May 12th, 2020

5/12/2020

I don't think we are understanding our new normal yet.

Trying to think outside the box all the time I have not found veyr stimulating, especially since i am not even sure what the box looks like even a few weeks down the road. It feels like planning a painting looking at a set of colors, but the colors you can use keep changing.

We were discussing this week...how do we go back to doing the Milk Project even when the lockdowns end...smaller class sizes? Fewer hours...instead of two sessions a day...maybe four? Will masks be required? Will we have to modify how we serve food?

We are discussing things like this for just about every other area of ministry as well of course. We are still evaluating and changing how the clinic works on a semi-regular basis, so it requires some flexible thinking to be sure.

In the meantime though, we continue to look for ways we can show love and work within the restrictions around us. Plenty to be seen if we have the right eyes to see it. How about a few examples?

Oscar and Julia cooked up a mess of food yesterday and Darwin went to pick it up (again, only doctors can travel at will) to give to all the staff here for Mother's Day. Loving on quite a few folks there from afar.

Yetserday Maria wrote me that Gerardo needed some exams done at the clinic, and that his family has no money. That is his dad (granddad) with him that takes care of him. He is a mason...not much work out there for builders right now since there are so many restrictions in place, so no ways for them to make money.

Yet another time we are grateful to have a clinic where we can make those tests a reality.

Not many opportunities for work for most people, and after months dealing with the tile floor breaking and lifting around us, (and how now we can actually buy cement again), seemed like a good time to be able to pay some of our regular guys to get that fixed. Hopefully it will hold up better this time around.

Manuel sent us a picture from him on the road distributing food yesterday. I also got to see him on his show on Channel 15 (yes, our TV station in Talanga is also still working strong through this lockdown) praying for everyone all around the country.