Shelter-In-Place
ANDREY IVANOV, Yekaterinburg
“For someone who does not have
personal experience with the coronavirus,
it is difficult to understand those who have become infected.”
About 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul wrote: “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, so that they would seek God…” (Acts 17:26-27).
This spring, mankind came to sense that the world is not very big and that we are one family. Unfortunately, it is often the case that there must be a crisis in our lives in order for us to seek God.
The pandemic changed the normal lives of people all over the world. Quarantine isolated us and strict hygienic regulations were mandated. With such restrictions, many people lost their jobs, their peace of mind, and their hope for the future.
PHOTO: After being in an isolation room in the hospital for two weeks, Andrey set out to distribute food supplies to families in need. The immunity gained through his own illness was now of great benefit.
This situation has been a great challenge for the Church, but the Church that knows its Savior and the word of God is equipped for situations like this. May we recognize and use every opportunity to proclaim the gospel in a practical way and offer help to people.
Families in great need
Due to the restrictions during the pandemic, families who already had many existing difficulties found themselves in unprecedented distress.
In almost all the families we have helped,
the parents lost their jobs and entire source of income.
With poor health already a factor, coronavirus posed quite a threat to many.
We spent a lot of time visiting families and delivering aid. The children and parents depended on the food we brought.
We spent one day a week counseling ones by phone. Additionally, we worked alongside people from the AIDS center and took medicine to those who are HIV-positive but could not leave their homes.
"We believe that at times like this,
many hearts will turn to Christ
and people's destinies will change."
PHOTO: Many birthday parties were held in the shelter homes during the Corona period. There was no need to postpone them due to social distancing requirements because the party guests lived under the same roof!
Forty people quarantined in the shelter home for weeks
The coronavirus also posed challenges to our shelter home. The shelter-in-place mandate began on March 23. It meant that 26 children, ages 3-19, and four mothers in rehabilitation could not leave the shelter home premises.
The staff stayed on site around the clock. My wife Natasha and I moved into the shelter home with our family to offer support.
The children's school classes were moved online.
Some did their work by email, others by video. Our staff helped the children with getting connected and homework from morning to night.
Our children and teens quickly became proficient in using the Internet for school assignments, participating in church youth events, and socializing with friends on Zoom!
Being together in these exceptional circumstances, the children learned order, discipline, time management, and responsibility for their own lives. In the midst of it all, the home’s Bible studies and prayer meetings became spontaneously longer.
"Our prayer is that we
would learn to look at things
through the eyes of God
and to see opportunities instead of problems!"
