From Shelley Reeves, Pastor’s Wife, Matlock Baptist Church (Jackson, SC)

“Living through a pandemic is not something any of us ever thought we’d do, only something we read about in our history books, before vaccines and medicines were created to protect and heal us from these things. But here we are, staying home, homeschooling our kids, not going out to eat, watching church services online, only going to the grocery store when absolutely necessary. There is a lot of fear, anxiety, and negativity around us. Watching my husband try to do the right things as a pastor has been interesting, as there are so many different opinions on how he should do things. It is hard on everyone to have to sit home and miss out on times of fellowship with other believers. The only choice in this is to focus on the good things. I get to spend tons of time with my kids, one of which is a senior who will be going to college in a few short months. We have all enjoyed family game nights, cooking together, spending time outside in this (mostly) beautiful weather we have been having, watching movies, and just staying up late and talking. I am also blessed in that I am able to go to work two days a week and work alongside my fellow nurses.

Yes, that’s right, I’m a nurse, and I feel blessed to be able to go to work during this time. I work in Labor and Delivery, which seems pretty benign at this time, but it’s not. We are having to suit up for symptomatic patients. They ration our masks and PPE (personal protective equipment) so that we will have enough when we need it. Morale is very low on our unit right now because we aren’t really seen as “front line workers” when in all actuality, we are. Nurses are crying at work, terrified of this virus and that they are going to take it home to their families, or die alone from it in the hospital. While these are all valid fears, I have chosen from the beginning of all this not to live that way. I have little to no fear when it comes to this pandemic. God is with us all. God knows what will happen. Worrying won’t change that at all.

One thing I have missed the most is the Bible study with my coworkers. Two of my sweet friends, Angel and Katie, started an open Bible study for everyone who works with us, before this pandemic started. We gathered at Angel’s home every Monday night and studied God’s word, prayed together, and just talked about our troubles and our blessings. We held each other accountable at work, making sure we helped each other walk away when conversations turned into gossip, or negativity was being spread. There were six of us who regularly attended.  Of course, with this shelter in place order, we had to cancel our weekly meetings. However, Angel decided to invite us to join her on YouVersion in daily devotions. We are on our 3^rd devotion and it has been so good for my heart. We are now talking of spiritual things daily, and remembering daily to pray for one another. What better way to build morale at work than to study God’s word and pray together, especially during this time. Being in God’s word daily is also making us bolder with our patients in sharing His love. I have prayed with my patients more during this time than ever. I remind them what a gift their baby is and to try to enjoy that gift during this time and not spend it worrying. The main scriptures I share with my patients, coworkers, and family members are 2 Timothy 1:7 and Matthew 6:27. I encourage everyone to remember that God is here, He is in control of all of this, and He will comfort us if we let Him!“