Reaching out to a Quarantined Community

“Drop a tea bag in hot water and you’ll see what comes out,” is what Pastor Fidel, one of my mentors, said to me one time. “You don’t see what is inside a tea bag until it’s dropped in hot water.” The COVID-19 worldwide threat is the biggest cup of hot water this generation has ever been dropped in.

What’s coming out in many places around the world are heroic examples of creative service. One example is a missionary couple in South Africa. Melanie and Andrew Mokgatla, sent from Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, are a great case study. The Mokgatla’s stay very connected to their sending church who has encouraged all of its congregation to be about in their communities doing good. As missionaries who have been sent to minister among “the least of these” among the nations, they’ve taken this call to action from their church to heart. Here’s what they’ve posted on Instagram recently:

One day before total lockdown in South Africa

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GROW Ministry is based on doing life with others, mentoring gatherings and community-life. We are feeling vulnerable today as we make last contacts with those we mentor for at least the next 21 days. In our world, not everyone has access to cell phone data or internet- which is the case for most of our Mentees – therefore the tech-connection most are implementing is not an option. So today we drop off a small care package for these guys and say ‘We’ll be praying for you. See you on the other side of this.’
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In order to facilitate generosity, we gave our Mentees a second basket of supplies to give away. We’ve encouraged them to think of someone in their community that needs this support and use this as a way to share God’s love. This is not a time to think about only ourselves but those around us too. #letsbegenerous
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The note in the basket reads:

Join us in prayer… We’re praying every day for these four things:

1. That the Covid-19 pandemic would stop
2. Wisdom for government and community leaders
3. For the love of Jesus to be shared
4. For protection and provision for our nation now and beyond this pandemic
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Thank you @shadesmtn for the inspiration of this prayer list – we’re praying alongside you. #406prayer .
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Thank you to all who have donated to our work this year. Those gifts have gone to things like these baskets and the mentoring strategy that’s behind our work. We couldn’t do this without you, our partners. Bless you and please pray for us!
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#growministrycpt #covid_19
#prayer #livesent

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Many of us have good infrastructure while we shelter at home. We work remotely, do meetings online using apps like FaceTime, Skype, and Zoom. But multitudes around the world that aren’t connected, can’t jump in the car and drive to the grocery store, and, as they shelter in place, depend on the goodness and actions of those sent by our churches to not only bring the gospel, but bring practical, daily necessities. This is a shining example set by one Shepherd Staff missionary couple.

They’ve also used their time of sheltering in place to improve their own information infrastructure. Check out their newly made-over website.

» Follow the Mokgatlas on Instagram
» Visit their missionary page
» Check out their sending church