SAMS is sharing missionary updates about ways ministry is adapting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many missionaries are already called to areas of great need, and those needs are increasing in light of the pandemic. We invite you, as you are able, to provide these dioceses and communities resources through the SAMS World Relief Fund. More information is on our website.
[Video Transcript Below]
We have four shelters that care for about 150 children. I received a video from one of the administrators, that showed the Ministry of Health in Honduras talking about the first two cases of COVID-19. Shortly thereafter, like a couple days later, the country went on lockdown. It was very frustrating for me whenever I heard that the government had completely shut down. And I thought to myself, “They’re not going to die because of COVID. They’re going to die from hunger”.
For example, we have a case of a mother who prepares tortillas and she sells tortillas for the neighborhood. Well, under COVID 19, she can’t do that. So whatever little living she could provide for her family, it’s gone. She can’t do it. And that’s where we really felt like we needed to come in so that we can at least provide for food. So I became very concerned and, I, I’m always communicating with the administrators.
So I started a group chat with them in about how could we help them out? One of the shelters is in the mountains, which is a more remote area, and therefore not as affected by COVID-19. But they had the same lockdown as everybody else. The administrator of that shelter said that he and his wife and his family would prepare meals. And have the families come and get a prepared meal to take home. Because the country’s in lockdown, it was interesting trying to figure out how could they provide food for the children. I am so proud also of our young graduates. Some of our graduates participate and help each of the shelters buy food and put it in bags to provide for one or two weeks of meals. And we really have seen God at work in many ways.
We have an administrator that has diabetes and she has an elderly mom, so she was really scared to go out. So we brainstormed, and we thought about a graduate from that neighborhood. And it’s, it’s a slummy kind of neighborhood, and it’s kind of a dangerous neighborhood. And, this young lady who graduated with us from high school two years ago and it’s now going to university and working also volunteered to go ahead and go get the keys from the shelter. Her mom is a cook at the shelter, so the two of them, they like got it together to be able to get the food.