Even in the wake of Covid, a quarantine and nearly all students at UGA taking online classes since March, we have still been ministering to a lot of students. In fact, I would say, from March through the end of June, I consistently met with more student athletes than I ever have during that time of year. Carrie also continued to meet with her girls along with juggling virtual schooling for the kids through the end of the school year.
Our partnership with Jamaica has looked a lot different but we included the Jamaican staff and students in some virtual state-side bible studies with different partner regions. While many students we worked with grew tired of a life spent on Zoom and FaceTime, they still continued to show up each week for a virtual Bible Study on Joshua, or welcomed getting together one-on-one on a phone. Many missed the consistent interaction of being around each other for practice or games and this helped fill the void.
We talked a lot about the different ways the Lord fought for Joshua and the Israelites, drawing comparisons to our current situations. Whether we realize it or not, we need God fighting for us – whether we’re in a pandemic or not. This became especially true for Carrie and me over the past 6 weeks as both of us ended up getting Covid. Neither of us ended up in the hospital but we got hit pretty hard. I have recovered well, with the exception of not having much smell or taste. Carrie has had a harder time getting back to normal – she still experiences ‘head fog’, fatigue and can’t taste or smell anything. Coupled with the start of virtual school for the kids as well as virtual and some distanced in-person ministry at UGA there’s been a lot we’ve asked God to fight for. We’re tired but still figuring out how to make life work.
The great news is that God has been with us in all of this. The kids had a great summer. They rode bikes with some friends 5-6 nights a week and we spent a lot of time together. They also haven’t refused to do school online yet – which, I’m not sure if it was me, would be the case. Our ministry is also set up in a way that allows us to continue meeting with students even though we might not have as much in-person contact like we normally would – we get to equip them to reach their teammates in ways we can’t right now.
We’re grateful for you and would appreciate prayers for our continued health and recovery.
Chris and Carrie Davis