Guest Writer

Today I am sharing a post written by my brother, Merle Burkholder. His daughter is a nurse in a refugee camp in Bangladesh. This should give you a different perspective on our lot in this pandemic. 

We are living in a time of crisis. Our lives have been changed. We probably all know people who have lost their jobs or who are ill from the COVID-19 virus.

Yet here in North America we have much to be thankful for. We have some margin. We have some food in our houses. We have at least some financial reserves. We have church communities that are able to help each other through this time. We have governments that provide emergency aid to those who have lost their jobs.

Let's remember those who have a totally different experience right now.

For example, the government of India has ordered a three week shut down. The rickshaw drivers have been ordered off the streets. Many of them live one day at a time. They get paid each day and that is their food money for the next day. Suddenly, they have no food for tomorrow. They don't have a well stocked freezer to draw from either. People will die.

I think about the worker in Ethiopia who was working in a textile plant for about $25 per month. Now the plant is closed and they have no income. They have no food reserves. What will they do for their family?

I think about the several billion people in our world today who live on less than two dollars a day. They are the ones who will likely die at the highest rates.

I think about the inmates in correctional institutions.

I think about the refugees who are living in refugee camps.

When I think about these people, I am grateful for the margins that I have. I want to pray, and do what I can for others who are having a very different experience right now.

-Merle

Coronavirus

   During the past week my calendar suddenly emptied as things were canceled due to the Coronavirus that began in China and is encircling the globe. Federal and state governments keep tightening the restrictions on public gatherings in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. The restrictions vary with the states but limit the group size. In some states it is limited to 100 people but Pennsylvania set the limit at 250. All schools in the state are closed for two weeks as well as nonessential businesses, restaurants and bars. 

   The idea that they would have to stay home for two weeks sent people into panic that created mass hysteria. They flocked to stores and stockpiled supplies in ridiculous amounts. Face masks, hand sanitizer, bottled water, toilet paper, milk and other things were sold out. Fear sent the stock market on a dramatic nose dive. 

   No cases of the virus have been found in our county or the counties surrounding us, but we remain under the restrictions. Children have a two-week spring break and some people are out of work which means no pay check.

  The closures may check the spread of the virus, but the whole thing has been blown out of proportion fed by the news media. There have been other viruses which were more deadly than this one, particularly the Spanish Influenza of 1918 which infected one-third of the world's population and caused 675,000 deaths in the United States. Coronavirus symptoms are mild in comparison and the majority of those infected will survive. Those whose lives are at risk with Coronavirus are the elderly or people with respiratory difficulties.

   Our lives have not been disrupted except for some activities being canceled. We know God is in control and are not panicking. We can live a long time on the canned and frozen food we have in the basement. There is no need to stockpile things from the store. When God provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness, He warned them not to gather more than they needed or it would spoil. Those who ignored the warning found that is exactly what happened to the surplus. The hysteria we are seeing is the result of fear and lack of trust in God.

   "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7.

Worth Waiting For

  Our youngest son and his wife will be married nine years in July. They went through years of infertility tests and treatments without success. There was no hope they would be able to have a child, so they began looking into adoption. At an informative meeting on adoption, they heard about embryo adoption and felt the Lord was leading them to take this route to have a family. They went into it knowing the national success rate is 40% but claimed the verse, "For nothing shall be impossible with God."

  If you never heard of embryo adoption, this is how it works. When couples use IVF (in vitro fertilization) to have a child, more embryos are created than they will use. As the use of IVF grows, the number of embryos in storage also grows. An estimated 600,000 frozen embryos (most of which will most likely be destroyed) are now in storage across the United States.

  Since we believe life begins at conception, this creates a moral problem of what to do with the frozen embryos. One option is to donate the leftover frozen embryos to another couple. This is an alternative way for an infertile couple to adopt a family. 

  After the donors release their embryos to the adoptive parents, an embryo is thawed and implanted in the womb of the adoptive mother. She carries and gives birth to the child, allowing the adoptive parents to not only have a child but also experience pregnancy and childbirth. A embryo that would have been destroyed (technically aborted) is given a chance to live. 

  The process for embryo adoption is the same as any other adoption with a home study and all the legal work needed to finalized the adoption before the embryo is implanted in the mother's womb. When the child is born their surname is on the child's birth certificate. 

  It took our son and his wife 16 months to complete all the necessary legal and medical work before the embryo could be thawed and implanted. We were praying earnestly the entire time but only God could give life to that embryo. Would He do it?

  One day last summer when I was praying about it, I thought of what my brother said about asking God for something big. He is the Creator of the universe and can do greater things than we can imagine and yet we just ask Him for little everyday things. Right there I told God I am asking Him for something big that only He can do. I asked Him to give life to the first embryo that was implanted. The doctors said it was a 40% chance that would happen, but nothing is impossible with God. He has given barren women children before and even made a virgin gave birth. He could give life to the first embryo that was thawed if He willed.

  I kept waiting and praying for six more months until the day the embryo was implanted. Then we waited some more to see if it was successful. The first pregnancy test was positive! I was overwhelmed and melted into tears when we got the news. It is easy to say we believe God answers prayer but harder to really believe when we have a situation where He is the only one who can do anything about it. There IS a God who cares about us, hears, and answers our prayers.

  The pregnancy is going well and the baby is developing normally. There is a strong heartbeat and I believe the God who gave life to this embryo will finish what He began and give them a live healthy baby in early October. Perhaps the whole purpose of their infertility was to bring this particular child to life. It is an unconventional way to have a family but nothing is impossible for God.

  It was a long 16 months and much hard work, but today these expectant parents are very happy and sharing their joy with the public. They would tell you it was worth all the effort and worth waiting for.