Channary and Arun held each other as they prepared to do the unthinkable.
After COVID-19 swept South Asia, the couple had been struggling to find income and food to keep their family afloat. Left hopeless and starving after many months of searching, Channary and Arun agreed that the only option remaining was to mix a deadly poison into their family’s last meal, so they wouldn’t have to watch their beloved children die a slow and painful death.
Just as they were about to serve this last supper, Arun told his wife to wait—he needed a little bit longer to emotionally prepare. This hesitation saved their lives.
A short time later, there was a knock at the door.
Upon opening it, Arun was shocked to see a group of local Send Relief partners holding emergency food rations of rice, beans, flour, chickpeas and lentils—an entire week’s worth of food!
Arun and his wife burst into tears. They had been saved within moments of taking theirs and their children’s lives in an irreversible act of desperation.
Millions of families in South Asia faced the same harrowing plight during the pandemic, and many were forced to leave their homes and jobs in the city to return to rural villages where resources are even less accessible.
“As we and other believers entered home after home, we saw people fall to their knees crying, so thankful that someone had brought food for their families,” said the local partners who helped distribute emergency rations and who also work as IMB missionaries in the area. “We are so thankful to be His hands and feet during this time.”
After receiving this miraculously timed gift, Arun and Channary were both told the life-changing story of Jesus and prayed to accept Him as their Savior that day. Today, they are being discipled by local believers and are hoping to share the gospel with their home village after COVID restrictions are lifted.
Thank you for saving lives through the gift of food—by meeting the physical needs of hurting families in their times of crisis, you are leaving a legacy of love in nations across the globe.
Published April 22, 2021