Earlier this year, DOOR International received many reports of Deaf people and families suffering from a lack of food as many lost their jobs due to the lockdowns and economic challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
God put a call to action on the hearts of DOOR leadership, and we shared that call to action with you. You heard this call, and your generous response was a big answer to prayer! You have blessed many Deaf people and families with your gift. DOOR missionaries have been working to bring food to families in need.
Recently, we received word that Deaf schools were also suffering. Most of these schools were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but many have begun to reopen after seven months of being closed. Many of the Deaf kids were overjoyed to be back at school among their peers, because most remained isolated at home due to barriers in communication with their families and neighbors.
Often, Deaf schools are residential schools and the kids live on campus because their own homes are far away. The children at one such school in Mundika, Kenya, were missing meals because the school’s food stores were empty. They depended on donations to keep the children fed. DOOR has been sending missionaries to Mundika for the past five years to teach the children about Jesus, and there were smiles on all the children’s faces when our missionary arrived with much-needed food.
Thank you for enabling us to show the love of Christ in such a tangible way.
In Asia, a young Deaf girl named Pari* shared her joy in receiving both physical food and spiritual food from our workers there. She lives with her mom and sister in a small house. Her mother is the breadwinner because her father abandoned their family years ago. When her mom lost her job due to COVID-19, the three had no way to get more food.
DOOR provided a bag of food including grain, rice, oil and flour, and enough essential supplies to last a month to each family. The workers also shared the Good News about Jesus, reaching many who have never heard the gospel before. Pari said that this food—both physical and spiritual—has been a ray of hope in the darkness of this pandemic.
We also noticed that many Deaf people lack essential access to information. They knew that they had to follow the lockdown procedures, such as social distancing and the stay-at-home orders, but they didn’t know why. We sent out a call to the Deaf churches in Asia, encouraging them to share information and answer questions whenever possible.
We are continuing to bring food to Deaf families in both Africa and Asia, and we anticipate being able to continue feeding them for months to come.
*Name changed
