Distributing Health Kits and food to Migrants at MCA
Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Please rest assured that our Russia Agape missionaries and staff are praying for you, our supporters and prayer partners, during these difficult times. It is during trials that we realize just how firm a foundation our Almighty God is! Medical Center Agape is still open and treating patients daily with compassionate medical care. We appreciate every prayer lifted up on our behalf as we press on sharing the Love of God at every single opportunity given. Praises
PRAYER MATTERS: Please pray… Agape Staff
Thank you for your prayers and continued financial support. Your monthly gifts will help to sustain us during this critical time. Moscow’s indefinite coronavirus lockdown has left the city’s vulnerable homeless population with an impossible choice — find shelter or risk paying steep fines, while facing the danger of becoming infected with a potentially deadly disease.
In many European countries, where the coronavirus has hit hard, spaces including hotels, office buildings and gymnasiums have been converted into isolation shelters for the homeless. No such measures have been taken in Russia, where anti-homeless stigma is strong — and with parks, shopping centers and train stations closed and volunteers staying home, Moscow’s homeless have few options for finding shelter and basic necessities. “The homeless have no way to self-isolate,” Daria Baybakova, the head of the Moscow branch of the Nochlezhka NGO, which operates a network of shelters in St. Petersburg and the capital, told The Moscow Times. Official statistics for Russia’s homeless population are patchy, with data from the most recent census in 2010 placing the number of people living on the streets nationwide at 65,000. Nochlezhka — or “Overnight Stay” — says the number is closer to 1 million, with the number of homeless in Moscow alone at about 80,000. That number has only increased since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Baybakova said, and there are far too few places in shelters to accommodate them all. The spread of Islam is rampant in Russia. Tens of thousands gather to worship in the center of Moscow which is now the largest Muslim city in Europe.
Russia has 4 million migrants, many living in Moscow. The country's migration policy includes plans to attract up to 10 million migrants to offset the country's declining population. They flood into Russia through scams and the promise of well-paying jobs, hoping to support their families back home. They often live in crowded conditions, twenty people in a two-bedroom apartment which means they have to sleep in shifts. Often, they have no official documents needed to receive health care or social services. Many end up homeless and die on the streets. Weekly Prayer Needs:
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