On the front cover it reads: “When the welcome is slow in coming.” I had to chuckle at that. At this point, I could say, “When the magazine is slow in coming!”\u00a0We had hoped it would be out by July, but realistically, it’s probably going to be August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/files\/2020\/07\/IMG_2262-600x782.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOn a personal level, after postponing a trip to Canada to see my parents in the spring, I had hoped to make that trip last month. However, the border restrictions presented challenges that resulted in the decision to wait a bit longer. So, I am waiting \u2014 but not forever! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know there are others that have faced situations and hardships that make mine seem trivial in comparison. Since it could be easy to become all-consumed by the current crisis in which we find ourselves, it’s reassuring to know that our God is bigger than all this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Making the Most of Less-Than-Ideal Circumstances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s encouraging to see the many things that are taking place despite the challenges. In some areas, churches have opened their doors again. I’ve seen churches showing the love of God by reaching out with spiritual and material aid to those in need, to those impacted by the economic fallout of the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’ve heard of missionaries needing to leave the remote villages where they’ve been serving \u2014 and then finding this time of “isolation” to be beneficial. Missionaries have dived deeper into Bible and lesson translation. They\u2019ve found the time to create the materials for literacy programs. How often do they have such a chunk of uninterrupted time? It\u2019s great to see them making the most of their less-than-ideal circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m reminded again that we are just pilgrims passing through this world. Though these situations and concerns are significant, as I look at them in the light of eternity, they are but brief moments of hardship. As the COVID-19 pandemic hovers over us like a hurricane that has stalled and won\u2019t go away, we recognize the impact that it has on our lives and ministry. In the same breath, we are grateful for the ability to continue on with a greater degree of normality with the stay-at-home order no longer in place. (And, yes, the hurricane comparison […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1023,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-uncategorized","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1023"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/rosie-cochran\/files\/2020\/07\/IMG_2261.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLooking Past Our Less-Than-Ideal Circumstances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Moments that haven\u2019t taken our loving Heavenly Father by surprise.
Moments that He is using to mold us to be more Christ-like.
Moments when we can shine as lights in a dark world.
Thank you for partnering with me to see the Great Commission fulfilled, to see a thriving church for every people. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"