We have many frontline health workers in our church family. We wanted to reach out to see how they're doing and in hearing their stories we can gain more understanding and empathy with what they have to face each day. Meet Genevieve!

Hello, my name is Genevieve and I am a dentist.

Covid has definately affected the way we do dentistry. For starters, you are required to wear layers upon layers of PPE.

It is very hot and cumbersome, and it takes time to properly gown up and gown down.

It takes longer and more work to perform procedures due to all the safety protocols we now have.

I remember feeling hypoxic and exhausted on many occasions.

Because of all the PPE, you are basically unrecognizable. Your patient has no idea what you look like and therefore have to trust a masked person. Who can trust a masked person? Precovid, the patient gets to see my face, shake my hand and talk to me unmasked prior to a procedure. I miss that! But God showed me that even when I am covered up, the patients can see me smile through my eyes and see kindness and sincerity through actions and words as I serve them.

After our lockdown of 2 months, when we had to go back to work, it was a little scary to crawl out of our turtle shells. Would the new guidelines be safe for all of us as the pandemic was new? As a dentist, you do get up close and personal with your patient. This requires being within 6 feet of your unmasked and mouth wide open patient, while you perform an aerosolized procedure.

But I remember at that time, I read my devotion and it said that fear encircles you like a shark, you have to let trust and thanksgiving be the guard. And that helped me during the first few weeks back at work and over the past 2 years. And now, even when I'm super close to the patients, there is no fear, but love ❤️ .

Due to the need to socially distance, we all couldn't freely see and meet people the way we normally do. Therefore, you would think that the community/connection aspect of life would be drastically affected. However, God showed me that was not the case. I remember serving at an orphanage in Kenya where the Thika River runs through the area. The leader of the orphanage always wanted to build a bridge across this river, but could not. The rain and the Thika River helps feed the orphans and the surrounding communities by providing water to the crops in the field. Then one day, the rain stopped, a drought occurred, which affected the yield of crops for the orphans and the people of the surrounding communities. So we prayed hard for them and God sustained them. A few years later, I returned to the orphanage and my eyes were surprised to see a bridge crossing the Thika River. Then I learned that in these periods of drought, bridges can be built. In the same way, Covid had caused a drought to our land, and so many were hurting, but this allowed me to build stronger relationships with people as I walked with them literally and we encouraged one another.

Although, Covid has rocked everyone's world, it also gave it many blessings.

When Covid first entered the scene in Calgary, it caused everything to shut down. This allowed me to have a good 2 months to rest and rejuvinate, something that is very hard to come by as there are too many distractions in life. So we take the opportunity and the gift of rest when it comes. It also simplified my life and allowed me to focus on what's truly important as many little things that I thought were important were taken away. It taught me to be content with a simple cycle of home-work-home-work and that it can be beautiful and much good can come out of it.

It taught me the meaning of Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, when it says..."I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God."

And so I pray that post Covid, I would not drift from this simple lifestyle and focus on what's truly important.

During this pandemic, God had intentionally put me in situations where I need to trust Him more fully. There were great many things to worry about, but God showed me that everything was okay and will be okay, because He is here with us. And so I pray that I may always remember His goodness to me during the pandemic and that I know that I can always trust Him.

Thank you for encouraging and showing your appreciation to the front line workers, what more can we ask for but that.

Here is my photo...I'm actually fashioning a surgical scrub cap that Joni made for me. https://www.onishaartworks.ca/