Dear Prayer team,
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Never before have so many Psalms felt so relevant as they have these last few weeks. Reading Psalm 9: 7-10 this morning brought tears to my eyes.
“But the LORD reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne.
He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.
The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.”
COVID-19
The number of confirmed cases of the virus has been slowly but steadily increasing in Mozambique. But we are so thankful that there have been a significant number who have fully recovered and none of the cases have been very sick at all. In fact, a number of the confirmed cases have been asymptomatic. The government did extend the state of emergency for another 30 days, but restrictions have not tightened. People are requested to use masks when they are out, required to use them on public transportation. Churches, schools and other places where groups gather are closed and social distancing is encouraged. Many businesses have reduced hours or have closed, and some markets are closed. There are more and more people without employment and any means to feed themselves or their families.
As far as we know there is nothing being done to help people with no income and our friends here tell us there is growing discord in the local communities because of people’s hunger.
There are no known cases of the virus in our city (or province even). In fact, I believe the cases have been limited to only 2 provinces. That is good news indeed! But the hunger and lack of help is everywhere.
We have a doctor friend here who is setting up a covid-19 isolation hospital and has asked us to help with stocking the hospital with some supplies. We’ve worked on trying to find local materials to make face shields that can be used in the hospital, but there is nothing available that meets his requirements. Praise God Jon’s good relationship with a local hardware store owner helped us purchase more than 60 quality face shields. We are working on trying to get some more from another store. If the need arises, we do have a design in mind for some more shields that we can make, but the coverage and visibility isn’t ideal. Hopefully there won’t be a need for any of this! The doctor has also asked us to work on a design for disposable surgical gown type outfits. We feel out of our depths with some of this, but we’re willing to give it a go!
We continue to sponsor a mask making project in the community where we are based. The masks have been well received and are hopefully a blessing to many who wouldn’t be able to afford them otherwise.
We will also be looking for ways to help with feeding those in need. But this is a culturally and logistically challenging and complicated ministry and is one we cannot do on our own. Hopefully we can partner with someone else.
We are grateful for supporters who have blessed us with funds to be able to help in these ways. It has meant a lot to our mission colleagues here and the community as well. Thank you!
Pray that the virus will not progress from what it currently is.
Again, pray that the body of Christ will seek to be the hands and feet. There is so much brokenness and darkness here. May Christ’s light shine in special ways during these days of unrest and fear.
Pray that government will be wise in how it handles the pandemic- that it won’t require restrictions that would devastate communities here. Pray for it to effectively meet the needs of the vulnerable
Pray for integrity among leaders who are responsible for decision making and distribution of funds and supplies.
Pray for wisdom for us and others involved in preparing supplies for the hospital- that the Lord would guide us clearly on what and how we should prepare. We don’t want to be naïve and not do much, nor do we want to overdo it at the cost of other things.
These are incredibly trying times for so many people worldwide. We feel like our heads haven’t stopped spinning for weeks. Just when we find a rhythm for facing a challenge, something new crops up and we have to start all over again. Yet, we are so grateful to be here to help people and ministries who are so dear to us. We love this mission community and we love Mozambique so we are glad to be together with them during these days. Your prayer and partnership mean the world to us. Even though your own communities have been so devasted these last several months, you are still willing to participate in our community here. May God bless you for that!
With grateful hearts, knowing that God is in control and that we can look forward to eternal peace and safety,
Blessings,
Jon, Marijane, Aidan, Isaac & Ethan Beutler