Joan and I had no idea how relevant the above topic might be when RHMA wrote and asked if we would be willing to give a seminar at their Lancaster Conference this coming October. Then, when Covid-19 hit, we offered to do a “practice presentation” by video to the missionaries of RHMA when their April Conference in IL was cancelled.
As it turned out, we “practiced” in more ways than one. While seeking to serve the missionaries of RHMA, the level of need in our home increased. In the midst of putting our video seminar together, at the beginning of April, Kari began to have fever. And then there were the seizures. By the week after Easter her seizures were so severe that we were not sure we could stop them. We almost lost her, as many of you know.
Kari is still not over the virus, if that is what it is (probably not Covid, but we do not know for sure). She is still having some fever and seizures. And our concern for her wears us down, but she and the others in our home still need us to stay energized, and so we persevere.
No one has exactly the same experience as another in this crisis, but we know we are not the only ones who have to keep serving while doing such things as: keeping the kids entertained and educated, struggling to figure out how to get stuff the family needs and keeping the personal economy going.
In our presentation to others we talked about enduring hardships, having persevering hope and laboring out of love and maintaining faith. Yes, turned out we were reviewing the very truths we needed to hear (and still need to hear).
We were able to complete the video. You’re welcome to watch it if you like. If it appears that we look tired by the end of the video it is because we were very tired!
By the way, while heroes in our country are being saluted and cheered, I want to offer a Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are moms. You are the ones who routinely “care for others, even when you have significant needs yourselves.” You are always high on the list of “essential workers!”
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