This year has been a bit of a topsy turvy journey for many of us, as we’ve had to grapple with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic that continues to cause disruption to our everyday lives.
It has had a devastating effect on hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Regardless if they have been affected by the virus physically or not.
The flow on effect according to many so called specialists, that come out of the woodwork in times like this, is that it will last for many years to come in some form or another.
As someone that has journeyed through a number of crisis’ over the years of ministry and throughout my life I have lived through some quite challenging and uncertain times, and have had to learn to look on the bright side of life regardless what life throws at me.
I’m reminded of the scripture from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (The Message) where it tells us to “be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.“
Many of us need to take this to heart and be content in all circumstances as Paul also advised the church of Philippi, refer to Philippians 4:11-13 (The Voice).
On a personal level this year has been further compounded, as Annette & I have had to deal with health complications due to my autoimmune disease (Scleroderma & Raynaud’s), which was only diagnosed two years ago along with other issues that we are facing both personally and in our ministry.
As many of you are aware (if you have been following my blog or facebook posts) over the past few months I have attended quite a number of appointments with doctors / general practitioners, rheumatologist specialists, respiratory specialists. And have had numerous medical tests and blood tests to find out what is going on with my health.
Last months health update provided some insights into the fact that I have some permanent lung disease (NSIP). This has put me at a high risk in the current environment and also going forward, as we along with the specialists ascertain if the new course of medications will improve my overall health and wellbeing long term.
As mentioned in that blog entry I’ve been put on a high dose of steroids to try and clear any lingering inflammation in my lungs and also stabilize my breathing and energy levels (as this previously was drained extremely rapidly). These steroids at such a high dose come with their own set of challenges and side effects.
The course of medication that I have been put on to treat interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-ILD) is the same drugs used to treat cancer patients. I’ll be having monthly chemotherapy over a period of 6 months, which will hopefully improve my overall health and well-being. These obviously come with its own set of complications and side effects.
As I’m sure you can appreciate there are going to be good days and not so good days, and some really rough days in between where I will feel as if I’ve been hit by a bus as I continue to serve the Master in these unprecedented days.
So if all of a sudden I have to cancel or postpone appointments to another time or if I am out of action for a day or two, I hope that you will exhibit grace not only to me, but also to Annette and the wider leadership team as we continue to guide and lead the Corps through some interesting times.
Their will be days when I am not in the office at all due to my calendar being booked up with appointments, meetings and or time set aside for focussed time on projects that we are working through.
At no time in recent history have we as a country, let alone the world, had to deal with so many situations like what we are facing today in such quick succession or even at the same time; pandemics, civil unrest, natural disasters and so much more besides – Add on to that the often complex personal stuff that many people are facing in this day and age there is no manual and with the complexities of mission and ministry within The Salvation Army and the wider church today with its multiple policies, procedures and structures that have been put in place over the past generations, we are all treading new ground.
As we here in New Zealand are now at COVID alert level 1, I will be returning to Sunday morning meetings and spending more time in the office and out in the community, rather than working predominantly from home (which I’ve been doing for the past few months) having to isolate from crowds and potential sources of cold / flu-like viruses.
Through online connections that I have made in the past few months and friends that I have around the world I am very aware that some people with autoimmune disorders and diseases (similar to mine) have had to shield themselves from others for the past 9 months.
My heart goes out to people like them that have to contend with rare diseases and disorders that are incurable, and I pray that they can soon start socialising in person again. But without a reputable vaccine in place, that is tried and tested, their reality is that that may be a long way off for them yet 😦
I want to thank you for your ongoing prayers and support as Annette & I continue navigating this difficult period in our life and ministry, and we are truly thankful for the support of local leadership, and especially DHQ in these days, as they are fully aware of the situation and are supporting us each as we need it.
I have also been hugely encouraged by the work that has been going on to further enhance our mission and ministry not only now, but also in preparing us for what the new year holds.
So that we can continue reaching out to our local community and serving The Salvation Army not only around the country but also around the world.
The thing is, God is at work in and through us impacting the lives of people and providing “Life and Hope” to those within the Inner City, and beyond.
I recently read an article by Jolene Underwood entitled ‘When Life is Topsy Turvy and You Feel Afraid, Step Forward Anyway‘ where she unpacks transitions and changes that we face and have to adapt to.
May this be an encouragement to you as we each grapple with the ‘new normals’ that we inevitably will be faced with as we journey through these days. And may God continue to bless you each as we each step out in faith trusting in His provision 🙂
The life and times of Perry... 