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...those who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. (1 Pet 4:19 NASB)
Desperation and Hope
 The impact of COVID in Manila can only honestly be described as catastrophic...but not from infection.
One of the most stringent global shut-downs eliminated both public transport and employment for most of the metro area's 20M people. As the shut-down has now stretched over five months, lack of income and local food shortages are particularly hard on the poor and disabled. Here are accounts we are hearing from Manila:
" What is a new normal life for a [visually-impaired] dad like me? I need to wake up at 4 am to prepare my breakfast. Prepare my bike for selling fruits and bike around shouting all the items I have. Some subdivisions won't even allow me to enter their areas. I need to buy my stocks all by myself and with the absence of mass transportation I need to use my bike...I need to do that in noon times to ensure that I have sufficient light for my safety cause I am blind. ... Imagine your self being a Blind. Now think how will you drive a bike. Think how will you sell around? Yes. It is all for survival. I need to live I need to get going I need to continuously live despite this hard times. Keep safe to all. Let us all survive. We will?"
 "The essence of being a PWD [Person With Disability] is not just surviving an ordinary day. It is going beyond your capability to survive a day in this times of pandemic...[image of] a totally blind mom making doormat to earn for a living."
"The blind families are experiencing almost similar situations now. We have been not working for almost five months now. We tried our very best as parents but because of the very limited chances and opportunities it is so hard for us to even earn for our daily foods. My situation brought me to an edge I was sick for over a week now and was not able to sell fruits outside of our residence. It's been raining also. My rice box is almost empty and our house owner gave us a week ultimatum to settle our present rental fee. With much regrets he said it and I know that it is beyond his willful act. Almost every blind family is experiencing the same similar situation and I know that some are even worst than mine. I am writing this post not just to seek help from you but to express my fears and sorrows it is my last way of releasing this stressful situation I am into...God bless us all."
"We blinds are having a hard time. And most of us are renting. And because of losing a job, we can no longer pay for rent so we are almost being evicted by our rent." "It's really hard to have nothing to expect and expect. I hope someone can help even until we are allowed to knead [do massage therapy]." The impact on the blind disciplemakers of our sister Philippine organization has also been severe -- almost all have been furloughed or let go and are suffering hardship, as normal funding and outreach opportunities have been interrupted.
But God is at work in this, faithfully accomplishing His purposes for His glory. In the midst, we sense that He is forcing a new thing with the disciplemaking effort -- changing the way the work is both funded and carried out. We have already seen His hand in providing some specific relief funds, and in opening doors to cooperation with other ministries.
Please pray for great wisdom as we seek to effectively distribute short-term emergency relief both to the disciplemakers and the blind folk to whom they minister, and longer-term, as we look to a different funding model that will likely involve more "tentmaking" and a Christ-centered microfinance component (more on that later).
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