If 2018 was the year of recovery and 2019 was the year of health, then 2020 was the year of change. Late in 2019 I had some discussions with Jeff Howe the station manager at YES FM Radio Network here in Toledo, but they never really went anywhere. 2020 started with the best of intentions on being a continuation of 2019 in both ministry and life. Samantha headed off to YWAM with her eyes set on ministry after 3 months of training at Kona Station in Hawaii. Chayla started her second semester of classes at Lourdes University and loved it. Allana and I continued to serve the families of Collingwood Presbyterian Church. We had plans to attend Winterjam in Cleveland along with other family activities. My position at Cherry Street Mission Ministries continued to grow and develop.
Well we all know how that went! However, God is still on the throne and we could clearly see His movement in our lives. Five days before Samantha was to fly out to Albania to serve at risk women and children the pandemic struck the world, and the wheels came off. We were blessed that all the YWAM teams throughout the world were able to get back and that Samantha was able to get home. Cherry Street went into turbo drive as we locked the ministry down and staff covered most volunteer positions and put multiple time intensive safety protocols into place. Lourdes University first shut down for a time and then transitioned to all online courses.
We will never know for sure but suspect that Samantha brought an unwanted visitor back with her from Hawaii or she picked it up in one of the airports during her frantic flights back to Toledo. She simply had a cough and some congestion for a few days, but a couple of weeks later Allana became ill. We all quarantined and then I had to take Allana to the hospital as her oxygen levels plummeted. It was in the middle of all this that YES FM called offering me a position there. I immediately said no, Allana was returning from 5 days in the hospital (we praise God that she avoided being on a ventilator and barely stayed out of ICU!), Cherry Street was in turmoil, I couldn’t make a job change now! Right? Unfortunately (as I sometimes do) I did not bring this decision before God, I mean it was a slam dunk, Cherry Street needed me. Five days later I had a fever of 103.5. This would remain for two weeks. My oxygen dropped into the 80’s but I am stubborn, and it never stayed that low more than a couple of hours. It was during this time that God spoke to me about my decision-making process.
Long story short as I recovered and spent time in quarantine discussions with both YES FM and Cherry Street moved forward and mid-June, I completed the transition and began at YES FM as Director of Listener and Community engagement. Collingwood Presbyterian Church went into shutdown. All our plans were canceled. We transitioned our family ministry to online with Zoom and have been blessed to be able to continue to interact with the children and youth through this medium. We also deliver monthly packets to the homes. Samantha was crushed after her summer ministry plans evaporated. Attempts to move her YWAM ministry program online and local did not really work out well. Chayla completed her year at Lourdes online but was not thrilled with being back to virtual schooling (all of our children have been in virtual school since 2011). Nisa struggled with the isolation of shutdown through the summer.
We were all incredibly happy when Compelled Church opened again along with local playgrounds. Chayla moved to a blend of online and in person classes at Lourdes. Samantha began talks with a good friend who is opening a coding school locally and will be working there along with Chayla when they finally open. (The pandemic short circuited the planned start but they are moving forward. If you have an interest in having your children learn coding, look up Code Ninja’s in Sylvania.) Allana moved forward with a small gather of her True Beauty ladies. I am acclimating to radio ministry and inserting some of my organizational skills into the mix at YES FM. I am enjoying as always, the opportunity to partner with brothers and sisters in Christ from many backgrounds. Also, in this season I put the finishing touches on a long-term project. I am preparing to publish my first book, The Hupomone Principle. It will be available in paperback and on Kindle from Amazon.
We do not know what 2021 has in store. Chayla will be back at Lourdes, though exactly what that will look like is not clear. Both Samantha and Chayla will be working with children at Code Ninjas. Allana will continue to work with Nisa and serve the ladies of True Beauty while we both serve the families of Collingwood Presbyterian Church. I will be starting my MBA at Bowling Green University while working on my second book. We are so blessed that regardless of the circumstances in the world around us we have a steady rock to anchor our lives and mission. I pray that you find yourself on solid ground even as the ground of life shakes around you!
Blessings Always!
Sam
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