Just before Easter, I moved my family into my church’s rectory that had in recent years been declared ‘unfit for human habitation’. 

 Our church was told it would be an impossible task to restore it from its state of advanced decay to a functional abode, so we should just wrap it in mothballs and move on to more achievable projects.  

But our community saw the potential.  

Over the last year, a lot of effort from volunteers, some smart manoeuvring to secure finance and—most of all—God’s kindness has meant that a crumbling old relic has been restored to her 1860s glory. Even better now because she has indoor bathrooms!  

On Palm Sunday, we thanked God for this work of restoration—something that had once seemed impossible had been achieved through the generosity of his people.

Restoration is hard, but never impossible with God. 

Lives Restored 

A rectory is just a house. How much more delightful is it when God uses us to restore things that are far more precious in his sight—relationships, communities, and people?

The work of Baptist World Aid, together with our local Christian Partners and supporters, brings wholeness from brokenness in a profound and God-glorifying way. And unlike houses, people are active, enthusiastic participants in the restoration of their lives and communities. It’s a joy to be part of this work.

In a rural village in southern Nepal, Jagmati is working with our local Christian partners to bring fullness of life to her community—she’s working to make sure everyone has access to education, income opportunities and community support so that future generations don’t face the injustice she did from birth.

During my childhood, I had nothing in mind about my future. I only thought about supporting my parents’ livelihood and abiding by the decisions they made for my future.

Being a girl born into a Dalit family, the so-called ‘untouchable’ caste, Jagmati never received an education, and was married at 15. It wasn’t a happy marriage as her husband became an abusive alcoholic. His destructive behaviour damaged Jagmati’s wellbeing in every way, including her attempts at creating a secure economic stream—he would squander any small income she managed to earn. Jagmati was in an impossible situation, overwhelmed by poverty and hardship. 

But God intervened to bring about an incredible restoration.  

Jagmati joined our local Christian Partner’s program and learned skills in farming, animal care and business management.

With these in hand, she was able to develop and grow a steady and diverse income stream.  

And, incredibly—with the support of friends made through our Partner’s programs— Jagmati confronted her husband about his behaviour, and his drinking and abuse stopped. Now they work together to tackle poverty and injustice in their community. 

Nothing is Impossible for God

Several of our programs, including the program helping Jagmati and her community, are supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). Working together, we can see that the impossible was never really impossible. It just looked that way because Jagmati was being held back by poverty, isolation and discrimination.  

When we remove the barriers that stand in the way of people like Jagmati, incredible things can happen. 

The prophet Jeremiah records God’s word to his people during a hard season of rebuke. God promised to one day restore them after the Babylonians had destroyed everything they valued. It seemed impossible, but God said, ‘I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?’ (Jeremiah 32:27)

God is good, kind and powerful. He can change impossible situations, and graciously invites you to partner with him in this for his glory.

There are many people like Jagmati who have the capacity to change their communities for the better, but need support from someone like you. Fighting poverty is undoubtedly far more complex than restoring an old house, but nothing is ever impossible with God.

God is working through us to achieve his purposes. A gift to our Matching Grant Appeal helps turn impossible situations into a world of possibilities.