A lot of people describe 2020 as a terrible year, a year full of hardships and coronavirus, a year of virtual schooling and canceled sports, a year of no toilet paper and no ammunition, a year of racism, protests, and violence, a year of quarantine and COVID19 deaths. But as we enter 2021, I want to take a minute to reflect back on 2020. Yes, there were some tough moments, but there were also some great moments.
Personally, I think 2020 has been a great year for our family. It’s almost like God hit the pause button on the craziness of our life and gave us a year to slow down and spend more time together. Adalynn and Kinley are both great students and were able to quickly adapt and stay on top of their in-person or virtual studies. Yes, we probably watched more TV this year than ever before, but we also remodeled our deck and put in a pool, which was fun to work on together. And we enjoyed sharing the pool and fire pit with family and friends (in small groups of 10 or less, of course). Yes, we tested positive for COVID19 in mid November, a few weeks after Elyssa’s Nana passed; and no, some of us still can’t taste or smell at times, but through it all we’ve grown in our unity and love for one another.
Ministry has been tough throughout 2020. We had to cancel our Student DNow event planned at the end of March, and postponed our mission trip to Arizona. The unknown and inability to plan ahead has been tough for both youth and discipleship ministry in our church. We canceled our Wednesday night meals and large youth group gatherings inside, discontinued Sunday Connect Classes, modified VBS, and emphasized our online presence. But as believers we are designed to worship together and use our spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ. So we’ve shifted gears and looked for creative ways to continue ministering to both our community and our local body of believers. Small group discipleship has been huge for both students and adults and we hope to build upon that in 2021.