It has been a struggle to watch this pandemic sweep across the world. It has been hard to watch my fellow Americans panic and become upset with one another for the different ways people are reacting to the lockdowns, isolation, and social distancing.

But it has been most difficult to balance the reality that the world is so much bigger than what’s posted on social media. Here in Uganda, we are less concerned with the virus itself (although the government has put some serious restrictions on movement and businesses to prevent rapid spread), and more concerned about the ramifications of all the closures and lack of movement. There is a good chance that in developing countries there will be more people effected by starvation than COVID-19.

People who typically work and live day to day, people who sell goods to buy food, people who travel to trade food – these are all restricted or eliminated activities, and people have lost the way to provide for their families.

While I know the significance of schools closing, people losing jobs, events and activities getting canceled, travel eliminated, etc. I also see hungry street kids begging for food when I walk to town to buy my groceries; I hear from my friends in the village who can’t sell their goods to buy food because the government shut down all shops other than food markets; I see people sleeping in the produce market in town because they are not allowed to travel from the village to town, so they have to stay put until lockdown is over; I hear about women and babies dying during childbirth because there is no public transportation to get to a hospital. These situations do not negate or diminish others’ concerns, stresses, or worries. I don’t share this post to put guilt or cause offense for anyone. I just want to share what’s on my heart and the concern I have for humanity around the globe. It’s easy for me to get caught up in “my own stuff,” so sometimes I need the reminder that “God so loved the world…”

A quote I recently read has really struck me: “At the beginning of all things is God, at the end of all things is God, in the midst of all things is God.”

Many people have asked how they can help. We appreciate your prayers for people suffering around the world. If you are also interested, please consider giving  to help in the midst and aftermath of this virus. You can give online HERE and we will continue to partner with those working in Uganda to help with this crisis.  Whether that’s providing food, education about preventing virus spread, or medical help, we will put the money to good use to help in this time of need.