I received a call late last night from our son.  Scott had just finished a 16-hour shift, Tiffany and Riley were asleep when he got home and he just needed to debrief.  The ICU unit at the hospital where he works was at capacity; Covid patients who would normally be in the ICU were being sent to the Covid unit, which was also full, over-flowing to another floor, and a make-shift unit has been set up in the parking lot. That staff would feel overwhelmed would an understatement.  Adding to the burden of caring for these patients was a phone call to a family member to inform them their loved one was near death.

With the rising death count at McKinney Place and across our province, the alarming numbers south of the border and the staggering case counts and deaths globally, it's fair to say that Covid-19 has dominated our world in 2020.  Add to this pandemic the injustice, violence and unrest we have witnessed, it is no wonder we are eager to put this year behind us.  As we anticipate a New Year and pause and reflect on the year that has been, we have to work extra hard to identify the blessings that have been mingled with all of this sadness.

As we do just that, pause and reflect, to do as the hymnwriter exhorts, to count our blessings, there is much for which to give thanks.  While many have lost their jobs and have struggled to make ends meet, because of the faithfulness of you, the people of Valley, my salary has not been affected and we have been able to meet all of our expenses and obligations. Janice as an essential worker has continued to work throughout the year, as have all of our kids.  We have a roof over our heads, clothes on back and food on the table, the very things we should never take for granted.

In March we celebrated the arrival of our grandson, who we were able to visit prior to all the travel restrictions being put in place.  We have know the grace and favor of our God as we have called out to Him when Scott was hospitialized with Covid.  We have experienced the love and support of family and friends and in many ways the bond we have in Christ has been strengthened through all that has happened.

For many 2020 will go down as the year of Covid. For those of us who walk with God, this has been a year in which we have seen His great faithfulness, mercy and love. As we dwell on this truth, His Word reinforces just how blessed we have been.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15)

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in him.  (Nahum 1:7)

He is the God who leads us to green pastures and still waters, who restores our our souls and renews our hope (Psalm 23:2-3; Isaiah 40:31).   He is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1).  The Lord watches over all who love him (Psalm 14:20).

Friends, for we who know God, who are in a covenant relationship with Him there is always a reason to give thanks, to praise our God for HIs abundant goodness.  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1)

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalm 18:2)

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says...in quietness and trust is your strength (Isaiah 30:15).

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)

May you rest in the shadow of the Almighty as we journey together in 2021.

Happy New Year!

Since many of you have asked to see a picture, meet the newest member of our household; an early Christmas gift!  She is a beautiful ten-week old  Black Lab - German Shepherd mix.  We brought her home with the thought that we would see what her personality was like and then give her a name.  As we observed her, we kept coming back to the same thought, 'she's pretty 'sweet'; so we named her Matok (Mah-took),  the Hebrew word for 'sweet'.

She has brought a lot of life and joy to our home!  

At the very core of the Christian faith is an element of sacrifice; giving up our rights for the benefits of others.

The supreme example of this truth is found in the Lord Jesus.  The Apostle Paul speaks of His sacrifice in his words to the church at Philippi:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself   by becoming obedient to death--even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Paul preceeds these words by exhorting the church to:  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.  (Philippians 2:3-4)

As I have watched in recent weeks as a number of churches have defied the directives of our Provincial Health Officer by opening their doors for in-person gatherings, I have to admit such actions are troublesome to me.  While the Bible does allow for a measure of civil disobedience when the actions of our governing bodies violate the Word of God, the actions of these churches do not, in my opinion, meet this threshold. 

In Acts 5:29 Peter declares:  We ought to obey God rather than men.  His words were in response to a directive to stop preaching the truth about Jesus.  Such a directive does violate the Word of God and Peter is right in defying such an order.  Our health and government officials are not shutting the doors of churches to oppress them but to protect them and our communties.  Communities of faith may be correct in declaring we have a Consitutional right to gather but when does the Constitution trump the Bible.  The Word of God is clear, we are to honor those who govern us. 

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.  Give to everyone what you owe them:  If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7)

Interestingly, I have not heard any leader or member in these churches who are taking such a stand, reference this text from the Bible, but rather demands to protect our Constitutional rights.  Something in all of this is not aligning for me.  Even more troubling is how the church is being viewed.  When neighbors and those outside the church use words like 'irresponsible' and 'selfish' to describe the actions of these churches, what does that do for the witness of the church?  Every community of faith has been negatively affected by the actions of a few.  I cannot help but wonder is this really honorable to our Lord?  Our Savior's name had been dragged through the mud and I just cannot see anything honorable in all of this.  

Instead I see the church drawn into controversy, strife and division; these things are not of God.  The devil in hell must be laughing and the heart of our God must be grieved.

I know the gathering of the church is absolutely fundamental to our faith, but friends we are abiding by these directives to protect one another, to protect our communties and most importantly to honor our Lord.  The most-loving, Christ-like way of responding is NOT to gather, to protect the church, our families and the the broader community. At Valley, we will do our part, we will stay on the solution-side and find ways to adapt until we can gather again.

Thank you for doing that which is right and honorable and that which sends a positive message that we care about our communties.

Stay safe and stay connected, until we meet again.

​I saw a news article a couple days ago about a nurse that posted a “How it started… How it’s going” picture of herself; a few others have joined in with pictures of their own. I’ve never been one to take pictures of myself, but when I took my gear off after my last rotation, I couldn’t help but notice that I not only felt exhausted, but that I looked it as well. So here is mine, the photo I used for my hospital badge when I started in May, alongside a picture of me after my last shift.

I’ve been reluctant to post much about COVID since testing positive back in March. Some may know that I have since gone from one side of “being in the hospital with COVID,” to the other, now working as an RN on a COVID ward. And to be completely honest, it’s exactly where I wanted to be when I was hired. Some of my reluctance to post anything was to avoid political debates, but some was also because I felt bad that I started my career after the pandemic had already been delcared.  I tagged in if you will, while many of my coworkers have been working hard since day one. I feel new and inexperienced, and that maybe my experiences and feelings are less legitimate because I started part way through the first wave. People would look at what I wrote and think, “Your opinion doesn’t count; you missed the start, and are new to nursing, you don’t really understand the situation.” And maybe that’s true, and I’m only tired and falling behind so much now because I am newer, slower, and not working as efficiently. Maybe more experienced RNs could do my tasks twice as fast.

My coworkers are amazing, and help me when they can. But I also see them struggling as well. We are all beyond tired. We work short, take shortened breaks, if we get a break at all, and can’t eat or drink for hours with our supply of N95s still being restricted. We are hot and sweaty from wearing our PPE all day. Yes, I know there are other jobs out there that do worse for longer, and I have a greater appreciation for what they do. We a rarely sit, not even to chart, and we often have to stay late after our shift ends do that. We have high patient turnover, constantly admitting and transferring patients off the unit. We have an increase in critically ill patients, and we are seeing more palliative patients that are dying under our care while we try and keep them as comfortable as possible. On that note, a big shout out to all the RTs working alongside and supporting us, especially when our patients start to deteriorate. We spend more time on the phone with families giving updates since visitors are restricted, and have less time for patient care. We flip between days and nights, working overtime to fill shifts, trying to not leave our teammates shorthanded.

Our numbers aren’t high like in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean we aren’t working hard, or that COVID isn’t making people sick. It really bothers me when I hear people calling it a “scamdemic,” and claiming healthcare workers are inflating numbers, and that nurses sit around with empty beds doing nothing and just “dance on TikTok in their scrubs.” Maybe they do that on other units, but not ours. I’m not even sure I know what TikTok really is, and I’m pretty sure that I don’t care to know. But what I do know is that our ward is full, our ICU is full, not all with COVID, but we have enough. All this being said, there is no other floor I would rather be on right now. I am proud to say I have worked the COVID floors during the pandemic. I work with some pretty amazing and caring nurses, RTs, doctors, clerks, aides, and cleaners.  And we have the most supportive OT and PT working alongside us as well, and I am sure everyone on the floor would say they are proud to be doing what they are doing right now too. From this new RN, thank you to everyone that has supported our nurses and hospital staff during the pandemic.