Alexander HarveyA few months ago, the world paused.
Airports emptied. Schools closed. Streets fell quiet. Nations went into lockdown. And for the first time in a generation, a single crisis touched every continent, every economy, every home.
In the face of COVID-19, many of us find ourselves asking: What now? How do we continue serving when everything feels uncertain? How do we move forward when the world seems to be standing still?
At Equipping Hope, those questions met us right in the middle of our calling.
When Programs Pause
In early 2020, our tailoring apprenticeships were in full swing. Our English classes were filled with students eager to learn. We were preparing for expansion, dreaming about Seeds of Hope, planning for future cohorts, and strengthening our local team in Nyarugusu.
Then the pandemic hit.
Health guidelines changed. Movement was restricted. Group gatherings were paused. What had once been steady rhythms of progress and instruction became a waiting game with no clear finish line.
And yet, something deeper began to emerge.
Faith in the Waiting
For many of our team members, students, and supporters, the sudden silence of lockdown became an invitation: to lean into prayer. To reflect. To remember who holds our future.
We’ve never claimed to be the solution to every problem in the camp. But we’ve always tried to be faithful, to show up, listen, and act when and how God leads.
During COVID, that meant slowing down. Praying more. Writing words of encouragement. Checking in with our local staff, not just as colleagues, but as family.
And it meant remembering that ministry isn’t always about movement. Sometimes, it’s about stillness.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
A God Who Doesn’t Stop
In the middle of a global crisis, the temptation is to believe that everything is on hold — that progress has stalled, that good work is no longer possible, that impact must wait.
But our God is not bound by circumstance.
He is the same in a sewing classroom or a quarantine shelter. The same in the planning and the pivoting. The same in the sending and the staying still.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” — Romans 12:12
Looking Ahead in Hope
Now, as the world slowly reopens, we move forward not with fear, but with faith.
We’ve learned that ministry can happen even in lockdown. That presence still matters even when it looks different. And that God often moves most deeply when the world is quiet.
We don’t know what the next year will hold. But we know who holds us. And with that assurance, we will continue to serve wherever He leads.
With faith that endures,
The Equipping Hope Team