Hope in The Midst of COVID-19 @tag1>
Discover how you are sharing God’s love and meeting people’s needs around the world in response to COVID-19. @tag2>
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, God has used your generous support to share His love and meet people’s needs in some remarkable ways.
Spanning more than 55 nations—including the United States, Panama, Spain, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe—your efforts have reached those who are hurting and looking for answers.
Through it all, we have watched God use this challenging time to open new doors of ministry and help us meet people’s needs in response to COVID-19.
Full Carts and Thankful Hearts
COVID-19 has greatly affected the lives of so many, but it has particularly impacted senior citizens. Staying safe has meant they have less interaction with their friends and family, and it has forced them to take care of more things on their own.
That’s why we have wanted to be there to help lighten the load. Through our partnership with Christ Fellowship Church in Southern Florida, you have shared the love of Christ and supplied hundreds of seniors with free groceries.
One precious woman came to the grocery store in desperation, saying to herself, If there is toilet paper for me, I will know for sure there is a God. That day, she walked through the doors to find the team members waiting to fill up her cart with everything she needed—including food, necessities and, yes, toilet paper.
Surprised and overwhelmed, she burst into tears and thanked the team over and over again. God went out of His way to show how much He loved her, and He used you to do it.
We surprised another recipient at the checkout counter. Her basket was full, but she wasn’t sure if her food stamps would cover the cost. She had just used her grocery money to pay for a new car battery. When we told her that we wanted to pay for her groceries, she began to cry because it meant she could pay for all of the food in her basket.
Maybe best of all, our team was able to share a quick message with each shopper—that God loves and cares about them.
One gentleman, upon receiving his free groceries and hearing why we did it, broke down and said it was the first time in his life that he truly knew that someone loved him. And that makes it all worth it.
It seemed like just another day. But in the midst of the pandemic—in the check-out line of a grocery store in Southern Florida—you helped provide the miracle they needed.
Bringing Hope to Women in Spain
In recent months, through our partnership with Fiet Gratia in Spain, we have been amazed by the new opportunities through our COVID-19 outreaches to bring hope and critical relief to women and girls living in forced prostitution.
For the first time ever, brothel and club owners have allowed the women—many of whom have children—to come out and personally receive our care packages filled with food, protective kits and hygiene items.
In addition, the ministry teams have been able to hand out cards with information about how they can get help. An unprecedented number of girls have reached out and many have also opened their hearts to Christ and the freedom only He can offer.
These girls in Spain are just some of the thousands you are helping through our Project GRL initiatives worldwide. In the midst of the pandemic, you have given them hope and, in many cases, the ability to start a whole new life.
Super-Sized Help in Brazil
The economic impact of the coronavirus in Brazil has been particularly devastating. Like most nations, the poor have been hit the hardest. The bleak conditions have also given rise to an entirely new demographic referred to as “the new poor”—those who have lost their jobs or businesses as a result of the pandemic.1
In the midst of this uncertainty, you have brought hope and a lot of help to families in need.
Through our partnership with ILAN Church and the Rio Dream Center, you have provided more than 44,000 pounds of food, making it possible for thousands of people to make ends meet. You have also distributed over 700 kits filled with food and vital necessities for those who need it the most.
In cooperation with Chad Daniel Ministries, you have fed more than 100 families for an entire month. You supplemented these meals with a super-sized helping of spiritual support, blessing every family with copies of Joyce’s books, where they can read God’s Word in Portuguese.
We also teamed up with the Bello Group to help local churches distribute 480,000 meals along with Joyce’s books to 2,000 families.
“Thank you for all of the help and support you have provided us in Brazil,” Pastor David Suassuna said. “In these moments when we are facing difficult situations regarding health and unemployment, we have been so blessed by the books, food and resources. Thank you for all you’ve done to help our country…to help our families and churches. God bless you!”
These efforts in the United States, Brazil and Spain are just some of the many outreaches you have made possible worldwide. For instance, in Sri Lanka, we have partnered with Progressive Media to provide food for hundreds of families on the outskirts of the city. In Zimbabwe, you have made it possible to supply more than 1,000 packages of food to the most vulnerable families in lockdown. And in Nepal, more than 115 families each received over 80 pounds of rice, oil, vegetables and other necessities.
Your Light Is Shining
During a time when the world has been searching for answers, you have been there to share God’s Word and reach out with an encouraging message. You have provided spiritual support through Joyce’s podcasts, articles, devotionals, Bible studies, social media posts and her special teachings on Facebook Live.
Along with other outlets like Joyce’s Enjoying Everyday Life TV program, you have brought the hope of Jesus Christ right into people’s homes at a critical time.
The response has been overwhelming. Since this past April, over 2 million people have visited our website to access the Word of God and Joyce’s teachings. And best of all, more than 200,000 of them have given their lives to Christ!
Whether it’s in the United States, Italy, Japan, Lebanon or Peru, we have watched God take this unprecedented situation and work it out for the good of so many (see Romans 8:28).
In response to COVID-19, you have made it possible to:
- Bring critical relief to more than 55 nations
- Provide over 3.8 million meals
- Distribute protective equipment to more than 35,000 people
- Partner with over 80 organizations worldwide
- Share the hope of Christ with millions
- Provide relief to families in 19 states in America
- Provide more than 114,000 meals through the St. Louis Dream Center