Thankful and Cautious

The weather feels like fall, even though August just ended. It was a challenging month with several open nights, but still productive.

With three weekends without night coverage, I only got to physically attend church a couple times. Answers in Genesis had a dinner for supporters on August 24 followed by two days of teaching conferences in Des Moines. I was able to attend the supper, but that was all. It felt like I missed out on a lot for the month, but could still be active as well.

To my family's surprise, September's schedule came with only three nights not covered. It is still just my two remaining night nurses, but we are thankful to have the time primarily filled. One nurse, that now covers four nights a week, drives over an hour to come. She gives great care and has been reliable for many years, but has already been asking what is being done to find another assistant.

Fall weather should hopefully be good for a few months, but winter is uncertain with long driving distance. Also in September, my primary day assistant's daughter is getting married and will be off a few days. I'm happy for her family, but she is always missed when gone.

With an already full month, I delayed contacting grade schools to schedule talks. I offered dates in October and November, but don't know if I'll have night nurses to allow me to sleep before going. I feel like I'm playing a guessing game while watching time slip by.

This week, mom noticed there wasn't advertising in our local paper for the nursing position. I asked my nurse manager about it and was told since they didn't have any responses, they stopped newspaper ads and would try mailing known nurses instead. It seems like giving up to me, but I was told the agency isn't finding help anywhere and I shouldn't expect to either.

At least God has allowed another month with nearly full coverage. I'm thankful for this gift and will continue to pray that someone is found. It's part of the quad life that will always continue, but I look for help from the Lord and His plan in this as well.