April 2020
“God is still on the throne, and He will remember His own;
Though trials may press us and burdens distress us, He never will leave us alone.”
Dear Friends in Christ,
I pray that this letter finds each of you doing well. Many of us have been confined to our homes for over a month now due to the Coronavirus, which has spread throughout the whole world. People are very concerned about their health, the unstable economy, and unemployment. With all this anxiety and uncertainty about the future, the line of song above came to my mind: “God is still on the throne, and He will remember His own…” While fear and frustration may overtake many people, we who trust in the Lord can remember Psalm 91:1-2, ”He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”
During this time of global pandemic, IEM continues to minister and spread God’s love to the people of India. On March 24th the Indian government ordered a 21-day lockdown in which all shops, offices, and churches were closed. As you can imagine, this has caused much stress and suffering among the people, especially the poor. The lockdown has been extended into May.
The pandemic also impacted the summer ministry of our Bible College students. As you know, each year we send them to minister in northern India. This is an opportunity for them to apply what they have learned at our Bible College through practical mission projects in their home states. However, after they began their journey to the north, the government declared the lockdown. Please pray these students will remain safe and healthy and be able to return to IEM in June.
Some of our evangelists and pastors have told us that many of their worshippers have been greatly impacted. This is especially true in our churches in the slum areas of Mumbai. As God provides, we are in the process of helping as many as we can by implementing a care package relief program to provide needed food supplies to families impacted by the shutdown. Please pray that God will provide for these suffering families and use IEM to be a blessing during this difficult time.
Thankfully, thus far our students, children, staff, and believers have been spared from any illness. We continue to pray for all of them. This is normally a quiet time on our campus before the school year starts again in June, and we are praying the danger will be mitigated by that time. We will make a decision in May regarding the start of the new school year.
Thank you very much for your love and concern for the people of India. We are so blessed to be partners with you in fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord. May God bless you and keep you all safe and in good health.
With Much Love,
G.V. Mathai