Undoubtedly, this is one of many emails you have received this week regarding the spread of the coronavirus and the corresponding COVID-19 respiratory disease. We appreciate your prayers and support for Global Aid Network (GAiN) as we continue to step forward daily into the unknown. In all the uncertainty, we are leaning on Jesus and His word.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
At GAiN, we are focusing on James 1 and the challenge of considering it is pure joy to find ourselves in difficult times. Reflecting on the words of Jesus’ brother, this season is meant for us to lift up our fears and anxieties fully to the Lord, for it is our Saviour that carries our cares and burdens. We are to take comfort in knowing that through Christ we receive the strength necessary to persevere through trials, and perseverance must finish its work so that we can be mature and complete, NOT lacking anything.
So we are asking for your prayers too as we pray for wisdom, not only for ourselves but for all the work and people of GAiN that serve in Benin, Togo, Tanzania, Syria, India, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Paraguay and Thailand.
As we make difficult decisions in response to the world situation, I endeavour to reflect to you the truth of 2 Timothy 1:7, where the author reminds us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
While governments in almost all of the countries we work in have placed regulations on ministry activity, such as no public gatherings, we have also made the difficult decision to temporarily halt our international operations. Our heart is to continue to support our domestic and international staff financially through this time, so that they are safe, actively preventing the spread of the virus, and available to minister to their families, communities and churches as the coronavirus is present in each of the countries where GAiN has projects. We will be asking our international teams (120 people worldwide) to be in prayer and ready to respond to the need, country by country, as the situation evolves in the days and weeks to come, so they can be ready for the restarting of activity when appropriate.
We stand with our donors, our staff, our friends and people of the countries we serve in the face of this global crisis that affects us all. We stand in solidarity with our whole community and are ready for God to call us to what is next.
We know many of you have given financially for specific projects from water wells to humanitarian aid to evangelism activities. Thank you! We will continue to fulfill our commitments to you in the coming months.
Our priority at this moment is to make sure our staff are; first and foremost cared for and second, ready to respond as God leads us to respond to unique situations as it unfolds in the countries we are called to work in. In order to press into the unknown, we can trust in an all-knowing God who has promised to be with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9).
This is not an appeal for funds, however, if you wish to join us in supporting our teams to stay ready to respond we would be grateful in this time of uncertainty.
We are together in this and want to encourage you to love others by taking wise steps to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. To ensure the protocols set by federal and provincial governments are being practiced, our head office has been working remotely from their homes as of Monday. For those staff that come into the office or need to leave their homes, we have encouraged them to practice social distancing and proper hand washing techniques.
Many of us will need to self-isolate at some point and we encourage you to build community in whatever ways you can. Next week, we want to invite all of you to join our weekly prayer and worship time because as Proverbs reminds us “an anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Proverbs 12:25). This will be a time for a devotion led by a GAiN staff member and a time of corporate prayer. If you would like to be put on the invite list to join us for prayer and community each Wednesday morning at 10:00 am PST, please click the link below, fill out the form and we will send you the connection details.
YES, I WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF THIS!
Let me close by reminding you that we desire to journey with you! If you would like to speak with someone from GAiN or would like someone to pray with you, please email us at admin@globalaid.net and one of our staff will get back to you within 24 hours.
Please join me in prayer without ceasing for these extraordinary times.
Ray Sawatsky
CEO & Executive Director
Global Aid Network (GAiN)
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