One Christian, making a difference with everyday faith

Hope Price in Fairford, Glos blogs about her experiences over the past year and the ways that her calling has made a difference in her life and that of other people around her.

“Three days into first lockdown I had Covid. After a month, I was so grateful that I was better, that I took the motto gratitude and put it into practice on a daily basis, giving thanks for the sunshine, time “to be” and to sort out things like photos and memory boxes that we wouldn’t normally have time for. We posted photos we had come across to friends, reminding them of shared memories and were daily grateful for the phone and emails to contact friends and family.

“During the second lockdown I took the theme attitude, as we can’t control what happens to us, but we can decide to have a positive, joyful attitude towards it. As in the first lockdown, we have intentionally contacted many people we knew lived alone or in Care Homes, so they could have someone to chat to. With my husband, Geoff, out of a Quiet Day on Zoom, we felt the Lord giving us a three-fold calling:- to reach out to the least, the lost and the lonely.

“When this third lockdown happened, we decided to focus on kindness, as everyone in these long days of winter needs to know God’s love for them. We found a Christian ethical company through which we could post bunches of flowers to friends living alone. We kept the Post Office busy by sending DVDs, CDs and books to those who would appreciate them. We shared some of our roast chicken with a neighbour who wouldn’t be able to have a roast, as she’s cooking for one. Plenty of emails, phone calls and letters too.

“Isn’t Zoom a wonderful thing? We hadn’t heard of it a year ago, but now we can be in Scargill, Lee Abbey, Harnhill Centre of Christian Healing and the World Prayer Centre at Christian events all in one day without travelling. Sometimes with people from other countries too. Fortnightly we’re in a Home Group with friends from a parish we were at more than 25 years ago. We did many Alpha courses there and many of the courses wanted to stay together and formed a Home Group. One of these was still going strong, meeting fortnightly in someone’s home. Last March they had to switch to Zoom, so they invited us to join them which has been great. Another friend of theirs who has become a good friend of ours too, joins us each time from Israel, so that has been wonderful.

“After more than 35 years as a Marie Curie nurse, I’m glad I can still do a similar nursing role with local patients in their own homes through Friends of Fairford and Lechlade Nurses. Last week a Christian gentleman died who I’d been nursing once a week to give his loving wife a break. We had already met on Zoom as we’re in a Julian Prayer Group with her. So it was lovely to be able to go into her home and give her the help she needed when her husband was close to the end. I went to see her the next day to take her a sympathy card. She was very peaceful, grateful for a good ending for him, and said she heard him pray “I’m ready when you are, God.” In his own home, with all the care he and his wife needed, a Christian man knowing where he was going. What could be a better ending?”