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  Mennonite Life 2021 stories of pandemic life

  The annual issue of Bethel’s journal leads off with a collection of reflections by recent Bethel graduates about what it has meant to consider “slow time” over the past 12-18 months, forced by the realities of a global pandemic.
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  Interview with Dale Shenk

  Kyle Stocksdale interviews Dale Shenk, longtime Bible teacher at Bethany Christian Schools in Goshen, Indiana. Shenk reflects on his experiences growing up and working in a variety of settings in the Mennonite church as a pastor and teacher. Shenk also reflects on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his life and his faith community at Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship.
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  Quarantined Three Times

  Quarantined Three Times
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  An Easter Blessing in Covid Time

  In Matthew 6:26 Jesus points "to the birds of the air" as examples for us. They fly in their sphere and joyfully sing to cheer each other and us. With these feathered friends beside us, we did not feel lonely or forsaken though isolated from fellowship in Covid Easter time nor in the days following.
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  The View from My Window

  Do you ever catch yourself staring off into the distance, maybe looking out the window and getting lost in the wind rustling through the trees for a moment or two? Though the pandemic has disrupted just about every aspect of our daily life, looking out the window can be grounding and can offer some peace. We've reached out to MCC workers around the world to catch a glimpse of the views from their windows. We've asked them to describe how their life has been impacted by the pandemic and to show us the view they see every day. So take a virtual trip and jump into a new reality with us. We hope this change of scenery will give you a chance to pause and remember our MCC friends around the world.
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  PPE in the Produce Aisle

  It's May 5, 2020, about 8 weeks into coronavirus reality, and I've postponed grocery shopping as long as I can. I grab the respirator we had lying around the garage for dusty projects, snap on safety goggles over my glasses, and pull on rubber gloves. I'm ready for the grocery store! I snap a selfie in the produce aisle at Stauffer's of Kissel Hill in Rohrerstown, PA. Viewing the photo from today's vantage point, what stands out to me most is that we still know comparatively little about SARS-COV2. We're regularly learning of variants emerging. Instead of looking outdated, this level of personal protective equipment is just one step away from the daily masking and handwashing and avoiding crowds that have been a regular part of life for about a year now. I also think about the web of Lancaster, PA Mennonite community. Stauffer's is a regional grocery chain that's duking it out with Whole Foods and Wegman's and appearing to remain buoyant. Roy and Florence Stauffer started the business as a produce stand in Kissel Hill, near Lititz, PA, circa 1930s. I've included a few photos from a history display in the Rohrerstown store. In 2003 I interviewed Rhoda Stauffer Oberholtzer, Florence and Roy's daughter, for my master's thesis research. She talked about growing up alongside the family business, and one of her comments stuck with me. She said something very close to: "We all worked together. We learned you work because there's work to do, not because you want to or because it's fun."
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  My COVID Happy Place

  How has COVID affected me? Well, to be honest, I’ve not hardly noticed it except it would be nice to go to a warm location right now. Two years ago I was looking for a new creative outlet and decided to try painting. Well, to my surprise, I loved it and began by painting on wood slices for Christmas ornaments. From there it evolved to acrylic paintings, then on to water colour painting. I love painting birds and have done quite a few of those along with pet portraits. I am self-taught and am so grateful to God for bringing this hidden talent out in me for such a time as this. Painting puts me in another world that brings me such peace, joy, and satisfaction. Everyone should try something new. You just might find out you have a hidden talent in you, too!
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  Love in the time of COVID-19

  In this series of blog posts, Rose Shenk reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on work, lives, and relationships in Ethiopia. Shenk and her spouse Bruce Buckwalter lived in Ethiopia from 2016 to 2021 as Country Representatives for Mennonite Central Committee.
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  Merry Covid Christmas, God! A Chaplain's Lament

  I am a hospital staff chaplain. Last Monday (12/7) we had a very difficult day when four patients on the ICU with Covid-19 were removed from their ventilators and died minutes later. Just a couple family members of each patient were allowed to come see their loved one (per hospital protocol) before they were removed from the vents. This was the worse day yet for our nurses and other colleagues on the ICU since the pandemic started. This lament was the result of one: an assignment for a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education that I am currently taking in which I read it to the class on Thursday and they loved it. And two: the deaths on the ICU that Monday and the experience I had in a local store the next. And I suppose a response so far to the pandemic through my eyes as a hospital chaplain who is trying to serve.
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  Window Visits During COVID-19

  For me and my family , COVID-19 has become very real. Writing this short story about my father’s experience has reconfirmed for me how crucial daily communication and face-to-face dialogue with family and friends eases the isolation, loneliness, and confusion that so many seniors face.
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  Journal of the COVID Year

  The author wrote this poem almost daily during the early days of the pandemic, and it expresses that painful reality.
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  A pastor's protest experience

  Todd Gusler lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he is the pastor of Rossmere Mennonite Church. On Sunday May 31, 2020 a protest against police brutality and the murder of George Floyd was scheduled to be held in downtown Lancaster. Organized by a local group, the protest was meant to be a car rally so people could participate while socially distancing from each other due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants were to drive a prearranged route that went past the police station. Below is an account of Todd’s experience that was originally posted to his Facebook page.
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  An Elderly Menno in the Time of Black Lives Matter

  Goshen College Alumnus Dan Haarer wrote these reflections on a lifetime of experiences to share with family and friends. We share this with Dan's permission.