Perseverance in the Face of Adversity

Translated by Dawn Lim

People in general always complain when they face adversity and blame the circumstances, they are in for all their problems. But this is not always true. This apparently disadvantaged family, however, would never give up a learning opportunity to be self-reliant… 

A year ago, an Indian single mother, Nara (not her real name), came to the Gospel Chapel Community Center to look for a job. She has lost her job as a cleaner at a local hospital as the hospital has closed down. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak at that time, she struggled to make ends meet. Feeling helpless, she had no choice but to seek food aid from the Church. Volunteers from the Church immediately paid a visit to her house and provided some food aid for her family. There are seven members in the family, two are disabled and four are young children. To satisfy the need of such a big family, the Church applied for the 7979 Manna Food Bag on their behalf. 

Since the pandemic situation in Negeri Sembilan is getting worse, Nara has yet to be employed. As she lives in a remote area, no one would notice even if the white flag is raised. Fortunately, the volunteers from the Church have been visiting her regularly and following up with her. They noticed a clearing beside Nara’s house and came up with an idea to rear chickens and grow vegetables. The volunteers always bring along some teenagers to build chicken coops every time they visit Nara. The “small farm” is now almost completed and Nara is grateful to the Church for everything they have done for them. Since no one can predict when the pandemic will end, they hope this “small farm” can produce as much as possible. The chicken manure can be sold as fertilizer while the chickens, fruits and vegetables may either be reserved for own consumption or for sale.