Grateful for COVID

As Christmas approaches I find myself becoming more sentimental.  This is my 5th Christmas in the Philippines.  Two were spent here as a young missionary, one when Donna, our sons and I visited my Mother and her husband while they served a mission here, and now this is our second Christmas here in Cauayan as a Mission President and Companion.  Each Christmas here has been wonderful, as we love the people and places of the Philippines  This Christmas will be the most unique one I have had or will have here.  There remains here, as in most places in the world, significant restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In a strange way, however, I am grateful to have served as a Mission President during this pandemic.  To be clear, the Pandemic has been far more than inconvenient.  It has been remarkably hard.  I will never forget the shock and heartbreak of sending 99 missionaries home unexpectedly as we evacuated all foreign missionaries (except a few Polynesians who we were unable to get home).  This cut our force of missionaries almost into half.  Since that day we have grown smaller and smaller as we send missionaries home. The lack of available travel has restricted the movement of new missionaries to us except in small numbers.   On the day we evacuated the foreign missionaries we had 203 missionaries; now we have 87.  We keep combining the mission areas with neighbouring areas or just closing areas for work. When we think of missionaries we think of them knocking on doors or talking to people on the street.  With the pandemic, that is now impossible because of safety issues and fear.  Our missionaries have spent long periods of time locked in their apartments in quarantine.  That is hard on anyone, but especially hard for eager young missionaries who want to be out working, talking to people and teaching.  It has been excruciating at times.  Before the pandemic, transfers were scheduled regularly; every 6 weeks.  In the early morning we would send off the missionaries going home and then pick up the newly arriving missionaries, orient them and send them off to work with their new trainers.  Meanwhile, other missionaries reassigned to new areas of labor within the mission would be getting on buses and going to their new areas. The entire experience would take about 36 hours at most.  Now, there are no busses and travel is severely limited, except by private vehicle.  Transfers now take 5 or 6 days and nearly work the senior missionaries to death as they drive all transferring missionaries to their new areas (the young missionaries do not mind this too much).  To make matters worse, given the unreliability of travel, instead of one transfer in a six week mission cycle, there may be four or five times we have old missionaries complete their missions and go home or new missionaries arrive in a six week mission cycle.  

With this and a host of other logistical problems, it is easy to get discouraged and wish for things the way they used to be.  I know, however, that the strongest trees are the ones that learn to stand against the wind.  Likewise the greatest athletes spend much of their time in gyms and training rooms building strength by lifting heavy weights, running and engaging in a multitude of difficult tasks.   

I am grateful for the way this pandemic has stretched Donna and me and our missionaries and has forced us out of our comfort zones.  Today I list 5 things I am grateful for:  

First, the evacuation of most foreign missionaries has forced our young Filipino missionaries to stretch and grow in ways they did not anticipate.  Filipino people are the kindest people on earth and hate confrontation.  Before the pandemic they often deferred to their foreign companions, even if they knew of a better way of doing things.  They often did not enjoy taking the lead.  With the foreign missionaries gone, they have been forced to accept and grow into all leadership roles.  They have done a great job.  I am so proud of them.  

Bikes make getting around so much easier!

Second, without street contacting or knocking on doors we have been forced to examine how we do things and have been forced to become creative and think of new ways of getting the job done.  The new ways include working more with faithful members and social media work. They are more productive and will, in the long run, create greater results.  It is hard to abandon these old ways but the journey is worth it.  

Third, it has forced us to be resilient and flexible in our approach to life.  You make plans as always but must be flexible enough to adapt and change these plans quickly as circumstances change.  The tried and true no longer exists in many things.  

Fourth, it has caused us to be grateful.  We enjoy little things we never thought as much about before.  We find more joy getting together in mission meetings and we appreciate technology more.  A simple phone call can make our day now. We enjoy our studies more as they often saved us from death by boredom during lockdowns.  We have noticed and learned to appreciate the simpler things like health, friendship or attending Church.  

Finally I am grateful most of all that the problems created by this horrible pandemic and the situations it has put us in has forced us to our knees more.  Often when no way appears we go to our knees because there is nothing else we can do.  In those moments we have found strength, direction, comfort and assurance.  He is there and does listen and help.

Eventually this pandemic will end.  When it does I hope we do not go back to the ways things were before (which is something I have previously longed for).  More importantly I hope we do not go back to the people we were before.  When the pandemic is gone I hope we retain the things we have learned and the people we have become. More creative, more resilient,  more grateful and more prayerful.