Dear FBMI Missionary Family and Friends,

Warm Greetings from Northwest Indiana!

This message will be brief out of respect for your time.  I thought “shelter-in-place” would mean a degree of rest.  On the contrary, all the work still must be done, and we now get to find new ways to care for everything.  Oh joy! It hurts my “old brain” to learn new tech every day!  When this is over, we probably won’t hear many complaints about the “daily routine.”  Ha!

It seems the whole world has gone a bit loco.  At home, we’ve been hearing a knocking for the last few days off and on and wondered where it was coming from.  Both Lana and I’ve walked around the house looking for the “visitor” (or vandal) without any success. Yesterday evening it happened again, and Lana happened to be in the front room. A squirrel was knocking on the window . . . maybe for a facemask?!

In this letter, we’d like to bring you up-to-date with regard to four developments:

  1. Pastor Wilkerson has been greatly used of the Lord to provide spiritual leadership, peace, and stability in these uncertain times. Every day at 9:00 a.m., he has a special Grace to Grow program, interviewing a wide variety of guests, including pastors, authorities in relevant fields, and civil leaders. Then at 7:00 p.m., he hosts a down-home, fireside chat with Mrs. Wilkerson and some fun guests. Special programs have also been developed by Bro. Judeh and Bro. Torres for the teens. We hope you can tune in on The Key radio station at https://thekeyfm.com/. Hopefully, these will help those suffering from “cabin fever.”
  2. President Trump and his Coronavirus Task Force held another briefing this weekend. The accurate perspective from his office and from his expert advisors is always a source of hope. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-vice-president-pence-members-coronavirus-task-force-press-briefing-20/
  3. Based on their ongoing analysis, the CDC released some important new guidance on April 4.
    1. For all individuals: Even those who feel well are now encouraged to wear hand-made, two-layer, cloth masks when going out. This is for the protection of all. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html?deliveryName=USCDC_2067-DM25135
    2. For faith-based leaders: There are now more clarified suggestions to minimize the risk of transmitting the COVID-19 infection, influenza, and other such viruses. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/index.html? deliveryName=USCDC_2067-DM25135
  4. Finally, folks might be searching for more guidance on reducing their risk of infection and on strengthening their immune system. Both of these articles were written for at-risk populations, but the principles apply for everyone.
    1. Reducing the risk of infection: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/faqs-what-you-should-know-about-covid-19-and-chronic-medical-conditions/
    2. Strengthening the immune system: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-can-i-help-my-immune-system-perform-at-its-peak/

Finally, it’s not surprising that we’re seeing a common thread of anxiety and fear in the words and behavior of those around us. This is the hour, dear missionary friends, to lift up the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.  Ours is a message of love, joy, peace, and hope.  This week I’ve been meditating on the following verse and the context of that great and true account. “And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” (Genesis 41:16) The solution for Pharaoh’s anxiety was truth from God. May we be channels of God’s blessings.

We hope these resources are helpful.  Please know that we love you and are praying for you.

Bro. Siemer on Behalf of Bro. Bosje and Your FBMI Home Office Family