Friends,
As the world continues to navigate the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we are acutely aware of the significant health and economic challenges, as well as the opportunity that we have to courageously love our neighbors in a moment of fear and anxiety.
This brief post provides a high-level overview of how COVID-19 is impacting HOPE’s work and how our team is responding. As with every circumstance, we work knowing that God is sovereign and pray that our response will point others to Jesus. You can also watch my video update.
What’s the impact on the people HOPE serves?
Whenever there is a crisis, the people who are impacted the most are those who have the least resilience to respond. For many living on the margins, this is so much more than just a health crisis; it’s also an economic crisis. This is the story of many of the microentrepreneurs and families we serve who are reliant on cash flow and income for their livelihood.
In a moment of crisis, our tendency is to focus inward, seeking to protect ourselves and our own interests. Yet, we serve a God who has given us a greater mission and mandate—one that focuses outward. In response, we seek to be people who courageously spend our time “not looking to [our] own interests but … to the interests of the others.”
What can you do?
In Galatians 2, as Paul prepares to travel, Peter gives him an important instruction. “All they asked,” Paul says, “was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” And two thousand years later, this is the call for each of us, too.
- Join us in praying for our brothers and sisters around the globe. Pray with us for healing, protection, and provision as COVID-19 continues to spread. Pray for the Church to shine in this moment and to be known for sacrificial love and generosity.
- Consider partnering with organizations like LifeNet International, HIS Global, Global CHE Network, who are actively responding to global health concerns, or those organizations that will be helping families rebuild when that moment comes.
- Actively love your neighbors. This is a moment for us to creatively reach out (most often virtually) to those who might be in need. Collectively, what can we do to demonstrate Christ’s love at this moment?
A savings group meeting in Zambia
Here’s the good news: For the people we serve—as their businesses might need to close for a time or they experience price increases or shortages—your ongoing support has already helped them prepare for this challenging moment in history. Because of your generosity, they’re equipped with financial resources—especially savings—to help weather economic shocks like COVID-19 and its implications for national and local economies. They’re also equipped with the powerful gifts of supportive relationships, Christ-centered community, and the hope and joy of the Gospel.
Thank you for joining us in caring for our greater global family with courageous compassion.
With gratitude,
Peter Greer
HOPE President & CEO
