A 46-year-old pastor from Mizoram has won the hearts of many by transporting people to their villages for free upon completion of their institutional quarantine period.
Israel Lalremtluanga, a pastor under the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM), has been using the car gifted to him by his late father-in-law for the purpose.
The pastor, who lives with his wife and two sons in Haulawng village in Lunglei district, says it is his "divine duty" to work for the people.
"After people started returning to Mizoram from other parts of the country in March, I came to know that 14 people from my pastoral circle were housed in quarantine centres in Lunglei town, 35 km from Haulawng.
"Of them, 12 did not get any vehicle to return to their villages upon completion of the 14-day isolation period. So, I thought of giving them lift," Lalremtluanga told PTI.
Seven villages fall under Lalremtluanga''s pastoral circle, where he preaches the gospel, looks after church administration and helps people.
Initially, the pastor used to transport only one person at a time but later, he started bringing two persons in each trip.
The passengers contributed to the petrol expenses, he said.
The pastor does not remember the exact number of people he has transported from quarantine centres to their villages till date.
On the motivation behind the initiative, Lalremtluanga said, "Since church services have been suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak, I thought of serving people outside the church."
"I did not do this for fame or publicity. This is my divine duty towards mankind. I am happy to help people in need. Helping others is one of the pivotal parts of serving God," he added.
The pastor said his service has kept alive his father-in-law''s wishes of using the car for helping people.
The need for this service came to an end as the last few quarantined people from Lalremtluanga''s pastoral circle returned home on Saturday.
Israel Lalremtluanga, a pastor under the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM), has been using the car gifted to him by his late father-in-law for the purpose.
The pastor, who lives with his wife and two sons in Haulawng village in Lunglei district, says it is his "divine duty" to work for the people.
"After people started returning to Mizoram from other parts of the country in March, I came to know that 14 people from my pastoral circle were housed in quarantine centres in Lunglei town, 35 km from Haulawng.
"Of them, 12 did not get any vehicle to return to their villages upon completion of the 14-day isolation period. So, I thought of giving them lift," Lalremtluanga told PTI.
Seven villages fall under Lalremtluanga''s pastoral circle, where he preaches the gospel, looks after church administration and helps people.
Initially, the pastor used to transport only one person at a time but later, he started bringing two persons in each trip.
The passengers contributed to the petrol expenses, he said.
The pastor does not remember the exact number of people he has transported from quarantine centres to their villages till date.
On the motivation behind the initiative, Lalremtluanga said, "Since church services have been suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak, I thought of serving people outside the church."
"I did not do this for fame or publicity. This is my divine duty towards mankind. I am happy to help people in need. Helping others is one of the pivotal parts of serving God," he added.
The pastor said his service has kept alive his father-in-law''s wishes of using the car for helping people.
The need for this service came to an end as the last few quarantined people from Lalremtluanga''s pastoral circle returned home on Saturday.
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