But what CAN you do

On Thursday 13th March 2020, Trinidad and Tobago confirmed its first positive case of the Covid-19 virus which had been already wreaking havoc in countries worldwide. We were still able to have Bible Club on Friday, and Sunday morning service at church before the restrictions started to kick in. Suddenly, I found myself with "nothing to do" - no ministry to Venezuelan children, no overseeing of Adult literacy classes, no Homework Club, no Bible Club and no Easter camp to prepare for. Honestly I passed the first two days in a daze, spending too much time on social media reading what everyone had to say about the pandemic, checking out WhatsApp messages that had suddenly ballooned in frequency, and watching Netflix movies. Because of Daddy being high risk (having heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, on blood thinners and being 70 years old) I did not want to expose myself unnecessarily to persons who may be carriers of the virus.

Thankfully after the second day, I realized that by focusing on what I could not do, I was missing out on all the things that I could do. So I made a decision to shift my thinking and look for different ways in which I could occupy my time in a way that would be honouring to God.

1. Spend quality time with family

For many of us, even though we live in the same house, we are often so busy with our own, very valid schedules, that we neglect to spend quality time with each other. We are so caught up with the next activity that we do not make the time to connect. The reality is that life is unpredictable and we cannot take it for granted that we will always have our loved ones around us, so we should make the effort now to engage with them.

Took my nieceypoo to an empty park to burn off some energy

2. Explore options for ministry on-line

The majority of the ministry I engage with is done face to face. There may be a couple of my past campers who I interact with via social media, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Thanks to the technological age in which we now live, most of our youths have internet access and devices so it was a great opportunity to try new ways of engaging with them, since we are no longer able to meet in person. We held our first Bible Study on Friday evening via Skype, and although the numbers were smaller than those who normally attend in person, it was a great start.

Freedom Friday via Skype!

3. Connect with your church family online

There is a reason why God placed us in community - we are designed for fellowship! Although we are restricted from meeting physically, we should not give up meeting altogether. Thankfully my church family already had the resources to allow for us to have both prayer meeting and Sunday morning service online, so we could still fellowship together. The Bible Study group that I attend was also able to conduct our meeting virtually, with an even greater number of persons than are normally able to participate in person!

Aunty Carol conducting online Bible Study

My niece dressed up for church in her 

living room and had a ball worshiping in dance

4. Look out for opportunities to serve those in need

There are so many persons who are now in need of support at this time - elderly persons who are unable to move about freely, persons who have lost their jobs as a result of businesses being closed, families who were already struggling and are unable to 'stock up' on necessities. We may not be able to help everyone, but if we can help one, that will make a world of a difference to them.

Delivered some groceries and hand sanitizer

to one of our elderly ITNAC members

ITNAC youths packing groceries and toiletries for tertiary 

students from overseas who were unable to return home

due to closed borders and are now stuck in Trinidad

5. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

Sister Ruby Thompson, founder of the ministry of IS/IVCF in Trinidad and Tobago, has a mantra - Much prayer, much power. Little prayer, little power. When I told my doctor friend who is in charge of screening suspected Covid-19 patients that I was praying for her, she said that was all that was needed - nothing more. We have so much more time to connect with others in prayer, and we have God's assurance that if two of us agree on earth, it will be done by our Father in heaven. So we pray for a stop of the spread of the virus, for wisdom for our leaders, healing for those infected, comfort for those who lost loved ones, provision for those who have reduced income and strength for those on the front lines. We also take this opportunity to hear from God, spending time in His presence through worship, and meditating on His Word.

Connecting in prayer with 

my school friends from 20 years

ago - across 3 different countries!

6. Share words of encouragement, not fear

In the past month, it seems as though everyone has taken on the portfolio of a reporter, wanting to be the first to share the latest 'breaking news'. The media is already doing enough to keep the virus on the headlines and at the forefront of every story, and we are not helping people's anxiety levels when all we do is share the bad news. As citizens of the Kingdom, our responsibility is to be beacons of light in the midst of the darkness, and to point persons to the hope we have in Christ. We should be selective about what we share, seeking to lift spirits with words of encouragement and the truth of God's Word. We should also reach out to those who are anxious, and encourage them to saturate their minds with worship and the Word of God instead of focusing on the wind and the waves around them.

Status from student who was

experiencing anxiety and chose

to shift her focus

Letter to the Editor encouraging

the Church to look at the positives

in the midst of the pandemic

7. Read a good book

Trinidad was blessed by a visit from the Logos Hope in January - a ship that provides books at a fraction of the cost. Thousands of persons bought books then, and some probably have books from the Logos visit in 2017 that still have not been read (me included!) This is a great opportunity to catch up on reading books that can educate and inspire. I have plenty to share if you are lacking in this area ;)

I haven't read these yet but I have plenty others you

can choose from :)

8. Catch up on some deep cleaning

With all the additional time at home, I now have no excuse to not clean those areas which have been neglected for too long. You know the places I'm referring to - those back bedrooms that no one sees, that 'store room' which is more like a junk room. Put on some high energy music, get out those cleaning supplies, and get to work!

The bottom of this shower which was

being used as a storage space has not

been seen in years!

I will end with two quotes from devotionals I have been following this past week:

"Let us stop lamenting the state of affairs as a result of the pandemic and begin to look for ways in which we can be agents of God's grace."

"When we give so much of our attention to events beyond our control, we can lose sight of the power that we do still have. We can choose how we respond to our circumstances... even in the midst of those circumstances, we can choose how we treat others."