Blessings During Covid

For the first 9 months of our marriage, Bryan and I dealt with some sizable obstacles: isolation (courtesy of living at a power plant), surprise medical issues (thanks lungs...not Covid though), and some serious overtime for Bryan (learning to be a manager, preparing for, and executing a 46 day maintenance outage which guaranteed he was indisposed 8am to 11pm every night, minimum). Through it all, God used those challenges to bring us closer together than either of us could have imagined. We entered the Year of the Rat (2020) tired, beleaguered, and ready to recharge for a while stateside.

Like many expats do, we left over the Chinese New Year Holiday ( end of January), and headed to the US for a short home leave- expecting to be back in our Chinese abode (or jiā) well before St. Patrick’s Day (2020). However, you know what they say about the best laid plans – they’re nothing against a global pandemic.

As we made for the airport in Shanghai, China was literally closing down and boarding up around us as the first wave of COVID-19 swept from Wuhan across the world. Indeed by the time we landed in the US our flights had been canceled, and the world headed into a lockdown the likes of which had not been seen since 1916.

We soon found ourselves "trapped" in America waiting for flights to resume, visas to be approved, and a path forward to become apparent. As weeks became months, borders closed, and death tolls rose, Bryan and I became less and less confident that we would return to China before the end of his contract in June 2021.

With out immediate future uncertain, we drove to Colorado to visit the best sister I’ve ever known, and within a week into our visit, states started locking down for quarantine and our China visas were cancelled. This beautiful hiccup in our plans allowed Bryan and I to spend nearly 6 blissful weeks with Dorothy Strickland in a cabin with breathtaking views of the snowy mountains and some of the yummiest gluten-free food known to man – or at least, to us. The last time my sister and I spent more than 2 weeks together, we were both in high school (and our hormones prevented us from truly appreciating our time with the other). While many quarantined in their homes, we sheltered high in the Rockies.

Because we were “commuting” via the Internet we quickly discovered that we had been given the gift of time. In between light travel and DIY projects, Bryan worked online while I finished up my master's degree and tutored virtually. I am immensely grateful for this concentrated time with my husband. While working in close proximity to each other had its rough moments, ultimately, it facilitated the largest amount of quality time that we'd ever spent together – and overall, it was amazing.

Longer and significantly less structured than previous trips stateside, Bryan and I often felt nomadic - moving from place to place without one to truly call home. Each day brought new challenges and uncertainty as to when, or even if we'd be able to return to China. While the constant turmoil prevented us from ever planning long-term, the situation present some unique and incredible blessings. Our families and friends were healthy, Bryan still had a job (working remotely to support his site), and our extended season in the States offered us concentrated time to spend with loved ones.

Both of us met members of the other's family we wouldn't have otherwise been able to. In fact, it was the most time Bryan and I had spent with our families in nearly 10 years and our first visit back to the US as a married couple.

More than the ability to connect with loved ones, this season of pandemic has also reminded us that God's timing is perfect. As two foreigners who met, fell in love, and wed in a Chinese city of 9 million people, Bryan and I have witnessed the awesomeness and joy that accompanies truly waiting on the Lord. Not only reflected in the literal timing of our first meeting but also in the growth and humility present in our lives as our relationship developed, Bryan and I have been reminded numerous times that God will move us when He sees fit. Living during a global pandemic is no different.

Thanks to Covid-19, our 3-week trip to the States became a 10-month lesson in patience where Bryan and I exchanged control over our itinerary for moments with friends, days with family, and birthdays spent together in a country where we both can legally drive (which makes celebrating and surprising our spouses so much more accessible). Living at a power plant in China can be rough, but a Furey-ous respite in our home country will hopefully provide Bryan and I with enough emotional, mental, and spiritual rest to carry us through until June 2021. If the future is anything like our past, I know we'll be led to the right place at the right time, even if it's not according to our plan.

Looking back over this year God's handiwork is visible, protecting us and ensuring that we made it to our next location - from China and back again (An Expat's Tale - that's my one Tolkien reference in this post).