In a secret garage somewhere in Asia, there are 100 packages ready to be distributed. “These are going to pastors and partners who are being sidelined and ignored,” an Open Doors local partner, Hana*, says. “Each parcel is a point of hope and mercy for their communities. They contain enough food and soap to get families through at least two months. We have planned a few dozen more of these distributions.”
Hana’s work has to be done in secret. She and everyone else involved in these distributions are at great risk of being imprisoned by the authorities, who don’t want the world to know what is really happening in their country. “Our government does try to help people in need,” Hana says. “But some of our most remote communities have been neglected when they were identified as Christians. We distribute this aid to the Christian pastors and leaders so that they have the energy to cope with what is at hand.”
There is an added risk in these special circumstances. By going on the road, the workers are at risk of catching the virus themselves. “They wear gloves and self-made masks,” Hana says. “In the vocational training centers that Open Doors supports, the women knitted a lot of facial masks. After we had to send them home because of the virus outbreak, they continued to produce masks for the teams. Unfortunately, we don’t have any protective suits, but we do sanitize the bags and the cars. We trust God. He has done so much for us.”
According to Hana, it’s also important to explain to remote Christian communities how they can combat coronavirus. “We not only give them food but also a quick presentation from a distance on safety and hygiene protocols to encourage them to stay safe and act smartly at this uncertain and confusing time,” she says. “However, it is very painful to see how our people have been neglected and ignored because of their Christian faith.”