Heaven's Family Magazine
September 2020 Issue

Picking Up the Pieces After COVID

David Servant

COVID killed Putra’s main source of income—his job. Every day over the past six months, he’s awakened to the same haunting question: “How can I feed my family today?” You can end this horrifying cycle for Putra. With a gift of $24, you can help him feed his children—by rebooting his soap shop.

Picking Up the Pieces After COVID…

Dear Family,

Three years ago, Putra’s life bottomed out. Drugs enslaved him, robbing his family of a provider, husband and father. Praise God that his loving family forced him into a rehab center.

At first, Putra hated it there. He wanted to run for his life. But, he never got the chance. Jesus caught him first.

During rehab, Putra was transformed into a new creation. The Holy Spirit washed and renewed him. Putra’s mind and body were no longer hooked on drugs. His new addiction was Jesus Christ!

Upon graduation, Putra committed himself to a life of productive work. Never again would he let his family down.

Putra landed a job as a parking safety leader for some local restaurants in his hometown in Southeast Asia. On the side, he opened a mini gas station (selling gas by the bottle) as well as a small soap shop.

Before long, Putra’s hard work and dedication were paying off. He was able to provide for his wife and three children. And, as Putra’s hunger to know God intensified, so did his time and service in the community and his church’s small group. Putra’s light was shining ever brighter.

BUT THEN COVID HIT.

Putra’s government followed in the footsteps of other nations and shut down large parts of their economy. Many people lost their jobs. Putra was one of them. Then his tiny side businesses collapsed.

But even as the local economy fell apart around him, Putra refused to let his family starve.

As a smart, hard-working husband and father, Putra had stored up savings for a rainy day. But, before he knew it, his rainy day turned into a rainy season, and then a merciless flood. Putra’s savings were washed away as he tried to keep food on the table.

Every morning, Putra wakes up to the same haunting question: How can I feed my family today? Praying for his daily bread has never been as real as it is now.

Picture of Putra and his family - Microloan Ministry September 2020 Appeal

To stretch every cent, Putra’s family replaced meat with tofu and soybeans. Extracurricular activities and snacks became things of the past for his children.

Putra’s COVID experience over the past six months has been very different than mine, and probably yours as well.

Yes, many of our normal destinations have been off-limits. Yes, interruptions have rearranged our daily routines. And yes, some of us have lost our jobs.

But no one I know is fighting with such tenacity to put food on their table every day as Putra is. In my 35-plus years of being a father, I’ve never once run out of food, having no idea where my kids’ next meal was coming from. I live in a nation blessed with stimulus checks, payment protection plans, and other forms of aid.

But like so many of our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Putra does not. He lives in a developing nation where government aid is a whisper in the wind and very few are lucky to receive any. (Putra was one of the fortunate

ones who had some money saved up for an emergency.)

A few months ago, I sent out an urgent plea to our friends to help with COVID relief. It was because many Christians in the developing world went

from poor to desperate. Incomes crashed from $1/day to $0/day. Many thousands of people were—and still are—facing starvation. Not minor inconvenience or hunger, but deadly starvation.

Praise God that a record number of friends responded with incredible generosity! Thousands of the most desperate and starving people received life-saving meals. If you were one of those givers, I hope the photos that I sent of some of the lives you touched blessed you. (If you didn’t receive that email, please let me know.)

Now, I come to you as the world stands before a new precipice—safely reopening economies.

As Putra and many others have stretched their resources to exhaustion, I’d like to ask you for help on their behalf.

We are still dispatching urgent food relief all over the world. But as economies—like Putra’s—are reopening, we are shifting gears from aid to development.

Despite attempts, many governments failed to render aid to their starving populace. It seems even more unlikely that they can help their people reopen their businesses now. Without outside help, the situation is bleak.

So, I’d like to call upon the body of Christ—upon you. Putra is desperate to reboot and expand his soap business. (The local restaurants where he used to work may never reopen.) His economy is restarting, but he’s drained every penny to keep his children alive. Putra is willing and able but only lacks the capital. Can you help?

For $240, Putra can restart his soap business, making and selling soaps/cleaners from his home.

Putra’s not looking for a handout—he needs an opportunity to provide for his family. Heaven’s Family’s Microloan Ministry can be his answer.

AND I have incredible news. Because of some divine generosity, you have a $60,000 matching gift opportunity! Every dollar you give to this need via our Microloan Ministry will double.

For every business (like Putra’s) you help fund, you will be helping fund two businesses.

Please seek the Lord about how much He’d have you give to provide microloan opportunities for our suffering family. You can help empower them to stand on their feet again. I know this is near to His heart.

To take advantage of this special matching gift opportunity, please call our office (1-855-333-2211) or give online by credit card or PayPal. Or you can send a check with “Microloan Matching Gift” in the memo line to: Heaven’s Family, PO Box 12854, Pittsburgh, PA 15241.

COVID has knocked us all down, to one degree or another. But if the Lord has blessed you during this crisis, please consider how you can be an answer to Putra’s prayers, and the prayers of so many others like him.

Your brother in Christ,
David

P.S.  To increase the likelihood of doubling your gift, please give before September 25th. A gift of $24 (matched!) can go a long way in rebooting Putra’s soap business, empowering him to meet the needs of his wife and kids. All glory to God!

Gifts beyond what is needed for Putra’s shop will help others—just like Putra—open or restart their businesses. There is no shortage of need. How many families can you help?

I want to help! Use my gift to reboot family businesses:

$24  |   $72  |   $240  |  $2,400

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