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.

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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.
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From 2009-2019: The lives you’ve transformed

From 2009-2019:

The lives you’ve transformed

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God’s done incredible things through your support over the past ten years. Join us as we look back on the last decade of BMS World Mission work, to revisit some of the wonderful people whose lives you’ve changed forever.

2009: Bringing the light of God to France

Two pages from a magazine next to a pen pot on a table.

Back in 2009, Engage magazine looked a little different! Way back in Issue 4 of Engage, we caught up with BMS workers John and Sue Wilson, serving in France, who introduced us to four people who had come to Christ through your support!

2010: Fighting drug addiction in Thailand

A man in front of a sign.
Our 2010 Harvest appeal video, Redemption, introduced us to Deekley, who was fighting his opium addiction to help his family.

We visited our partners the Thai Karen Baptist Convention back in 2010, to meet some people you helped raise out of addiction. Your generous gifts were used to buy medicine for recovering addicts, as well as fertiliser which helped give addicts and their families a way to grow food and fight poverty.

2011: Planting seeds of faith in Peru

A man stands in a field.
Your support helped Peruvian flood victims replant their crops in 2011.

You came with us to Peru in 2011, and we showed you the village of Yucay where 350 people lost their homes and 400 farming families lost their crops after devastating flooding. But your support for these families allowed us to provide seeds for them to plant and rebuild their lives.

2012: Celebrating the undefeated

A magazine and a leaflet on a table with a cup of coffee.

In 2012, Engage got a makeover, and we celebrated the excellence of Paralympians, along with the rest of the UK, with the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Our Undefeated resource shed light on some of the global injustices facing people with disabilities across the world. Your support also helped three Haitian athletes compete in the Paralympics!

2013: Lifting up North Korea in prayer

A country that lays heavy on many of our hearts is North Korea, one of the toughest places in the world to be a Christian. We know how much our supporters want to see release and revival in this closed nation, which is why in 2013 you joined us in prayer for North Korea as part of our Project Cyrus initiative.

Feeling nostalgic?

We’re looking for pre-2012 editions of Engage for our archives! Do you have any? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch by emailing ldurrant@bmsworldmission.org to let us know which issues you have.

Two hands and the words Project Cyrus! Pray for North Korea.

2014: Standing with women across the world

A woman in profile and the words: "Dignity. Taking a stand against gender based violence."

The 2010s was a decade where the struggles of women across the world were brought to the fore, which is why we launched our Dignity resource in 2014, to campaign against gender-based violence (GBV). Your support enabled us to equip and educate leaders and congregations across the world to handle the harmful impacts of GBV.

2015: Sending relief to Nepal

A house in ruins surrounded by rubble.
BMS supporters responded incredibly after the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal in 2015.

Two devastating earthquakes struck Nepal in April and May of 2015, killing over 8,000 people and directly impacting over 8 million others. You gave over £650,000 – the biggest relief response of the decade! Thanks to your generous giving, you provided trauma victims with necessary counselling, and rebuilt schools destroyed by the earthquakes.

2016: Stepping out in faith in India

A man talks among a crowd.
BMS worker Benjamin Francis is bringing the light of Christ to some of the least evangelised communities in India.

In 2016, you gave to the incredible work of BMS evangelist Ben Francis, planting churches in some of the least evangelised communities in India. Ben’s team and many other Christians living in these parts of India are faced with horrific persecution from religious extremist groups, but your support made it possible for them to continue to step out in faith.

2017: Sharing art from Syria

Children's drawings.

Another tragedy facing the world this decade was the Syrian refugee crisis. In a newly designed issue of Engage magazine in 2017, we showed you some artwork created by Syrian refugee children you supported in Lebanon. Their work might reveal the trauma they faced in their home country, but your support showed them how much UK Christians care about their future, by getting them back into school.

2018: New life in Afghanistan

A woman holding her baby.
Taban, featured in Life's First Cry, and her young daughter, Chehrah. Thanks to you, Taban didn't have to worry about losing Chehrah in childbirth.

We couldn’t talk about 2018 without mentioning Life’s First Cry. With an award-nominated feature video, we introduced you to Andisha, Taban and Laalah: three mothers from Afghanistan, all of whom have had to watch their children die in childbirth. You enabled them to learn safe birthing practices and now they all have children who are thriving.

2019: Chosen by God in Uganda

A boy holds a yellow balloon.
Innocent has Down Syndrome. Your support means that he is growing up knowing that he is loved by God.

And last but not least, in 2019 we introduced you to Innocent, the God-given boy of Gulu, Uganda. Innocent has Down Syndrome, and his mother was told to abandon him when he was young. But she knew that he was special, and now, thanks to your support, he’s able to attend a group with other children with Down Syndrome, where he can feel loved, accepted. He knows he has a part in God’s plan.

We can’t wait to see what God has in store over the next ten years, and beyond! If you want to be part of God’s work, please give to BMS work. This is your chance to make a lasting change across the world.

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Words by Laura Durrant.

You help when others don’t: 4 ways you’ve been supporting relief work across the world

You help when others don’t:

4 ways you’ve been supporting relief work across the world

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When a disaster or conflict hits a nation, we know you want to help. Thanks to your faithful support for BMS World Mission, you are.

Four disasters, each marked by terrible suffering and loss. You will have heard about the conflict in Ukraine, the civil war in South Sudan, the lingering devastation from Nepal’s earthquakes, and the impact of a tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. What you might not know is that by giving to BMS, you’ve supported the people who desperately need help. We’re in a strong position to respond in times of disaster as we’re part of a global family of Baptists.

BMS World Mission is part of the Baptist Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD), a collective of Baptist organisations from across the world devoted to supporting those left in crisis as they rebuild after a disaster strikes. But vital help wouldn’t happen without your support. “It has been a joy to see the Baptist family come together,” says Rachel Conway-Doel, BMS Relief Facilitator. “The potential we have to make an impact is very exciting.”

Here are some exciting ways that you, the BMS family, have already helped:

1. Keeping people warm in Ukraine

A truck carrying boxes.
Vital heating equipment is being distributed to people in danger of freezing in Ukraine, where temperatures can drop to minus 25 degrees in winter.

Over 1.5 million people have been displaced in Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russia separatists, leaving many of them with no means to stay warm in sub-zero temperatures. Thanks to your generosity, we’ve been able to help provide people in Ukraine with thermal underwear, ceramic heaters, coal and wood to help them get through the dangerous winter months. We’d like to say a special thank you to all those who’ve responded to our Ukraine appeal in the last few months. You’ve really made a difference!

2. Standing by the people of Nepal

A street of collapsed buildings
Nearly 8 million people were directly affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal in 2015.

The media might not be there anymore, but BMS has continued to stand with the people of Nepal to help them rebuild after the catastrophic earthquakes that hit in 2015. Your giving has supported the rebuilding of public buildings and schools and provided disaster risk management training to help communities be better prepared should such a tragic disaster occur again.

3. Giving crucial support to South Sudanese refugees

Woman using a hand cranked wheelchair/tricycle
Many people with disabilities had to be carried out of South Sudan. You support has helped provide wheelchairs for people unable to walk.

Five years of civil war in South Sudan has forced more than two million people to flee this young nation. Many have sought refuge in Uganda, reaching camps that stretch for miles. BMS funds have so far helped provide vital food rations to 1,700 children suffering from malnutrition, as well as food, agricultural tools, wheelchairs and pastoral support to people with disabilities.

4. Coming to the aid of tsunami survivors

A destroyed van.
Thousands of people we displaced after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami on the island of Sulawesi last year.

Over 2,100 people were killed and 87,000 displaced after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in October last year. Your support provided people on the ground with emergency food and personal hygiene kits and helped to build shelters and provide counselling support to trauma victims.

It’s thanks to your heart for demonstrating God’s love that we can stand alongside people who need help. When South Sudanese refugees say praise God for providing food and a wheelchair, it’s because of your solidarity in the gospel. And when an earthquake victim who’s lost their home is able to take shelter, it’s you who’s helped to provide that roof. But there are so many others we would like to support.

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Please, give today and come to the aid of those who need to know Christian love across the world. Thank you.

Meet the Vokuhls

Nepal bound:

Meet the Vokuhls

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Pippa, Toby, Jakey, Ella and Millie Vokuhl fly to Nepal on Saturday with BMS World Mission. Find out why they feel called to mission and what they’ll be up to overseas.

After months of preparation, Pippa and Toby Vokuhl are ready to begin an exciting new chapter of their lives, serving God in Nepal. They are part of Headington Baptist Church in Oxford and have three children: Jakey (nine), Ella (seven) and Millie (three).

Amidst packing up their house, saying goodbyes and doing other last-minute tasks, Pippa and Toby sat down with us to talk about the adventure they’re getting ready to embark on.

Have you always wanted to work overseas?

“I would say yes for both of us – since our teenage years we’ve felt called to work overseas,” says Pippa. “We both worked in separate places overseas before we got married. I worked as a physiotherapist in Uganda and Toby worked as a carpenter in Nazareth.
“Toby and I actually met at All Nations Christian College,” Pippa continues. “So even from the start of our marriage, mission was very much on the agenda.”

How did you decide to move overseas?

“When we started to consider whether an overseas assignment might be right for us as a family and if that was something God might be calling us to,” says Toby, “it led us to start having conversations with BMS.”

“We had a Skype call with someone in Nepal telling us about the project and whether Toby would consider taking this role,” says Pippa. “As we got off the call, we both looked at each other and went, yes! This is the right one! So we both had a deep peace about this being the right thing to do.”

I’m looking forward to being able to encourage Nepali Christians and likewise them to encourage us

What will you be doing in Nepal?

“My background is in construction management,” says Toby. “I will be working with a local BMS partner as part of their disaster response and resilience department, based in Pokhara – there’s still a lot of ongoing work in terms of the reconstruction of housing that was damaged in the 2015 earthquakes.

“I’ll be working with local colleagues to help with the construction of houses, as well as training craftsmen, giving people the necessary skills to build a better future for themselves by teaching them how to improve the quality of their own homes.”

“For me, it’s a bit less clear at the moment,” says Pippa. “Initially when we get there it will be about settling the family in.

“We’ll both be doing some language study for a couple of months, and then after that I’ll be praying that God will give me the right role.”

How did your children react when they found out they were moving?

“We were really encouraged by their response – they were really up for it and excited,” says Toby. “They’re now working through the sort of thoughts of losing friendships and how they can maintain them in Nepal, but in general they took it really well.”

What are you looking forward to when you go?

“Getting to know local Nepalis,” says Pippa. “Getting to know Nepali Christians and learning from them, being able to encourage them and likewise for them to encourage us – to be part of that global Christian family. I’m also looking forward to seeing my kids having new cultural experiences as well.”

“For me,” says Toby, “I’m really looking forward to meeting local colleagues, meeting with local Christians and joining in with the ongoing relief efforts, as well as the cross-cultural experience and the chance to learn new things.”

Even from the start of our marriage, mission was very much on the agenda

What can people be praying for?

“If you could pray for the kids,” says Pippa. “Toby and I have had experience overseas, so we know what to expect. But if people could pray for them with the transition, that they would just feel really settled and happy.”

“I think pray for general health really, that would be great,” says Toby. “It would be a shame to catch the flu just as we’re getting ready to go out!

“You can get tired and weary with all the work involved in a move, so also pray for energy, calmness and for peace. And please pray for the journey to Nepal and our stay in Kathmandu, before our journey to Pokhara where we will then settle ourselves in.”

If you’re an individual and want to commit to giving regularly to support the Vokuhl family, you can become a 24:7 Partner by clicking the box on the right.

If you’re a church and want to support the work they’ll be doing out in Nepal, you can become a Church Partner with us by clicking here.

Want to support the Vokuhls? Click Here
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Could you be called to mission overseas?