Here is an update letter from our seminarian, Nick Whitney:
Greetings Zion Lutheran,
Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father during this difficult time. We pray this letter finds you well and in good spirits. It seems like so much has happened since we last wrote. I’ll start first with the family update. We are all doing well and are all healthy! Just like you I’m sure, we are also confined to the house. I, along with everyone else on campus, are not allowed to be there. However we are still working through this via the internet. My classes this quarter are being done all online, some live with the help of video chat. Others are recorded by the professor and then posted online for me to see. Cassie spent this last week home after due to having a lingering cough. The was due to a cold that we all got several weeks ago, and she was the last to receive it. For obvious reasons, working in a medical office right now with a cold, they sent her home. She will be back to work as of Monday. She will however only be working two days a week for the foreseeable future. This is due to patients cancelling appointments because of everything going on. The kids too, are out of school. The Governor of Indian just announced that all K-12 schools (public or private) are closed through May. This means the kids won’t go back to school this year and stay home with me. Fear not though! We are still having school everyday. All of us are working away. The kids are working on numbers, ABC’s, shapes and colors daily. I have also pulled out my violin and started showing them how to play. They certainly enjoy this! Cassie too, is continuing to go to school online for her degree in christian counseling. She just started a new semester this week. We are all getting outside when we can. It is still cold and raining a lot here, but we make due. This last weekend, prior to everything getting shut down, we made a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina! We stayed for a long weekend and got lots of sun, sand and ocean! It was the kids’ first time seeing the ocean and they loved it. Our drive to and from the Outer Banks was wonderful and we didn’t have a single problem. It is always a blessing to see more of God’s creation, and the ocean has always served as a place to refresh and refocus for us.
This quarter I am taking Confessions, Field Education, Greek Readings, Pauline Epistles, Confessing Christ in the modern world, and Liturgics II. So far all the classes have been wonderful and the professors have been accommodating given the current limitations. Currently the seminary has told us we will be out at least thru March 27th. At this point they will re-evaluate the situation and extend if need be. While I have not been on campus, it would seem from the way the professors are talking and how the world is going, the extension seems very likely. In addition to not being able to go to school, we have also been worshiping from home. Most, if not all, of the churches in the area have closed for the next two weeks. While this is certainly sad to see, it is a wonderful opportunity to teach and hear the word of God in our own home! We are taking time daily, without the other busy constraints of the world to distract and studying the word of God. What a blessing in such a chaotic time. We are currently working on the basics, the Catechism.
Everything is rather uncertain right now, and some might even go so far to say scary. This also happens to be the season of Lent, a time of contrition and remorse. All of us are feeling the weight, the pain and the struggles of a sinful world. It might, or maybe it already has become difficult to see the light through all of this. Isolation, loneliness and anxiety seem to manifest and spread faster than the virus itself. So much seems to ride on our personal actions, or the success of a vaccine, or even just luck. Psalm 79:9 seems to fit here, “Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for you name’s sake!” Why is this happening? What are we to do?……. Our answer is this; Find solace in your baptism. We are a community, a family, God’s very own people. When the waters of Holy Baptism touched our skin and the Word was spoken, we were made his! Because of this we are all one in Christ. We are unified not only in His death, but also in the resurrection. The Corona virus is yet another adaptation of sin in this world. It reminds us, and will even carry some of us into death, of one's baptism in Christ, we have nothing to fear. We have the reassuring truth that Christ defeated sin, and saved us from sin, death and the Devil. We are all in this together. No matter how far apart we are, or how bad things might get, we are all one in Christ. The waters, by God’s grace and mercy, bridges the distance and washes away the bad. So I’ll tell you like I tell my family here when things get scary; Keep calm and remember your Baptism.
We also can’t thank you enough. Especially in these uncertain times, we are so very thankful and blessed to have a wonderful support system. It is an amazing comfort to know that God is working through you and because of this we are prayed for and provided for. We are safe and well cared for because of your hard work, donations and prayers. We simply can’t thank you enough! As this quarter goes on, and things progress, I will keep you updated as to how things are going and how we are all doing. So until next time; safe safe, and pray often.
Peace and blessings to you who are in Christ,
Nick Whitney