Northeast Mississippi based international mission organization

PONTOTOC COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on a Northeast Mississippi based ministry that helps provide care and support for missionaries around the world.

Although he’s on a different continent, thousands of miles away, Mark Gwartney was able to give an update to Global Outreach CEO John Darnell from the Good Shepherd’s Fold in Uganda.

“We are very fortunate and grateful to be on short and shrinking list of countries with no reported, confirmed cases of Covid 19,” said Gwartney.

Gwartney is part of a team of missionaries who help run GSF. The children’s home and school is a ministry of Pontotoc County-based Global Outreach International.

Gwartney is one of more than 280 missionaries working through Global Outreach. And although there are no cases of the coronavirus yet, Uganda’s President has virtually locked the country down for at least the next few weeks, restricting travel in or out of the country.

For Gwartney, his team and those they serve, the changes are swift but necessary.

“We have children in residence, about 60, many of those children have special needs, mental or physical disabilities, quite a few of them are vulnerable, they are immunocompromised, we have a particular concern for them should this be widespread in Uganda,” said Gwartney.

As missionaries are feeling the impacts of the coronavirus and the measures to stop its spread, churches stateside are also being affected.

Many trips that were planned to visit missionaries and help them out have been canceled, or are in jeopardy.

“Mission teams who provide a significant boost in encouragement and also financial boost for ministries are canceling, and they are not getting that support, evangelistic crusades are not happening, that work to move ministry forward is not happening.”

Still, in the midst of uncertain times, missionaries like Gwartney are focused on the task at hand.

“We are continuing our mission work, the gospel is built into everything we do.  We are telling people that Jesus is the only hope for the world,” Gwartney said.

Good Shepherd’s Fold has been working in Uganda for more than 20 years.