent to someone,” said Nour. “My husband is burdened already, I cannot add to his sorrow, so whenever the teachers called, I felt relieved.”

Nour’s is just one story from among many who have received vital help from the centre. And without your support, that just wouldn’t have been possible.

*Names changed

Thanks to your support, we were able to get food parcels to struggling Syrian families.

Another decade of despair?

Despite the light of God clearly shining in the lives of many Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the conflict in Syria and the fragile situation in Lebanon are both far from over. Please keep praying for Syria, and for the work of our partner in Lebanon, that we might see God’s powerful justice at work.
Pray for the many families receiving relief from the BMS-supported learning centre. Pray that the Lord will provide for both Syrian and Lebanese people involved in this project. Pray also that they wouldn’t struggle to find work or put food on the table, like Nour’s family did.
Pray for the children receiving schooling at the learning centre, that the ongoing economic crisis wouldn’t cause children to drop out of school in order to find work.

Pray for our partner in Lebanon, that they would feel God’s presence with them as they work through so many challenges.
Pray for the ongoing situation in Syria, that discussions with the UN would be constructive and that peace would soon become a reality.

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Words by Laura Durrant
Photos: MERATH

Love your neighbour: lessons from Kosovo

Love your neighbour:

Lessons from Kosovo

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Trying to love your neighbours well during lockdown? Robert* and Rose*, BMS World Mission workers in Kosovo, are convinced it can be done! Here’s their advice for UK Christians.

Robert and Rose have learned a thing or two about loving your neighbours across social divides and physical separation. Called to teach in Kosovo four years ago, their ministry has blossomed into far more than they ever could have imagined. What began with them simply helping out at church has led to them nurturing friendships between different people groups, where historically there has only been animosity. By the grace of God, Robert and Rose are taking small steps to encourage everyone to love their neighbours.

With strict lockdowns across the UK, it can be really hard for us to imagine the part we can play in building up the people around us. We asked Robert and Rose for their advice on how we can love our neighbours – even when we can’t meet in person!

1. There’s power in your words

A group of pre-school children from Kosovo.

Robert and Rose teach a diverse mix of different ages and people groups. They make sure that all their students know that they’re precious and unique, and they were so encouraged by one of the boys from their preschool classes who reciprocated this attitude at home.

He’d been off school ill, and when he came back, it transpired that his father had blamed “the dirty Roma children” as the cause of his illness. Instead of accepting his father’s words, this little boy told him that wasn’t a nice thing to say and that at school, they are all treated equally.

Robert suggests: “There are so many divisions in society at the moment. If you hear your family or friends disparaging other groups of people, be prepared to defend those people.”

2. Go out of your way to meet new people

Sometimes your neighbour isn’t who you expect. Robert and Rose’s whole ministry is built on nurturing friendships between people who have been divided by war. And while you might not have any actual enemies, could you find someone you work with or go to church with that you haven’t spoken to in a while?

Use this in your own life: Is there another church in your neighbourhood that your congregation doesn’t have a lot of contact with? Ask your minister if you can get in touch with them to organise a joint virtual prayer meeting! You could even celebrate the BMS Day of Prayer together on 31 January!

3. Be prepared to give things a go

Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new to love your neighbour, even if you’re afraid it might go wrong!

Rose suggests: “It might be that your neighbour has Covid and you’ve never spoken to them, and you try and take them a dinner and they send you away. That could happen, but if you’re prepared to take that step, you could make a massive difference.”

4. Listen to people’s experiences

It’s incredibly hard to broker peace between people who’ve historically been at war. “Trying to find a way to honour the experiences of both sides is something we’ve had to work out,” says Rose. While we may not be dealing with the extremities of war, we’ve all had different experiences of this pandemic. Many of us have lost loved ones, some of us have lost jobs. There’s no immediate fix but we can listen to and validate each other’s experiences.

Use this in your own life: Be a listening ear. Be compassionate with people sharing the difficulties they’ve faced in lockdown, and make sure you pray for them.

5. Nurture grace in all you do

“Without being shown grace, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we’ve been able to do,” says Rose. It’s not just about showing kindness to your neighbours but being open to receiving grace in your own life. Let yourself be loved by others, and nurture grace in all your relationships.

Use this in your life: Express grace through your words when moods are running low and tempers short. And be open to receive the love and grace of others – see what a difference that can make in your life!

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A poster from a children's classroom in Kosovo, saying 'Welcome'. — “Without being shown grace, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we’ve been able to do,” says Rose.

Want to hear more?

Keep up with everything Robert and Rose have been working on! Sign up for their prayer letters right here.

*Names changed for security reasons.
Words by Laura Durrant.

You've done amazing things this year:

Thank you for saving lives

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You have helped more than 36,000 people in 24 countries across the globe. And you’re making a difference right now.

Yemen. Afghanistan. Chad. Nigeria. South Sudan. Bangladesh. Ghana. Mozambique. These are some of the least developed countries in the world. These are some of the places where your gifts to the BMS World Mission Coronavirus appeal are making a huge difference.

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

You are part of a global effort to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19 continues to threaten livelihoods, push people further into poverty, and disproportionately impact our world’s most vulnerable communities. While the pandemic rages on, BMS will continue to respond. And we can only do that because of you.

Key facts: your response so far

You’ve helped more than 36,000 people in 24 countries across four continents
You donated more than £288,000 to the global Baptist response
You enabled BMS to give 30 relief grants so far, in our most complex and wide-reaching relief effort ever

How you have made a difference

You’ve provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline workers, given emergency food supplies, provided soap and handwashing guidance, helped to build a satellite Coronavirus hospital, provided phone credit to pastors to reach their congregations, counselled patients and frontline workers… and more! And you’re still helping right now in some of the world’s most fragile communities

Right now, you’re part of co-ordinated responses in Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Yemen, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Chad. You’re providing food parcels, hygiene supplies, face masks and medical support. You’re standing with refugee communities and displaced people who lack the basic resources they need to survive this pandemic. And you’re also helping people in South America get back on their feet by providing small grants and training for people to re-start and strengthen businesses.

The food parcel you provided for Mashura was an absolute lifeline for her whole family.

Mashura lives with her husband and three children in a small one-room house in the Satkhira District of Bangladesh. This is her story, in her own words.

“Before this pandemic, our family was doing well. I used to support my family by raising cattle and chicken. Recently, we are in a crisis of food scarcity due to this Covid-19 pandemic. Earnings are completely cut-off due to the lockdown.

“I had to sell everything because of the Coronavirus outbreak. My husband lost his work and there was not enough food for everyone. We needed help so much and we were waiting for help from someone. We prayed to God to help us.

“When this situation was going on, we heard about the [BMS-supported] project providing food items for many people in need. Thanks to the infinite grace of God, I was also included in the list of food distribution. In such a situation, after receiving this food package, my family’s food needs have been met. There is no need to go to the market with risk. Me and my family have benefited a lot.

“I would like to thank the concerned donors for their help with food during this pandemic.”

A Bangladeshi woman receives aid from BMS' Coronavirus appeal — Thanks to your support Mashura was able to feed her family.

You've provided so much across the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic

By sacrificially supporting BMS in this time of global crisis, you have partnered with Baptist organisations across the world to help where it was and is needed most.

Some of the things you made possible this year include:

Providing food and soap for 1,200 people in Uganda, who were not only facing the threat of Coronavirus but were also affected by flash floods.
Empowering 8,770 children and teachers in Mozambique to help stop the spread of Covid-19 through the provision of soap and handwashing lessons.
Ensuring medical workers in Nepal and Chad had the PPE and face masks they needed to tackle Coronavirus in their hospitals.
Providing 2,604 people in Peru with vital food parcels.
And so much more!

Coronavirus response in Bangladesh — From Bangladesh to Peru, Uganda to the Philippines, you've made a huge difference across the world by supporting our Coronavirus appeal.

Thank you for saving lives across the world during this pandemic. And thank you for enabling us to continue responding to the needs our partners are sharing with us. You really are still making a difference.

Read in-depth stories of the way your gifts to the BMS Coronavirus appeal saved lives in Afghanistan and empowered women in Mozambique on pages 8 to 11 of Engage, Issue 48.

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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.

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Words by Laura Durrant.

A Q&A with Monty Lyman

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Dr Monty Lyman, author of The Remarkable Life of the Skin, spoke to Mission Catalyst magazine about life on a Covid ward earlier this year. The interview is a fascinating read! If you want to hear from more engaging Christian thinkers, why not subscribe to Mission Catalyst today?

You’ve written a book about the skin. We’ve all been told that we need to wash our hands more because of Coronavirus, and my hands are in not a good state from all the hand sanitiser. Is our skin ever going to recover?

Thankfully, our skin is incredibly tough and resilient, and our whole top layer of skin, the epidermis, replaces itself every 30 days. So, I think even if we continue fairly regular hand washing practices, it won’t affect them in the long term. But I highly recommend moisturisers, cheap moisturisers are shown to be just as effective as the really expensive ones that you get in shops.
We’re spending billions on new treatments and vaccines for Covid-19, which is great, but actually the most powerful anti-viral for these kinds of coronaviruses is just soap and water. Essentially the individual soap particles completely destroy the outer membrane of the Coronavirus, so it’s probably the most effective weapon we’ve got.

It’s really interesting, in hospital a lot of the doctors are saying that cases of norovirus and other infectious diseases have dropped massively and it’s almost certainly because of increased hand washing.

What was it like working on the Covid wards, knowing you were at risk of catching the virus?

To begin with it was scary. It was scary when we saw that our senior consultants, including some professors who seem to know everything, had never seen this disease before. When the influx started, we were in A&E all looking at patients coming into the wards, and we were looking at CT scans of people’s chests and seeing something that we’d never seen before – damage across the whole lungs, really severe pneumonia that we’d only see rarely, and almost every patient coming in had the same thing.

It was also scary that it’s a disease that we didn’t have any treatments for. We had oxygen, but that wasn’t necessarily effective, and we just didn’t know whether a patient was going to get better or deteriorate and require ICU. Probably the hardest bit about it as well was the fact that patient’s relatives weren’t able to come into the ward at all.

But actually, on the positive side, there was a lot of camaraderie. It’s easy to moan in the NHS but, when the Coronavirus crisis kicked off, we increased our intensive care unit capacity massively, we repurposed whole wards, we got retired doctors and medical students in as incoming junior doctors – it was really impressive what we managed to do as well. So, it was equally terrifying yet exhilarating.

Monty’s whole interview was included in the latest issue of Mission Catalyst, BMS World Mission’s magazine for thinking Christians.

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Are there images that will stay with you from having worked in that environment?

I think one of the hardest things was when I was assessing an 80-year-old man who started on oxygen on my ward and had moderate Covid symptoms. He’d just come off a Zoom call with his family and he asked me whether he’d be able to see his children and grandchildren again. And I couldn’t tell him whether he would or he wouldn’t, I had no idea. And it was humbling.

I think on a big scale, we feel in western society anyway that we’ve defeated a lot of disease, especially a lot of infectious diseases, and we’re on our way to overcoming cancer and ensuring we live long, healthy lives, but actually this disease has exposed that that’s not the case at all.

Chances are we’re going to have more pandemics in the future, what does our health system need to look like in order to continue to cope and perhaps better cope with pandemics like this?

We need a cohesive strategy with investment, cross-party. We need more long-term investment, it’s very easy for governments of all shapes and sizes to think about the short-term in terms of investing in a pandemic response. Our issue was that we just thought about influenza, we hadn’t thought about coronaviruses, even though the warning signs were there with SARS and MERS and other outbreaks of the past. So we need, with all of healthcare, to have a long-term, big picture view and we need to invest in preparing for another pandemic, because it will come.

I think this is also a big opportunity to look at inequalities in healthcare across society. People from Black and Asian minority ethnic groups and low-income groups have been more adversely affected and we need to look into the reasons, we need to have a full investigation as to why this happened and have a large public health discussion about inequalities in healthcare as well.

Within your ward and within the NHS, what did people think about the clap for carers?

It was mixed. People were positive about it, but there were also those who were saying we should have more support, and that energy should have been put more into things like PPE and investing in frontline workers. But it’s complex. Personally, I don’t have an easy answer because actually the PPE issue in our hospital was ok.

It’s been great to see public appreciation for what we’re doing because we were put at risk. I know fellow staff members who went into ICU, I know members of staff who died. I got Covid myself and was out for a couple of weeks and it’s good to see that recognised. I think maybe this could be linked in with having a more coherent plan in terms of PPE, and maybe the country needs to have a more streamlined way of stockpiling and distributing protective equipment around the country. So we do need to be better prepared for it and could have been better prepared for it. But credit to the hospital managers who managed to deal with the national PPE shortage pretty well.

Want to hear more thought-provoking Christian voices like Monty’s? Subscribe to Mission Catalyst magazine today!

Monty Lyman is a doctor and the author of The Remarkable Life of the Skin. He worked on the frontlines of the Coronavirus pandemic and is currently writing a book on pain, which will be published by Penguin in 2021.

Epidemic of fear

Epidemic of fear:

winning Afghanistan's mental health battle with Coronavirus

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Reducing fear. Stopping panic spirals. And spreading positive messages that are so effective they’ve been adopted by the Government. You’ve enabled heroic Afghan mental health professionals to serve on the frontlines of the Coronavirus pandemic — and save lives.

You left your family, your home and your country in search of a better, safer life and work in Iran. Now, out of nowhere, a deadly virus has gripped your new hometown, and you find yourself with hundreds of other young men, fleeing back to Afghanistan in fear for your life. You’re shoved in the back of a pick-up truck, pressed against the other young men who are fleeing with you. Breathing their breath. You think by leaving you can escape the virus, but you’re actually bringing it with you. There’s nowhere left to run.

Earlier this year, thousands of Afghan migrants fled back across the border from Iran, trying to escape an early epicentre of the Covid-19 Coronavirus. Many of them ended up in camps in the west of the country. The overcrowded conditions and lack of good sanitation were the perfect place for the very virus they ran from to spread. And misinformation working its way across social media meant that people diagnosed with Coronavirus believed they’d been given a death sentence.

Quote: "People killed themselves because they felt so hopeless"

“People killed themselves because they felt so hopeless,” says BMS World Mission doctor Catherine*, who heads up our partner’s mental health work in Afghanistan. “People believed it was an instant death sentence. And in a lot of those cases, they were young people, who I’m pretty sure wouldn’t have died.”

Others fled the Covid-19 wards they were held in, terrified. They hadn’t seen a doctor. They hadn’t been fed. They weren’t able to contact their families. So they ran — but they couldn’t escape their panic or their diagnosis. They spread it further.

Even the expert medical workers trying to help weren’t immune to the virus, or to the fast-spreading despair. “We had an incident where one of the frontline medics himself tested positive,” says Catherine. “The police came in the middle of the night to take him away, and he then became suicidal in the unit.”

Quote: “The police came in the middle of the night to take him away, and he then became suicidal in the unit”

In the midst of all this stress and anxiety, you were there to help. You gave to BMS’ Coronavirus appeal, enabling us to respond to the urgent request for support we received from our partner in Afghanistan. The BMS-supported team of amazing Afghan mental health professionals was poised and ready to restructure their work in order to provide life-saving support during the pandemic. You gave them the funding they needed to step in and make a difference when it mattered most.

In the first few weeks of the crisis, you helped to provide full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to frontline medical workers in the west of Afghanistan, as well as for the mental health team. You also helped us train these medics in psychological health — how to look after their patients’ mental wellbeing as well as treating their physical sickness — preventing the panic spiral that caused some people to tragically end their lives. You enabled mental health professionals to go and counsel people struggling with depression and anxiety in Covid wards, too.

Thanks to your support, people on the cusp of suicide were given hope. People like the frontline medic considering ending his life. “Our counsellor was able to put on PPE and go and talk to him face-to-face for a few hours,” says Catherine. “They talked him down from it really.”

Your response to Coronavirus in Afghanistan: key facts

£17,000 given to support vital mental health work during the pandemic
PPE provided to protect frontline medics and mental health workers
Suicide attempts prevented and panic reduced in Covid wards and communities
Telephone and face-to-face counselling provided for Coronavirus patients and their families, and for frontline medics
TV programmes, billboards and printed materials created and distributed to spread positive messages about how to cope with the stress of Coronavirus

A message from one of the frontline mental health workers YOU supported: “You did a valuable work by supporting the people of Afghanistan. You helped hundreds of people to come back from disaster to their normal life. You contributed greatly to our work reducing the panic of families.”

In the UK, medical workers have rightly been praised for their heroism, risking their lives to serve people suffering with this highly infectious virus. But in Afghanistan, some frontline workers have found themselves ostracised by their families and communities, who are terrified of contracting Coronavirus. You’ve helped counsellors and psychologists reach out to and support these medical workers through telephone counselling. The mental health team has also been providing telephone support to patients and their families, distributing credit so that people are able to phone their hotline for help.

After realising that doctors were struggling to break the news of a positive Coronavirus diagnosis to patients in a helpful way, the BMS-supported mental health team also took over the news-breaking service in hospitals in their city. They gave patients facts about the recovery rate from Coronavirus to help stop them spiralling into panic, and reminded people of the mental tools they already have to cope with trauma. Because men and women in Afghanistan are much-better equipped to cope with stress than many of us in the West — having lived with insecurity and conflict for most of their lives. In the face of this new, invisible enemy, people needed to be reminded of the strength and mental skills they already possess to get through times of crisis.

Quote: “It’s easy to get sucked into focusing on the UK, but it’s really good to lift your eyes to the world”

That’s why, in addition to individual support, the mental health team created billboards and printed materials to spread positive messages about how to cope with the stress of Coronavirus, as well as encouraging good hygiene practices. The billboards told people that they should speak to trusted friends and family members about how they are feeling. That feeling sad and scared and angry is normal in times of crisis. That taking time to relax is good for reducing stress. That it’s important to try and keep a normal schedule. And that it’s good to encourage your children to speak about their worries and to be creative. These messages were adopted by the Afghan Government and are now being promoted across the country. They’re helping people realise it’s okay to feel how they feel. And they’re helping to reduce dangerous behaviours that result from panic — like people fleeing Covid wards.

All this has been possible, in part, thanks to you. “It’s easy to get sucked into focusing on the UK, but it’s really good to lift your eyes to the world,” says Catherine, who believes the speed at which BMS supporters responded to help those in need was instrumental in making a difference.

“The work we were able to do with your support has really helped our relationship with the Government of Afghanistan who are very, very positive about us. It gives us the power to do even more in the future.”

Thank you for standing with the people of Afghanistan during the Coronavirus pandemic — providing vital mental health support to save lives in one of the most fragile places in the world.

Words: Sarah Stone
Illustrations: Joshua Mutton

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Discover the impact your gifts to the BMS Coronavirus appeal made across the globe

A version of this article first appeared in Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine. Read more about the impact your gift to the Coronavirus appeal is having by ordering your free copy of the Coronavirus issue of Engage today!

Inside, you’ll also find out how your church can save lives in Chad this harvest, and see the stunning winning entries from our first-ever mission worker photo competition!

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Lamenting coronavirus

‘Why have you forsaken me?’

Lamenting Coronavirus

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The Coronavirus pandemic forced people across the world to face the brutality of pain and suffering – many for the first time. What has being unable to hug our loved ones or sit at the bedside of dying friends taught us about lament?

The first time the invisible power of grief struck me was when I was six years old, having just received the news of my grandfather’s death. I was apart from the safety of home and family, with little understanding of death, whilst his passing was tidily dealt with in a hospital miles away. What have you learnt by the age of six on how to grieve? I quietly tucked myself between a drawn curtain and a window running with condensation against the cold winter air outside. And sobbed. I never told the grown-ups.

Years later, I worked in a mission hospital in Zambia. When the first death occurred since my arrival, the relatives of the deceased threw themselves onto the floor, wailing in anguish and sharing their loss with all who could hear. I was shocked. I tried to tidy up the dramatic scene in front of me and bring some screens around the bed as I had been taught. ‘Give space and dignity for the bereaved’. Keep it hidden. Remain calm.

How could we be ready as a nation and a Church for the harsh loss of life, livelihoods, freedoms, choices and identity that the Covid-19 pandemic would wreak? What preparation might have been overlooked in our spiritual resilience, our theology of suffering and risk, and our ability to respond as faith-filled believers?

“Wisdom, experience and resilience lay behind the doors of those shielded”

We were not ready. Few of us had wrestled with these questions before and they were not always the ones who had a voice. Wisdom, experience and resilience lay behind the doors of those shielded due to age, disability, long-term illness and life-limiting conditions. These members of our community continue to model a faith, hope and perseverance that many of us don’t understand, perhaps until now.

Let’s be really honest. Covid-19 has made us feel out of control and question if God is in control. And to make matters worse, we couldn’t necessarily ‘buy’ health and protection as the lie of consumerism says. Matthew Vaughan suggests that we have been blinded by other influences such as humanism, even as Christians, whereby we believe we can create the perfect world and that progress is achieved by us. We no longer primarily serve God but our own desires.

We have come to believe that if we insure against loss, immunise ourselves against pain, ignore the broken and throw it away, then we will be alright. That is not the gospel of the suffering servant but the ‘health and safety gospel’.

As a Church, we have to face Covid-19 on our knees. We need to look to Scripture once again and see the biblical narrative whereby God remains sovereign in a world full of folly, confusion, sin and man-made crisis. Whereby the rich and powerful abuse the vulnerability of the weak and Christ came to save us all. Suffering can draw us to himself. Our persecuted brothers and sisters will tell us that. And they remind us that the Church can grow in these times of crisis. Not all, but many. And there is testimony to that time and time again in this season.

So, what of our response? We can learn from the lives of Job and his comforters who did so well to support him for seven days. They were silent. Then they spoke with so many words! They spent chapters asking the questions of what and why Job was suffering until God himself spoke (Job 38: 8-10) and reminded them of his power, authority and character.

How many psalms do we know or sing as choruses? They will probably be ones of great rejoicing! But in the uncertainty of an invisible virus, psalms of lament help give voice to the pain that we feel. Do we still hide from others or put a screen around the pain, as I did in Zambia as a nurse? Let us do that no longer. Cry out. Admit your despair and your sense of hopelessness and helplessness. For Christ himself did that on the cross. ‘My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?’ A third of the Psalms are laments, and yet they are so often brushed over. Let us use the Psalms and Lamentations to help us journey through this season as God’s people.

Let us remember the tenderness of love in pain and suffering. The gentle touch, even with a gloved hand, of a carer, or some baked goods left on a neighbour’s doorstep. As Jesus suffered on the cross, he did not forget his mum. And I write ‘mum’ intentionally. The young girl who suffered judgement as a pregnant teenager, about whom it was prophesied that ‘a sword would pierce your heart also’, now stood below her son’s nail-torn feet on a rubbish heap watching him die. She expected to be condemned as ‘rubbish’ herself as a mother of an executed criminal and Jesus knew that. As he struggled for breath, he gave her another son, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Is there a way that our suffering and pain can be transformative for others as we continue to love?

"As Jesus suffered on the cross he did not forget his mum"

So, how do we mourn as we look back over these months where we could not attend memorials, leave flowers or visit the sick and dying?

If you are bereaved, intentionally make space for your grieving. Remember that not all of us will be grieving a person. Loss of livelihood or hope and dreams affect us deeply. Consider what you have lost and give yourself time to tell God how hard that is. Give yourself the time and space as Jesus did when he went up the mountain on hearing the news that his cousin, John, had died. One of my closest friends died of cancer during the lockdown and missing her is not a reality whilst I cannot see her empty chair or cuddle her heartbroken children. Don’t let a pattern of loss emerge that buries reality. Ask God to step in and help you feel and grow through the pain.

Don’t place your own pain or stories of bereavement onto others who grieve. We each have our own journey through lament and pain, and we are better to speak less and just be. Provide food, be practical and make sure you keep in touch. And as the months pass, keep talking about that person or part of life that changed so radically as a result of Covid-19. Listening is the greatest gift as a journey mate through pain.

Finally, share your suffering with your neighbours so that they meet Jesus in you. That might sound strange, but when God’s people are honest in their pain but still cling on to hope and faith – that is the greatest bridge to the gospel. People come to Jesus when they need meaning in their chaos. Acknowledging suffering and sharing lament is the best missional response the UK Church has to give to our communities and nation right now.

Words: Emma Dipper

Emma is Partnerships Developer and Lecturer in the Theology of Suffering and Persecution at All Nations Christian College. She wrote this article on suffering and lament for Mission Catalyst, BMS’ magazine for thinking Christians.

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Tickets for Catalyst Lite are on sale, now!

Catalyst Live 2020 is coming – and it’s more accessible than ever! Lite in length but mighty in stature, we’ll be bringing some of the world’s leading theologians and Christian entertainers to your front room for one unforgettable Friday evening. Stanley Hauerwas – considered by many to be the world’s most influential living theologian – will be leading the lineup, joined by the incredible Helen Paynter, Anthony Reddie, Makoto Fujimura and Harry and Chris (with some comedy-rap-jazz to bring in your weekend with style). They’ll all be speaking LIVE, and we are so excited! When you hear the price, you will be too!

For just £5, get your ticket for Catalyst Lite today. Be challenged. Be entertained. And embark further on the mission of the mind. You won’t want to miss this.

We have more insightful articles on life after Covid-19

Everything has changed, but has it changed enough?

As we try to feel our way towards some kind of ‘new normal’ following the Coronavirus pandemic, have we taken the time to grieve and lament over what has been lost? Have we considered what needs to change about our economy, our health system and our Church?

The latest issue of Mission Catalyst features some fascinating articles about what we’ve learned and what we can still learn about our world through Covid-19. It’s out now! Take a look and if you like what you see, subscribe for free today!

The future of work is now

Normal wasn't that great to start with

The future of work is now

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What the global pandemic and its consequences should teach us about work.

On a single day in April, Microsoft reported 200 million meeting participants on their Teams platform worldwide. Earlier that month, Zoom reported 300 million. The total population of the United Kingdom is 65 million.

For those of us who knew the catchphrases associated with ‘the future of work’ (highly distributed digital job markets, networked supply chains, virtual conferencing yadda yadda data driven decision making, blah blah machine learning, etc etc Artificial Intelligence) the effects of Covid-19 have been doubly shocking.

Most of us thought the future was far away.

And then the pandemic happened, and we scrambled to keep people in jobs, keep companies (and charities) afloat, keep as much of our work going as possible, even as the (physical) floor fell out from under us. And the Future of work felt very much like the Now of work, and normal was no longer our comfortable baseline. All choice for our pace to move into digital workspaces was taken from us.

So, like the very adaptable people we are, we jumped into Microsoft Teams, Zoomed our way through every type of social and work gathering, and tried to carry on collaborating to get tasks done as best we could, all whilst petting dogs, shooing cats, ordering better broadband/laptops/screens/desks and being full-time educators to all our offspring simultaneously.

Workplaces that had never even considered homeworking frantically pushed to open digital doors. People who had previously been actively against allowing people to work from home converted to being Teams champions for their organisations. Others found themselves skilling up to create good online gatherings to replace face-to-face conferences and asynchronous information sharing to replace meetings.

Now, of course, it looks like we’re heading out of our severe lockdowns. And yes, we are oh so tired of Zooming all the time and keeping those myriad digital notifications at bay, so we can be forgiven for being keen to go back to ‘normal’.

Future work Mission Catalyst Skinny banner

But here’s the thing: normal wasn’t great to start with. When it came to work and the humanity of our work, and places we worked together, ‘normal’ was increasingly found lacking. Countless studies racked up how biased our workplaces were, how our working hours disadvantaged carers, and on the flipside how hours-worked often counted far more than our quality of work. The smartest among us never loved how our meetings perpetuated unhelpful stereotypes, and how tedious repetitive tasks swamped our more enjoyable creative problem solving. We worried about how mothers couldn’t catch up to their peers on the leadership ladder, and how fathers missed bath times and dance recitals, and even when those gender roles were reversed it still seemed like we couldn’t get it right. We felt the cry of creation, even as we strapped ourselves into our cars, stepped onto train platforms and presented our passports in the name of business travel. That’s what normal looked like.

And regardless of whether you recognise these fallings-short in your own workplace, that ‘normal’ is never coming back. Not just because of the virus and its effects (although those will remain for some time), but because what people now expect from work has changed. We have hard-won knowledge that it is possible for many of us to work successfully from home at least part of the time, without those soul-destroying commutes. We have seen first-hand how fathers have enjoyed bike rides with their kids while it is still light outside. We have seen that very many of those carbon-guzzling conferences and flights were not in fact mission-critical to getting stuff done, and we had indeed confused need with want as the young activists had told us.

“We felt the cry of creation, even as we strapped ourselves into our cars, stepped onto train platforms and presented our passports in the name of business travel. That’s what normal looked like”

But we’ve also seen how lonely we get without our colleagues; how much we miss the synchronicity of the chance encounter at the watercooler that leads to cross-silo ideas springing to life. We talk about how we long for the coffee moment where we can interact casually without a work question or a justifying transaction that ‘allows’ us to request time in someone’s digital diary of video calls. We saw how easy and detrimental it is to be always-on when you’re never more than one room away from your work space, and how purposeful you have to be to lead and maintain a work-community when you’re not physically co-located.

How many of us struggled with either the long socially awkward silences in normally buzzing all-staff meetings, or the frustration when Kevin forgot to mute his microphone, and Janet never seems to come online and oh she left her Skype status on Away and hasn’t been getting notifications about this urgent problem?

It is getting better, more seamless, more fluid, more ‘natural’ to be together in these multi-person online spaces (unlike your email program, which is a personal space you run in your own unique way). But we are learning about the need for people to be shown the digital ropes about what it takes to work here. We expect to put time aside to orientate our newcomers to our places of work physically, to explain how to get tea and coffee, how to find the bathroom, where we all sit for lunch. And we should not be surprised that people need the same level of orientation to our digital workspaces too… not just how the technology works, but how WE work inside this technology. What WE think about using slang or emojis in our typing; video cameras on or off, animated gifs yes or no; do you jump in with an opinion on a Zoom call, or wait for them to call down the list of participants…

Creating these mixed physical and virtual workspaces (and inevitably the related flexibility on core hours), requires retooling our work culture, our personal work and managerial styles and, in some cases, HR policy. It requires most of all changing what we consider as normal. It may be tempting to think it’s not worth the effort. That would be a mistake. That would be failing to learn the lessons of lockdown.

The forced flexibility that was injected into our normal ‘rules’ of working (both implicit and explicit) kept our organisations afloat in crisis. But the world becomes more complex to predict, and the times of upheaval and danger are not over. What we learn (or fail to learn) from lockdown about what work can and should look like will determine the future (or lack thereof) for most, if not all, of our organisations.

Words: Dianna Langley

Dianna is the Director of Digital Community at NetHope and former Head of Digital Workplace at the Oxfam International Secretariat. She is a judge for the DWG Digital Workplace of the Year awards 2020 and a regular speaker at tech and CIO conferences in the UK and the US. Dianna wrote this article on the future of work for Mission Catalyst, BMS’ magazine for thinking Christians.

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We have more insightful articles on life after the Coronavirus!

Everything has changed, but has it changed enough?

As Covid-19 restrictions lift, it’s not just our workplaces that need to rethink what’s ‘normal’. In the latest issue of Mission Catalyst, our contributors talk about the changes that need to happen in our economy and our health system, what we’ve learnt about lament and inequality, the failings of the media, America’s reaction to the virus, and whether God really is sovereign in it all.

It’s coming soon and it’s a fascinating read! Subscribe now for free to get your copy.

And if you want to read about the very practical ways you’ve been supporting people across the globe during the Coronavirus crisis, make sure you’re signed up to receive Engage, the BMS magazine! It’s also got some absolutely stunning pictures from our brand-new mission worker photo competition, and shares how you can play an important part in life-saving work in Chad.

What we achieved this year, together

BMS World Mission Coronavirus appeal:

What you achieved this year

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Back in March of this year, BMS World Mission launched our Coronavirus appeal, and thousands of UK Christians responded generously to the urgent need. In a world thrown into chaos by a virus whose unpredictable course left many feeling shaken and confused, it was hard to know where to help first. Saving lives required decisive action, which you knew as well as we did. And so, with your help, we stepped in to make a difference everywhere we could…

From Peru to Nepal, Afghanistan to Mozambique, your donations reached right around the globe, directly helping people in 14 countries across four continents. That amounted to over 28,000 people whose lives were sustained, protected and transformed through a heartfelt response from generous UK Christians. Whether it was picking up the phone, posting in a cheque, starting a fundraiser, or donating through our website, those simple actions have raised over £230,000, an absolutely amazing total that will have a long-lasting and life-saving effect for so many around the world.

Download the video and share with your church

Coronavirus hasn’t just endangered the health of those who contracted it, but countrywide lockdowns have also threatened to destroy the livelihoods of many people around the world who rely on subsistence farming or daily wage labour to survive. In such a large-scale crisis, your gifts were able to stretch far and wide because BMS was at the forefront of co-ordinating the global Baptist response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus.

By working with the Baptist World Alliance Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD), we ensured that your gifts delivered a multi-faceted response, whether that was supporting the making of over 31,000 masks in Mozambique, responding to the mental health crisis caused by Covid-19 in Afghanistan, providing emergency food rations to those trapped in desperate hunger due to lockdown in Sri Lanka, or getting PPE to hospitals in Nepal and Chad.

Want to hear in-depth stories about how you changed lives?

Sign up to get the next issue of Engage, and receive our special ‘Coronavirus heroes’ issue. Hear from people like Gloria, who went from losing everything to being part of the team sewing over 30,000 face masks for a hospital in Mozambique!

This co-ordinated response meant that we handed out more relief grants in 2020 than ever before, and that you were able to help people who hadn’t received aid from anyone else. People like Athilatchumi. Her livelihood collapsed during Sri Lanka’s strict lockdown when her daughter’s job in a local factory was put on pause, and her husband couldn’t sell the produce he caught from his work as a fisherman. As she told our partner in Sri Lanka, “We haven’t received such support from anyone else during this crisis”.

What might have happened to Athilatchumi, her husband and five children without your intervention doesn’t bear thinking about. But luckily, we don’t have to. Athilatchumi and 28,000 others are safe and well thanks to your giving, whether they be workers who lost jobs, people going through mental health crises, those who needed ongoing medical treatment — or drastic intervention after contracting Coronavirus — or key workers who needed protection and support.

Thank you for supporting our Coronavirus appeal

Download the video and share with your church

By choosing to give to the BMS Coronavirus appeal, you’ve played a crucial part in saving thousands of lives across the world. Thank you for standing with your neighbours wherever they are found, and making a difference in this time of crisis.

Spread the word!

We at BMS are convinced that this is such good news – for people around the world who experienced God’s love in action through your witness, and for those of you in the UK who gave. We’d love for you to share this Coronavirus appeal update with your church. Why not download the Coronavirus thank you video and keyworker thank you video on this page to play in your service and truly thank your congregation for all they did — whether you’re meeting online, or in person.

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Words by Hannah Watson.
Videos by Joshua Mutton and Laura Durrant.

Good World News

Good World News:

God is still at work

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It’s easy to despair at the state of the world right now, which is why we wanted to remind you that God is still at work in powerful ways. We checked in with Ben Drabble, who heads up our Supporter Care Team, in his home office, to see what good news he has to share from our partners and projects around the globe. Turns out, God is doing some amazing things – and in many of them, he’s chosen to work through you!

Want some good news? Check out this video!

Download this video and share it with your church!

1. Baptisms in Bangladesh

Earlier this year, we found out that up to 80 people are preparing to be baptised in Bangladesh, thanks to BMS World Mission partner the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha. That’s 80 people who will be accepting the love of Jesus into their lives! Your support and prayers for our work in Bangladesh have made this possible.

These are your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you’re part of their story. If that’s not good news, we don’t know what is!

Up to 80 people were baptised recently in Bangladesh

30,000 face masks were sewn in Mozambique

2. Coronavirus global response

BMS supporters have given over £200,000 to our Coronavirus appeal to help people around the world in the fight against Covid-19. We are so thankful for your incredible generosity!
Here are a few ways your support has made an incredible difference in more than 22,000 lives during the Coronavirus pandemic:

You’ve enabled women in Mozambique to sew a whopping 30,000 face masks! All these masks will go to Maputo General Hospital and will be used to curb the spread of the virus.
You’ve supported the creation of a satellite hospital in Bardaï, Chad, built on the site of a disused police station. You’ve helped purchase specialist equipment, refurbish the police station, and fix up the water supply.
You’ve helped provide food parcels, hygiene products and PPE to people across the world, from Peru to Sri Lanka, Tunisia to Nepal.

If you want to find out more about what your support has achieved, visit our Coronavirus news page to stay updated.

3. Solidarity Sunday

Churches across the UK held Solidarity Sunday services via Zoom and other online platforms back in May! It was so amazing to see UK Christians joining together in prayer for the global Coronavirus response, and we’re so thankful for everyone who took part. You’ve played a real part in saving and protecting lives.

And if you didn’t get a chance to hold a Solidarity Sunday service in May, all the resources you’ll need to hold one are still on our website. Check them out today!

4. Resources for your church

We’ve made it possible for you to request a member of the BMS Speaker Team to join your online service, whether that’s a passionate Speaker Team volunteer, a member of our UK staff team with behind-the-scenes insights or one of our mission workers straight from the frontline! If you want to hear stories from the heart of mission, contact Carolyn Ogi, our Church Engagements Administrator, on 01235 517631 to request a BMS Speaker today!

We’ve also got tons of brilliant resources you can use in your church service, whether you’re keeping things online or beginning to move things back to your church building. From inspiring sermons and video messages from mission workers, to PowerPoints to guide your prayer for the world, we’ve got a resource that will work for your church. Find them all right here.

PowerPoint slide with the text "Join Christians across the UK to pray for the global Covid-19 Coronavirus response"

5. Operation: Chad is coming!

Operation: Chad, our 2020 Harvest appeal, is coming!

We’ll be transporting you to Guinebor II hospital in Chad, and we can’t wait to share stories of the incredible staff there who dedicate their lives to providing healthcare in a country with 1 doctor for every 25,000 people! Stay tuned for updates on how you can join Operation: Chad very soon!

Thank you so much for all of your support for BMS World Mission over these last few months. You are a crucial member of the BMS community – and we hope that this instalment of Good World News helps you to remember that! Don’t forget to download the video and share it with your church!

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Words and video 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

I'm praying for this 33

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.’

Praying for this 52

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.

Praying for Uganda? Click here

Surviving lockdown: tips from Afghanistan

Surviving lockdown:

tips from Afghanistan

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After weeks of uncertainty and limited human contact, you might be struggling to cope with lockdown. But here’s the good news – this too shall pass. In the meantime, we caught up with some lockdown pros to get their top tips for surviving (and maybe even thriving) in isolation.

If you’re a foreigner living in Afghanistan, being on lockdown isn’t wholly unusual. In fact, it’s often scheduled in. Big political rally happening? Stay at home. Elections? No-one is leaving their compounds. At other times, it comes out of the blue, when violence erupts unexpectedly and being an expat on the street is just asking for trouble.

I spent 12 months living in Afghanistan, and I saw just how seriously BMS World Mission’s partner in the country takes the security of its whole team. As an extrovert adapting to a new life with many more restrictions, I learnt a lot from my teammates who are adept at living through times of lockdown. I thought you might like to learn from them too, so I got back in touch and asked them for their advice for you.

Lockdown survival tips

1. Spend time with God

BMS worker Rose* has years of experience living through lockdowns – though up until now they’d all been in Afghanistan, rather than England. This is the first time she has had such a plethora of ways to keep in touch and internet resources at her fingertips. “I used to spend lockdowns carefully conserving phone or hand-held radio battery power because of limited electricity, which meant keeping communication short and essential!” says Rose.

With fewer distractions in previous lockdowns, prioritising time with God may have been easier for Rose than it is for us. But that’s still her top tip. “Use the down-time and peace (assuming that is possible) to really seek God and spend time with him,” she says. “That’s a good investment, though it takes self-discipline.”

New to structured prayer times? Why not start with the BMS Prayer Guide?

2. Board games. All the board games.

Development expert Tim* has just one top tip – but it’s a good one! If you’re blessed to be isolating with other people, grab a board game or a pack of cards and enjoy each other’s company while keeping your mind active with a bit of strategy and competition. If you’re on your own — there’s lots of games you can play with family and friends over a video call! (The number of times I lost obscure board games to Tim suggests that he definitely practices what he preaches when it comes to this tip… )

There’s loads of online games you can play with friends virtually in this season. A couple of personal favourites include the word game Taboo and team strategy game Codenames!

3. Seek balance and space

After more than a decade living in Afghanistan, Catherine* (who heads up BMS’ mental health work in the country) has learned that balance is key to keeping family harmony and happiness during prolonged times of isolation. “We’re managing to enjoy being together, and getting enough time without people to be happy, by balancing planned and spontaneous activities like special food, TV, looking at old pictures and that sort of thing.” She also suggests having some meals apart, with each family member making and having their meal when they want, so that they sometimes have the freedom to be alone and eat in peace.

Catherine is also benefitting from the perks of empowering her teenage children — if you also have teenagers perhaps you can follow suit and put your feet up! “I would highly recommend putting kids in charge of all food arrangements — I’ve just got to task shift the actual grocery shopping to them too and my life will be easy… !”

We think our Afghan houses look normal, and then we come back to the UK and realise they don't.

Pray for Afghanistan

Reports this week warned that a third of Afghanistan’s population, including 7.3 million children, are now at risk of food shortages. On top of that, the country’s health system is ill-equipped to deal with the Coronavirus pandemic, and people are very afraid. Please pray with us for the people of Afghanistan as they face yet another threat, after decades of insecurity and war.

Right now, we’re providing mental health support for patients infected with Coronavirus in Afghanistan, as well as for their families and the medical staff treating them. This is crucial to helping to stop the spread of the virus. You can help patients with Covid-19 in the country by giving to the BMS Coronavirus appeal.

4. Take it day by day, and hour by hour

Green-fingered BMS worker Ruby* thinks it’s important not to be too hard on yourself — this is a difficult time, and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed. Her advice? “Break your day down into sections. I usually use the hour marker for my time and I only focus on that hour, not all that I need to do in the days ahead.

“I have a very low concentration ability unless I’m doing something practical so, mix things up if you are the same. Mix computer work for an hour with a puzzle or some gardening.”

We're very thankful for outside space during extended lockdowns – and so are the kids.

Our team tries to make the most of the Afghan sunshine, running off solar power where we can.

5. Make it fun!

To distract her young children from the potential dangers outside, mum-of-two Jenny* finds ways to make lockdowns fun. And it’s not just the children who benefit — as her former next-door neighbour, I can confirm that the adults also very much enjoyed this approach to lockdown!

Planning to cook a pizza? Why not make it a pizza party?! Going to make a pie? Let’s call it a pie down and make it a bit of a competition! Renaming things and making mealtimes exciting can make days in lockdown memorable rather than monotonous. “Plan something fun,” says Jenny. “Do a craft project, bake and decorate a cake, get out the paddling pool and have water fight in the garden.” And if it’s all getting too much? “A little extra screen time isn’t the end of the world — watch a film” (with snacks, of course).

Here’s a simple cake recipe you can make if you can get the ingredients locally.

Thankfully, we're able to get most things we need for the kitchen – so we're fully equipped for pie downs and pizza parties.

It's great when your fire doubles up as a stove. Boiling water is always on hand for a cuppa when lockdown gets a bit too much.

6. Treasure the simple things

Mary* finds it helpful to take pleasure in the little things — not having to set an alarm clock, sitting in the garden without her headscarf (perhaps not such a treat in the UK), playing her music just a little bit louder than she normally would. “Have a pyjama day!” she says. “Start the crochet or knitting that’s been in the bag since last summer, watch the DVD you’ve been saving, cook that thing you’ve been putting off because it takes too long… ”

Enjoying the beauty that’s around us and taking time to notice the simple things that bring us joy are great ways to pass this time in lockdown.

7. Remember that this isn’t forever

It’s horrible not knowing when this will all be over. This is not an easy time for anyone. It’s heartbreaking not being able to see loved ones, reading reports of rising death tolls, and maybe even losing people we love to Coronavirus. And while we grieve, and while we try to make the most of this time, it’s important to remember that life won’t always be like this.

“Remember that it really won’t go on forever. Life does not look like this forevermore… ” says Rose. And Ruby agrees. “‘This too shall pass.’ We will get through this and what’s more I pray we are stronger on the other side.”

I hope these tips help you as you continue staying home for the time being. And if nothing else, that they give you an insight into the lives of some of the people you support when you give to and pray for BMS. When they’re not on lockdown (and actually a lot of the time when they are on lockdown) they’re working incredibly hard too! I’ve seen it first-hand! Show them some love today by liking this story.

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Want to find out about the life-transforming work you’re supporting in Afghanistan? Read some of our Afghanistan stories today!

Words by Jessica*

*All names changed for security reasons

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.

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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.

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.

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

Coronavirus appeal prayer points

Use these prayer points in your online, streamed or recorded church service to pray for the global response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.

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Coronavirus appeal prayer PowerPoint

Use these PowerPoint slides copyright free in your online, streamed or recorded church service to pray for the global response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.

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Remembering the Easter bombings: prayer for Sri Lanka – PowerPoint for your church

One year on from the Easter bombings, we’d love the Church in the UK to lift up Sri Lanka. Use this copyright free PowerPoint presentation in your online service to pray with us for Sri Lanka.

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Video: life under lockdown in Nepal

This short video showing empty streets in Nepal can be used to raise awareness of how our neighbours around the world are being affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, and how your support through the BMS Coronavirus appeal is already making a difference.

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In crisis: ‘when everything looks like darkness, God continues to be God’

In crisis:

‘Even when everything looks like darkness, God continues to be God’

Praying for this 51

The Coronavirus could cause unimaginable suffering in countries like Mozambique, where almost half the population live below the poverty line. The World Health Organisation has warned that Africa could become the next epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s what the situation is like for our neighbours in Mozambique right now, and how you can pray.

As a young man, Carlos Tique Jone was forced to fight in the Mozambican civil war. He prayed for God to protect him, and God did. Last year, his city was shattered by Cyclone Idai, and he didn’t know if he would live or die. Now, Carlos, along with the whole world, is facing the threat of Coronavirus.

By supporting BMS World Mission, you’ve been partnering with Carlos since 2012. You’ve helped him in his day-to-day work leading the BMS team in Mozambique, as well building up local churches and helping people in Beira and the surrounding area start small businesses and support their families. You helped him deliver much-needed practical relief after Cyclone Idai. And now you’re helping the BMS team in Mozambique stop the spread of Coronavirus, by providing soap and advice on effective handwashing for families that are part of BMS-supported preschool projects across the country (reaching a total of 4,250 children and their parents).

A building with rubble to the side of it after Cyclone Idai. — Cyclone Idai caused widespread destruction. You helped BMS respond to the disaster.

Carlos is an incredibly wise, generous, humble and servant-hearted man, who has been part of so much life-transforming work in Mozambique, one of the least developed countries in the world. We caught up with him as part of our series – In crisis: lessons from the World Church – to find out how Coronavirus is affecting the country, and what we in the UK can learn from him at this time of global crisis.

Quote - “Isaiah 43: 1-3 helps me to understand that, in every moment and in every place, God is with me”

This isn’t the first crisis you have faced. What has kept you strong during hard times in the past?

Our faith in God almighty is what has kept us strong in the past. Now, as we are facing the Coronavirus threats in our country where there isn’t a good health service, this is the time when our faith in God is tested and we must stand firm in him, because he cares for us all the time. Isaiah 43: 1-3 helps me to understand that, in every moment and in every place, God is with me.

In the midst of Coronavirus, how can Christians encourage and support people in their community?

As Christians we have the message of hope for our communities at times like this, because we know who our God is and to whom our life belongs. So, let us spread the gospel of Jesus, sharing with people the hope of a good life in God’s presence. Christians have to share the love of God with desperate people and take care of those who are in need. We don’t need to be afraid of what will happen to our lives, we must just believe in him.

What is the situation like in Mozambique right now?

The situation in Mozambique is still calm and under Government control, as the number of infected people is still small, just ten people – nine in Maputo City and one in the north of the country. However, people are worried about the real number of infected people, as the Government hasn’t got the capacity to test all those who have symptoms or who come from high-risk countries.

Right now, we are in a state of emergency for 30 days from 1 until 30 April. Schools and universities are closed and all gatherings with more than ten people are prohibited, including church services. People are worried about their future, as they don’t know how long this situation will last and how they will survive. Many people depend on selling goods daily to feed their families and the Government’s measures don’t allow them to work in the street and small markets.

BMS team leader in Mozambique, Carlos Tique Jone — You've been partnering with Carlos since 2012. Please stand with him again today by praying for Mozambique.

People in Mozambique and around the world need your help right now

People in countries like Mozambique – places with extremely limited health provision and high rates of poverty – need your help now more than ever. You can help give Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), soap and hygiene items, emergency food, and other much-needed resources to struggling people around the world today. Find out more and give to the BMS Coronavirus appeal.

You’ve lived through crises before – like last year’s devastating cyclone. Can you tell us about the struggles and uncertainties of living through that? Has it helped to prepare you for the Coronavirus pandemic?

There is a significant difference between Cyclone Idai and the Coronavirus, because Coronavirus spreading to more people depends on our behaviour. The cyclone was a natural disaster, which no-one could spread and which affected people without looking at social status. But the Coronavirus will affect more poor people than rich people, as the poor can’t protect themselves because all the protection products are very expensive in our country.

To be honest, each crisis affects us in a different way, and I can’t say that our experience with Cyclone Idai is helping us to struggle against the Coronavirus, as we are still recovering from the great aftermath of Cyclone Idai. So, the uncertainty of Coronavirus is a big challenge for us, and we don’t know what to do, but we just wait and trust in God. However, the cyclone prepared us to understand that all protection comes from God, so we must trust in him and be calm, as without God in our lives, we are nothing and our lives are insignificant. So as Christians, we are trying to avoid being panicked and we share the message of hope in WhatsApp groups or by text message to help those who are in fear for their future.

Carlos Tique Jone quote: “Coronavirus will affect more poor people than rich people, as the poor can’t protect themselves”

My family is struggling with the Coronavirus threats with mixed feelings, because our daughter has got tuberculosis and we know now that she has weak immunity and she is vulnerable to infection. So, this situation affects us seriously, as every day we think about what to do to avoid other family members getting infected with tuberculosis or another disease. It’s a hard time for my family and we just look ahead, trusting in God. Psalm 46: 1 helps us to understand that God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble – like in the moment that we are facing now.

The Coronavirus is a great threat for us here in Mozambique because we grew up in community life and it is very difficult to stop children going out and playing with their friends or to avoid someone visiting us. Our hope is just in God almighty who cares for us. The scriptures help us to find strength and hope in this uncertain time, like Psalm 27: 1, Nahum 1: 7 and Habakkuk 3: 17-19 – “our God is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”

How has your relationship with God developed as he has taken you through deep valleys?

My relationship with God has grown as I have understood that without God in my life, I am nothing and I can’t do anything to protect myself. Now, I have learnt that God is my God all the time, even when everything looks like darkness, God continues to be God.

Are there any lessons you can share with the UK Church?

Yes, there are many lessons which I can share with the UK Church. First, as Christians we need to trust in God and not in man or good hospitals, medicines or specialised institutions. The Coronavirus has demonstrated that our knowledge is nothing in some situations. We need to trust in God not only when life is going well, but in every time and circumstance.

Secondly, we must understand that we are travellers on this earth, going to heaven where our Father is. Everything we have here we’ll leave in a second when God calls us to him. While we are alive, let’s do good things for all people – love them and forgive them.

Thirdly, let us put our lives in Jesus Christ, our Lord who won death for us, and not in our wealth.

Carlos Tique Jone quote: “While we are alive, let’s do good things for all people”

How can we pray for Mozambique, and for you and your work?

Please, pray for:

Wisdom for our Republic’s President and his Government, that they make good decisions to protect the nation
Unity for the churches, that they work together in preaching the gospel and helping people in the struggle against the Coronavirus
Strength and protection for the BMS team here, as we work in an uncertain situation
My daughter, as she continues taking medicines to fight tuberculosis, that God would heal her
My family, that we continue standing firm in faith in God
The Baptist Convention of Mozambique, as they lead in this uncertain time, when churches’ Sunday services are prohibited
The farmers I work with, as they prepare for harvest in uncertain times, under fear of Coronavirus
Wisdom and faith for me, as I lead the BMS team in Mozambique

In crisis: lessons from the World Church

In case you missed them, read wisdom from Sri Lanka and Nepal today.

Praying for Mozambique? Click here to let us know!

In crisis: ‘God will give us the strength we need’

In crisis:

‘God knows exactly how long our trials will endure and he will give us the strength we need to get through them’

Praying for this 21

A year ago, the Easter Sunday bombings devastated Sri Lanka’s Christians. Now the country is facing the threat of Coronavirus. Roshan Mendis, Head of Asia Pacific Baptist Aid, believes that the Sri Lankan Church has lots to teach UK Christians at this moment of global crisis.

Our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka are no strangers to tragedy. After surviving 30 years of civil war, on Easter Sunday last year (21 April 2019) they were targeted by bombs that reduced churches and hotels to rubble and stole hundreds of lives.

Long-time BMS World Mission partner Roshan Mendis has lived through these national crises, as well as suffering heartbreaking personal loss. Now, he’s involved in co-ordinating the global Baptist response to Coronavirus, alongside BMS and Baptist agencies around the world. (Find out how you can make this possible through the BMS Coronavirus appeal!)

We asked Roshan about faith, fear, and living through crises. His answers moved and inspired us – we hope they do the same for you. This interview is the second in our series, ‘In crisis: lessons from the World Church’. Read wisdom from Nepal here.

You can help Sri Lankan families survive Coronavirus

We are providing vulnerable families in Sri Lanka with much-needed food parcels to help them get through this pandemic. Help these families and others in desperate need around the world by giving to the BMS Coronavirus appeal now.

Quote. “God is in the midst of the engulfing waters, the raging fire”

Life is uncertain for everyone right now. Is there a Bible passage that you’ve turned to that has helped you through hard times?

I recall reading James 1 the morning after our daughter passed away and questioning God and also realising that God was bringing about something in my own life. Teaching and perfecting me as well through the grief and sorrow. Isaiah 43: 2 has also been a powerful verse to remind me that God is in the midst of the engulfing waters, the raging fire that he promises to bring us through – not out of. When we are in a trial, it seems like it will never end, but God is a God of all time; he knows exactly how long our trials will endure and he will give us the strength we need to get through them.

I have learnt that as we accept the trial and tough times, God is able to take that very pain and transform it into a passion in our lives – fulfilling his word in working out all things (both good and bad) for good as we stay faithful to him.

Quote: “Fear forces us into realising our interconnectedness and dependency”

If we are feeling afraid, should we fight that? Can fear teach us anything?

In my experience, fear is a normal feeling that is part of the human make-up. The key is how we respond or react to that feeling of fear. Fear teaches us a valuable lesson about our own vulnerability and fragility in a situation and the fact that we don’t have the capacity to deal with the challenge before us. Covid-19 is one such example in which we realise our own limitations. This forces us to reach out to some other source for support or strength to meet that challenge and cope with that fear. Fear forces us into realising our interconnectedness and dependency beyond ourselves.

I wouldn’t call myself a brave man, by no means. I really don’t think I am. I am not the type of person who will jump in to someone else’s fight or readily volunteer for any public activity or rise up to speak on the spur of the moment, but somehow circumstances in life have brought me into situations which other people have looked on as bravery on my part. The saying attributed to Mark Twain says, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” If someone has absolutely no capability to fear, then he really has no capacity to be a courageous leader. It is that ability to act ‘in spite of’. In my ministry, I found myself in situations in which I was forced to act in spite of fear.

“The Easter bombings made many of us feel a sense of vulnerability that we had not felt during the conflict years – it felt like anyone could be the target”

Many people in the UK have not lived through a crisis of the proportions of Coronavirus before, but Sri Lanka has experienced a lot of unrest, from years of civil war to the devastating Easter bombings. Can you tell us about those struggles?

Uncertainty has been for a long time a part of the fabric of daily life in Sri Lanka due to the conflict that lasted for almost 30 years until 2009. For many of us who were in the midst of living and working in that context, the aversion to risk that began to be evident in the humanitarian sector as well as within global thinking was almost amusing. The absence of conflict since 2009 had to some degree caused many of us to slip into a state of assuming that era had passed, until the Easter bombings rocked our city last year. The effects of this, apart from the grief of the many lives that were lost, rebirthed in many minds the trauma of the war and made us realise that old wounds had still not been fully healed. We saw cases of individuals reliving those days and affected by past trauma. The Easter bombings made many of us feel a sense of vulnerability that we had not felt during the conflict years. It felt like anyone could be the target.

The resultant closure of churches left many feeling a vacuum in their faith with the absence of public worship. Even currently, one of the biggest challenges of many churches and congregations both big and small is the inability to gather together as a congregation. The deadly Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that caused churches island-wide to be shut down and congregations to be barred from meeting was in a sense a precursor for many of us in Sri Lanka for what has been the present reality. It was also a good opportunity to highlight and educate congregations of the error of the understanding they had grown up with, that the gathering at the building on a Sunday constituted church. One of the quotes that as a local church in Sri Lanka we used to refocus the mind of the congregation was to circulate an image on social media of our empty church with the words “THE CHURCH HAS LEFT THE BUILDING!” This was a good preparation for many, for what became the scenario as the nation went into lockdown for Covid-19.

People stand and mourn before a list of the dead in the Easter bombings, Sri Lanka

“Brushes with death, working in hostile environments… and experiencing personal loss and grief have all contributed to being able to face difficult situations”

Has going through extraordinarily tough times before prepared you for the arrival of the Coronavirus?

I believe the experiences of serving in difficult circumstances have developed my resilience. As I look at some of those growing up in leadership now and also encounter Christians in other nations that have grown in an environment of safety and relative comfort, I find that many of them, when they face a challenge, get quickly discouraged and come close to quitting. The tenacity to stay in a tough situation, the determination to see things through to the end, is often diluted by a mindset that anticipates a level of ease and comfort in leadership and discipleship.

Living out one’s faith in strong and highly resistant non-Christian communities makes the new believer realise early in their Christian walk the realities of taking up the cross and following Christ. I would not limit these experiences alone as a preparation for facing the Coronavirus, but these experiences of brushes with death, working in hostile environments, motives being suspected due to your faith, having to serve in the midst of conflict, and experiencing personal loss and grief have all contributed to being able to face difficult situations. Sadly, the ease of belief for most Christians in western nations makes their resilience in the face of personal or national trial falter and can result in them questioning even the goodness of God.

Team prepare food parcels for vulnerable Sri Lankan families during the Covid-19 crisis — You're helping to fund food parcels for vulnerable families in Sri Lanka by giving to the BMS Coronavirus appeal. Thank you!

Are there any lessons the Sri Lankan Church can share with the UK Church?

For sure there is – I believe the nature of our faith and belief and understanding of discipleship is one that the UK Church can learn from. To realise that discipleship is costly, that it is not simply about God meeting our wants and needs but it is a journey that demands a price from us as well. In addition, the acceptance of the reality of spiritual warfare in our daily Christian walk in a context where evil spirits, charms and occult practises are a commonplace part of the religious psyche of people. This enables an understanding that looks beyond the physical/material realm to a spiritual realm that I have observed is often a missing element or understanding in the West.

The realisation of these makes one understand that dependence on our own strength and ability in such a context is futile and therefore the only recourse and strength is to draw on God.

“The Church must be to their neighbours the hands and feet of God, by offering practical help and support”

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

In addition to prayer, I believe that like Nehemiah experienced, God calls us to be the answer to our own prayers. I think it is important that Christians are seen as people of hope and service. The Church must realise that its role is not in the building, in corporate worship, but our worship – our service – is in the public spaces and out in the community. The Church must be to their neighbours the hands and feet of God, by offering practical help and support. I heard of a church that stood outside a supermarket store and gave away toilet rolls! Another that made masks and distributed them to the community. Another that telephoned the elderly in lockdown. Others that distributed groceries to households that had lost jobs. We heard of believers in China who risked their lives, caring for the sick as volunteers, in the faith that were they to die they could claim Paul’s word’s – to be with the Lord is better than life.

Please pray for Sri Lanka in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic

We asked Roshan how we can pray for Sri Lanka right now. Here’s what he said.

Please pray:

For pastors impacted by the alienation from their congregations
For many households whose income has been impacted and businesses and industry that has been hampered in local production
Against certain elements seeking to stigmatise and bring in racist elements into the conversation around people affected by the virus
For the impact of the Coronavirus on our churches both economically and as a community
For the economic impact on the nation with a significant loss of jobs
For the many households that are rent payers at risk of being evicted
For those driven to despair to receive the psychosocial support that they need
For wisdom for the government leadership to work together. At this time due to an impending election, parliament was dissolved and so there is an absence of a voice for people
For required equipment and testing kits
For my role in helping to co-ordinate the global Baptist response to Coronavirus, and for wisdom for the whole response team

Pray for Sri Lanka in your online service!

One year on from the Easter bombings, we’d love the Church in the UK to lift up Sri Lanka. Use this copyright free PowerPoint presentation in your online service to pray with us for Sri Lanka. Click the button below to download it!

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Thank you

The difference you made in 2021

A BMS year in review

You raised your voices

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You gave

You prayed

You took a stand

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How to vaccinate the world

Looking to the past

The struggles of the present

On the ground

Ten years on:

A tale of two crises

Crises within crises

Your faithful generosity

Another decade of despair?

Love your neighbour:

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In crisis:

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

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?

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

What is the situation like under lockdown in Uganda?

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

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

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

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

Surviving lockdown:

tips from Afghanistan

Lockdown survival tips

1. Spend time with God

2. Board games. All the board games.

3. Seek balance and space

Pray for Afghanistan

4. Take it day by day, and hour by hour