Swati might be young, but she will remember this year for the rest of her life.
In India, where Swati lives, she followed the news of the COVID-19 pandemic as it went from bad to worse. Hospitals and crematoriums were filling up so quickly that most people were turned away in their times of desperation.
“Some people chose to build makeshift crematoriums, while others were forced to drop the bodies of their loved ones in the river,” said ReFrame Ministries’ Hindi ministry leader in India.
COVID-19 in India
It’s impossible to know just how many people have died from COVID-19 in India during the past year, but for Swati the number that matters most is two—the number of family members she lost.
When Swati’s uncle and father died, she lost not only two close family members, but what was left of her support system. Still a young adult and an only child, Swati had no job, and her mother had died a year earlier. With very few Christians to talk to, she felt paralyzed about her next steps in life.
“The second wave of COVID-19 infections caused irreparable damages to numerous families,” said ReFrame’s Hindi ministry leader.
While Swati and many others like her were picking up the broken pieces of their lives, she found comfort in some of the audio and video programs produced by ReFrame’s partners in India.
A Prayer Warrior
Vidyut, who works with ReFrame in India, is known in his neighborhood as a Christian leader and prayer warrior. During the pandemic, he’s been working hard to record new programs, answer online questions, and even pass food out to people in his community.
When Swati reached out for help to the staff at the radio program she follows, Vidyut offered to lead a prayer meeting with her and some of her loved ones.
What’s more, Vidyut connected Swati to a family of Christians nearby who had also lost loved ones during the pandemic. Vidyut taught these new Christians how to lead their own family prayer time using biblical programs and devotions that Reframe supporters have made possible.
Today, Swati continues to worship with this family. And while she still has a long road ahead, she is no longer alone. She has a family in Christ who knows much of the pain she is experiencing. She has biblical programs on her phone that will help her focus on Christ’s birth this Christmas.
—Brian Clark, ReFrame Ministries
