Back at the beginning of March -- in other words, ten years ago -- we met with a woman who has been working to bring a Syrian family to Trenton for nearly five years. It was a very positive experience because of the person with whom we were speaking who happened to be very involved with the Bridge St. United Church Inn from the Cold meal ministry when I was ministering in that congregation. We were inspired by her quiet determination and it seemed that the many hurdles for sponsorship had finally been overcome and we looked forward to being involved in some way.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic became a reality, closing borders. We've wondered what was unfolding for the family and sadly we got our answer yesterday. An email was circulated to those interested in sponsorship letting us know that everything was on hold, and that the large family (one of the children, above) is struggling to get by:
At this time, the family is confined to their homes in the lockdown in Beruit. They are not allowed to work or leave their home. Their situation is not enviable and it is becoming difficult to obtain food for their family.
We are constantly grateful for the reality that while the coronavirus has inconvenienced us, and resulted to some challenging circumstances for our family, we are blessed with good health and financial security. We live in a home which far exceeds our needs and in an area where we can be out in nature while observing physical distancing guidelines. We can even stay connected to our congregational family thanks to the efforts of the staff at Trenton United to provide virtual worship and inspiration.
As Christians we want to figure out how to be supportive of those who are deeply affected by this global disruption, whether they be people who are marginalized close to home, or half a world away. Prayers are important, and so are dollars.
Your blog gets to the heart of what I've been thinking over the last few weeks. As inconvenient as it is to be limited in our activities and not visiting friends or family(in my case, my father in a long term care facility), it is absolutely nothing in comparison to what millions of others are going through. I gently remind friends and family about that when they whine that they can't go shopping for clothes or anything else(have they not heard of Amazon??). For my father, at least the facility has been able to permit me some Facetime each week with him. It's nowhere near the same as sitting there with him, but it's the best we can do. It can be challenging, especially when he tries to put the nurse's cell phone in his pocket during the call, but we've managed!
ReplyDeleteAs a former great hockey player(Habs of course) recently tweeted: our parents and grandparents were asked to go to war. we're asking people to stay home, and these @#$% can't even do that.
Well said, Chris Nilan. Not sure a Maple Leaf could come up with something as profound and inspiring.
Yes, people in less fortunate countries have it a LOT harder than we do ... we could and should learn some lessons from the new ways of living , and keep some of the sensible (distancing and sanitizing) habits into the future, saving money and the environment - and sharing with others.
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