How Has COVID-19 affected CIM Canada?
Rev. Isaac Quan
Summer is usually the busiest season for CIM Canada in terms of sending STM teams but because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, we made the decision in March to postpone all of our STM trips for the rest of 2020. Even if we had wanted to send teams, because of travel restrictions, ongoing lockdowns in various jurisdictions, and continued quarantine requirements, we could not have. In my lifetime, there has been nothing like COVID-19. It has affected every area of life and even though some regions are slowly opening up the economy, cases continue to surge worldwide. At the time of writing, there are over 12 million confirmed positive cases worldwide and over 500,000 deaths. In the USA alone, there are over 3 million confirmed cases and 130,000 deaths; in some states, numbers continue to grow rapidly.
Since news of the virus came to light at the end of 2019, we still do not know much about it. Long thought to have originated at a wet market in Wuhan, China through bats in December 2019, Spanish virologists have now announced that they found traces of the virus in waste water collected in March 2019. Italian scientists have found evidence of the virus in sewage samples in early December 2019, and experts have found traces in Brazil in November.
What we know of the virus changes constantly, even hour by hour. From the time I write this to the time that you read it, many things that we know about the virus may have changed. That is why it is classified as a novel coronavirus; it is new by definition. Our world has changed forever, from the way we interact with each other, our eating habits, going to church, and yes, even missions.
What can we do now?
Our focus has always been on cross-cultural missions.
This will not change.
We will share the gospel to all, but the reason we exist is the global mission of God, which at this point and time for CIM Canada, are to the rural villages in Ghana and Togo, and to the Roma people group. People have asked what they can do right now to help CIM Canada. There are a few things that come to mind:
Pray for God’s guidance and direction as we navigate the uncharted waters of this pandemic. Pray for healing and protection for those who have been affected by COVID-19. Pray that the gospel message continues to be preached to the villages and people groups that we would be ministering to cross culturally.
Consider donating financially to the ministries of CIM Canada. As of right now, our Roma Ministry Fund as well as our Village School Fund are now in the negative. These funds are used primarily to support Roma church pastors and village school teachers in Ghana. This is a tough time financially for people world wide but especially so in the areas we minister to, where teachers and church planters are having trouble feeding their families and paying rent for accommodations. Your donations would go a long way in helping these teachers, pastors and church planters get through this pandemic and continue caring for their communities.