A big part of what He is teaching me during this global pandemic is about learning to take a deep breath, partner with Him, truly see how He sees, and "reframe the narrative" of my circumstances.
This was a big part of what took place with a recent short term Art Ministry trip that I had planned for this month (to reframe the narrative and see it through His eyes).
I was all set to drive up to Seattle on a solo Art Ministry road trip to connect with 2 separate hosts for a couple of weeks. One host is an artist and lives in north of Seattle. I met her years ago on Facebook and have never had the chance to meet in person. She and her husband pastor a Japanese church and they are also part of another small house church plant. I was to do some art activities with the members of the churches and also paint live. And the other host is also an artist that lives north of Seattle. I met her years ago at an art conference in Boise that I helped put together. We've not been able to connect in person since but have continued to keep in contact through Facebook. Our plans were to stay in downtown Seattle and do some art together.
It was an exciting trip preparation through our Facebook messaging and phonecalls. Preparation was set in motion for several months. I was preparing to bring art and supplies with me (God's conversation through paintings I had created in myt studio to bring as gifts, a prepped painting to do live, painting postcards I had chosen to give out, and also a set of inspirational books I had ordered to give as gifts to the leaders of the house church plant). It was really fun to finally be able to be focused on a trip (considering how the pandemic has slowed everything down, especially with travel) and I was excited to reveal what God had been conversing with me about to them when I arrived.
Unfortunately a week before I was to leave for the trip my first hosts got Covid. They needed to be in quarantine. The wife has since recovered but the husband has had more serious complications and has had to be in hospital. He is currently still in hospital and we are praying for his recovery. Upon initially receiving the news, before I was to go on the trip, I knew right away I had to cancel the trip. And then shortly after I had cancelled the trip I got word that my others hosts also got Covid. They are currently in quarantine. The cancellation was disappointing for all of us but it was the right thing to do. There might still be a road trip in the future but for now we are all praying for my hosts health and recovery from Covid.
This is the life we are all living through currently...it's full of uncertainty and there's the need for flexibility when it comes to making any plans.
But despite not being able to travel to them, God put it in my heart to still ship them all the paintings and the painting postcards and the inspirational books (that even though I couldn't physically go on the trip, my art could still go...His heart was still able to speak through the voice of creativity). My hosts let me know that it has been so encouraging and so wonderful to receive the all the artistic gifts and the words I wrote to them. Everything has been so spot on (speaking exactly what they needed to hear at this time).
This has been encouraging to me and a confirmation that God is still asking me to partner with Him in the Creative Conversation even during this pandemic. He is still speaking. He is still lavishing His love.
One of the members of my Commissioning Circle mentioned to me that this trip reminded them of the Apostle Paul and his epistles (when he was in prison and couldn't go to the churches and be with the people he ministered to, his letters took the journey in his place. And here we are centuries later reading them and benefiting from those conversations that he was a part of with God)...my paintings and art and the things I write are much like that...going out to minister to people around the world.
Who knows the ripples they will continue to make even beyond their initial recipients? It's a lesson in reframing the narrative of the circumstance, shifting the paradigm, and allowing ministry to be WAY more creative and flexible than it has before.
