In an effort to educate the public on both testing and resources available to help amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Esther 414 Foundation is partnering with medical professionals and health organizations to create a free program available at COVID19TownHall.com.
According to a press release, one of the most notable services provided by the program is telemedicine visits. So far, about 5,000 people have visited the telemedicine website (CoronaTeleMed.org) and hundreds booked appointments to receive feedback on their symptoms and prescriptions for medicines through pharmacy partners.
The partnership began when Kirk St. John, founder of COVID19TownHall.com, reached out to Leah Miles, who co-founded Esther 414.
“When I looked around and thought, Who’s going to do something? I thought of the truth and how it sets people free (John 8:32),” St. John says. “I knew we could help, and the thought came to me: Go and spread the truth; not the virus!“
Miles says the goal of their foundation—comprised of over 57,000 female leaders—is to be a voice for those in need, similar to how Queen Esther in the Bible stood up for the Jews and ultimately saved them from death.
“These Christian women serve as ambassadors for The Esther 414 Foundation and are volunteering in targeted cities with the COVID19TownHall.com program,” Miles told Charisma. “The role of the ambassadors is to help facilitate the virtual town hall meetings and disseminate valuable local community information such as food pantries, mental health assistance, prayer and financial aid, as well as how to get connected to a medical professional through telemed in the safety of their home.”
One ambassador, Lisette Bonano, says she felt called to serve the ministry to spread Christ’s love to people.
“I’m … a modern-day Esther and retired major with the U.S. Army. I was called to use my voice and influence for the kingdom,” Bonano says. “I am expressing Christlike love by serving as a volunteer ambassador with the Esther 414 Foundation. I am working with the virtual COVID19TownHall.com team to disseminate lifesaving information, and to pray for healing over our nation, for such a time as this.”
Miles says their organization also oversees a program called Christian Women for Israel, through which volunteers get to go to Israel for seven days to pray daily at the Western Wall for the nations. Other activities they do include serving food to Holocaust survivors at a soup kitchen in Jerusalem, making care packages for IDF soldiers and delivering meals to homebound seniors.
Although they had to temporarily stop that program due to COVID-19, Miles says God used those experiences to prepare their ministry for their current focus: distributing essential information to people in need amid COVID-19.
“The ambassadors went through a training course and a series of interviews to help qualify them and help us identify high-capacity community leaders,” Miles says of her team. “We sent the first seven ambassadors to Israel in February of this year. … Little did we know, God had been preparing our ministry and the ambassadors He called to serve for such a time as this. It has been fairly easy for our foundation to pick up the phone or send an email to our community of Esther ambassadors to ask them for their help with this lifesaving initiative.”
Miles told Charisma that the Esther 414 Foundation is raising funds to help pay for those who are uninsured or who can’t afford a telemed visit and/or testing for COVID-19. Visit Esther414Help.org to learn more about how to help.
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