Your prayers answered: disasters and people with disabilities

Your prayers answered:

disasters and people with disabilities

When an earthquake struck Nepal last November, Dilli Prasad Regmi’s family house collapsed in ruins. Their home was one of 27,000 destroyed by the 6.4 magnitude quake, leaving tens and tens of thousands homeless with winter approaching. Over 150 people lost their lives. Many of the buildings were made of mud and stone and could not withstand the violent shocks.

26-year-old Dilli and his family were left living under a tarpaulin throughout the bitterly cold winter. The shattering of his familiar surroundings was especially cruel for Dilli, who is completely blind and is entirely dependent on his family for all his daily activities. Often disabled people are overlooked in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and cannot reach relief distribution centres.

Dilli finds living with his disability challenging and struggles to make new friends and find acceptance within his community. BMS World Mission’s partners in Nepal, Human Development and Community Services (HDCS), prioritised reaching people like Dilli after the earthquake. Thanks to your dedicated prayers and generosity, HDCS were able to provide much-needed blankets and warm clothes for Dilli’s family.

Our partners also saw how Dilli needed mobility support to help him live with his disability. They gave him a white stick and five days of training on how to use it to feel for obstacles. Now Dilli finds it much easier to walk around the village and is growing in confidence and independence. He is very grateful for the support provided by HDCS and for the generosity of people like you who want to offer hope in the face of disaster and injustice.

Man with one arm standing in front of a truck with a food package in front of him. — BMS' partners prioritised helping people with disabilities in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Rebuilding brick by brick

The path to recovery doesn’t end with providing emergency relief. One field worker told BMS mission workers Alan and Megan Barker about a man they were helping in West Rukum District – one of the areas worst affected by the earthquake. The man was deeply grateful for the food package and shelter materials he received but turning to the pile of rubble that used to be his home, he said, “but what do I do about this?” Six months on, our partners are responding by building earthquake resilient homes and training local builders in their design and construction. Brick by brick, your generosity is rebuilding homes and livelihoods.

An earthquake resistant home being built in Nepal. — Six months on from the earthquake, survivors in Western Nepal are rebuilding homes and livelihoods.

Scars we can’t see

Disasters also leave scars that are not just physical. Many people, especially children, were traumatised by the loss of homes and family members in the earthquake. Our partners are now providing emotional and mental rehabilitation for schoolchildren and teachers at a local school. They are also training community mobilisers to offer mental health support to survivors and to walk alongside people on their journey of healing.

Woman holding a bag of clothes in front of other and two houses in Nepal. — BMS' partners not only provided warm clothes and food but also offered mental health support for survivors.

God is faithful and has so answered so many of your prayers for Nepal. Thanks to your support, Nepalese churches are putting God’s love into action by strengthening communities, so that they are better prepared to face challenges in the future. You are partnering with your Nepalese brothers and sisters in Christ as they rebuild homes and livelihoods and offer hope for the world.

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Pictures from HDCS, words by Chris Manktelow

We see God’s love every day: Ukraine, ten years on

Ukraine update

We see God’s love every day: Ukraine, ten years on

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Ten years, not the two that most news outlets will be marking this weekend. That’s how long it’s been since Russia invaded Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. And it was 10 years ago that you first supported Ukrainians suffering the twin devastation of war and winter. You have stood with Ukrainians and their neighbours for the last ten years – and you stand with them now.

Julia and her two children, Maxim and Angela, standing in front of snow patches in a field. — Churches have been supporting Ukrainian refugees during the bitter winter months since the war began ten years ago.

Imagine fleeing from shelling to the safety of temporary shelter, relying on the kindness of strangers. Everything you knew left behind, blitzed. And then winter. Winter bites hard in Ukraine. But your support is bringing warmth, help and hope to Ukrainians.

Since the end of December, the Russian bombardment has left 3,000 families homeless. Millions of Ukrainians have no access to clean water and electricity, and one third of the poorest Ukrainians are unable to heat their homes during a winter where temperatures have dropped as low as -15°C.

Thanks to your support, Baptist churches are aiming to meet the needs of 100,000 people across Ukraine this winter. Churches are opening their buildings so that people have a warm place to stay when they can’t heat their homes. They are providing hot meals and hygiene items, as well as a safe space where people feel welcomed and cared for. Even in the depths of this terrible war, your faithful giving and prayers are helping Baptist churches bring hope to the people of Ukraine.

Your generosity hasn’t just helped those that stayed behind but also those forced to flee across borders. For example, churches in the neighbouring country of Moldova have welcomed many refugees. Two years ago, Good News Baptist Church set up a hall with food and hygiene items, providing humanitarian aid to up to 370 families a day. There are still 150 people who receive weekly support from the church.

They now offer refugees Bible studies, themed sessions covering various topics, and language lessons, as well as humanitarian aid. One mother took a Bible study book after a session and said that she wanted to read it with her family. “If people live according to what the Bible teaches us,” she said, “it would be like heaven on earth.”

BMS World Mission also supports a refugee assistance centre in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau. One of the women who attended was 71-year-old Valentina, who fled the city of Kherson after two missiles destroyed her home. If she hadn’t been at the store buying food, she likely wouldn’t have survived. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shared her story with the volunteers, expressing a deep sense of hopelessness.

Valentina suffered from serious health issues, had no appetite, and struggled with insomnia. As the war continues, Baptist churches are providing refugees like Valentina with psychological and spiritual support, as well as food and shelter. Inessa, who leads the women and families’ ministry at her church, now runs a support group for Ukrainian women.

“We now have five groups of women that we meet with regularly,” Inessa said. “Each group has 12-15 women, and we spend a couple of hours together,” she said. “It’s not just about sharing useful information; it’s about genuinely impacting their lives through building friendships and being there for them when they need us. It’s a soul-to-soul connection. Some have even started attending church and other meetings we organise.”

People in a line in the snow, unloading boxes of clothes, with a van parked behind them with the doors open. — This winter, Baptist churches in Moldova are putting their faith into action by providing Ukrainian refugees with hot meals and clothing.

Inessa and her team were able to offer Valentina a listening ear, comforting words, and prayer. They also directed her to a Christian counsellor who could guide her on her journey of healing. Despite her challenges, Valentina finds strength in living with her granddaughter and grandchildren. She left the refugee assistance centre encouraged, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Our partners in Moldova are deeply grateful for the vital help and support you have provided. Your faithful prayers and generous giving enable them to reach out to hundreds of families every month. Please pray for churches and volunteers who selflessly dedicate their time to minister to refugees, for those who hear the gospel to become followers of Jesus, and for peace to prevail in Ukraine.

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Inessa and the women in her support group standing in front of a stage at the Church Without Walls refugee assistance centre. — Inessa and the women from her support group are finding hope as they share life together.

Photos by ©Chris Hoskins/BMS World Mission, Words by Chris Manktelow and Matty Fearon

2023: A BMS Year in Review

Reflecting on the impact you made possible

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From conflict in Israel-Gaza and earthquakes in Nepal and Afghanistan, to the extraordinary faith, hope and love shown by BMS World Mission partners and supporters, 2023 has been a year of great highs and lows. God has been faithful through it all, and the new year gives us an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the BMS community. This is our review of 2023.

Transformed Lives in Thailand

A young man in a pool preparing to be baptised — Your support for Helen and Wit means believers like Thew are thriving in their faith.

In 2023 we launched the Thailand Spring appeal and were completely blown away by your generous giving. Because of you, lives across South Thailand have been transformed. You’ve empowered people to pursue their dreams, much like Thew and Suree with their new food stall selling fried chicken and sticky rice. You’ve equipped individuals like Ajarn Arreat to answer the call God has on their lives – Ajarn is one of our newest BMS-supported workers, and she’s faithfully dedicated herself to helping run the church in the village of Ban Dara. Most importantly, you’ve partnered in helping people discover how deep God’s love for them truly is, restoring and healing them. When Helen and Wit Boondekhun first arrived in Thailand over five years ago, there were no churches or believers in the region. Thanks to you, there are now three blossoming churches in the surrounding area, and the church in Wang Daeng is in the process of building a new church site, as they’ve outgrown their current one!

A Season of Change in Chad

Kalbassou and a number of hospital staff are standing around discussing the results shown on the paperwork Kalbassou is holding

It’s been a season of change for the Guinebor II (G2) Hospital in Chad. We waved goodbye to the Shrubsole, Chilvers and Spears families, who are leaving the G2 in the capable hands of Chadian staff and BMS mission workers Claire Bedford and Kalbassou Doubassou. The hospital has also installed new solar panels to replace the dirty and expensive diesel generators that it relied on for electricity during power cuts. Your donations provided 25 per cent of the funds for the solar panels, and we are so grateful for your generosity. BMS mission workers and Chadian staff at G2 and Bardaï hospitals would not be able to care for the sick and share Christ’s love without your prayers and support.

Bringing abundant life in Uganda

Barbara loves her children and wants them grow up happy and healthy. But drought and companies that force farmers to sell at low prices mean that she can’t always afford to pay school fees for her children. Your support for Days of Plenty, the BMS Harvest Appeal for 2023, helped Barbara avoid exploitative middlemen by selling her crops through the co-operative Cek Cam. She also received seeds and agricultural training from BMS partners. Now she can afford to send her children to school and train other women on how to kick-start an abundant harvest. You can learn more about Barbara’s story by checking out the video above!

Women on the Frontline

A compilation image of women from across the world.

At the end of the year, you joined us in praying for COP28, the United Nation’s annual climate conference, hosted in the United Arab Emirates. Sahara told us about how Nepalese women are bearing the brunt of natural disasters and Susan in Uganda shared about how conflict over scarce water is causing domestic violence. You also faithfully prayed for our gender justice champions and joined in with 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Your dedicated prayers help BMS partners come alongside women in faith and action as they both steward God’s beautiful creation, and boldly champion gender justice in their communities.

Hope amid Disaster

A crowd of people stand around a large lorry in the mountains of Nepal as it unloads relief aid for the village — A recent earthquake in Nepal has had a devastating effect in the districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum. Your support is bringing vital, long-term relief to people in desperate need there.

War broke out this autumn in Israel-Gaza, and in Armenia. It was tragic to watch these conflicts unfold on our TV screens, but your prayers and generous giving do make a difference. Our partners in the Middle East and Europe are deeply grateful for your prayers, and your support is helping displaced Armenians rebuild their lives. We would also like to thank you for how you gave so generously after earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, Afghanistan and Nepal. Your prayers and donations meant that communities received the food, shelter and mental health support that they need in the aftermath of disaster.

Thank You!

Thank you so much for the difference you’ve made in 2023. Without your generous giving, faithful prayers and dedicated volunteering, our work would not be possible. As 2024 begins, you can be sure that your support will help even more people across the world hear the good news about Jesus and experience fullness of life through Christ.

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Words by Chris Manktelow and Ed Axtell
BMS World Mission

God with us

How God is at work with Ukrainian refugees.

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In the throes of war, Peter and his family had to leave all they owned behind them and flee Ukraine. But they’ve still seen God in the midst of everything. This is their story.

Peter had dreams for his family. He wanted his 17-year-old daughter to finish studying at college. He wanted his son to join him in the family business and help teach English to Ukrainian entrepreneurs. He wanted them to travel the world and help people. But when war came to Ukraine, Peter had to give up on his dreams.

A photo of an elderly woman, a man and a woman eating together. — Peter and his family made it safely to Poland after fleeing Ukraine.

Peter and his family are from Odesa, a beautiful city known as a popular holiday destination in Ukraine. But its position on the coast makes it an easy target in times of conflict, and Peter knew he had to get his family to safety. “We started to prepare our home for war, for bombings,” says Peter. “But a day later, we decided that we have to leave.” Peter escaped along with his wife, his two children and his 80-year-old mother, heading for the border with Moldova. He expected that he would be required to stay behind and fight, but a medical condition meant he wasn’t able to join the army and thankfully, he was allowed to leave with his family. From Moldova, they had to make the long journey through Romania, Hungary and Slovakia before reaching a BMS World Mission-supported refugee centre in Warsaw, Poland. Even through the hardships of their long journey, of having to leave everything they knew behind them, hope shone through the cracks.

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“On all our way, in all the countries, people treated us so nicely, they were just wondrous,” says Peter. “God’s talked through all these people who we met, and we really felt that.” Since the war first began, the response from Christians across Europe has been incredible and BMS supporters have been a huge part of that. It’s impossible to quantify the value of the gifts given to the BMS Ukraine appeal – how could you put a value to a safe bed, or hot meal, or the knowledge that your children have made it out of a warzone safely? But because of the incredible £1.6 million you raised, Peter, his family and hundreds more like them knew they would be safe when they got to Poland. They found shelter at the centre, warm food, hygiene products like toothpaste and soap, and a community of people who knew exactly what they were going through. And, wonderfully, Peter was able to use his skills to help others too.

A photo of a man stood next to a tree. — Peter has been using his skills as an English coach to help other refugees at the centre.

Peter’s English coaching skills have been invaluable at the refugee centre. He’s been able to help fellow refugees sort through visa applications and other important documents so they can move on and settle in other places of safety. “Peter was so gracious in taking the time to speak with us and introducing us to other people at the centre,” says Rachel Conway-Doel, BMS’ Overseas Team Leader for Relief, after she met Peter on a visit to Poland back in May. “It was inspiring that through the support and help he received, Peter was keen to help and support others – whether that be translation support or assisting with visas.” Because you gave, you made it possible for Peter to start living out his dream of helping people in need when it seemed that his chance to do so had been snatched away forever.

We caught up with Peter earlier this week and were so pleased to hear that he and his family have settled in Canada and are looking for work. But Peter still hopes that things will go back to how they were before the war began, and he’s praying that all of us will see how God walks with us wherever we go – no matter how hard the journey.

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Words by Laura Durrant.
Photos: ©Chris Hoskins/BMS World Mission

A church responds

You’re transforming lives through a Baptist church in Poland

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When the Ukraine war broke out, it was the Baptist churches of Europe who became the humble heroes of the relief response. As families torn apart by war fled Ukraine, Christians in Narewka, Poland, were just some of those who stepped forward so willingly to help. This is their story.

“When the news appeared, some part of me thought that maybe it would not be that bad,” says Marzena. She’s a member of the Baptist Church in Białystok, Poland, a congregation that has hosted refugees in their former youth centre in Narewka since the start of the Ukraine war. “But the other thing I considered was that maybe Poland was also going to be targeted by Russia. In general, I was very sad because of the threat that was upon Ukraine.”

A woman in a blue hat — Marzena and her church leapt to action when the Ukraine war first erupted to help refugees coming to Poland.

In a refugee crisis affecting millions, it’s the work of ordinary Baptist churches like Marzena’s that has given so many people hope. Marzena’s church already had a few members from Ukraine, as well as the use of a spare building in Narewka that the church was using as a youth centre and retreat. While they were well set up to begin welcoming people, thoughts of resources and practicalities barely factored in their decision-making. “We realised that we needed to get involved right away after we got the information that the war had started,” Marzena adds. “We realised that there is no time for hesitation. There is no place for saying no.”

Marzena’s church didn’t just welcome people to the centre in Narewka. Church members also opened up their homes. Through Ukrainian members of the church family, Marzena became aware too that aid was desperately needed in Ukraine itself. “On a daily basis, they didn’t even have bread,” she explains. “And we decided to start collecting stuff.” Soon, church members were filling four vans a week with food, clothing, basic medication and nappies for young children. The vans would be driven to the border where Ukrainian friends of the church were waiting. Where people needed funds to make their way across the border, the church would also support them financially.

Welcomed in Narewka

Iryna’s story

Life has been hard for a long time for Iryna, fourteen-year-old Svetlana and nine-year-old Maxim. They’re from the Donetsk region of Ukraine, where conflict has raged since 2014. Since 2014, says Iryna, life has been in a kind of limbo.

When war broke out across the rest of the country, Iryna packed three bags with everything the family owned and travelled to Narewka in Poland. The journey by train and bus took five days, and Iryna was unwell on the way. Now here, things are looking a bit easier. The family has found shelter, food and safety at Marzena’s church, and Iryna was delighted to have a wardrobe to keep the family’s things in instead of bags.

Iryna dreams of returning to a safe home, to a safe life. But for now, while she’s here in Poland, she’s grateful.

Anadi’s* story

Anadi is a carpenter and a painter. She makes a lot of her own furniture – and she found it incredibly painful to leave her creations when she fled Ukraine. Even then, it took a terrifying 28 days for Anadi to find her way out of Kyiv.

At the beginning of April, Anadi came to the refugee centre in Narewka, Poland, and she feels safe here. She can sleep better because there are no sirens, no loud sounds. Although Anadi is here with her mother, her husband is still at home in Kyiv. She is able to stay in touch with him via WhatsApp. While the war rages on, she plans to move on to Holland with her mother. Thanks to BMS supporters, she’ll have help to do this through Christians in Narewka.

*Anadi asked us to use a pseudonym for this story.

With such a generous welcome being replicated across congregations in Poland, it’s no surprise that some churches even made secular news headlines, recognised as being among the first responders on the ground to welcome refugees. Most excitingly, these churches were enabled to step forward by the Baptist family network, and by you. Money that Marzena’s church has received in donations has helped them to buy vital items for people staying with them, such as food and bedding. They’ve also been able to upgrade an old boiler fuelled by coal to a gas boiler, meaning they can keep the whole centre warm and comfortable.

A man and a woman washing up — Volunteers across Poland are opening their churches and homes to refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Aside from monetary aid, Marzena also really values the spiritual support she’s received through people praying faithfully for the church. “A few months ago, I was sick and I was in pretty difficult situation,” she shares. “And Lord came to me with this verse from Isaiah 43: 2, ‘When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.’ And actually it’s something that follows me all the time in this situation.”

Thank you for being Jesus’ hands and feet, supporting Marzena and her church and encouraging her that God’s presence is with her. Marzena is incredibly grateful for all the help her congregation has received – but she knows the long journey to restoring hope and safety for Ukrainian people is far from over. “I’d like to say thank you,” says Marzena. “But I would like to encourage you to be involved as long as this is needed… I just want to encourage you to try to be alongside this and help.”

You’ll hear more from BMS World Mission and the Baptist relief response at the Baptist Assembly on 14-15 May. There’s still a chance to get your tickets – you won’t want to miss out!

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Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage, the BMS magazine.
Photos: Chris Hoskins/BMS World Mission

Ukraine: how to pray

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Join us in prayer for Ukraine as Russian troops advance across the country and millions flee to safety.

Help communities crushed by the conflict

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Reports from Ukraine of intensified fighting, of the shelling of major cities by Russian forces and of fierce Ukrainian resistance continue to fill our screens daily. As Russian President Vladimir Putin continues the invasion, civilian casualties rise and millions of refugees leave Ukraine, please continue to pray for those affected, and for the work of peace, aid, relief and refuge being carried out across the nation.

We remain in contact with our partners at the European Baptist Federation (EBF), who are instrumental in establishing and resourcing centres of refuge in neighbouring countries, and with Ukrainian church leaders on the ground as we closely monitor the escalating situation.

Map of Ukraine showing surrounding countries and Kyiv

The response among Baptist churches in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries has been beyond inspiring to see. In the face of the largest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War, Baptist churches in Poland, Moldova and Hungary have been crucial in providing a safe beds and warm food for hundreds of refugees every night.

A woman serving lunch for herself — Churches in Poland were among the first to welcome refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Please keep Ukraine, and those across the world affected by this devastating conflict, in your prayers.

Pray for the people of Ukraine as they grieve for their country, for loved ones lost and for the loss of their livelihoods. Pray that God will comfort them and sustain them.
Pray for BMS World Mission’s partner EBF as they respond to the conflict and support refugees. Pray that God will give them wisdom for how best to respond in this challenging context.
Pray for nations across the world such as Lebanon, Bangladesh and Tunisia who are at risk of major food insecurity as a consequence of the Ukraine war. Pray that God will provide for them.
Pray for those fleeing Ukraine, that their paths will be clear. Pray that they will find warm welcomes and safe refuge wherever they go.
Pray for church leaders on the ground in Ukraine and neighbouring countries providing safe havens for refugees. Pray that the Lord will sustain them and that many people will find respite and refuge through their hard work.
Pray for leaders in Russia, Ukraine and across the world. Pray that the Lord’s love, compassion and mercy will fill their hearts and that peaceful solutions to this conflict will be reached.

Thank you for giving to help Ukraine

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Photos: ©Chris Hoskins/BMS World Mission

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

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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Picking up glass: The human stories behind the Beirut blast

Picking up glass:

The human stories behind the Beirut Blast

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On 4 August 2020, a huge explosion became the latest tragedy in a string of devastations for the nation of Lebanon. But hope has not left Beirut, in part because Christians around the world have been a light in the darkness to those in need. Here are the human stories behind the blast – and here’s how BMS World Mission supporters can keep hope alive in Lebanon.

“We all went to help her pick up the glass the next morning. Claudette was very emotional. She was saying that they were sitting right where the glass fell just ten minutes before the blast happened… if it had happened ten minutes earlier, we would’ve had people injured, or even dead…”

Gateway bookstore in Beirut, Lebanon after the blast — Just ten minutes earlier, and the shattered glass at the GateWay Bookshop would’ve splintered over the heads of customers.

Daniella Daou is picking up the pieces of the last few months, turning them over in her mind and trying, gently, to put them back together. It’s been seven weeks since the explosion in Beirut’s port area that killed at least 200 people and injured thousands. There’s the memory of clearing broken glass from the floor of the GateWay Bookshop, where store manager Claudette Jarjoura and her customers narrowly escaped horrific injury. Then there’s the past year for Lebanon, punctuated by political protests and gunfire in the streets. Between the Covid-19 lockdowns, and all the shifting unrest, there is so much brokenness, so many painful shards of glass to reckon with. But restoration and recovery, picking up the pieces for herself and for so many other Lebanese citizens, is exactly what Daniella and her team feel called to do. Even when they’re hurting too.

“Until [the explosion], we thought we’d been through it all…” says Nabil Costa, President of BMS World Mission partner the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development (LSESD) where Daniella works. Coronavirus cases are back on the rise in Beirut, and Daniella estimates there are now more than 600 new cases a day. With tens of thousands of people made homeless by the blast, the idea of self-isolating in separate family units is woefully unrealistic. How can you, if your home has been destroyed? “Forest fires and financial crisis,” Nabil continues, “Bankruptcies, unemployment, a refugee crisis, revolution in Lebanon, Covid-19…” The explosion was devastating, but it came on the heels of so much else. Daniella’s friends are understanding more of the trauma their parents – the civil war generation – lived through.

Nabil Costa, CEO of BMS partner LSESD shares how you can bring hope back to Lebanon.

“We haven’t had any blasts in a while,” says Daniella, explaining the state of confusion so many were thrown into after the explosion, unsure if this was the sound of terrorism, an assassination, or old echoes and ghosts of war resounding in their heads. At a counselling session for LSESD staff, a psychologist explains the idea of ‘intergenerational trauma’: children growing up with inherited anxiety and stress from parents raised in a warzone. It’s a concept that resonates with the team. Daniella thinks of the young people she knows just finishing university, hoping to get married and find work – and terrified for their future. They can’t bring themselves to go downtown to near where the blast happened, or sleep near glass windows. They’re not sure whether they can, or should, stay in Lebanon.

LSESD staff in an emergency prayer meeting after the Beirut blast — Staff at LSESD pray at an emergency meeting called to discuss the relief effort.

But it’s the generation after Daniella’s that worries her the most, a generation who have never lived through such things before. It’s the happy, confident toddlers in LSESD’s educational outreach programme (SKILD) who have suddenly stopped talking, who are back to wearing nappies and who cling to their mothers’ legs where they used to roam carefree. The children who display worrying signs of trauma in the sensory playground set up by the SKILD team to support vulnerable families. The teenagers who don’t have the right language to communicate how they’re feeling. “Because you’re not injured, part of you feels guilty… so you want to help others,” Daniella says. But when you see little being done on a national scale to help those suffering, it can be hard to stay positive. “Of course,” Daniella adds, “we know there is hope, because we know where our hope lies”.

Calssroom after the blast in Beirut — Despite the damages, the LSESD team still see this school as a beacon of hope.

You can support the vital relief work through our Disaster recovery fund. BMS World Mission raises money before disasters happen so that when they do, we’re there as soon as possible: working with local partners on the ground to restore and rebuild. To be one of the Christians making a difference when it matters most, give below today.

Any money raised through this, or any other disaster recovery appeal in excess of the amount required will be used by BMS World Mission to support other work in areas of significant need.

Hope is what’s galvanised the team on the ground – hope in God and hope brought about by the incredible generosity of Christians around the world and in Lebanon itself. Partnering with BMS World Mission, the LSESD team is able to ensure that relief programmes are in place to support people in need, to bring help in whatever form it’s needed. The past month has been spent locating vulnerable families who can be rehomed in LSESD’s buildings and getting hot meals to people whose homes have been destroyed. There’s also a commitment to restoring a sense of security by repairing doors and windows and handing out PPE. The scale of the need makes it a momentous task. LSESD is contending with the damages done to its own buildings, too – the bookshop and their educational centre, Beirut Baptist School. Wonderfully, generous BMS supporters have raised an astounding £85,000 towards the effort so far, enabling 40 families to be housed and many more to receive psychological and practical support.

Hot food is handed out to people who have lost their homes due the blast in Beirut — Hot food is handed out to people who have lost their homes, allowing them to enjoy a comforting meal.

Hope, beyond all things, is what is keeping Daniella and her colleagues looking beyond themselves, despite all they’re going through. Beyond themselves to a nation in need around them, and beyond themselves to the Saviour who promises to walk with them through the storm. At Beirut Baptist School, glass crunches under Chaplain Tony Haddad’s feet. “Even with the damages around us, this is still a unique setting,” he insists. The school is just one of LSESD’s buildings seriously affected by the blast, but Tony isn’t seeing ruins, he’s seeing redemption. “This will remain a lighthouse, because the keeper of the lighthouse is our Shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Words by Hannah Watson
Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine

From the corners of the world

From the corners of the world:

The incredible workers you support

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The pastor who embraced a town in mourning. The passionate teacher carving a brighter future. The man holding the doors of justice open for the oppressed. This is BMS World Mission. These are the workers your support.

A pastor who embraced a town in mourning

Pastor Amilcar is one of the kindest people you could meet. He can’t walk ten paces through the streets of Pisac, Peru without locals stopping to kiss him on both cheeks. He’s got a kind word for everybody, asking after relatives and how business is going. He’s not from this town, but Pastor Amilcar’s gentle reflection of Jesus’ love for this place has meant that, one by one, people here have come to know Christ. Taking Amilcar almost by surprise, a fledgling church has formed in Pisac, borne out of his witness. This village in the Andes is a long, meandering drive from the city of Cusco, where Pastor Amilcar faithfully leads his congregation. So why would a busy pastor embrace such an unassuming place, over an hour away?

Pisac may be a small town, but it’s got a heavy history. In 2010, a flood broke the banks of the Vilcanota river, which splices its way through the Sacred Valley of the Incas in which the town is nestled. You can feel the water’s power each time you cross the bridge connecting the two sides of the town. The flood killed 12 people, many of them parents to young children. This is why Pastor Amilcar is drawn back to Pisac. He’s committed to mourning with families who are still recovering.

“After the tragedy, people needed help. They needed clothes and food, but all these things were temporary. People really needed help that would last,” says Pastor Amilcar. That help has come in the form of sharing Jesus’ love with people in Pisac, but Pastor Amilcar knows he couldn’t do anything he does without BMS supporters. “Thank you for your love for people you don’t know. God bless you. Because of your support, families here will have their lives transformed.”

A Peruvian man. — Pastor Amilcar has spent the last ten years spreading Jesus' love in the Peruvian town of Pisac.

This is what your support of BMS’ church planting ministry looks like. It looks like life springing from the shadow of death. It looks like supporting Pastor Amilcar. It looks like embracing a town in mourning.

The passionate teacher carving a brighter future

Esther Sarker’s Facebook feed is a riot of colour. She’s always posting craft ideas, visual aids and activities for children – a kind of digital mood board for her job. Some people are born to teach, and Esther is one of them. It’s clear from the way she convulses into giggles at some of the funny things her pupils say. From the student workbooks she’s meticulously illustrated by hand. And from the compassion she radiates when she finds out that one of her pupils from a poor, rural area in Bangladesh only owns one outfit to wear to school.

A Bangladeshi woman with a Bangladeshi child. — Your support means that Esther is able to bring children in Bangladesh a brighter future.

Esther is a recent recruit to the Social Health and Education board of the Bangladeshi Baptist Church Sangha. It’s a project transforming futures for Bangladesh’s children, starting at the very youngest age, by equipping local teachers to provide preschool education to marginalised areas.

For Louise Proctor, BMS’ Educational Consultant heading up the project, Esther’s input has been indispensable. She understands the local context that Louise has had to adapt to over four years. “Esther can get more of a real picture of what’s happening,” says Louise. “She’s starting to build up relationships with the teachers, and we’re hoping that they’ll begin to open up more to her, and share their stories and difficulties.”

Esther’s faith infuses everything she does. It’s important to her that Hindu and Muslim children, as well as Christian kids, are getting to know who Jesus is through the witness of the preschools. “We can spread that light,” says Esther. “Our society has needs. And rural areas have little chance to access education. If our country wants to develop, then children are our future.” Jesus taught that space should be made for little children to come to him. And by supporting BMS education projects, you enable teachers like Esther who take that teaching seriously – teachers who love their jobs, who love Jesus, and who want to share his love with the children they teach.

The man holding the doors of justice open for the oppressed

Luis Alfredo Manjate is a man with a plan. As the Executive Director of BMS partner the Mozambican Association of Christian Lawyers, he wants nothing more (and nothing less) than to turn the Mozambican justice system around, and ensure people’s rights are upheld. Excited to have found a calling where he can marry his profession as a lawyer with his faith, Luis is passionate about working for a Christian organisation which holds the doors to justice open for widows, for orphans, for the vulnerable. And with an arresting gaze, and a smile that creeps in at the corners of his mouth when he wants to check he’s being understood, Luis is a lawyer you’d want on your side faced with any kind of trouble. “It’s a great privilege to be here in an environment where you can talk about God,” Luis says. There are cases he’s received, where, instead of turning reflexively to litigation and courthouse disputes, he’s been able to resolve the conflict by giving advice, praying for the parties involved and sharing the Word of God. For Luis, bringing justice means bringing peace.

“The support that has been given to us has meant we can make justice real to people,” Luis says, as he thanks all BMS supporters who have helped make his work possible. “The privilege we have of providing justice for people is being fulfilled.” By supporting BMS justice ministries, you’re binding up the broken-hearted and bringing peace to the oppressed. You’re sharing God’s love with people when they need it most. And you’re fuelling workers like Luis who have their hearts set on serving God and the people made in his image.

A Mozambican man — “The support that has been given to us has meant we can make justice real to people,” says Luis Manjate.

Your support is going even further…

If you’ve donated to the BMS Coronavirus appeal, then you’ve helped provide food parcels, hygiene products and other necessities to vulnerable families in Peru, Bangladesh and Mozambique. Thank you so much for your incredible generosity. If you haven’t donated yet, then give today and be part of the global Coronavirus response.

Originally published in Issue 47 of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.
Words by Hannah Watson.

A Nation in Exile

Praying for this 21

Threatened, bereaved, kidnapped: these are the stories of resilient Venezuelan settlers in Lima, Peru. They represent just some of the people caught up in the second largest refugee crisis in the world, a mass exodus of five million, living in exile across the globe.

Smiling faces welcome people into a church full of joyful chatter. It’s nine o’clock in the morning, and the mouth-watering aroma of cornflour patties reaches every corner, wafting its way over to children who are singing and dancing to Christmas tunes. These delicious fried buns, otherwise known as ‘arepas’, leak melted cheese and tasty ham. Breakfast is served.

Arepas are a taste of home and staple comfort food for the 100 Venezuelan asylum seekers here today at the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Lima (First Baptist Church of Lima) in Peru. Working in tandem with the Peruvian Baptist Convention (CEBP), BMS World Mission workers Daniel and Regiane Clark chose this centrally located church to host a social action event dedicated to supporting Venezuelan settlers.

Every room in this large church offers a free service, thanks to Regiane’s careful planning. In the central hall is an experienced doctor, with a volunteer dentist checking people’s teeth and teaching children good oral hygiene. Upstairs sit psychologists, expert lawyers and a physiotherapist, all offering advice and a listening ear. Outside, volunteers host children’s games and even a puppet show. Everyone has given up their Saturday to serve.

And what volunteers offer their Venezuelan guests today provides a striking contrast with what they’ve left behind. “We couldn’t find any food in the supermarkets,” says Carmen Mora, a mother of three who arrived in Lima in January 2019. “You needed to get up early to join the queue. You’d stay there until 6pm – and then the food would have run out.”

A Venezuelan woman. — Arepas are a taste of home for so many Venezuelan refugees.

A male dentist in a mask. — A crowd of children watch a volunteer dentist in action.

Carmen is one of the 800,000 Venezuelans who have fled political persecution and desperate poverty to arrive in Peru, a country now home to the second largest population of Venezuelan refugees after Colombia. “The idea was to come to Peru, earn a living to send back home and then return when the situation improved,” explains Daniel, who heads up a BMS-supported Baptist Seminary in Lima. “But now they have no hope of returning to Venezuela. Or there’s nothing for them to go back to.”

Carmen decided to leave when her home’s electricity, gas and water were cut off. She gathered her children and grandchildren to take a series of buses across Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. It took a terrifying and uncertain six days. Her eldest son and her husband remained, her son wanting to complete his studies and her husband committed to working at a company he’d been loyal to for 25 years. “But then my husband started to get ill,” Carmen explains. “They said he had a type of hepatitis. But it was pancreatic cancer. With the lack of treatment there – everything was so expensive – he died.” There was no way Carmen, a Venezuelan with an unresolved refugee status, could leave Peru to attend the funeral. “But my faith in the Lord has strengthened me,” Carmen says. “Please pray for my son who stayed in Venezuela, that God would console him.”

Today might be the closest to home that people like Carmen have felt in years. “When you’re with other Venezuelans – it makes me feel at peace,” says fellow settler Barbara Marquez. Christmas has turned her thoughts back to her homeland. “I’ve laughed all day, had a chance to celebrate. This has been a rollercoaster, but I thank God for your support. It brings the feeling of heaven just that little closer to earth.”

Barbara is just 26 years old. Her dream one day is to travel, to embark on a very different type of voyage to the one she felt forced to take across Latin America. “I left my mum, my dad, my home, my whole life,” she explains. “The journey was dangerous because of the street riots. And everything was so expensive.” Barbara and her husband sold everything they had. “You want to take everything and everyone with you. Even the dog!” She laughs a little, brushing away tears. “But it was the right decision.”

A Venezuelan woman with her two young daughters. — Barbara jokingly introduces her children: “This is Victoria – she’s three and is Venezuelan. And here’s Valeria – she’s one and is Peruvian.”

And it’s events like these that have helped Barbara feel her difficult choice was the right one. Her face lights up as her three-year-old daughter brings her a large bowl of food supplies. She picks up the items one by one to show the girls; arepas, cooking oil, gelatine, lentils, pasta and milk, each accompanied by an excited exclamation: “Look!” She also took her youngest daughter, Valeria, to the doctor at today’s event. Valeria struggles with a condition called hip dysplasia. “They say her hips are aligning,” Barbara says, delighted. “God is healing her!”

But leaving the past behind hasn’t been easy. “My eldest son was kidnapped,” says Diana*, visibly shaken as she recounts the events. “They only kept him for two hours, but after that he was traumatised.” As a university student, he’d been taken away in a car and interrogated by political investigators before they decided he was no threat and released him. Her son decided to leave for Peru immediately. Diana felt like she might never see him again.

Two Venezuelan girls. — Volunteers host games that give children a chance to be children again.

Diana and her husband gave up their electrical engineering business to sell food on the streets of the Peruvian capital so they could be reunited with their son. “As a business owner it’s so hard to start again at zero,” she explains. “Many of us have studied at university. But because we don’t have any documents, we can’t find proper work.” For legal employment, asylum seekers need to have refugee status, for which the waiting list is becoming increasingly long.

But hope is emerging. The day before the event, Brazil began a process to accept Venezuelan asylum seekers as refugees. The news left Robert, a professional Taekwondo coach who has been seeking political asylum for three years reeling with excitement. He hopes that soon neighbouring countries like Peru will begin the same process.

A woman in a blue top. — “I’m so grateful to God. He’s supplying all we need to help,” says Dorcas.

The gathering is the second of its kind, and Regiane and Daniel, along with the CEBP would not have been able to organise it without your support. “It’s with your help that we’ve been able to do campaigns like this. It’s incredible that total strangers help from so far away,” says Pastor Homero, President of the CEBP’s social action projects. “There is so much need here. It’s all done in the name of the Lord. It leads people to Christ.”

Supporting hundreds of thousands of refugees is a mountain of a task for Peruvians to tackle alone. “We don’t have all the resources here,” says Dr Dorcas Gambini, a psychologist who is volunteering her time to counsel those who need support today. But when God’s people work together, he makes seemingly immovable mountains move. “You heard us and offered us help. Together we are praying and doing,” says Dorcas.

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Originally published in Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.

Cyclone Amphan: Pray as heavy rains hit India and Bangladesh

Cyclone Amphan:

Pray as heavy rains hit India and Bangladesh

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The biggest storm of a decade made landfall in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday 20 May, with winds equal in force to a category five hurricane. Please join us as we pray for India and Bangladesh, and for the protection of millions of people seeking refuge in cyclone shelters.

Millions of people across Bangladesh and India are seeking refuge in storm shelters and schools as Cyclone Amphan wreaks havoc on the Bay of Bengal. Fears surrounding the Covid-19 Coronavirus add complexity to evacuation plans in the two nations, as more cyclone shelters than usual are needed so that people can maintain social distancing measures. In Odisha (formerly Orissa) alone, hundreds of shelters are already being used as Covid-19 quarantine centres, and urgent prayer is needed that the virus would be contained even while people seek refuge from the storm.

Please pray for India and Bangladesh:

Please pray that the millions of people being evacuated would be protected from the strong rains and winds as they travel.
The severity of the storm in Bangladesh will depend on whether it strikes at high or low tide. Please pray that God would calm the winds as they approach and protect those sheltering along the coast.
The arrival of Cyclone Amphan has been described as “a crisis on top of a crisis”. Please pray that social distancing measures can be maintained despite the extreme challenge the cyclone poses to both countries, and that India and Bangladesh would not see a rise in Coronavirus cases as a result of the storm.
Please pray that more cyclone shelters would be found across India and Bangladesh, that road and rail infrastructure would not suffer, and that crops and livelihoods would be protected from the storm’s destructive path.
Pray for those who have lost loved ones, whose homes have been destroyed, and whose lives have been made even more precarious because of Cyclone Amphan. Pray that they would know God’s comfort and find help.

Map of India and Bangladesh — Pray for India and Bangladesh as they face Cyclone Amphan, the biggest storm of a decade.

BMS World Mission’s disaster recovery fund raises money before disasters happen, so that we can respond when they do. Find out more about how BMS responds effectively when a crisis hits, here.

Keep up with all the latest news from BMS by signing up to our weekly email update.

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Building blocks of recovery

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Elias thought his brother was dead. Cyclone Idai destroyed everything he had. But with your help he regained hope, enough to overflow to Mozambique’s future generations.

Lectures weren’t on that day. But no-one had told Elias. He got to his college and it was empty – that was when he heard the winds blowing. Jumping into a car and getting a lift home, the car was slightly lifting, momentarily floating in the air on the way. He felt his feet pulling away from the floor as he ran into the house to find his brother. Parts of the roof had already been ripped off, and rain cascaded in through holes in the ceiling. He immediately thought the worst. He thought his brother was dead. Thank God, he wasn’t. He found his brother hiding. They ran to find shelter, but Elias had lost all his official documents; all the books he needed for his studies. He lost everything he had.

A church with the roof ripped off and interior destroyed. — Roof ripped off, all the furniture destroyed, the walls riddled with damp, this was the state of a Baptist church in Beira after Cyclone Idai.

This storm became what we know as Cyclone Idai, the natural disaster which hit Mozambique, and global news headlines in March. Shortly after, Cyclone Kenneth struck, leaving further damage in its wake. For Elias, BMS World Mission’s immediate relief response of food, shelter and clothes got him back on his feet. But what next? Before the cyclone, Elias was a theology student. He was also a preschool education programme (PEPE) teacher, in one of the 60 preschools in Mozambique funded by your support. But now he had lost all his coursework, and the preschool where he worked was in ruins. His future, as he had planned it, had been derailed.

Heaped rubble on the floor after Cyclone Idai. — Escolinha Joias de Africa was one of the PEPE schools reduced to rubble by Cyclone Idai.

Back in the shelter with his brother, Elias saw children start to pour in, taking refuge from the raging 120mph winds. Some of them had lost their homes, some their siblings, others their parents. They were all traumatised. During their seven weeks in the shelter, Elias prayed and played with them. “Everyone around me started to call me ‘pastor’ because I was praying,” Elias says. “I was so happy because the children learnt a lot.” They were children without an education, and children who’d had no other chance of learning about God’s love.

A man smiles at the camera with a Baptist church behind him. — Elias is just one of the Christians that you’re supporting to bring hope to younger generations in Mozambique.

Like Elias’, these children’s futures had been derailed. So many schools were now just heaped rubble on the ground. “Without school, children wander and waste time on the streets, learning from older kids who also aren’t in school,” explains Elias. “But at PEPE, children learn a lot. One of the mothers was so taken by her children’s transformation she wanted to come to church. That’s why I’m captivated by this work.”

A group of boys smile at the camera in Mozambique. — These children deserve a better future than wandering the streets. Will you give them one?

And that’s why the immediate relief you provided is just the beginning of Mozambique’s recovery story. Long-term relief means ensuring children have a future – and for that they need an education. Your generosity has enabled BMS to dedicate over £17,000 to rebuilding PEPE schools destroyed by Cyclone Idai. The team is led by BMS mission worker, Sergio Vilela. He’s using his previous experience in construction as a firm foundation for restoration. “I’d like to thank the UK Church. People were so generous after the cyclone,” he says. “We are able to help here only because the Church gave so generously.”

You’re also providing fullness of life. Alongside reconstructing PEPE schools, you’ve supported a play therapy project for children suffering from trauma. For children just like the ones Elias described staying in the shelter. “When I heard that UK churches had started to support us, I thought – wow! I could see we were united in the body of Christ,” says Elias. “We thank God and UK churches for the love you’ve shown us.” And everyone here at BMS thanks you too for your faithful generosity. Thank you for giving hope to those in need.

EDUCATION IN MOZAMBIQUE

In Mozambique, only 45 per cent of children complete primary school. Most drop out to help their parents at work, look after their siblings or simply because school is too hard and their parents, who perhaps never received schooling, are unable to help them.

This is why BMS began the PEPE project in Mozambique, to give children the head start they need to thrive. PEPE provides children with education through play, song and, in many cases, gives them their only meal that day. It’s run by local Baptist churches, by people like Elias, who know their communities’ needs and are filled with God’s love.

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A teacher teaching a child how to write numbers on a blackboard at a school in Mozambique. — Your giving is working to restore the PEPE schools damaged in Cyclone Idai.

Share the story of Mozambique with children at your Sunday School and join us in putting the building blocks of recovery together. Print off our information sheet and all-age craft activity.

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Words by Melanie Webb.

Cyclone Bulbul: pray for Bangladesh and India

Cyclone Bulbul

Pray for Bangladesh and India

Praying for this 42

Join us in prayer as Cyclone Bulbul causes widespread destruction across Bangladesh and India, leaving millions displaced.

Urgent prayer is needed for the millions of people across Bangladesh and India who have been displaced by Cyclone Bulbul.

Winds of up to 120 km/h were reported as the cyclone hit the coastal regions of Bangladesh and India on Saturday night, bringing with it torrential rain and life-threatening gales. 24 people are reported to have lost their lives after being struck by uprooted trees or falling branches.

Airports and ferry ports have been closed across both countries, with Shah Kamal, Bangladesh’s Disaster Management Secretary, sharing that evacuated residents had been moved to more than 5,500 cyclone shelters.

BMS World Mission is maintaining regular contact with all personnel in Bangladesh and India to ensure their safety as the storm moves north and continues to weaken.

Urgent prayer is needed for the millions who have been forced to flee their homes because of the storm.

Pray for Bangladesh and India

Pray for those involved in recovery and relief programmes to act swiftly to help those affected by the storm. Pray that they would have wisdom as they decide where best to allocate resources and personnel.
Pray for the local authorities, particularly those in coastal regions most affected by the storm, to have wisdom and resilience during this time.
Pray that BMS World Mission workers in the region would be kept safe, and that they would be a source of great comfort and strength to those around them.
Pray for those who have lost loved ones or who are looking after those affected by the storm. Pray that God would console them and give them strength.

Map showing the pathway of Cyclone Bulbul, November 2019.

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A letter from Mozambique

After the cyclone:

A letter from Mozambique to UK Christians

Supporting this 8

How Mozambicans are regaining hope thanks to the incredible help they received from BMS supporters after Cyclone Idai.

Dear friends,

After the cyclone, I went out in the rain to see how people were. There was rubble everywhere. We lost everything – everything we had worked for over whole lifetimes. From one day to the next, it was gone. Our stores and crops were destroyed by the cyclone, so our immediate worry was food. But what’s affecting us most is a lack of hope. Smiles have disappeared, heads are hung low.

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

Thanks to the aid churches are sending to Beira, some feel like they have the strength to start again. At CBM, we have collected and distributed food. Those we could feed are no longer worried. Instead they can focus on gathering the materials they need to rebuild. The problem is that materials are expensive, and most people have lost their jobs because so many businesses were destroyed.

A church with no roof in Mozambique after Cyclone Idai. — This church lost its roof after the cyclone hit. But BMS supporters stepped in, and your gifts have enabled the roof to be rebuilt, so it can return to being a fully functioning church.

People aren’t sleeping. They want to get back up again. They want to work. I try to speak hope into people’s lives. We can lose material things, but we can’t lose faith in God. He is our refuge. We have so many reasons to praise God. I praised God amidst the destruction, because he had protected us – we thought the cyclone was going to be much bigger than it was.

This photo demonstrates how extensive the damage was after Cylcone Idai. Only a bare skeleton of a church building in Beira remains.

I ask that you continue to pray for us – don’t forget about us and continue to give what you can.
Then, even when the media has forgotten about us, we’ll keep smiling, because you have remembered us.

Thank you,
Anibal Ramos

Anibal Ramos works with BMS partner, the Baptist Convention of Mozambique (CBM) in his native Beira. You’ve enabled him to play a crucial role in the relief efforts, working alongside BMS team leader in Mozambique, Carlos Tique Jone, in the devastating wake of Cyclone Idai.

The story of recovery

You gave an incredible £82,000 to help people like Anibal in the wake of Cyclone Idai.

But our desire for restoration didn’t stop there. You enabled BMS to give a further £17,600 to rebuild preschools and churches which host preschool education programmes.

We were able to act because you gave generously. Give to BMS relief ministries today and help some of the most marginalised people in the world recover from devastating natural disasters.

Thank you for giving people in Beira the strength they need to start again.

First featured in Engage, Issue 45. Written and edited for the website by Melanie Webb.

Bangladesh Flood Relief: How you stepped in

Bangladesh flood relief:

How you stepped in

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Rising waters decimated their villages. Family members and food supplies were taken by the flood. These are the stories of three people in rural Bangladesh slowly finding hope again. And you’re helping them to do so.

“I lost four members of my family in the flood. My wife, mother, daughter and son were drowned in the boat. They were trying to get to safety as the flood waters rose, but the boat capsized, and seven people were killed. I am the only one left alive. In the flood I lost my house. It collapsed in the flood waters and it is gone.”

This is how Karmjit’s* story begins. He’s just one of the people whose lives you protected this summer, after flood waters destroyed everything he held dear. Keep reading, and you’ll realise that his story is a devastating onslaught of grief, and loss – but one ending with hope. Hope because after flood waters destroyed the hopes and homes of over 800 people like Karmjit in rural Bangladesh, BMS supporters stepped in, providing emergency food, rations and pastoral support to those who had lost everything.

A Bangladeshi man holds a sack of rice on his head surrounded by a crowd of people.

“With the help of the relief I hope to live again, because Jesus Christ has sent you to me.”

This is how Karmjit’s story ends. He has hope because of your generous and faithful support. His is one of three stories we want to share of how the BMS Disaster Relief fund can transform lives after the worst happens. And these three testimonies are just some of the many stories we could tell, because with your support, BMS has been able to help over 800 people from the Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shirajgonj communities in rural Bangladesh. Read the stories, and then imagine 800 more people receiving hope in despair. Know that your support really does save and change lives.

Gayan’s* Story

Men, women and children stand around sacks of food in Bangladesh.

“My name is Gayan from Sreemongal District. I am a simple tea garden worker and everything was destroyed by a landslide. I can’t do any work, so I don’t have food in my house. I am in starvation trouble with my wife, a boy and my daughter. By you giving this relief help we have regained our hope of survival. We are very poor and in many troubles. Pray for my family. I believe this way you will always be with us and pray for us.”

Puja’s* story

Men, women and children receive bags of rice and bottles of vegetables in Bangladesh.

“My name is Puja from Manikganj District. I am a sick woman. My whole body was burned in a fire. I can’t do anything. I am a disabled and helpless woman and my small house was flooded in the wild. Your help will help me to survive. With this meal God has helped me through you. Pray for me so that I can be fully healed.”

BMS World Mission’s Kwame Adzam recently visited Bangladesh to see the work your support has made possible.

Four men and a woman smile at the camera.

During my visit to Bangladesh, I had the privilege of meeting some of the BMS-supported workers supporting the people affected by these devasting floods. It was a privilege to visit them, pray with them and hear some of the amazing stories of people encountering God’s transforming love.
In one of the places where the items were distributed, a woman was found crying after she had received her gift. One of the workers asked her why she was crying, and she said, “We have been forgotten here in this village, we received no help from those we were expecting help from. But from unexpected people, we have received this help and now we feel loved and special. I am just overwhelmed by the love that we have received from you.”

The BMS Disaster Recovery fund allows local Christians and trusted partners to mobilise when disasters like these strike. Because of generous past giving from BMS supporters, a £5,000 grant was swiftly approved to provide emergency food packages for decimated villages. Led by the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS), the food packages were distributed from local church centres by pastors.

*Names changed.

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When disaster strikes, you can strike back. Give to the BMS Disaster Recovery fund today.

Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage magazine.

Mourning

I'm praying for this 16

Last week marked 100 days since the Sri Lanka Easter bombings. Pray with us as we remember a nation in mourning.

Voices rise in sung worship as a procession winds through the streets. Shadows shorten as the sun rises over the beach where a crowd gathers for a morning service. 2,000 years since that first Easter when Jesus met his disciples on a beach at dawn, Sri Lankan Christians process back to church for breakfast. Then, the world splinters.

Candles are lit in water in memory of the bombings which took place in Sri Lanka during Easter.

Roshan Mendis was leading the service that day when an elder approached him during one of the hymns. There had been an attack, and a church had been the target. A terrible question presented itself: was this congregation at risk too? Minds raced as the worshippers sang. Then, news of the second attack came through. A hotel known for hosting church services had also been bombed.

Stepping outside his church as the sermon began, Roshan saw members of the police and military gathered by the gate. Roshan’s church was filled to overflowing that day, with additional seating placed outside. Not wishing to panic the congregation, he allowed the meeting to end before safely dispersing the crowd.

Three churches in Colombo and three hotels were the targets of terrorist suicide bombings on Easter Sunday morning 2019. Later that day and back at home, Roshan felt the reverberations from a blast in Dehiwala less than a kilometre away. A final bomb went off in Dematagoda when police entered the home of a suspect. The implications of the bomb targets were clear – the terrible thought now a kernel of fear rooted and growing fast. They were places of Christian (and perceived western expatriate) influence.

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Roshan is the CEO of long-time BMS partner organisation Leads, a relief recovery and development agency working in Sri Lanka. He’s lived through 2004’s tsunami and three decades of civil war alongside Buddhist, Muslim and Tamil people who found themselves targets of unsparing insurgent violence. He’s survived being shot at in a case of mistaken identity – “the gun jammed” – has been caught in crossfire, and witnessed a bus being blown up by a mine. “I don’t claim to be brave,” says Roshan, “but none of those things gives me the same feeling of vulnerability as now. Then, I knew I was not being targeted – but now I feel it could be me.”

Leads has worked in the aftermath of all kinds of disaster, helping children and families in distress. But they themselves are far from immune from the trauma they address. It’s part of the integrated disaster response BMS partners aim for. What happens when the staff of an organisation well-acquainted with trauma experience it so acutely, in such a new way? Leads was invited to take charge of trauma triage at a national level after the bombings, but providing psychosocial ‘first aid’ in the form of group work and activity packs for so many has wrung thin their capacity. Staff also experience secondary trauma from listening to the many distressing accounts of the day. Your support through BMS is keeping them going, and they need your prayer. As does the nation of Sri Lanka.

People stand in front of names of those who lost their lives in the Sir Lanka Easter bombings.

The Easter Sunday bombings killed over 250 people, and the backlash has been significant. Various faith-groups have been stirred to violent action. There has been increased monitoring of religious activity, and an emergency ban issued on the wearing of burqas and niqabs. The government-imposed curfews that promote safety also disrupt a suffering nation from returning to everyday life. Sri Lanka is a nation in sequestered mourning.

Roshan’s fellowship met for the first time as a church on 12 May, three weeks after the attacks took place. Not all were ready to attend. John 16: 2 came to mind: …in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. “The sense that it can happen to anyone, anywhere is very high,” says Roshan. The psychological implications for ordinary people reverberate far beyond Sri Lanka’s borders. The loss of at least 38 foreign nationals in the blasts is keenly felt. Tourism will undoubtably suffer. Before he gives talks, Roshan plays a slideshow of richly colourful photographs: wildlife, nature, culture. “A reminder that Sri Lanka is still a beautiful country.”

Children light candles next to flowers in memory of the Sri Lanka Easter bombings.

There is another photograph that did the rounds of the news outlets after the bombings: a statue of Jesus spattered in blood. It speaks to Roshan not of injustice, but of sacrifice. “It encapsulates a level of pain in what we are called to do.” Roshan has to tell the story of Good Friday, of taking up our cross, of the seed of the Church. But Good Friday is never the end. For Christians, the message of Easter is forgiveness. The response of the Christian community in Sri Lanka has been a powerful means of witness, of ‘living by the Bible’ and ‘turning the other cheek’ noted by Buddhist and Muslim neighbours.

Roshan’s prayer is that his country’s leaders will act with wisdom and integrity and that families seeking answers from the crucible of their pain will find answers. As for us, the Global Church, Roshan believes Christians should lobby for our freedom of religion – now as one of the most persecuted faith groups. And we should also be quick to listen to the World Church, supporting local believers as they lead mission, so that Christianity is no longer seen as a western imposition. So that Christianity is no longer seen as a threat.

Please pray for Sri Lanka. Pray for its Christians and all its people. For wise leaders and peaceful communities. Pray for Roshan and his team, and for BMS work all over a world that hasn’t yet embraced the hope offered by that first Easter.

Thank you for giving

On your behalf, BMS was able to respond quickly to the Easter atrocities, providing £10,000 worth of support to Roshan and local Christian trauma counsellors. This was recently followed by a second grant, resulting in total of £20,000. This was only possible because of your gifts to our Disaster Recovery ministries.

Prayer updates:

– Please pray for Anita*: she was severely injured in the blasts. Pray that her brain surgery would be successful.

– Pray that the resilience programme for local Christian trauma counsellors would be effective and that it would enable them to help others who are also suffering.

– Hold Sri Lanka up to God. Pray for peace in Sri Lanka and for recovery for Roshan and others who are suffering.

*Name changed.

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Poem and prayer points ⤓

Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage magazine.
This story first appeared in Engage.

When waters rise: food relief for flooded Bangladeshi villages

When waters rise:

food relief for flooded Bangladeshi villages

I'm praying for this 15

News reports have suggested that Bangladesh is experiencing its worst flooding in years. BMS’ grant will provide emergency food relief for hundreds in need.

Thanks to the generous giving of BMS supporters, and the heart of Bangladeshi Christians who have mobilised to help those in need, an emergency BMS grant has been approved to sustain 200 families facing food insecurity due to flooding.

Bangladesh is reportedly experiencing its worst flooding in years, with tens of thousands of people having been displaced. Bangladesh’s monsoon season can often pose a flood risk to the low-lying country, where heavy rains see rivers swelling to dangerous levels. The erosion and bursting of riverbanks in recent weeks, coupled with adverse landslides, have left an estimated 4 million people at risk of “food insecurity and disease”.

Waters flooding market stalls with a man looking on in Bangladesh

Flood waters in Bangladesh in 2009 going up as high as the windows.

BMS has provided several grants for flood relief, including after flooding in 2007 and 2009, pictured here. While Bangladesh is known for its habitual flooding, more extreme flood events are a worrying trend.

The BMS Disaster Recovery fund allows local Christians and trusted partners to mobilise when disasters like these strike. Because of generous past giving from BMS supporters, a £5,000 grant was swiftly approved, allowing quick-thinking Bangladeshi Christians to jump into action.

The BMS grant will fund a programme of food distribution for 200 families from three different communities: the Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shirajgonj communities. Led by the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS), the food packages will be distributed from local church centres by pastors. They contain rice, salt, dhal*, sugar, oil, chira* and waterproof matches, sustaining around 800 people for a week and a half – some of whom have not eaten in days.

“The families come from varying religious backgrounds, but are known to the Bangladeshi churches which are distributing aid,” explain BMS workers Louise and Peter Lynch, who work closely with the BBCS. “There are pastors on the ground who can assess what needs to happen,” says Peter. “There are people without any food because they’ve got nothing left. But the BBCS can go out and get food for the programme, knowing support is backed up by BMS.”

The emergency kits contain:

30kg of rice and 2kg of salt

3kg of dhal* (a staple Bangladeshi dish made of lentils or other split pulses)

2kg of sugar, 5 litres of oil, 400g of chira* (a flat rice that is easy to prepare and digest)

and 6 packets of waterproof matches for 200 families

A man carrying a calf through flood waters in Bangladesh.

Two men wading through a flooded river in Bangladesh.

These concerning images have come from the Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shirajgonj communities which the BBCS is now able to help.

If you’ve given to BMS’ Disaster Recovery fund, you’ve not only supported Bangladeshi families after dangerous floods. You’ve also provided vital psychosocial first aid to victims of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, shored up a hospital during hurricane season in Haiti, and much more. Thank you for all you’ve done.

Christians believe in a God whose Son walked on water. So when floodwaters rise, we can trust in his power, goodness and might. Join us in praying for:

Bangladeshi communities in danger or at risk of disease because of flooding, that they would be kept safe.
Those who are hungry, that food would be provided. Pray especially for those receiving food through the BMS grant, that it would reach those who need it most.
Peter and Louise Lynch, the BBCS, and the pastors who have been able to help families after the floods. Give thanks for their generous hearts, and pray for wisdom and strength to know how to best help those in need.

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Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage magazine.

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Cyclone Bulbul

Pray for Bangladesh and India

Urgent prayer is needed for the millions who have been forced to flee their homes because of the storm.

Pray for Bangladesh and India

After the cyclone:

A letter from Mozambique to UK Christians

The story of recovery

Bangladesh flood relief:

How you stepped in

Gayan’s* Story

Puja’s* story

BMS World Mission’s Kwame Adzam recently visited Bangladesh to see the work your support has made possible.

Mourning

Prayer updates:

When waters rise:

food relief for flooded Bangladeshi villages

BMS has provided several grants for flood relief, including after flooding in 2007 and 2009, pictured here. While Bangladesh is known for its habitual flooding, more extreme flood events are a worrying trend.

These concerning images have come from the Sreemongal, Manikgonj and Shirajgonj communities which the BBCS is now able to help.