“We had only rice provided by the state government nothing else and we were having only rice for many days. I was concerned how to feed my family during this lockdown period. I am a daily wage labourer. During this time, our pastor came with a bag and told me this is for your family from our brothers and sisters from Mennonite church Rajnandgaon (a congregation of Mennonite Church in India). When we opened the bag, it was full with groceries and other necessary items we needed the most. We were in need and God provided our need.”—Rahul, a member of Mennonite Church, Kanker

“The grocery items were enough for many days.”—Mrs. Ashrita Dyal, member of Mennonite Church, Kusumkasa, a 69-year-old widow who lives by herself.

“We were going through hard times, we needed food, and our need was met by our brothers and sisters in Christ.”—Pastor Rohit Markam, an independent church pastor in Bhanupratappur.

There are many stories like these. God does this when we open our hearts to kindness.

As a church, we have been asking the Lord to give us sensitivity to care for people around us in this time of pandemic. With a small amount, we planned to meet the immediate needs of our brothers and sisters located in villages who are without work during the lockdown. The state government is providing only rice, so we thought of providing other food items and other necessary items of daily use. We requested the pastors of Mennonite congregations located in village areas to visit and find out about families who are in need. This small effort has met the need of 67 families.

The best thing that happened to us is that we protected our hearts from getting cold towards the needs of people around us.

—Vikal Pravin Rao, Mennonite Church in India, Rajnandgaon, India

This testimony is part of the Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship resource for 2021.

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