Haggai leader Phengseng Moua

The COVID-19 pandemic has left economies all over the world reeling. Lockdowns, layoffs, and food insecurity have millions of people wondering how they will provide for their families.

Phengseng Moua, a Haggai leader in Laos, is one of those people.

In the months leading up to the pandemic, Phengseng and his family had invested nearly everything they had to build a ministry center in the countryside outside of the Laotian capital of Vientiane. When COVID-19 brought the economy to a standstill, the family was forced from their home in the city. The construction site for their new ministry soon became their only option for shelter.

The construction site of Phengseng’s ministry center and temporary residence.

“We had to move from the city to the countryside because we have less money and not enough to rent a room or an apartment.”

For the last month, Phengseng, his wife, and their children have lived in the unfinished building of the ministry center. Quarantining with a young family is a challenge in any location, and this family is doing so in an institutional building with no furniture and limited utilities.

Still, what many would see as a crisis, Phengseng sees as an opportunity.

Since moving to the ministry center site last month, Phengseng has continued hosting leader trainings via Zoom. And because they cannot attend their church in the city while on lockdown, Phengseng’s family has used their unfinished building to create a worship community for other families on lockdown in the countryside.

“Because of this situation, we have begun  a new group for worship on the land where we are staying. Every Sunday, I encourage them to stand and be faithful. The reason why we can stand today to continue His ministry here in Vientiane, Laos, is because of your faithfulness in praying for us. Praise the Lord for His love and mercy!”