Blog: Corona Emergency Aid

We write this blog to bring current attention to the incredible plight of people in India - and how we can help.

Church in India: distibution actions / gallery

Wednesday, 07 July 2021

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Corona-Emergency Aid. What does a "normal" day look like for our church staff members? We have ordered all the staff members to stay at home due to the increased danger of infection. This is hard for many of them to accept, but their health and lives are very important to us. In spite of all the precautionary measures, we have already lost 25 church members to Corona.

The day begins at 3 am. The vegetables have to be washed, cut and prepared. From 4 am we start to cook, everything must be ready by 7 am. After a short breakfast we start packing: Rice, vegetables, fried rice flour chips (Appalam), pickles and once a week sweets and also a bottle of mineral water. We do not want people, especially those living on the streets, to get infected with unclean drinking water.

First the food distribution begins in front of the church, and partly at the second kiosk on the old Mose compound, punctually at 12 midday. From 11 am the people are already queuing at the marked out places with masks, social distancing and using disinfection fluids. In only 45 minutes we hand out 500 bags of food! We could easily distribute 2,000 bags ... but there are others in need at other locations or in other States, many of them under even worse conditions. In Trichy since May we have been handing out between 700 and 1,500 portions daily.

Then we continue onto the streets. We take the food to where the people are and also distribute toothbrushes and soap. Whilst the food distribution is taking place on the streets, a team back at the office takes care of the purchases for the next day: Rice, vegetables, oil, salt, sugar, flour etc.

The police officers who are on duty in the burning heat also get involved in helping us and we provide them with water and fruit.

At 5 pm the staff members at the church all meet (we wear two masks over each other, keep our distance and use disinfection means) for prayer and a team de-briefing. At 10 pm we make our way home, totally exhausted, but full of joy. Joy for each person that we could help. At 5 am the next day we start with joint prayer, whilst the cooking team has already been working for two hours.

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house: when you see him naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily, your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry, and He will say. Here I am." (Isaiah 58: 6–9)

Distribution action in Trichy