She described the latest round of regulations, the complex decisions to make, added work to be done, and extra people to care for. “The pressure and difficulties are coming from many sides,” she admitted. “It is busy, but still, some how I feel that we are not in a hurry.” Lorena’s weekly report documents the impacts of the global Pandemic on people in their church, refugees they serve, and immigrants who became their friends. Men and women alike feel a wide range of outcomes from Coronavirus. But common concerns imposed by our shared ailment give new ground for understanding to women globally, and God is using it.
The United Nations documents what many Live Global partners share: women and girls face intensified needs in the global Pandemic. National partners go further, sharing something hopeful: God uses women globally to glorify Him as they serve the suffering.
God Knows the Needs of Women
The crisis amplifies needs already present. In addition to human concerns for safety and well-being, many women have been called on to nurture others with greater needs in the midst of greater challenges. Whether navigating online schooling, figuring out health modifications, mobilizing mask production, adjusting to canceled schooling, organizing relief services, adapting to professional obstacles, or tackling forms of isolation, women have taken resourcefulness to a whole new level. Many women encounter changes without access to their usual community of support, mentors, family, and friends. In some regions, consequences of COVID cripple some more than others. We all have new understanding.
With the loss of day labor and shutdown of economies, poverty sank to a new level. Children and women once at risk for early marriage, trafficking, malnutrition, and domestic violence are more vulnerable amidst rising tensions and falling economic supports. This increases risks for exploitation of the weak. Women around the world deal with their own needs, the needs of loved ones, and the needs of others by combining creativity, compassion, courage, and hope.
God Uses Creative Women
In Southeast Asia, Esther joyfully cooked for over one hundred people to provide a healthy meal with vegetables. This “love gift” nurtured physical hunger and gave Esther’s husband Biak and his team the opportunity to share about the Son of God who understands our weaknesses. To help ensure children could continue to receive education, Esther creatively moved her teaching under a tree, gathering students into rainy season so they could learn, access hygiene supplies, and be cared for. Her prayer is that God would provide a home in the slum, so her own family can have easier access to the poor and vulnerable. COVID has crushed already poor people with limited nutrition, education, and resources, but Esther faithfully teaches, feeds, and serves communities creatively to display the love of Christ.
In Mexico city, Damaris Morales began a ministry of providing Christian audiobooks for women. Now, her mom Rebeca and her sisters Pollyanna and Natalia have gotten involved. With their new creative outreach in response to Pandemic needs, they support nearly 1,500 women across multiple countries with messages of encouragement. They say, “The great thing about using technology is that we can travel anywhere in the world without leaving home.” God is using this creative family to meet the needs of women facing far-reaching ripple effects of COVID.
God Uses Compassionate Women
As in other historically hard seasons, God is using compassionate women to lead the way in caring for the vulnerable. In Ukraine Luba leads with her Choose Life team to keep the pregnancy center open to care for needs of mothers. Unexpected pregnancies present greater challenges when movement is limited, jobs are uncertain, and prices are higher. By maintaining pre-natal education and support, Luba’s team ensures women and their children have resources and encouragement to preserve life in difficult times.
Live Global partners at The Apple of God’s Eye persevere in providing compassionate education, care, and comfort for children. In their region, poverty leads to exploitation. For children rescued from perpetrators, Rosmari works with her husband to lead a team. They remain committed to their calling despite lockdowns in the children’s homes, diminishing food supplies, and additional health requirements. Women faithfully provide for the spiritual, physical, educational, emotional, and mental health needs of children taking refuge in a ministry defying the local belief that a girl’s life is a burden.
God Uses Courageous Women
In one region where women have little worth, eight courageous females took a risk. These mothers, sisters, and daughters committed to training to serve others in Jesus’ name. Despite Coronavirus assaulting their already conflict-ridden countries, these women stepped up to grow as leaders and servants. They want to share hope for eternal life in a time when people fear death more than usual.
When you live in a war-torn land, you learn, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth,” (Psalm 145:18). One woman N explained, “My life vision is to help as many young women in our country as possible to develop a healthy self-image according to the Bible. I know that I will be confronted with many challenges when trying to help a young woman to be set free. But I trust in our strong Savior.”
God moves through courageous women who hope in Him to reach those who need to hope in Him.
God Uses Hopeful Women
Some women are crying out for help in ways they never did before. Starvation visits villages causing communities to open their doors to receive relief packages of food, hygiene supplies, and blankets. Grateful for much needed and scarce practical provisions, women open their homes and hearts for the first time to hear about God’s love for them.
One woman named AA decided to follow Jesus during the global Pandemic. She shared, “I have been faithful to a religion called Buddhism. But this religion is incapable of helping me.” When another woman gave her a booklet called The Ancient Path, AA wanted to know more. After she decided to follow Jesus, she faced antagonism from family. Still, she declared, “Nothing will stop me from believing in Jesus.”
Women continue to nurture, lead, tend, feed, help, teach, and problem solve in the midst of Coronavirus.
Women continue to nurture, lead, tend, feed, help, teach, and problem solve in the midst of Coronavirus. By giving women common understanding and new awareness of worldwide needs, the thoughts of women globally turn to others around the globe.
The Gospel hasn’t gone dark during dark days. Instead, God is working in the hearts of women through the lives of women like Lorena, Esther, Damaris, Luba, Rosmari, N, and AA. As God works through His women, these Proverbs 31 shaped women are keeping late nights, rising early, stretching resources, teaching truth, leading rescue, and meeting needs. They open their hands “to the poor and reach out [their] hands to the needy,” (Prov. 31:20).
God knows the needs of women around the globe. He has cultivated their creativity, compassion, courage, and hope for such a time as this. In dark times, God uses the women of the world to share the light of Christ and bring Him glory.
Are you a creative, compassionate, courageous, and hopeful woman who loves to bring God glory globally? (We like you already!) Contact us to find out how you can meet one of the national partner women we serve or how you can start a digital profile to join our team.