Isolation Update #7
From Global Lutheran Outreach missionaries Tim and Beth Heiney (ed. note: Because of the complications caused by the pandemic, Beth remains in the US with no prospect of returning to Guinea, while Tim remains on the field):
From Beth in the USA: Boy if you’d have told us in March I’d still be here in July I think Tim would have put the kabosh on the trip instantly. What am I doing with myself during this time? Moving around a lot mostly. Since I landed in Colorado almost 4 months ago now I’ve been in Kansas City, Idaho Falls, back to Colorado, Las Vegas, and now this month we flew up to Tacoma, Washington. While there I was able to touch base with our dear friends, Dan and Ella Kunkel who we’ve known since moving to Ghana in 1985 as well as their son Kris and his lovely family.
From Tim in Guinea: I feel compelled to write an update again, but things are changing so fast here, going up and down, that it may sound like something I already wrote twice before or something like that.
In Beth’s last update, before John’s son died, I was happy because it looked like things were going to open up. But then they didn’t, and I was a little down. Well, I was quickly back up again, because news came out that on Sunday June 28th churches and mosques would open, and on Monday schools would open.
I was up again! This was it! I believed the big breakthrough had begun! Even better, one of our DMM groups confirmed that they were ready to open again, and on Wed. the 24th, we met. It went really well for having been off for so long. I couldn’t believe how well one of the older guys told the story from our last meeting.
Then things started to go south.
We heard that churches could open, but only for fifteen minutes. (This is fine for mosques because that is all the time they 
need.) Our services are usually at least 2 hours long. So, no Easter celebration, no sermon. We could barely have a song and pray for everyone. We would continue to follow scripture readings in home groups. But it was a start.
Then we heard only some classes in the school were opening – but only the ones that needed to take exams to be promoted to the next levels like from grade school to middle school and middle school to high school.
In the end, I had to concede, one day before I had hoped to break out. We had church for fifteen minutes on Sunday. It was great to be together, but it was over in a flash. We hope that will kind of loosen up in coming weeks.
Last of all news just came out of more extended airport closures in our area, even while other parts of West Africa are opening, meaning Beth will not be home anytime soon.
Thanks for all your prayers. That one class did happen, and we did have church, and we are planning one reopening another DMM group. May God be with you all!
Blessings and love, Tim and beth ><>
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