During tumultuous times, God asks us to focus on Him and His faithfulness, rather than on our difficult circumstances. When we truly believe that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28) and that “the testing of our faith produces patience” making us “perfect and complete,” we can “count it all joy” (James 1:2-4) and give thanks even when we face various trials.

Today, we share how one MSI site leader remains thankful in the face of adversity. We hope that you will be inspired by his story!

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“It’s never easy for us to be threatened by disease. Lack of medical facilities, limited clean water, and a challenging geographical area has made it even more alarming,” Ari, one of MSI site leaders, shares in response to the government announcing that several people in their city had tested positive for Covid-19.

After learning about the positive cases, Ari travelled to several remote villages to educate the people who knew nothing about the virus and its threat. He felt the need to prepare them knowing that there would be an influx of people coming from the cities and other islands to gather for the majority faith’s religious celebration. For the last month, Ari did the best he could to inform as many people as possible about the virus and how to reduce the spread.

“So many challenges lay ahead. Our students need a new place to study. The development of our school building has been delayed and we are worried about our health. But we are learning to be thankful in everything,” he said.

Ari explains, “This is God’s work and He will finish it. It is our job to remain thankful and faithful to what He has called us to do: serving these children and their community.”