Growing vegetables to transform lives

Saraab’s Garden

Growing vegetables to transform lives

What’s the connection between a carrot and a life transformed?

Spending time in the garden has been a lifesaver for many of us this year. And Saraab* is no different. In his garden, he grows carrots, pumpkins, cucumbers… the sort of things you would plant in your vegetable patch in the UK. Except Saraab isn’t in the UK – his village is in the rural mountains of Afghanistan, where resources are scarce, and the threat of the Taliban never goes away. You wouldn’t think growing vegetables could transform a life. But for Saraab, that’s exactly what’s happened.

“Children were malnourished. We are an impoverished people.” Saraab and his family live in a small village high in the mountains of Afghanistan. The temperature can drop as low as -40 degrees in the winter. Women tend the fires in their one-room houses built into the mountainside, while the men shovel snow off the roofs to stop it melting through. There’s no Tesco to pop down to where you can buy whatever food you need. No classes in school to teach you the basic food groups and how to eat a balanced diet. Here, you just have to do what you must to keep yourself and your family alive.

An Afghan man stands in his garden.
Saraab has often struggled to get food on the table to feed his family.

And this doesn’t just apply to putting enough food on the table. Many of you will remember our 2018 Harvest appeal, Life’s First Cry, teaching safe birthing practices to Afghan families who kept losing babies, and last year’s Christmas appeal, bringing clean water to rural villages in the Afghan mountains where the water wasn’t safe to drink. Saraab and the people in his village lived with these same hardships. But thanks to BMS World Mission supporters, that’s all changed.

Our people are deprived. And your help can change our lives.

Thanks to your support, Saraab doesn’t have to worry any longer about how he’s going to feed his six children. BMS’ partner works in rural mountain villages in Afghanistan to give people access to maternal health classes, information on clean water and sanitation – and to equip people to confidently grow their own food. “We didn’t know anything about vegetables or what they all were,” Saraab says. “But now we know about them and their importance to our bodies, and we all want to eat vegetables.” Thanks to you, Saraab has been able to grow a flourishing crop of healthy food, and make sure that his family never goes without. He knows how to feed his children well, to make sure they grow up strong and healthy, to keep them from dying from malnutrition like so many children in the village before them. All of this has been made possible through your faithful support – and that’s not everything!

An Afghan man tends his garden.
Saraab grows things like carrots, pumpkins and cucumbers in his garden – like many of us back in the UK!

We’d love to keep you updated about what we’re doing. If you are already receiving updates from us then we will continue to communicate with you in the ways you’ve asked us to, but if you’d like to hear from us, or to change your mind, email supporterservices@bmsworldmission.org or phone 01235 517638. We will never sell your data and we promise to keep your details safe and secure – for more information read our privacy policy. We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator.

BMS worker Ruby* will soon be heading back to the mountains to help teach the women in the villages how to tend the land themselves. Traditionally, it would be the man’s role to pass on any agricultural knowledge from his time on the project, with the women learning through second-hand teaching from their husbands and brothers. But amongst all the other responsibilities of work, asking men to share knowledge this way just wasn’t effective. “They had varying results, depending on if the husband or brother took any of the information in or were just too busy to actually learn,” says Ruby. But with Ruby joining the team, she’ll be able to teach the women directly and empower them to grow their own food for their families – an unusual, but joyful sight for rural Afghanistan!

Gardens in Afghanistan
BMS worker Ruby will be empowering women in Afghanistan by teaching them to grow their own food to provide for their families.

“Growing your own food is good because you can actually feed your family, no matter what’s happening around you,” says Ruby. And that’s exactly the case for Saraab – no matter what comes, he’ll be able to keep his family healthy and well. There are so many more villages to reach with the good news that they can grow vegetables, get access clean water, keep their mums and babies safe – and you can help us do that. “Our people are deprived,” says Saraab. “And your help can change our lives.”

*Names changed.
Words by Laura Durrant.

‘That’s why we’ve come to Chad’

‘That’s why we’ve come to Chad’:

Tom Spears on Chad’s healthcare, the huge need, and how you can help

Supporting this

When Tom Spears imagined working overseas as a doctor, he knew with great certainty he’d be headed to Nepal. It was a country he had served in before, and where he knew there was so much need. But this week’s story is all about how, and why, Tom and his wife Mel changed their minds – and why God needed them in Chad instead. Read on to discover how you can join them in saving lives in the precious, challenging, inspiring country they now call home.

“Chad? That’s in the desert… isn’t it?” exclaims Tom Spears, remembering his reaction when a country in which he and Mel had never considered serving became the number one option on the table. It was a winsome email from BMS World Mission’s central office that eventually changed his and Mel’s minds. It began: “These are all the reasons we think you should go to Chad,” and ended with: “Pray about it!”

When we spoke to Tom about all this – under a rustling tree canopy on a blustery Chadian winter’s day – it was obvious how God answered that prayer. “BMS has a lot to answer for,” Tom jokes. A few weeks into the family’s time in Chad, these were Tom’s reflections on healthcare, the huge need, and how you can help by supporting Operation: Chad.

A young British couple hold their daughters on their hips, against a leafy background in Chad.
"There’s always going to be a need for more people to help here," says Tom on the decision to come to Chad.

Since you arrived in Chad, has anything struck you as being very different to what you expected?

Possibly it’s been slightly easier than I imagined, so far. There’s a good sense of community here… [swats away a fly] Sorry – flies! The flies are more irritating here – there’s not very many of them, but they’re very persistent! Possibly the hospital is slightly different from my experience of working in what I thought was a similar hospital in Nepal before.

There are lots of things that are just much less available or that cost a lot more to obtain here… things like supply of medications, that’s quite a challenge. The cost of being able to give care here is much higher. I’ve grown up with a socialised healthcare system, which is amazing, and which is the kind of paradigm that I feel is right, and that makes sense. And I’m aware that’s just the culture that I’ve come from, and that that just isn’t the reality here in Chad.

Tom Spears on the tragedy of infant mortality in Chad

We heard stories of patients who travel 500 miles to come to Guinebor II hospital because they know they’ll receive good care here. What do you make of that?

I was speaking to one of the nurse-consultants here who was saying that recently, we’ve had more people coming from further away, lots of people from nomadic backgrounds where it’s very important for them to get back to their livestock. They would rather come here where they know they’re going to get reliably seen and treated.

You could help save lives in the Sahel today. Click here
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I know Kalbassou, the Hospital Director – he’s just got such a heart to help people, and he just works such long hours at the moment doing so many operations, and it’s because he wants to keep on helping people… but really, we don’t have the capacity to help the number of people that he or any of us would like to. There’s always going to be a need for more people to help here.

Chadian healthcare, in Tom’s own words

“Chad as a country is fourth from the bottom of the Human Development Index.

It has some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the world, and the second-highest infant mortality rate.

It’s a big country, and there are very few hospitals and medical facilities in general.”

A British doctor and a Chadian doctor chat to each other in a hospital setting.
Tom pictured with Hospital Director, Kalbassou Doubassou, who also performs most of the hospital's surgeries.

It’s so clear there is huge need in Chad – but at the moment there is also undeniably significant need in the UK. What would you say to BMS supporters thinking carefully about where to invest their giving at a time like this?

We’ve reached a point where people’s expectations of healthcare in the UK are high – and I think that’s a good thing. But, equally, there are many, many other places in the world that have low expectations of healthcare… I’ve got a three-month-old on the ward at the moment with meningitis and in reality, they’ve got a significant chance of dying. But that will be accepted, because children die here, that happens. Whereas in the UK, that’s an outrage, and it’s not just an outrage for the family, it’s a public outrage. A child died – and it is, it’s awful, it’s a tragedy. But this is a ‘normal’ tragedy here…

That’s the reality of life here, that most people have lost a child. And that’s just an example among many things.

Dr Tom at work at Guinebor II hospital in Chad
A patient check-up led by Guinebor II nurse, Christophe.

What can we in the UK do to help?

There’s a huge amount of inequality in the world, and whilst investing in the NHS is a great thing, and I’m all for that – equally, relatively small amounts of money go considerably further here in making a difference. There’s lots of basic interventions here in Chad that do save lives, and in my mind, that’s a bit of a no brainer. And that’s probably, really, why we’ve come to Chad.

Could you give to make sure the life-saving treatment at Guinebor II hospital reaches even more people?

– It costs just £13 to ensure each person receives the care they need. For £13 you could help us save a life.

– And if you could give more, £80 can provide a nurse to take care of critically ill patients for a week.

– And could your church fellowship come together to raise £695? That would mean 52 patients being cared for, four life-saving surgeries and five babies making it safely into the world.

Join the medical mission, and give today.

Give now

Interview: Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

An Oasis of Healing

Pictures from the frontline:

An oasis of healing

Supporting this

Newborn babies letting out their first cry, broken bones being set, patients being wheeled to life-saving surgery. This is everyday life at Guinebor II (G2) hospital in Chad, and it’s what photographer Alex Baker experienced when he went to take photos of the hospital for BMS World Mission’s Operation: Chad appeal. These are the stories behind his shots.

“Rakié Akaye knew all the risks coming into the maternity ward. But for her, G2 was a safe pair of hands. A place she knew would be safe for her child to be born.”

“That’s what is so inspiring about this hospital – the peace of mind it provides to scared people. It’s a safe place to be, a chance of hope, an opportunity for recovery.”

“Agnès Netadé was one of many people who work at the hospital who were willing and open to sharing their stories about life at G2. They were all so caring, patient, gentle and considerate. I could see why people travelled so far to be treated here.”

“It was in the operating theatre that we understood for the first time what makes Kalbassou, Director of G2, so special. Why his skills are such a blessing. Watching him performing surgery was an intense experience – it’s a space where the preciousness of life becomes apparent. Kalbassou was as calm and commanding there as he was when he greeted us. He was exactly the person I’d want to operate on me.”

“Al-Fadil Abalallah was at G2 to have his broken arm and leg treated. It was a particularly bad fracture. He’d travelled a long way. But he was grateful to be here. He knew he was in good hands.”

“We heard many stories of how surgery had saved lives, but G2 offered its patients so much more. I will never forget the look of pure joy that filled Mohammed’s face during his musical therapy session. When BMS music therapist Bethan Shrubsole played him songs and shared her instruments with him, his face would just light up.”

Join the operation

You can save even more lives in Chad by supporting the BMS Operation: Chad appeal. Click here to give today.

Support Operation: Chad Click here
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Photographs by Alex Baker.

BMS Coronavirus world response

BMS Coronavirus world response

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

Supporting this

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our local response

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

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

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

BMS Coronavirus response

This is what we have achieved, together: 

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

Thank you for your continued support

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

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

Prayer resources

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

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

Take me to the online church resources page

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

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.”

A girl in a marketplace.

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:

  1. Wisdom for our Republic’s President and his Government, that they make good decisions to protect the nation
  2. Unity for the churches, that they work together in preaching the gospel and helping people in the struggle against the Coronavirus
  3. Strength and protection for the BMS team here, as we work in an uncertain situation
  4. My daughter, as she continues taking medicines to fight tuberculosis, that God would heal her
  5. My family, that we continue standing firm in faith in God
  6. The Baptist Convention of Mozambique, as they lead in this uncertain time, when churches’ Sunday services are prohibited
  7. The farmers I work with, as they prepare for harvest in uncertain times, under fear of Coronavirus
  8. 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!
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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

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:

  1. For pastors impacted by the alienation from their congregations
  2. For many households whose income has been impacted and businesses and industry that has been hampered in local production
  3. Against certain elements seeking to stigmatise and bring in racist elements into the conversation around people affected by the virus
  4. For the impact of the Coronavirus on our churches both economically and as a community
  5. For the economic impact on the nation with a significant loss of jobs
  6. For the many households that are rent payers at risk of being evicted
  7. For those driven to despair to receive the psychosocial support that they need
  8. 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
  9. For required equipment and testing kits
  10. 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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In crisis: ‘Tougher situations always give us something new to learn’

In crisis:

'Tougher situations always give us something new to learn'

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How a deadly earthquake is helping Nepali Christians prepare for the Coronavirus pandemic – and what we can learn from those who have lived through crises before.

Right now, everyone on the planet is united by the Covid-19 Coronavirus. For a majority in the UK, living with such uncertainty was unthinkable. At times like these, we can only look to those who have gone before. BMS World Mission has the immense privilege of partnering with Christians, churches and organisations around the world who have lived through great trials – and who have unique perspectives, comfort and wisdom to offer us all here in the UK at this time.

First up in our new series, ‘In crisis: lessons from the World Church,’ is Rev Vijay Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepal Baptist Church Council. At the time of writing, Nepal is in complete lockdown and there are five confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the country. Many people rely on the day’s wages to feed their families, and as Nepal has limited resources, the impacts of Covid-19 could quickly become devastating.

Here’s what Rev Thapa has to teach us about the crisis, its impacts in Nepal and how we as Christians should respond.

A green graphic reading "Tougher situations always give us something new to learn."

How is Coronavirus affecting life in Nepal?

People are worried about Coronavirus, especially medical staff, because they don’t have enough safety equipment to save themselves. Every person is in their house. Believers are doing worship services in their houses with their families. We are using video apps to connect with each other. Pastors and leaders are worried for their flocks – if there is an infection of Coronavirus inside the church, how can we deal with this situation? We have no answer.

Nepal is one of the least developed countries in the world. That is to say, still today, large numbers of the population are deprived of health education and communication facilities. To afford their daily meal, they have to work every day. In urban areas, most of the people are living in a rented house running some kind of small business like a shop, small hotel, etc. However, nowadays, the country is going through a lockdown situation, which is directly affecting this group and leading towards financial crises.

What life is like under lockdown in Nepal

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Most people in the UK have not lived through a crisis of these proportions before, but in Nepal, you lived through a life-changing disaster just a few years ago. Can you tell us about that?

Yes, in the year 2015 Nepal encountered a massive earthquake of 7.8 on the Richter scale. It claimed the lives of thousands of people. The dreadful picture of that moment is still alive in the memory of every Nepali citizen. People went through a shortage of food, proper communication, and medical treatment, and most importantly, they lost their loved ones. Life was full of uncertainties – we thought that we might be killed at any time – but the best part was that we have a lot of space outside to escape from the danger of an earthquake.

A purple graphic reading "We are victorious in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour."

Do you think that incredibly hard experience has made you better prepared for the arrival of the Coronavirus?

Experiences always teach us something. This time, people are more aware and familiar with the results of such kinds of crises. They collected all the necessary belongings like grocery items, medicine, hand wash, face masks and other daily necessities when Covid-19 was spreading in different countries across the world. Many people who had been living in city areas have already left to their villages to escape the masses and danger of communicable disease.

The BMS World Mission Coronavirus appeal logo on a black background with a white cross and pink and purple tiles.

Stand with our Nepali brothers and sisters

You can provide safety gear for medical workers treating Covid-19 in Nepal. Join the global Christian response to Coronavirus.

Give now to our Coronavirus Appeal

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

This kind of crisis always reminds us that every situation is not in the control of mankind. The ultimate help and solution come from God. This makes us closer to God, and we spend more time in prayer. We try to seek the will of God and ask his mercy upon us. Such a harsh situation prepared us to be strong enough to fight another inevitable challenge.

Tougher situations always give us something new to learn. However, the most important thing is that we should not stop looking upon him. God is the master of everything; so we need to spend our time in prayer, Bible study and fellowship. Even in crises, we need to be united with a heart of solidarity to face the situation, because we are victorious in Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour.

A blue graphic reading "The role of Christian people is crucial at times like this."

How can Christians encourage and support people in their community right now?

The role of Christian people is critical at times like this. We can offer ourselves as volunteers to assist the local bodies. We can educate our people, neighbours and relatives about this disease and its prevention techniques through awareness programmes. We can offer something for needy people as a relief and we can develop a long-term plan to help sustain their life.

Most importantly, we can pray for them.

What Bible verse would you like to offer the UK Church right now?

2 Chronicles 7: 14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

We have to repent of our sin before our Almighty God and humble ourselves and seek his face day by day, every moment, by prayer, fellowship and reading his Word and obeying it in our daily life. This is for us and all the Christian people all over the world.

Pray for Nepal in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic

We asked Rev Thapa how he would like us to pray for Nepal at this time. Here are his requests.

  1. Pray for the needy people who are not able to afford their daily meals because of the lockdown situation.
  2. Pray for Nepali people who are stuck far away from their homes in different parts of the country, or in foreign lands.
  3. The church fellowship and its ministry have been stopped. Pray for the safety of Nepali people, and Nepali Christians.
  4. Pray that this situation will make us closer to God.
  5. Pray for the speedy recovery of those already confirmed to have Covid-19 in Nepal, and for other people who are in quarantine and isolation.
Please donate to our Coronavirus appeal Click here
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Valentine’s Day: choose to be unorthodox

Valentine’s Day:

choose to be unorthodox

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Over 200 years ago, an important figure from BMS World Mission’s history sent a rather unorthodox letter to express his love. This year, why don’t you do something radical to celebrate your Valentine’s Day?

Jonathan Carey, the fourth son of BMS founder William Carey, fell in love when he was a teenager, and penned a slightly bizarre poem to the girl who had caught his affection (we’re not joking, check out the video below.) While a bit unusual and definitely funny, it’s inspired us to think about how we too can choose to be different this Valentine’s Day – and celebrate God’s love while we’re at it!

It’s easy to get caught up in the romance of Valentine’s Day – the cards, the flowers – even the giant teddy bears! And while it’s great to celebrate love, let’s not forget the other important kinds of love we can celebrate: God’s love for us, and the love we have for our neighbours.

So we’re challenging you to be unorthodox this year. Instead of going for a fancy dinner, treating yourself to a luxury gift or some posh chocolates, how about you give the gift of a life transformed this Valentine’s day?

For £66, the price of a fancy dinner for two, you could provide enough seeds and tools to South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda to give a family food for a year.

Give now!
South Sudan's Conflict Survivors - a woman in a field of maize using one of the tools you have helped provide
A man talks among a crowd.

Instead of buying that bouquet of flowers, why not spend £19 on supporting an Indian disciple-maker in Christian outreach for a week?

Give now!

And while posh chocolates might be delicious, could you spend £11 on a day’s education for a child in Albania instead?

Give now!
An Albanian boy in a yellow t-shirt pokes his tongue out at the camera.

Just like Jonathan Carey, you can choose to do things a bit differently to everyone else – and isn’t that what we’re called to do as Christians? It might not have panned out for Jonathan all those years ago (and you’ll have to watch the video to find out why!), but we can promise you that by donating today, or by praying for BMS work, you’ll be successful in doing something amazing: spreading God’s love across the world.

Do something unorthodox this Valentine's Day Click Here!
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And while we’re spreading the love this Valentine’s Day, we thought we’d take a moment to say how much we appreciate you – our BMS supporters. We love your heart for God’s work across the world, and the generosity it inspires. Thank you for all you do. ❤

Take a look into BMS’ past to see how an important figure in our history might have celebrated Valentine’s Day!

All funds donated will go to where the need is greatest.
Words by Laura Durrant.