Dear Ones,

Often, we find ourselves in circumstances that are not under our control. That certainly was what happened in the Lowe household on the day after Easter. I woke up with a scratchy throat and a stuffy head. There was a good chance that it was allergies, the wind was up and pollen count high. But as the day progressed, I got out the Covid-19 at home test, just in case. It was negative, but I wasn’t optimistic…we already had 6 folks from church who contracted the virus, I was exposed to them. Mondays I work from home, writing sermons, doing worship planning and Bible study preparation, so it was easy to just stay in my sweats and slippers and drink hot Tang as I worked on my sermon and worship planning for the next two weeks. Tuesday, Tim woke up with the scratchy throat, but he also tested negative. Wednesday brought more symptoms and a positive test for me. Tim was one day behind me, testing positive on Thursday. So, we made sure that we had everything we needed and hunkered down for the duration…we tested negative finally on Thursday and Friday the following week. We felt so blessed that we had mild cases, had everything we needed, had friends and family who checked up on us daily to make sure we were okay and had everything we needed. Tim had to cancel a trip to Minnesota to spend time with his mom for her birthday, but in the big scheme, we managed just fine. We knew that it could have been so much worse!

Like the whole world, I have been following the war in Ukraine. Here is a story that reminded me that even when things look dire, there is goodness in the world. As Mr. Rogers said, look for the helpers.

The following was told to a reporter by a man who escaped Mariupol, Ukraine:

“I left the bomb shelter and saw a car with keys in the ignition near the store. I watched it for two hours, waiting for the owner – I didn’t wait. I took my family, got in the car and drove to Vinnitsa to visit relatives. (535 miles) I found a phone number in the glove compartment and called the owner:

“Sorry, I stole your car. Saved my family.”

“Thank God, don’t worry, I have 4 cars. I took my family out in my jeep. The rest of the cars I filled with fuel and left in different places with the keys in the ignition and the number in the glove compartment. I received calls back from all the cars. There will be peace – see you. Take care of yourself!”

Sometimes when we pray to God for help in hard situations, the help arrives in surprising ways. I was able to get the antiviral medication at the beginning of my illness and it made all the difference in making my case of Covid a mild one. I made over 20 phone calls to find a pharmacy that had it in stock and a doctor or urgent care that would prescribe it. I felt like the urgent care nurse practitioner and the pharmacist were angels! I am sure that the man in Mariupol felt God’s presence when a car with a full tank of gas appeared at the exact time it was needed to save his family from the bombing in their city.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,

for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

Peace in Christ,

Pr Tricia

Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Prescott Valley, AZ

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

7763 E. Long Look Dr.

Prescott Valley, AZ 86314

PH (928) 772-4135

FX (928) 759-3541



website: emmanuellutheranpv.org

email: emmanuelelca@gmail.com

submissions: ELCPVnews@gmail.com

Office Hours

Monday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.