Essential Outing

Last night I went to the grocery store. It was an essential outing because I needed my medications and the pharmacy we use is at the grocery store. Because I was going to the store anyway, we decided I should do some shopping to avoid a later trip. It was only the second trip to anywhere I had taken in 16 days.

Seriously.

We've been self-quarantined (and then state- and tribal-quarantined) for 17 days now. It's really going quite well. My "school" cupboards have been thoroughly cleaned, and we're doing fun activities using all the treasures I found in the cleaning. The kids are playing and learning and playing some more. I even traded the teenager an extra hour of daily screen time for an hour of "joining the family in some activity." It's been delightful to have her play games, paint, or jump on the trampoline with us every day!

As you can see in the photo, I wore a mask to the store. I also wore latex gloves. I was the only one in the store to be so attired, and I have to admit I was a little self-conscious. Not self-conscious enough to put away my protective gear, though.

I am not afraid to get the virus, although I'd rather not, of course. I am concerned about bringing the virus home and giving it to my children or my husband or someone wandering through our yard who asks for food. I do not want to be the "seed case" for our small community.

As I watched the not-very-many people at the grocery store wander near each other without masks or even awareness of risk, I was doubly glad that I had my protective gear. I had brought my own sanitizing wipes for the cart and PIN pad, and I used the self-check-out lanes. The helpful employee suggested that I should go to check-out 15 because someone was checking people out there. He seemed surprised when I said I preferred to handle my own groceries. Check-out lane 15 would have added two more people's hands to each item I purchased, people who had been exposed to hundreds of people as they worked in the grocery store. No, thank you.

And when that helpful employee brought me a second cart to put my scanned groceries in, I stopped and wiped down the cart before touching it. Again, he seemed surprised.

Unconcerned. These folks all seemed unconcerned about COVID-19. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not an alarmist. I am not a germaphobe. I eat food off the floor in my house. My kids get muddy from head-to-toe. I figure that playing with a neighbor when they have a cold builds immunity.

But this disease gives me pause. And so I donned my gloves and mask to grocery shop. And I will do so every time I encounter people outside my family. We will remain socially-distanced for as long as this illness remains a threat.

I urge you to, too. And take a few minutes to watch this video. I saw it yesterday and it confirmed my concerns about grocery shopping and bringing groceries into our house. I used the techniques taught today. Hopefully, they will keep us safe.

Stay at home every time you have a choice. Next month, the pharmacy will be mailing our medications to our home. One less chance to spread COVID-19 is a good thing.

Goom Common Snese

When I was in high school, we lived in a small northwestern Iowa town. It had a daily newspaper (which I delivered when I was younger than high school), and one day the paper ran an article about how common sense was anything but common. I'm sure the article had some good points, but the reason I have any memory of it at all is that the headline was: Goom Common Snese. It became a family joke that is still tossed around occasionally, "Oh, now that's an example of goom common snese!"

When I look around at today's news...coronavirus...lockdown...stories of sickness and death...panic buying of toilet paper (?!) and other goods...I'm thinking that the world could use an enormous dollop of good common sense.

I mean, seriously people, there's a brand new virus out there that no humans have immunity to. Think about that. We are all going to get this thing, especially given that it seems to be fairly easily transmitted. Now, I get that 80%ish of people don't really have a problem at all with it, and so it seems like it shouldn't be a big deal. But let's do a little math:

Let's say that only half  the population will get infected; that's a really small amount given that no one has immunity...but let's go with half. If half of 300 million people get infected, that's 150 million people. Now, take out the 80% that don't really get sick. That leaves 30 million sick people. And if even 10% of them need hospitalization, that's 3 million hospital beds in a short amount of time.  According to a 2018 survey by the American Hospital Association, hospitals in the United States have a total of 924,100 beds, about 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people. (This includes all of the beds currently occupied by patients.)

Common sense would indicate that we must increase hospital capacity and decrease the number of critically ill people at the same time. So, unless you can increase hospital capacity or in some other way help our nation in this crisis, stay home.

And hoarding? That's an issue of common sense, as well. If you buy up all of something to make a profit in a crisis, you're a thief. All the rest of us, we should be buying what we need. I saw a very common-sense guideline somewhere: "Take no more than two of anything and no more than one cart-full." 

Good advice. Since we're trying to minimize the number of times we have to go out and shop, buy what you need for a couple of weeks. Leave the rest for others. The other thing we can control is how much of something we use. Be frugal. Use cloth rags instead of paper towels. Make your own sanitizing wipes (learn how here). Be mindful in everything. It's just common sense.

And common sense can guide us in our daily quarantined behavior, too. If we spend 90% of our time reading alarming reports about the coronavirus or the economy, we will be stressed. If we check our retirement accounts each day, we will be depressed. If we fret about being bored and getting out, we may very well face arrest. 

That last one is hopefully not true and just a silly rhyme scheme on my part! But seriously, if we are constantly obsessing over our circumstances regarding this pandemic, we will not be mentally healthy and at our best. 

So common sense would dictate that we use our seclusion for our betterment somehow. Deep clean. Learn to play piano. Play with your children. Video-chat your grandkids. Play chess remotely with your brother. Write. There are many productive things to occupy our time; just use common sense. 

So in this time of COVID-19, let's spread some goom common snese. 

Wherever Two Are Gathered

Worship was...well, weird this morning. We joined the throngs of Christians worshiping online today. The kids, my husband, and I gathered around my computer and participated in worship. We sang, we prayed, and we listened to my husband's sermon on Youtube. We even sang a couple of songs that we've used for AWANA. All-in-all, it was a wonderful experience!



But weird, too.



Weird not to be God's people in our home church here in Dulce. Weird to sing with just our family. (Probably weird for my husband to watch himself preach; I haven't asked him yet!) Weird not to have the full worship service.

Not weird to God, though. Not weird at all to Him!

His word says, "For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." Remember, God knows all of our days. Even these days. He has known all along that we would face the challenge of the coronavirus. He knows how it all turns out. For us. For our families. For our nations. For our communities. God already knows.

He also works everything out for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). We usually do not understand how He is working; it's hard to see how some things can be for our good. Sometimes, we learn here on earth how something helped us; sometimes, we have to wait until we are face-to-face with God in heaven.

A personal example: In November, I had two bad asthma attacks. The second was bad enough for my daughter to call 911. I was taken in an ambulance to the ER. It was scary. For me. For my family. Especially for my daughter. The kids still jump whenever I cough, asking me if I'm okay.

But without that experience, my asthma would have been less well-controlled. On my new medications, I haven't needed my rescue inhaler for two months. And now I have a nebulizer and more options for extra medications when I need them. I feel confident that I can keep my asthma under control. Now I can thank God for those emergencies in November.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28)

So, as you worship in a new way... and as we muddle through being self-quarantined (or state-quarantined)... and as we try to find ways to be compassionate while social-distancing, remember that you are not alone. God is behind us, beside us, within us, and before us. Seek Him. He is here now and always.

God's got this.

Even this.

Life in the Days of COVID-19

What's it like to be self-quarantined? I have a feeling this COVID-19 social distancing is going to go on for a while. And I imagine that most of you are beginning to know what self-quarantining feels like. For us, it's not incredibly different from our usual lifestyle! We homeschool. Brad's office is in our home. I don't work outside the home.

So, here's what life is like in the Days of COVID-19 at the parsonage in Dulce on the Jicarilla Apache Nation's homeland:

Our schedule is always relaxed. Kat and I are still walking most mornings. We drive to the high school track and park the car. We've been walking just under 2 miles a day. It feels good to get out and exercise, and it's brisk here in the mornings, which is delightful.

These days, there's a box of face masks on the counter, in case someone comes to the door for prayer, food, or counsel. And this week, there's a pile of presents growing on the counter, too. Someone has a birthday next week! We are disappointed there can't be a party, but we'll celebrate with gifts and cake and a special meal.

Our homeschool schedule had us on "Spring Break" this week, so there hasn't been any sit-down school time. But we've kept ourselves happily busy!

I've been going through my school cupboards and finding all kinds of I-thought-this-would-be-fun-to-do-someday projects. Each day I try to find a couple of new things to try:

Painting:                                                                     Making Gingerbread Houses:

Playing in Kinetic Sand:                                             Writing projects:

Given the amount of stuff I have gathered over the years of teaching, I think I can come up with new activities for several weeks! Melting crayons may take several days...I can think of many projects!

We get outside for some time every day, too, usually in the afternoons. We play on the trampoline and climb trees. We swing and run and chalk and ride. When the weather is nice, we stay outside for hours! When it's raining or snowing, we stay outside for half an hour or more.

Even when we're stuck inside most of the day, we have physical activity indoors. For Christmas, the boys got a trapeze and swing for a doorway; they also got a small indoor trampoline. We can always move our bodies! And of course, the teenager loves keeping in touch with her friends via social media...
...and I sometimes find things with which I amuse myself!


May God bless you during this time with peace, joy, love, and more.

Chapped Hands

For many, when the COVID-19 crisis is over, toilet paper will be the remembered symbol of the weeks of quarantine...or the lack of it. For others, it will be the experience of spending 24/7 with their school-aged kids. I have a feeling that there's enough left to come that we may have other shared experiences that will represent coronavirus more unpleasantly.

For me, at least for now, it's chapped hands.

I ventured out yesterday to pick up an antibiotic prescription and get some groceries (since I was already at the store). I took along my own disinfectant wipes for the cart and other surfaces I would need to touch. By the time I came home, two of my knuckles were bleeding from the alcohol in the wipes.

My teenager said to me this morning, "Why do my hands hurt so bad?" I looked. Her hands were as red and chapped as mine! I checked the boys' hands, and they, too, were suffering. Our hand-washing routine now has an added step: Put lotion on!

Thankfully, chapped hands aren't very debilitating. Not too scary. Not too difficult to deal with.

That's not true with much of what we're seeing happen around the world and around our country. The numbers keep climbing. The restrictions keep growing. The shadows of Italy's humanitarian disaster just keep falling longer and longer on the USA.

And there's not much these hands can do to help, to change, to stop what's happening. It might feel hopeless...

But it's not!

These hands can do a lot! Romans 12:12b tells us to "Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Philippians 4:6 says, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done."

When you get anxious, pray for peace.

When you get worried, pray for understanding.

When you get bored, pray for those suffering around the world.

When you get exhausted, pray for strength.

When you hurt, pray for relief.

There is always hope! God is good. He is mighty. He is loving. He is sovereign. Put those chapped hands together and ask Him to help you through. Ask others to pray for/with you. Ask me!! What better thing is there to put our extra time into?

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Romans 15:13

Living in Abundance

Most of us in twenty-first century America have lived our lives in mindless abundance. Copious food. Plentiful opportunities. Frequent travel. Abundance in almost everything!

Only the oldest of Americans can remember true scarcity. I'm not talking about not being able to afford the food on the shelves; I'm talking about there not being food on the shelves at the grocery stores. Those who lived in the depression of the 1930's remember, I'm sure. I've heard a few of those stories. And there are those who came to America from a place of scarcity; they remember, too. And unfortunately, some children have been in families where abuse or deep poverty brought them scarcity.

But overall, we Americans are used to abundance. I certainly am! My family has intentionally changed our lifestyle in the past decade, leaving jobs with moderate to high pay to enter the ministry. But even now, our kids have a bountiful life. They ski. They go to zoos. They attend dance, gym, motorcycle, and art classes. We go out to eat occasionally. We play on our swings and trampoline... more than enough of everything!

And, wow! Do I have abundance in other areas. Overflowing love and gifts from the heart. Generous medical care (albeit expensive!). More than enough food to make everyone's favorites. Inexhaustible joy in playing and exploring with our children as a homeschooling family. There is so much richness in our lives!

We have taught ourselves and our children to be grateful, not to take this abundance for granted. And yet, much of the time, we live in mindless abundance.

We are, perhaps, waking up to a new reality this week. The last time I went to the store (a week ago), the shelves were full. There was a shortage of toilet paper, but it was still available. I didn't even buy any, figuring I could pick some up next week when it wasn't in short supply. We weren't in any dire need.

It's different today. The shelves are bare. People are scared, and they are hoarding. Even though they know this is wrong. They want to be sure that their family has enough.

It's different today. People are scared to go out to the stores, even where the goods are present. They are afraid that they might catch the COVID-19 virus. Many people are staying home out of fear. Others are staying home because they want to be part of the slowdown solution for our medical care systems.

It's different today. Today I used nine eggs instead of ten to make our breakfast burritos; I wanted to be sure to have enough eggs for a birthday cake next week if the store didn't get them in.

It's different today. All of a sudden, we are faced with the possibility of shortages. Real shortages that might go on for a while. Supply chains might be disrupted by illness.




It's different today.




But we can be different, too.

Americans have come through all sorts of difficulties in the past. Wars. Depressions. Epidemics. Fear. And we've faced them all and survived! We can share what we have with each other, and chances are we'll all have enough. We can telephone, text, message, or yell over the fence to our neighbors and make sure they're okay. We can take one of those fourteen packages of toilet paper over and leave it on the front steps.

And finally,

most importantly,

We can remember the abundance promised us in the Bible. John 1:16 says, "From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another." Psalm 65:11 assures us, "You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance." This may be a "hard pathway," but God's goodness is never lacking.

And God's promises are not just for our physical needs. He gives us peace in abundance (Isaiah 57:19). He gives us abundant joy (John 16:24)! And Romans 5:20b reminds us that "God's wonderful grace became more abundant."

We can do this. We can survive this pandemic with peace, joy, and grace. Turn to our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, and live.

Love God. Love each other.

Praying in the Rain

It's our third day of self-quarantine. As it turns out, between the state of New Mexico and the Jicarilla Apache Nation, we would have had an imposed quarantine by now, anyway. I think this is incredibly wise, and it will hopefully spread out the medical needs sufficiently to avoid overwhelming the hospital system.

What's it like to be quarantined in the 21st Century? 

It's like praying in the rain.

A man we know came to our door. He is homeless and addicted to alcohol. He sometimes comes to the door and asks for food, a ride, or prayer. Usually my pastor-husband takes care of these needs, but on this occasion he was busy. I debated about opening the door (due to the quarantine), but decided that need outweighed caution. Deciding to keep the quarantine by stepping outside myself, I answered the door, called the man by name and asked what I could do for him. Through tears, he asked for prayer. I didn't know his specific need; I just knew it was great. Usually we would hold hands and pray, but I simply put my hand on his shoulder and prayed while getting wet. When he left, I washed my hands thoroughly (while singing "Happy Birthday" twice) and returned to parenting.

What's it like to be quarantined in the 21st Century?

It's like ordering birthday gifts for the guy who's turning 7 next week, during the quarantine. No shopping, no party, but he will have cake and gifts.

It's like taking a walk for exercise and seeing a youth you know from church and waving from across the street instead of hugging him. (I really love this kid! It was hard not to race over and hug him.)

It's like seeing a teacher-family (school's been ordered closed for three weeks) packing up their car to leave the reservation for the three-week break. I don't know where they were going, but their car was packed full.

It's like calling my 80+ year old parents to make sure they were protecting themselves.

It's like contacting my adult children to make sure they have what they need to make it through the social-distancing required by their local governments. And then sending them each some money to help them through this.

It's like rearranging a trip to Boston to celebrate my husband running the Boston Marathon in five weeks... because the marathon has been postponed till September. And realizing that it can't be a family trip in September because our teenager is going to attend public school next fall.

I'll also tell you what it's not like: 

It's not fear. It's prudence, not fear. 2nd Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. Loving others enough to stay home to protect them is God's work. We are talking to our children about how we are helping the hospitals and doctors and nurses by keeping all our germs to ourselves right now. We've assured them that there is nothing to fear, even if we get sick. With all my asthma issues of late (thankfully, it seems under control with new medication), we've already talked about how, even if one of us parents dies, God has a good, good plan for their lives.

It's not chaos. I'm seeing lots of Facebook posts about how awful it's going to be to have your children home all the time for an extended period of time. Since we homeschool, this is our normal! And honestly, I really like our kids. I like spending time with them! I certainly understand how difficult it would be to financially have no choice but to work and then have the children be home without warning. I pray that families in that situation find the help they need to make it through and stay well.

It's prayer and love and willing sacrifice. For all of you in some kind of quarantine/isolation/social distancing... stay safe and well! Enjoy the slower pace of life for a bit. And pray for our health care workers across the nation; this isn't anywhere near over.

Why Self-Quarantine??

My husband and I decided to self-quarantine our family today. All that means is that we will be limiting our outings (and invitations) to the essential for the next couple of weeks. We have enough groceries and other supplies to make it for longer than that. We feel confident that we can accomplish this quarantine without major hardship.

But, WOW! The reactions we've gotten! They have ranged from "Good job, Mama, for protecting your babies!" to "You're crazy! You're buying into the media hype!" and "It's all in God's hands, so you should just keep doing your normal."

So, here I am to explain why we decided to self-quarantine... and why you should self-quarantine too!

Thing Number One: We are NOT doing this to protect our own family. We are doing this because the data from other countries facing this pandemic show clearly (one article here) that unless the vast majority of citizens in a country/area self-quarantine and distance themselves socially, the health systems in the United States will be overwhelmed. In just our own community of 3500ish, approximately 2200 people will probably get sick with COVID-19. That's according to the WHO's estimate that 70% of a population will contract the virus. Of those 70%, 8 out of 10 will have mild symptoms that require no medical care. WHO estimates that 20% of those with the illness will need hospitalization, but even if you estimate low and say 10%, that's 220 people from our small community who will need to be in the hospital! We don't even have a hospital! (This article explains the math at the national level.)

Thing Number Two: Media hype has nothing to do with our decision. We don't even have TV service! Both of us have been reading articles from many sources to understand the pandemic. We have become convinced that this is a necessary step to support the broader work of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the state of New Mexico, and the CDC of the United States. All three have urged limited contact with others, avoidance of large gatherings, and even cancellation of small gatherings. We agree that these steps are helpful in slowing the progress of the disease through our society. If we (as a society) can slow the progress, the health care system will have fewer cases at a time, which will allow availability of medical resources for more people in the long run.

Thing Number Three: YES, God is in control of it all! We are not doubting the sovereignty of God, the power of God, or the provision of God. This post from The Gospel Coalition says all the things I would say in a blog post telling us all not to worry because God is in control.

So, here's our thinking:

This is a virus none of us has any immunity to. Every one of the 300 million people in the United States of America is vulnerable to it. If Italy is what the epidemic looks like without social distancing, then we don't want to go there. Health care workers will be vulnerable to the virus, as well. Health care resources are insufficient to meet the demands of even 10% of the ill, let alone the 20% predicted by WHO. The goal of avoiding the deluge of patients is the main consideration in our decision. We realize that if we are the only ones self-quarantining, it will be ineffective. This is part of why our timing is as it is.

Today, the Jicarilla Apache Nation (on whose homeland we live and work) urged all its citizens to avoid unnecessary gatherings and canceled all out-of-state travel for official purposes. The state of New Mexico has likewise limited employees' travel and in-office work as well as canceling or postponing several large gatherings (i.e. The Gathering of Nations). These efforts will only be effective if enough of the citizens join in! We decided to join the efforts immediately to increase their potential efficacy.

God gave humans the ability to think and to plan. He gave us a heart to care about others, not just ourselves or our immediate family. We are not making this decision out of fear for ourselves or our children. We love those nameless physicians who are making horrific decisions about which patients receive life-saving care in Italy. We don't want that to happen to the doctors and nurses we know and love here in the USA (or those we don't know here!).

If we are wrong (and we pray we are!), we will rejoin the regular flow of society in a couple of weeks, and we will thank God for sparing us all. If we are right and many join us, we will all get back to normal in a while, and we will pray for those affected in so many different ways. If we are right, and few join in social distancing, we will pray for the ill and those caring for them.

Please consider joining us in disrupting the spread of the coronavirus. It seems a small price to pay to protect the health systems of our nation and its people.

Serving Others

There are many places in the Bible where we are told to serve one another. Galatians 5:13-14 is one of my favorites: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

When I was young, I had grand ideas about what it meant to love your neighbor or to serve God and one another. Serving as a missionary in a foreign country. Becoming a pastor's wife or a pastor myself. Being a Mother Teresa woman. Something noteworthy. Something important.

Instead, I have spent a life teaching and raising children. "My" kids number in the hundreds. I even won a few awards, but it was nothing like I anticipated for myself. And I don't think my life's service is going to change greatly before I arrive home with Jesus... my youngest kiddos are 5, 6, and 13!

So, did I miss God's call for me? Did I somehow neglect to see my moment? I did become a pastor's wife, but I hardly have time to contribute to his ministry...sometimes I wonder these things.

Then, this morning, I returned home from a walk and saw this on the counter. Totally mundane. A water bottle that I carry with me most everywhere.

But...when I left for my walk it was almost empty. And when I returned, it was full of icy-goodness! This is an act of service from my husband. He often fills my water bottle. And every single time, it brings me joy. It fills me with joy because I love ice water and my husband loves me. This is only one of the many ways in which Brad serves me as his wife.

Today, this small act of service clearly spoke to me. If Brad is serving God by filling my water bottle, surely I am serving God in doing laundry and cooking meals! My leading devotions around our homeschool table matters. Teaching scores of children to read counts. Holding a hurting child is significant. The magnitude of what I'm doing and have done is not enormous, but this is what God has called me to.

So, I say to you, Christian, do your work. Large or small, grand or commonplace, it doesn't matter. Some are called to preach on a world stage. Some are called to make sure the church has enough coffee. Be faithful in your life work. What God has called you to, He will bless you in.

And, oh, am I blessed!
Amen