Faith on the Frontlines

Paducah KY

18 October, 2021

9:25 PM

Description

Clover Stewart has spent much of the last 14 months zipping up COVID-19 casualties in body bags. At times, she has felt like one of the many living casualties of the pandemic – frontline medical workers who, at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, have witnessed a lifetime’s worth of gruesome deaths in the course of a typical week. One night in March 2020, amid the frenzied efforts of the medical staff, the grim sounds of patients gasping for air, and the acrid smell of disinfectant, Stewart’s job got very personal: She recognized one of the deceased as the receptionist she and her pregnant daughter recently spoke with at a doctor’s visit. “I prayed for sanity,” said Stewart, who works in a critical care unit in Brooklyn, New York, and credits her faith for helping her to cope. That night, immersed in death and full of anxiety that she and her daughter may have contracted the virus, Stewart received a voicemail. A fellow Jehovah's Witness was making a special effort to check on congregants working in healthcare and to share an encouraging Bible verse. “God was with me,” she said, as she reflected on the reassurance that God sees her tears. In the year that has followed, spiritual focus has helped Stewart and other frontline medical workers in her religious community battle through the mental and emotional toll of the pandemic. According to a study conducted by Smith’s group, more than half of the doctors, nurses and emergency responders providing COVID-19 care could be at risk for one or more mental health problems—including acute traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. RN Angie Burton of Allen County, Kentucky, has witnessed firsthand the effects of pandemic stress and anxiety on her coworkers at a local hospital. “There’s a lot of people with burnout,” said Burton. “There’s a lot that say, ‘I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t sign up to risk my life every day.’” Burton has dealt with the anxiety, too. As she moved through the hospital in the early months of the pandemic, she was well aware that other nurses were falling sick with COVID-19. Despite her fears, said Burton, “I knew patients had to be taken care of, and I knew God was going to be with me.” Burton, who is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, continued to stay connected with her congregation, but she also found herself doing more Bible reading than ever. One verse in particular kept going through her mind. It was Joshua 1:9, which says in part, “Be courageous and strong. Do not be struck with terror or fear, for Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.” For the last six months, Burton has been working as a home infusion nurse. But when she reflects back on the frightening first months of the pandemic, she feels that God did indeed give her strength. “He gave me the strength to get up and go to work,” said Burton. “He gave me strength beyond normal just to keep going.” Filling up the spiritual "tank" has also helped counteract the emotional toll of healthcare work during the pandemic, says Adrian Barnes, a helicopter flight paramedic based out of Sacramento, California. During his hour-long commute to and from work, he listens to uplifting religious songs and audio recordings of the scriptures on JW Library, a free Android and iOS app from Jehovah’s Witnesses featuring content also available on jw.org. “This keeps me focused and calm,” he said. “I look at it as God talking to me on my way to work and back.” In his 24-hour shifts, he sees pain, suffering, and hopelessness. “It can be emotionally draining,” Barnes said. He recalled arriving at one facility to transport a COVID-19 patient, only to see her and all the others lying face down in their ICU hospital beds to reduce pressure on their lungs. In that surreal moment, hearing the intermittent release of pressurized air from more than a dozen ventilators, Barnes realized the merciless brutality of the pandemic. “It was a big eye opener for me,” he said. “I can only do the best that I can. There comes a point when you have to look to someone greater for help, and that’s God.”  When Stewart is surrounded by death inside the frigid trailer where COVID's victims temporarily rest, she likewise recalls scriptures of comfort, peace, and hope. She never forgets to pray and be thankful for her family of faith.   “God is going to get me through this,” she said. (For more information on gaining comfort through the scriptures, please see https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/peace-happiness/real-hope-future-bible-promises/)