GPBC Blog

By Joyce Wachsmuth --

When we started this journey into the unknown of the coronavirus, personally, I thought it would be over in a few weeks. Weeks have now turned into months. If we had a chance to talk about this over coffee face to face, our sharing would be similar and different at the same time.  

The first week for me was a little “scary” because we were encouraged  to “stay at home and be safe.” The term was lock down! Being in the vulnerable category of the population, my husband and I did not travel anywhere. For five weeks we ordered our groceries on line and wiped everything that came into our home. There were many questions about how this virus spreads, so we checked the news hoping to hear something different, but the message was the same, “Stay at home and be safe!”

 

I woke up one morning, and, it wasn’t an audible voice, but the phrase that came to mind was, “Jesus is enough.” I was startled because my heart was anxious and just that phrase brought peace to me. I found myself meditating on Isaiah 41:10, “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

 

Each of our children were affected by the pandemic: Ted working at Portland Rescue Mission; Keoni and Michelle having to close their restaurant that has been in the family for 113 years; and Beth, being a Doctor of Physical Therapy was told that she may have to go and work at the hospital. The thought of not being able to touch my children and grandchildren was overwhelming. My heart was heavy. Praying was all I could do!

After the first couple of weeks Doug and I realized that we needed to adjust to being home all the time. For some of you it was getting used to having children at home and adjusting to having them do their school work online. Each of our children’s families have teenagers, and they shared that it was a blessing because they had more time as a family, but it was also adjusting to different issues of being in the home and that the children were missing their friends.

It took three weeks before Doug and I began to develop a rhythm in our schedule and to what we call now a “new” normal. Our time over breakfast became more meaningful because we had more time! We discussed what we were learning from being in the Word. We had more times of prayer. Doug found solace in working in the garden, and I enjoyed just being in the garden. I love listening to praise and worship music, especially the song,“Waymaker.” I played my favorite praise and worship songs over and over again. It really helped my spirit. I initiated listening to hymns and the Word of God on our Alexa before we went to bed. Taking walks in different parts of town became an adventure!

We started looking for long term projects that we had set aside. We decided to go through pictures that were stored in boxes. For three weeks we had boxes of pictures, divided into different categories in our living room, dining room and kitchen counter. We ended up making several posters for our grandchildren’s birthdays when we went to their homes to celebrate their birthdays in their yard!

Zooming with our staff and my women’s and evening small group became highlights for me. Zooming once a week with my extended family who reside in eight different states have been a blessing. I am an extrovert, and I get energized by being with people even if they are in squares! 

Watching different series on Netflix became a pastime and, along with that, was “munching” on snacks! It is so easy for me to turn to food for comfort.  

Another “new” normal that we have done for a month now, is memorizing scripture together as a couple. We have been married for 52 years, but we have never memorized scripture together. We laugh a lot as we struggle to remember the words! We have memorized six different scriptures and have used them in our lives in dealing with issues we have encountered. The first verse we memorized was a portion of Genesis 16:13; “You are the God who sees.”

Speaking with others I hear the same phrase, “I can’t wait for this to be over. I want to be with our church family!” I miss our community too, so let’s continue to pray for wisdom and discernment as we look forward to being together. It may have begun as a journey into the unknown of the coronavirus, but it really has been about my response and how and what the Lord has been teaching me on this journey. How are you coping with this pandemic?