Not to be outdone by Pastor Wilson, Philip has also been distributing food to people who are starving because of the lockdown in India, which is much more severe than ours and, unlike here, there is very little government support.  Philip wirites

"We have given two masks,hand wash and  RS 100 package of vegetables to our special needs children and some patients - every month we gave a small pension".

Rs.100 is just over £1.  £1 to keep a family going for a month - that sounds like a bargain!

7

We have had another email from Pastor Wilson.  He writes:

Respected Bro. Edmund Sir,
Praise the Lord!
I write down some very urgent needs to some patients. Please read and take a favourable action if possible..
God bless you all. Remember in prayers.

 1.Pastor Mohan .His village name is kandamthitta. 50 Years old. He is a heart patient. Three time faced in heart attack. But not died. He is living now.  But  many time he faced blood clotting problem. Once in a month he needs 7000 rupees (£77) for the injection. From  2020 March, April May  not take that injection because lack of money. If somebody will help then pastor will live some more years and doing Gospel work. Please pray and help him.

2.Mr. Raju. He is a believer his living place is  Koliyakode. He was autorikshaw driver. He is now affected by a kidney problem. He needs dialysis. He take some dialysis. After no money he is in the home. Not take now the dialysis.at least he need per month for treatment a 7000 Rupees (£77). If somebody will help he will live some more years.

3.Mr. Radhakrishanan 56 years old. He was fall down when he doing coolie work.  Then his right leg is broken. Now put it steel inside. Not possible to work or anything. His family is poverty and need treatment. At least he need per month a 4000 Rupees (£44).  If somebody will help he will make happy.

4. Sister Gigi Mol. 40 years old. She is she is a pastor's wife.  Last month was held one operation to remove her uterus.  Now she take rest and further treatment. But now not possible to open the church.So no income from anywhere. Pastor is going very critical time. No food, not possible to buying medicine.Please pray and help them.

We don't the funds to help these at the moment - can anyone help?

Pastor Wilson has also sent us some video of the distribution of essential foodstuffs to people who were starving as a result of the lockdown:

One

Two

Three

Many of you will have followed with interest the informative updates we received from the ‘Travelling Trio’ during their stay in India. Sometimes though, there are ‘behind the scenes’ kindnesses that are not always known.  And this is a perfect result of one such gesture…

Kath, from Strathaven left money for the purchase of two sewing machines and Pastor Wilson sent her this email…

Praise the Lord.

Warm greetings from BGM NEYYARDAM.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE TWO TAILORING MACHINES.

1. Her name is Salini.  She is a house wife.
Her husband is a drunken man.without a  job. She have two children.
So, no peace and no income.  After receiving this machine she started tailoring and earns daily income for her family. She is give thanks to the donor. She is very happy now.

2.Miss Jesna is a young and educated lady. After her studies she is sitting in her home. With this machine we provide she started her daily income at home. Her sister and father and mother living together earn money with this machine. She is very happy and conveys her heartful thanks to donor.

With best wishes.
Pastor Wilson

Smiles all round!

In a recent post we told of Pastor Wilson's wish to feed some of the starving people in his area who have been thrown out of work by the lockdown in India, which is much worse than ours and there is no social security or employment law safety net.  Well, no sooner had we mentioned it when you, our wonderful supporters, reached for your cheque books, both here in Newport and in Strathaven, and within days we had a sizeable amount of money which we sent to Wilson. 

He was delighted, and writes:

Praise The Lord!
Very respected our Donors, Bro. Edmond ,Bro Iain ,Mrs.Kathe,
Warm greetings from BGM. Thank you very very much for your support for Covid 19 people. We distributed rice with vegetables to the very hungry people with your all donations.
It was a pleasure and happy to the people..They are convey lot of thanks and  happy to our donors.
Thanks you very much . After some people receive things they cry with their happy.
They are very very happy. 
God bless you all. Remember in prayers.

So thank you everyone for what you have done to help these poor people.

We are sure that many of our supporters regularly dip in to the Strathaven Friends of HHI (SFHHI) website, particularly if they wish to buy the very popular hand painted Leaf Cards that are especially made for us in India.

As well as receiving copies of Tidings which are distributed widely in Scotland, SFHHI also publish a newsletter in order to keep everyone updated about what is afoot, and this is particularly important during the current health crisis.  Their latest newsletter is here - read all about what they have been doing - and Kath's reflections on her trip to India.

It is very likely that many of our supporters have one of the Crafts we sell either online, in talks or at our Supporters’ events which we bring back from India or Zambia.  And it is also very likely that if you have a craft item from Zambia it came from Kafue, a small town we pass through when we travel between Monze and Lusaka.  

Today we have been told that there has been a death from coronavirus in Kafue and the town is in lockdown.  As if bereavement isn’t enough to cope with, the news is that the family of the casualty has been tested positive too. This is a tragedy for the family, friends and also the wider communit.

Although in the UK we hear daily that our wonderful NHS is under resourced, we are given hope that the necessary equipment is on its way.  Our friends in Zambia, on the other hand, are facing this crisis with very few resources both in terms of personal protection and also the essential medical equipment for treating patients.  Faced with this reality, we ask that you continue to pray for those in Zambia who are already or may soon be affected by this crisis.

India is in lockdown, but our partners are still active.  At Thanal House, Salini writes:
Social welfare Authority inform all orphanage,  not allowed visitors & not to received food, balance food.  Buy the grace of God kitchen running. 

Philip says:

In response to the coronovirus situation the Zambian Government has, like most governments, decided to close all schools throughout the country for the foreseeable future.

And once this unprecedented period of uncertainty and anxiety has passed, everyone, in particular the children and teachers who reside during term time at the remote Naanga Special Needs School, will be more than happy for life to return to normal.  

The children have already witnessed the building of the dining / multipurpose room (see Gallery) but a surprise awaits them.  They have yet to see the splendid new furniture inside made by our HHZ carpenter, builder, handyman and all-rounder - Robbie.  A very thoughtful and generous supporter funded the purchase of the materials to make the tables and chairs and also Robbie’s wages, and, as can be seen in the photo, the room is ready for use! 

Wonderful!

                          ********************************     
Prayers please                              

The coronovirus pandemic has seen school closures worldwide and Zambia is no exception.  We are reminded that this initiative is not for a ‘national holiday’ but to ensure that we stay alive and well at this critical time.  

However, for many children school is an absolute lifeline, not only in terms of preparing them for the future but, as in the case of Muumba recently, a means of accessing food during prolonged periods of hunger. 

In the meantime, we ask that you pray for all those affected by the current situation and especially for the safe return of all children to their respective schools.