"Due to Covid-19"

Like many of us, the last two months have been colored with the phrase "Due to Covid-19 ", and so this update will be about my life as a result of that phrase. There have been many changes and transitions since I last wrote an update on March 16th. I went from Bolivia to America, from teaching to summer break, from 5 hours of freedom a week to complete freedom all week, but the biggest change being my transition from single to married. Long distance is not easy, not ideal, and not something I ever saw myself doing, yet this is what has characterized Audrey and I since we started dating.

God always at the center, I have found someone I look forward to doing life with and serving God with, someone I want to love always, just as Christ loved the church. So the biggest "Due to Covid-19 " arrived when we decided to move up the wedding date and get married on April 28th at a park in my hometown of Galena, IL. Within a week of arriving back to the States we had thrown together a small but pleasant ceremony of about 21 people, and even more were able to "zoom-in" despite being states away. I was so thankful to have it all come together despite many of the regulations and circumstances that presented themselves as a result to the pandemic.

Before returning to the US, my quarantined time in La Paz from March 12th-April 21st was the truest test of confinement I would ever face up to this point. Bolivia tried to get a jump on the pandemic, and took extreme measures to address the growing fear. "Due to Covid-19 " I was confined to my apartment for all but 5 hours a week, on a specified day, only allowed to go to either a pharmacy or a grocery store within that 5 hour window. These extreme precautions have not been enough as the pandemic continues to spread.

Having one roommate get a jump on leaving before everything shut down, I spent the quarantined season with my other roommate Luke as we did all we could to pass the time and make the most of that season. Blessed with an apartment on the first floor and a patio right outside our window, we often transitioned back and forth between indoors and outdoors just to keep things fresh. I am thankful I purchased a football the week before everything shut down as that became a daily pastime on the patio for us to engage in. Still having to continue classes online, we did our best to stay connected with our classes, our discipleship groups, and our staff through zoom. I was thankful to have Luke to battle the quarantine with, and I think life would have looked quite different without him there. The pictures above show him zooming with a class and working out on our patio, which also became a popular pastime (book filled book-bag lunges only seem appealing when there is nothing else to do). Below are some pictures of what quarantined looked like as I got out of the apartment each Friday and explored what I could of a quarantined city. Notice the sanitation space capsule I had to walk through in order to even enter the grocery store. You can see that many had to break the quarantine measures and risk getting fined or arrested in order to sell their goods on the street. I believe the military and police I saw patrolling the streets were lenient to many because of the dependence they had on their day-to-day income.

The prison-like quarantine life ended on April 21st when, "Due to Covid-19 " I took advantage of a US Embassy repatriation flight, the only option for getting out of Bolivia (That process is its own story for another time but it was quite wild). I returned to IL and began quarantining and planning the wedding. I am so thankful to have had the chance to have some of my closest friends be able to come, and even to have a bachelor-type bonfire the night before with some of my closest boys. Another blessing was being able to visit my sister and her family up in Milwaukee and introduce my niece and nephew to their new cool Aunt Audrey.

For as we all know, life during this pandemic is very different, and any time we are able to share it with others is a blessing to be counted ten-fold. I have thoroughly enjoyed being back in the states and visiting old faces while also introducing a new one in Audrey. We spent a good portion of our time in the midwest visiting friends and family, while also getting acclimated to our new married life. However, "Due to Covid-19 " we had to quarantine ourselves again because we actually believe we contracted the virus shortly after unknowingly being exposed to someone who had it. So after enjoying a brief season of visiting others, we were back to the extreme quarantine life, only this time I was with my beautiful brand new wife, who sadly suffered through many of the symptoms while I remained asymptomatic. Thankfully God provided and we had a place to quarantine ourselves before recovering and getting back to life in North Carolina, from where I am writing this now.

Thanks to friends in Wheaton, IL we had a place to quarantine and recover. It was a true blessing.

So now back in North Carolina and officially having ended school this past Friday, June 12th, I start my summer break. Although this break is filled with unknowns about the next school year and our return to Bolivia, we are both trusting in God and eagerly awaiting what lies in store for us each day, day-by-day. Because "Due to Covid-19 " God has reminded all of us how important it is to take life day-by-day relying on Him and not worrying about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). We are due back in Bolivia on July 26th, and Lord willing the country will open back up and we will be able to return both to the mission field and to the people He has called us to serve. Please be in prayer for both Audrey and I as we adjust and prepare for this new transition that is coming up for us. So much is unknown to us, but we have peace in knowing it is not unknown to our great and glorious God in heaven.