Indonesia (MNN) — Jakarta already faced crisis earlier this year when flooding ravaged the region. Although a majority of the flooding has subsided, rainfall continues to threaten Indonesia’s already-sinking capital.
And as if the weather hadn’t already taken its toll on Jakarta, the city is now “the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic in Indonesia,” according to Juserdi Purba of Asian Access. As of Friday, Indonesia had more than 10,000 cases and 800 deaths. For now, many of those cases are found in Jakarta.
Even though the flood waters have mostly subsided, these constant crises have left their mark on Jakarta’s community. Families and individuals already battling poverty had barely recovered from flooding when quarantine efforts forced them to stay home. “The lockdown in isolation hurts most the vulnerable population, and churches try to respond [to] the physical needs of the people by provid[ing] basic food and gifts to them in need,” Purba says.
Churches are doing their best to bring aid and support to their neighbors as weather and disease battle Jakarta, but even they have suffered setbacks. Last week, an Indonesian megachurch lost its sanctuary to a fire.
Plus, as the world’s economic situation continues to struggle, donations are slow to come in to many Indonesian churches. They need supporters around the world to work with them in the coming months.
(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)
Continue to pray for Indonesian churches and organizations like Asian Access. “Pray for unity,” Purba says. “Pray for the leaders to have the same heart to be a blessing to other leaders and also to be a blessing in our respective regions.”
Also, pray for the coming month of Ramadan. In the Muslim-majority country of Indonesia, it’s possible that Ramadan could drive some Muslims to be more social despite quarantine. Pray that the COVID-19 epidemic would pass quickly over Indonesia and that churches would have wisdom to reach their neighbors during Ramadan.
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Header photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Photo of Jakarta floods in 2013.
