Indian Christians suffering greatly in COVID-19 wave; “Please Pray for India”

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The International Christian Concern organization has called on the global Church to pray for Christians in India who are suffering greatly, fighting to survive amid a devastating wave of COVID-19 that is tearing through the country. “As members of the global Church, we must bear this burden as our own. Please join ICC in praying for India and all those suffering due to the current COVID-19 crisis,” ICC said in a report.

Monitoring the situation of Christians in India, ICC has heard from local pastors about the suffering of believers there. Pastor Mangilal, who leads a rural congregation in India’s Madhya Pradesh state, reported on the need to ration corn he harvested six months ago to feed his family and about how sickness has affected them. “I was down with fever and cough for more than two weeks now,” Pastor Mangilal told ICC. “During these two weeks, I was admitted in a private hospital for five days, but I was unable to continue in that hospital because I couldn’t pay. I returned home with some medicines, but now my son has developed a fever and cough. This is unending trouble.”

“It has been a year since we had to shut down the church due to the pandemic,” Pastor Mangilal added. “There was a complete halt of all spiritual activities. Forty of my church congregates have fallen sick with fever and cold. I suspect that most of them are infected by COVID-19.” Nevertheless, the pastor has been teaching his congregation to endure these trials: “I want to pray and be hopeful for God’s providence,” he said.

Another pastor from Madhya Pradesh told ICC that he and his family all contracted the virus. “Early detection of the infection is the only reason we are alive today,” Pastor Paramanda Lanjwar said. “We have at least two to three dead bodies going out of our neighborhood every day. We are thankful for God’s grace to us. It has been a scary situation to know how rapidly the infection is spreading. People are struggling without food and medicine, no one is coming to our aid.”

Fighting a surge in the virus, India reported over 400,000 cases in a single day last week, ICC said. Moreover, daily numbers are thought to be even higher than reported, given the difficulty in collecting data. The healthcare system has been overwhelmed. ICC has requested for India and all those suffering.

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