Hey friends!
Remember back in the day when we took things like church and school for granted? When travel might be expensive and annoying, but it was almost always possible? When the thought of shutting down a country seemed unthinkable? How much has changed since then...all the way back in....March. A whopping month and a half...
A quick 'Rona update: I posted an update on March 24 on my Facebook page about how the Hospital of Hope was gearing up for COVID-19 patients. At that point in time, there were 18 cases in Togo. Though the team thought ahead and prepared as best as we could, we already work with limited resources. I asked for prayer that God would protect the Hospital of Hope and that He would be glorified through this situation. Very shortly after that, there was a positive case in my town and we had our first suspect case at HOH. We braced ourselves for the onslaught of patients. But now we're here in the middle of April. Our suspect case came back negative, and there have been no new cases in Mango. The country of Togo is up to 81 cases, but thus far, God has protected us. Thank you so much for praying!!!
Even in Togo, the last few months have brought a lot of uncertainty.
Our number of patients is down- we went from having hundreds of people at our front gate every day to maybe a couple dozen. Part of that is due to border closures, part of that is due to canceling elective or non-urgent cases, and part of that is due to public fear. Many of our patient come from Burkina Faso and are now unable to get care because of the closures. It is uncertain when borders will open again or how the community will respond as time goes on. What is certain is that God has not forgotten about those patients in Burkina. He is a refuge and stronghold in times of trouble- Psalm 9:9-10.
I've found myself wondering if our COVID ward will be full in a couple weeks time or if it will continue to sit empty. Will we have enough equipment? Enough oxygen capability? Enough staff to cover both the hospital and the ward? The questions never end and the answers might not come anytime soon. In all this, it is certain that the Lord is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together- Colossians 1:17.
Like so many people, my plans for both the immediate future and the farther out future have been disrupted. The Type A in me is being challenged by all the factors that are completely out of my control. There's no guarantee that things will work out in the way I've imagined or planned- they probably won't. But I am certain that I don't have to be anxious about anything, and that in all things, I can present my requests to Someone who will hear me and grants a peace that passes all understanding. Paraphrased Philippians 4:6-7
It might feel like ministries are being crippled. So many positive things have come to an abrupt halt. I've felt obligated to social distance myself from my elderly neighbors. I was about to teach my next Bible study in French when the sewing school was shut down. And it felt like we were really getting somewhere. But, God doesn't need us to complete His work. He's got this. "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6
I don't know when I'll be able to gather with Togolese believers on a Sunday morning, with my missionary family at our weekly service, or with all the people at my home church. I do know for certain that that first Sunday back will be an incredibly special reunion when the Body of Christ gets to meet together again to worship our Savior.
This blog post has primarily been for me as I process and write and figure out how to keep moving on amidst all the changes. Thank you for tagging along with me as always. I am praying for all you back in the States as well! Keep washing your hands!
"For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below, nor the coronavirus or economic fallout, neither uncertainty nor isolation—there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39- Italics added by me.
Zoom ya soon!
-C-
