A Story of Wisdom and Lockdown Number I Don't Even Know Anymore
What a time to be living in our world. In all of my short 28 years, there's never been anything quite like it.
Sure, there's been some epidemics passed around that I can remember -- Ebola, West Nile, H1N1, but NOTHING that has gotten literally almost the whole world on lockdown....or sort of lockdown anyway.
If you read my previous blog post, or any number of my other posts, then you know that unfortunately, Haiti is absolutely no stranger to being on lockdown or quarantine. They've come at different times, some short and some long. They've been been caused for different reasons, most of them surrounded by political unrest and instability.
In the month of February, things were finally starting to get back to the closest thing to "normal" that Haiti has seen in close to five or six months. We were finally closing out the longest "lockdown" in the near four years that I've lived here. In reality, Haiti has suffered a rough year and half. So, last week when news hit that we had confirmed cases discovered in Haiti, many eyes probably did a roll of sorts and many brains thought, "Well, here we go again."
It's like people who travel a lot....you hardly have to think anymore about what you're packing because you do it so much. Or your long commute to work that you could probably do in your sleep. Our bodies are practically programmed now for the mindset required to stock up and hunker down.
However, this time was a little bit different for many reasons.
This time, many Haitians took things a little bit more seriously in terms of preparation and stocking up...because the "threat" was more immediate and present. My attitude was also different.
Those countless number of lockdowns were not without their stressors and triggers of lockdowns past. High strung emotions and loneliness. Fear of the unknown and heartbreak for the seeming breakdowns in society playing out right before your eyes.
In my last blog post, I made the comment that my relationship with the Lord was never stronger than in those moments. They weren't easy. They weren't without my flesh making it's appearance and saying things and thinking things that I maybe shouldn't have. BUT GOD. Our God is big, He's strong and He's mighty. There's nothing that He cannot do. ((Anyone else have that song, come to mind? I might have been humming it while typing.))
Even in those moments of difficulty and stress, I knew and believed that God would use those moments to strengthen me and to use what I learned in the future. Never could have I imagined that just a few short weeks into the calm, I would begin to see how God works.
This time hasn't been without stress and sleepless nights. COVID-19 is a big deal. It's wreaking a lot of havoc. I've canceled a trip home and my directors were unable to make the trip back to Haiti. I've had to distance myself from social media and focus on the things that I can control. I've had to determine what is an appropriate amount of food to stock for two weeks and then for a month as our president has called to close down markets with no reopening date mentioned.
What can I say is that this time has been filled with much more awareness and thankfulness for the place that I am now. The place that for three weeks prior to cases being confirmed in Haiti, I was able to empathize with those of you in America feeling the pressures and abnormalities of having to stay home. I've been able to mentally prepare myself for Haiti entering into a new season of lockdown.
I've also been able to reflect and see how God used all of those previous moments to prepare me for this one. I was reading in my morning devotion and the author was talking about how God uses those hard moments to give us wisdom to use at a later time...either to help us through a similar situation in the future or to help others. I've been blessed to see both.
While I wouldn't have ever asked to go through those experiences, I'm thankful for where they've put me. I'm thankful that I can feel the peace of God streaming through my blood when things get tense and I need to put away the phone or get a hug from my husband. I'm thankful for the growth my husband and I have made as we navigated those difficult moments to prepare to communicate better during this one.
So friends, I don't right this to "toot my own horn" and say "look how I strong I am."
My hope is that it will encourage you to press into the Lord. Lean on Him. Ask Him for peace and guidance. He's right there with you every step of the way.
As to how we're "quarantining..."
We're making every effort to stay home as much as possible and be an example to those around us. ((Social distancing is HARD here with such communal living.)) Wood's brother and sister-in-law have moved in with us. There's power in numbers to band together and make the burden light. We all pitch in with house duties and it's been really great to have other people around to talk and joke and play ALL the games. ((Games with only two are difficult!)) I'm pretty much on the rice and beans diet, but we're making it work. We have other things too.
Wood and I have felt the difference of mindset this time around and have had some beautiful moments of reflection and gratitude.
Kembe fem, friends. ((Hold steadfast.)) We're going to see this through. God is bigger than Corona and He is going to use this -- just wait and see.
In the meantime, if you're still out and about and you don't need to be...please stay home. My grandpa always said, "Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution."
All the love,
Caitlin
Sure, there's been some epidemics passed around that I can remember -- Ebola, West Nile, H1N1, but NOTHING that has gotten literally almost the whole world on lockdown....or sort of lockdown anyway.
If you read my previous blog post, or any number of my other posts, then you know that unfortunately, Haiti is absolutely no stranger to being on lockdown or quarantine. They've come at different times, some short and some long. They've been been caused for different reasons, most of them surrounded by political unrest and instability.
In the month of February, things were finally starting to get back to the closest thing to "normal" that Haiti has seen in close to five or six months. We were finally closing out the longest "lockdown" in the near four years that I've lived here. In reality, Haiti has suffered a rough year and half. So, last week when news hit that we had confirmed cases discovered in Haiti, many eyes probably did a roll of sorts and many brains thought, "Well, here we go again."
It's like people who travel a lot....you hardly have to think anymore about what you're packing because you do it so much. Or your long commute to work that you could probably do in your sleep. Our bodies are practically programmed now for the mindset required to stock up and hunker down.
However, this time was a little bit different for many reasons.
This time, many Haitians took things a little bit more seriously in terms of preparation and stocking up...because the "threat" was more immediate and present. My attitude was also different.
Those countless number of lockdowns were not without their stressors and triggers of lockdowns past. High strung emotions and loneliness. Fear of the unknown and heartbreak for the seeming breakdowns in society playing out right before your eyes.
In my last blog post, I made the comment that my relationship with the Lord was never stronger than in those moments. They weren't easy. They weren't without my flesh making it's appearance and saying things and thinking things that I maybe shouldn't have. BUT GOD. Our God is big, He's strong and He's mighty. There's nothing that He cannot do. ((Anyone else have that song, come to mind? I might have been humming it while typing.))
Even in those moments of difficulty and stress, I knew and believed that God would use those moments to strengthen me and to use what I learned in the future. Never could have I imagined that just a few short weeks into the calm, I would begin to see how God works.
This time hasn't been without stress and sleepless nights. COVID-19 is a big deal. It's wreaking a lot of havoc. I've canceled a trip home and my directors were unable to make the trip back to Haiti. I've had to distance myself from social media and focus on the things that I can control. I've had to determine what is an appropriate amount of food to stock for two weeks and then for a month as our president has called to close down markets with no reopening date mentioned.
What can I say is that this time has been filled with much more awareness and thankfulness for the place that I am now. The place that for three weeks prior to cases being confirmed in Haiti, I was able to empathize with those of you in America feeling the pressures and abnormalities of having to stay home. I've been able to mentally prepare myself for Haiti entering into a new season of lockdown.
I've also been able to reflect and see how God used all of those previous moments to prepare me for this one. I was reading in my morning devotion and the author was talking about how God uses those hard moments to give us wisdom to use at a later time...either to help us through a similar situation in the future or to help others. I've been blessed to see both.
While I wouldn't have ever asked to go through those experiences, I'm thankful for where they've put me. I'm thankful that I can feel the peace of God streaming through my blood when things get tense and I need to put away the phone or get a hug from my husband. I'm thankful for the growth my husband and I have made as we navigated those difficult moments to prepare to communicate better during this one.
So friends, I don't right this to "toot my own horn" and say "look how I strong I am."
My hope is that it will encourage you to press into the Lord. Lean on Him. Ask Him for peace and guidance. He's right there with you every step of the way.
As to how we're "quarantining..."
We're making every effort to stay home as much as possible and be an example to those around us. ((Social distancing is HARD here with such communal living.)) Wood's brother and sister-in-law have moved in with us. There's power in numbers to band together and make the burden light. We all pitch in with house duties and it's been really great to have other people around to talk and joke and play ALL the games. ((Games with only two are difficult!)) I'm pretty much on the rice and beans diet, but we're making it work. We have other things too.
Wood and I have felt the difference of mindset this time around and have had some beautiful moments of reflection and gratitude.
Kembe fem, friends. ((Hold steadfast.)) We're going to see this through. God is bigger than Corona and He is going to use this -- just wait and see.
In the meantime, if you're still out and about and you don't need to be...please stay home. My grandpa always said, "Don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution."
All the love,
Caitlin
Comments
Post a Comment