Ministering to Quaran(teens)

As foreigners in a developing country, we had to decide whether or not to evacuate when the US government provided a repatriation flight 2 weeks ago. We chose to stay. We are not in Belize for the scenery or the heat; we are here for the people. Belizeans are facing a situation unlike they ever have before and there's no telling when their borders will reopen to foreign citizens. Our place is here, with them.

A big question we had when the schools closed and social distancing became the norm was how we will continue to minister to teens and young adults. We had just started a weekly discipleship group for 20ish young people when everything changed. What effect would COVID 19 have on that group?

Knowing that not every family has WIFI here, or sophisticated devices, we were uncertain we could continue to meet. We were also very aware that we'd only just met these kids. Would they even be interested in meeting online, with everything else going on? We didn't know, but we figured we'd try and see what kind of response we'd get.

Well, two weeks in, we've been surprised and humbled by the teens' responsiveness in continuing to meet. There are still technical bugs to work out and it really isn't the same to meet "alone together," but they are consistent and engaged and we are grateful.

Personally I am blessed to see Eddie once again working with teens and sharing his passion for Jesus with them. We don't know how long this quarantine will last or what these kids' lives will be like afterward, but we are blessed to be connecting with them in the meantime, and we pray that the small seeds we are planting now will bear fruit in their lives down the road.

Vision Beyond the Storm

At the beginning of 2020, exhortations about VISION were everywhere. 2020 vision exemplifies clarity, so the year 2020 seemed like a good time to catch a new vision or refine an old one.

Honestly, our family has been working on vision for over a year; trying to anticipate and project the work we would do once we arrived in Belize. For awhile we had a clear vision and plan of action, but ultimately we felt something telling us to let that vision go. So we did. We came to Belize without a clear vision, but feeling confident that it would emerge as we prayed and began to partner with Belizeans.

Enter the COVID 19 tornado. Virtually all talk about 2020 vision is gone from the public vernacular. How can we possibly forecast our tomorrows when we never saw this coming!? We don't know what toll COVID will take on our health, families, economy or global culture. What were once givens (family gatherings, school and work) have been picked up and flung into the void. We are in white-knuckle survival mode.

Is there place in this storm for looking beyond? Is there value in imagining a new normal? I think so.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

There's no way we can know exactly what our future holds, but that was true even before Corona reared its ugly head. Now, more than ever, we have a chance to seek God's vision for our lives. How can we experience internal peace? How can we extend love to others? What can we build in service to our fellow man? We can build our future in faith even now. We can align ourselves with His vision for us and then watch God move mountains to see it realized.

Puzzled

This global situation with Covid 19 has the world reeling. I can sense my brain trying to make sense of things; trying to put my current reality into a category that I recognize. Maybe you're experiencing the same.

On TV and social media, there are scores of platitudes and heartfelt "silver-lining" memes circulating. There are sceptics, critics and denyers. There are environmentalists saying the earth is pushing back from all that humanity has done to damage it. There are religious pundits saying God is using Covid 19 to push this agenda or that. It all makes for a confusing and alarming time to be alive.

Weeks ago, as Eddie was praying about the life and ministry we will eventually build here, he saw a picture of a 3D puzzle. He sensed God telling him that while we are making plans and strategies on a 2-dimensional plane, God's perspective was completely different.

Remembering this picture has helped me in the past 24 hours to give myself a break. My brain still kicks into problem-solving mode and tries to make sense of what is senseless. When it does, I remind myself that my perspective is limited, that there's no possible way I can solve the puzzle on my own.

Isaiah 55:9 says, "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Sure, there are lessons we humans can learn from this disaster. Lessons about how to connect, how to prepare, how to take care of ourselves and our community. The action of reducing a global catastrophe to pat answers and soundbites is not helpful to our collective psyches. In my opinion, it's more productive to meditate on how big God is and how much we need His peace in these times. We can't individually control Covid 19, but we can learn and practice being at peace in the storm.