COVID-19,” Nix said. “But the greatest
need I see, is for peace in the face of fear
and for hope in the face of hopelessness.
“Humanity doesn’t need to see the
need for others; it needs to see the need
for a Savior. It can’t really help anyone
else until it’s done that,” Nix continued.
“If all the world sees is the immediate
needs, it’s only seeing the temporal, not
seeing the eternal needs.”
National leaders such as Michael John
in India are cognoscente of such and
are tirelessly working to truly see those
around them and meet their needs,
whether they be temporal or eternal.
In one report John shared, “Happy
to let you know that we are seeing a
great hunger for God even in this most
challenging time. Our pastors are doing
their best to reach out with the message
of good to depressed. We glorify God
for all he is doing here.”
It’s not only happening in India, but in
Amsterdam, Liberia, Haiti, Guatemala,
Israel, Cuba, Argentina, and in far more
places spread across the continents.
In Uganda, for example ,Sonya
Schweighardt, IPHC missionary and
co-founder of Hope Ministries Uganda,
looked up, saw a need, and acted.
“Uganda is a hand to mouth
society, meaning that they earn small
amounts of money on a daily basis,
use that money to buy food, then feed
themselves,” Schweighardt said. “ With
the shut downs, people can’t earn
money so they can’t feed themselves.
Many of the Batwa would cross over the
borders into the DRC to glean gardens,
but since the borders are closed, this
source of food also disappeared.”
Recognizing Hope Ministries Uganda
as a source of hope, as in the name,
the Ugandan government gave the
approval for them to begin Operation
Raising Hope. To Schweighardt, and
missionaries and other national leaders
around the world, recognition and
permission from national governments
has allowed the church to help the
orphaned, widowed, elderly and those
unable to care for themselves and their
families during this time. And when
missionaries like Schweighardt hear
reports such as, “You are about to hear
of some of us dying because we don’t
have food (Florence, a Batwa woman in
south west Uganda)”, they are quickly
looking up and moving, not in theory,
but in action.
According to Schweighardt, while
they’ve fed over 8,000 people and are
providing medical treatment for over
2,000, the need is still tremendous as
many are suffering due to starvation.
Yet, in the midst, she reports, “We have
seen God move so many mountains
and we will continue to press forward
in prayer and action despite the many
obstacles.”
From what I can tell, the need for us
to look up is only increasing globally.
And perhaps, for the believer, the
recognition of urgency to share the
good news cannot be detached. Just as
Nix reported, “For me, with COVID-19,
it’s not just about feeding people, it’s
about sharing the Gospel. That’s why we
are doing it.”
As needs continue to arise, may
we find our feet planted in our
communities and lift our gaze to truly
see our neighbors and not glance over
them as we are overwhelmed by news.
“I have said these things to you , that
in me you may have peace. In the world
you will have tribulation. But take heart;
I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
To find out more about how the
IPHC is responding to COVID-19 visit
https://iphc.org/missions/covid-19-
international-relief-fund-report/
For more on Hope Ministries Uganda
visit https://hopeministryuganda.org
Whitney Browning was the Features
Editor of The Bluefield Daily Telegraph
before pursuing full-time missionary work.
Prerogative Magazine 21