In The Right Direction

It is rare for my father to ask about our college days, but for some reason, he asked one afternoon, so I answered.  Usually he likes to talk about himself.  That day was different. It felt special that he was interested about my past. So I used the analogy of father-child relationship to invite him to open his heart for God to have an intimate relationship with him. He said that he understands and believes in his heart but he would not admit it with his mouth.  I told him that Jesus promised that if he opens his heart, He will go in to do some cleaning and reconstruction, and he will start experiencing changes that he cannot even explain himself. I invited him to say yes to a new life three times. Mom also assured him that we will not make a big deal out of his decision. Unfortunately, he still maintained that it was a “no” at that time. I said it is ok. But when he is ready to say yes to Jesus, let one of us know immediately.  We prayed together with mom and Peter present also. I sensed that my father’s attitude has soften and he is closer and closer to accepting Christ. His resistance was no longer like before and he did not give any excuses. I believe that he sees the love of Christ among us. “By this everyone knows that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  Dad is heading to the right direction.  His faith is growing. I pray Romans 10:9 over him. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

My father catching Covid put him in a totally dependent and immobile state for about 36 hours. My mom experienced how helpless and desperate she was especially since her children were either in isolation or had left town. Thus on day-one of my isolation, we conducted emergency family zoom meetings to strategize short and long term solutions. God’s timing couldn’t be better.  Praying together was key. In a matter of five days, God enabled us to talk to the people that we needed to talk to at Alberta Health Services, at Bayshore and Exquisicare (home care contractor) and at Glastonbury Mews. We even had video conferences and site visits all scheduled and completed within days! Considering my brother and sister-in-law’s study and personal schedules, my sister’s teaching and personal schedule and our isolation constraints, it is no less than a miracle to have accomplished so much in so little time!  So why exactly did we accomplish?

We wanted to initiate private home care with Bayshore but they are extremely short-staffed, so God led us to Exquisicare and had service and an agreement in place within 48 hours! We asked AHS for a reassessment and negotiated an additional 2x per day of pericare for dad. However, additional care is pending staffing increase. We formally initiated the assisted living application process at the Mews. Although mom has second thoughts about sending dad over by himself, we decided to go through with the process to understand what dad is eligible for so that we can continue to plan ahead. 

After brother playing “nurse aid” for two nights, assisting dad to the bathroom, night shift finally began on Friday. It was a huge relief because God gave us a real nurse aid who is compatible with mom and dad. 

We are indisputably heading in the right direction when it comes to the right care for mom and dad. God takes us one quick step at a time. Thankful for all the great people whom we met along the way: Bayshore’s Nursing Supervisor, Lucelle; AHS Case Manager, Cheryl; AHS’s Physical Therapist, Vinod; Mews Leasing Manager, Deborah Smith; Mews Clinical Care Director, Marjan Mobed; Exquisicare Care Manager, Wendy Hoover; Dr. Jonathan Yau, and nurse aid Brenda and Sheba. 

Now, my heart’s direction is homeward.