Our church had our annual Missions Conference the first week of March. It is such a reviving time. A neat thing about having lived in OKC for over 15 years and being associated with the Bible college is seeing many of the missionaries now who we know so well. We have loved on them through their days as students and now they are going out to be lights wherever God has led them.
The Monday before the conference started was Joy’s Dexa scan and follow up with her PCP. Her DEXA showed improvement in her bone density so we are happy the pomidronate has been working. Interestingly enough, that morning she was running a low-grade fever. I was actually thankful for the timing. Usually it’s a little challenging to get into the doctor’s office when your kids are sick so it was unusual to already have an appointment. She was swabbed for strep and flu and both were negative so the doctor assured us it was just a cold or common respiratory virus. Sure, enough she never ran a fever after that day. She did have a lot of congestion from it and really struggled with keeping clear. Her body would force her to cough when she absolutely needed to but when she was just annoyed by her congestion, she couldn’t produce a cough on her own. We actually had to get the suction machine back out but only had to use it a few times. Getting it out was hard for me. Using it came right back as if it hadn’t been 2 years since we used it every hour for Philip. It was hard because it shows a backward step in her cough strength and coordination. We haven’t really seen this before. The congestion has really hung on as she’s still having to cough to move it a couple of times a day even now. One funny thing about her cough, or lack thereof, was she realized her voice. She would try to cough but couldn’t so she would vocalize, “aaah.” She started to realize she could add inflection and tone so that even others outside of our family could tell when she was irritated about something. She was letting us know. Usually it was when we turned music or movie off. With that said, she is doing fine. Just getting bored.
Her school district started spring break a day early because of the coronavirus. Of course, now as plans change, the consideration is that they will be out the rest of the year. This was the first year our schools had changed their calendar to have just one week of spring break and we were excited that Joy would get to continue her therapies more consistently. Well, now we are glad of all the precautions taken by those in authority. With such a contagious, respiratory virus at hand, school is not really the best place for Joyanna. She is getting her infusion today. We feel very safe in the Jimmy Everest Center at OU Childrens. Nobody does clean like an oncology clinic. The kids who are regularly here are susceptible to most everything so it gets cleaned well. The nurses and doctors are very aware as well. All of her appointments at TCC have been cancelled because they are non-urgent. That’s okay with us, too. Next week, we will evaluate if we can do physical therapy at TCC again.
So, she is at home every day now. We have a stander there so I am trying to get her into the stander every other day. She sits up in her bath chair the other days while Ethan does school. But she is in her bed a lot. I try to vary her position in her bed from sitting to laying, from side to side and on her back. We almost always have music or story or movie playing but she is still getting bored. I have already seen I am going to have to be more diligent with her braces every day. Because she has not been in her TLSO (chest brace) every day, her spine is starting to bend. I benefit greatly from a routine and now I am need of a new one to get us going in the right direction again. In this new pattern of days, some things are easier and some things are harder. We learn to adapt. Isn’t it amazing that God gave us the brains to adapt and continue on? Amazing!
Church services have been cancelled at our church but we are able to live-stream the services. I already miss the fellowship of friends and really those friends are like family! I think this situation will help us all to appreciate what maybe we’ve taken for granted. When we are able to gather again, it will be such a sweet time. In prior pandemics in history, churches didn’t have this technological resource so we really are blessed! Oklahoma hasn’t been hit as hard as some areas but I’m glad the decisions by authority have been based on other areas experiences and prior times in history. God is certainly in control though the grocery stores are in chaos!
Starting at midnight tonight in OKC, all non-essential businesses will be closed and those who are most at risk are asked to stay at home. Elective surgical procedures have been cancelled and a few other guidelines put in place. We won’t really change much of what we already have been doing. We’ve been staying at home anyway. The one exception, last night, we went out to a park and walked a little. It was a beautiful evening and we greatly enjoyed being outdoors. We ate our supper as a picnic and Ethan thought it was the best evening we had had in a while. Truly it was a great change of pace.
Our journey thus far has taught us that God is in control, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in. My prayers are that God would open doors for Christians everywhere to be a light when many are scared and confused. May we reach out a sanitized hand and help someone where they are today. Let them know there is a Savior who brings peace and delivers from fear. This will be our most important contribution to the situation—tell them there is a God who is a “shelter-in-(any)place.”
The last service our church had together, Sunday, March 15, we sang together as a congregation, A Shelter in the Time of Storm. I’m going to leave you with the words to that song today! I want to especially highlight the words, “[The Lord is] Secure whatever ill betide (happens).” Amen!
A Shelter in the Time of Storm
The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
Refrain:
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
A shade by day, defense by night,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes afright,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
The raging storms may round us beat,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
We'll never leave our safe retreat,
A Shelter in the time of storm.
O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our Helper ever near,
A Shelter in the time of storm.