Update from COVID-19 Transition
- Mrs. Ott
- Mar 30, 2020
- 4 min read
Andy:
We're back in the States. It's been a whirlwind of activity in the last week and a half and everybody knows life isn't the same. We wanted to update everyone on where we're at and what's going on. On the 11th of March, Kevin and Rachel Schrock, who is a minister from our church, and their daughters flew to Costa Rica to visit and support us. We had a wonderful time with them and were even able to slip away to the beach (Isla Tortuga) for a day. We were able to show them around town and go to the feria. On the 12th of March, our School informed us that they decided to do online classes due to the Coronavirus. Suddenly, we were facing a new reality that things were going to look a lot different. How would this all work? The Institute had 2- one hour blocks of time in the morning where we needed to be online but we still had 4 kids who needed attention and had their own schoolwork to do. Unbeknownst to us, Kevin had woke up Saturday morning and talked to his girls about staying a little longer to help us out. They offered to stay and help us and we were all for that!
The Schrocks attended church with us on Sunday and it was sad to see the church so empty. That evening we took them to a favorite restaurant of ours, Black Mama Carribean Food. The next morning Kevin and Rachel flew out and the girls moved in with us! The girls were so great with our kids, helping them get their schooling done and taking them to parks in the afternoon to burn off energy.
We talked with Keith from CVE and Amber from HarvestCall and told them we planned on staying unless it got to the point where returning made more sense. Then, on the 19th of March, the US issued a level 4 travel warning advising all Americans to return to the United States. At this point we decided to leave Costa Rica. Packing up our house was no small feat. We were thankful to have Hannah and Rebecca there to help us. Our last four days in Costa Rica were full of packing our things, selling some, buying plane tickets, getting them canceled, buying different ones and goodbyes. We left our Costa Rica house at 8:45 in the morning Sunday morning, flew to Ft. Lauderdale and made it to Chicago without any delays at 10:30 that night. Thankful that Mom and Dad Zimmerman came to Chicago to pick us up. The kids were excited to see snow again.
We arrived back to Congerville about 2:30 a.m. Monday. We're glad we came back when we did as there weren't too many planes out of Costa Rica after Monday. We left Costa Rica with the intent of going back and finishing our program. But looking at the unknown future in front of us and talking with Keith at CVE we have decided that we're not going back to Costa Rica. Even though we don't know what lies ahead we know that God is still in control. The virus has made all of us change our plans in some way or other, but it hasn't changed God's plans. There is this quote I heard years ago "has it ever occurred to you that nothing has occurred to God?" We had to say goodbye to friends, school, and the country that we called home for 7 months. The hardest part for me is accepting the finality of the last 7 months. Not realizing that we were having a lot of lasts. The last time at school, at church, the feria where we went every weekend, the last Uber ride to practice our Spanish, the last time at the park, the last time we would see some of our classmates and friends....
Erin:
When we woke up Thursday, March 19, we didn't know that we'd start packing our house by 3 that afternoon. God did.
When we went to church at El Lugar on Sunday, March 15, we didn't know it was probably the last time we'd ever enter. God did.
When we walked out of School on Thursday, March 12, we didn't know it was probably the last time our feet would ever walk on the pavement, that we'd physically see our classmates and beautiful teachers. God did.
God knew all these things and it gives me comfort for going ahead this year with what may be coming. He holds all of our lives in the Palm of His Hand and I need to be listening for what He may be prompting me to do or to not do. God knows the number of my days. Just as He knew the number of my late grandparents' days. God knew the Coronavirus would send the world into a flurry of panic and how many lives would be impacted.
He knew and He knows.
Honestly, I'm sad about not being able to finish school in Costa Rica. I truly loved it there. I loved my teachers, my classmates, my classes (most of the time), our house, our community....
And then I am reminded. Nearly 3 years ago, I found myself content. I loved our community, our friends and family, our house, our schools for the kids, etc. and God spoke to Andy and told him to think about Mexico. I was very comfortable and God asked me to give up my comfort. For around 2 years, we waited on God to move the pieces in to place. We thought we were ready to just Go...but God had lessons for us to learn in the meantime. So when I look at the coming months, if the Lord wills, I know He has lessons for us here to learn. We don't know when we will be able to move forward to Mexico, or maybe Jesus will return in the interim. But He knows...
“Let your burdens come undone, lift your eyes up to the One who knows....”