How to Rise Above During the Pandemic | Kent Anan

The Joycast – 
What we’re experiencing during the pandemic is familiar territory to disaster guru Kent Annan. Discover where we’ve been, and more important, where we’re headed.

For show more show notes and recipes visit:
www.margaretfeinberg.com/joycast

Transcript

spk_1:   0:00
I'm Margaret Feinberg, and this is the joy cast. I don't know about you, but I've been struggling to process all that I've been thinking and feeling during this time and whatever. I have a struggle like that. My first turn, my first lifeline, is the photo friend, because I want to find somebody who is wiser, who knows mawr, who recognizes and can provide wisdom and insight into what I'm seeing and wrestling with. And so I want to introduce you to Kent Anna. He's not only one of those spectacular writers and thinkers I know with such grace and gentleness and compassion, but he's also director of the humanitarian and disaster at Wheaton College. His work in Haiti before and after the earthquake and in in communities around the world, equip him toe, offer insight into what were facing and wrestling with. Now his books. You welcomed me, Slow kingdom and aftershock our gifts to us all. So join me in welcoming Kent Anna to the joint cast. Can't it iss such a delight toe, have you on the joy cast?

spk_0:   1:26
Great. Great. Great to be with you, Margaret.

spk_1:   1:29
Now you have a little bit of an unusual position in that you are, ah, guru, an expert of sorts in kind of humanitarian care and disaster relief. Can you tell my listeners just kind of how that evolved? How how you came to study and know it in that space

spk_0:   1:48
And my first, my very first job was working with refugees. I graduated from college, moved Teoh England and France worked with refugees for two years and I thought that was you. Me like a quick Peace Corps stint and then on the other ideas I had. But it became one of ton kind of for the last 25 years to work with refugees for a couple years. Came back for grad school the day after grad school went to work in Albania, where there was a refugee crisis in coastal where was happening, then came back and got married that my wife and I moved to Haiti lives milk, tin roof, no running water and electricity home and maybe for 2.5 years moved back, then had an NGO that was working in 80 on education. But then the earthquake happened 10 years ago and, you know, then find ourselves in this kind of disaster situation different, similar, but different from refugees. And then two years ago I started working with week in college, and I have been happy to keep doing that kind of work. But then Wheaton was launching a new master of arts in humanitarian and disaster leadership, and, um, I've been doing this kind of work. I've written books about this kind of work along the way and just thought it was, too, too much of God's calling in life too much of an opportunity to give up to get to work with. I kind of other people were going into this kind of work. So that's a quick sketch over what let me to being able to really work with colleagues moments like this, to try to serve the church of people who are are facing this Coben 19 crisis.

spk_1:   3:14
So for a number of people, this is the first real crisis of source that they may have experienced in their lives. Uh, there are others for whom they have had so many crisis is so much pain battling diseases, divorce, death of loved ones. But for some, this is this is a brand new space. What what are some of the the emotional and psychological responses that we often have to disaster.

spk_0:   3:43
Yeah, it's a great question. So, actually, have ah worked with my colleague Jamie, 18 on this? He's done research in. It's gonna confirms my experience that I've I've done more on the field work, but we actually come up with these five different categories often that people are feeling exactly what you said. This emotional and spiritual stress in these moments one is belonging and especially with this physical separating like the loss of belonging, that can happen in. And like you said, all kinds of different hardships and suffering we face. But in this unique way right now isco vered 19 another is livelihood, you know, just with the staggering losses of jobs you know of employment right now and then other people would just have lost part of their income and uncertainty ahead on then, the emotional sort of the stresses of mental health stresses or depression and anxiety that can skyrocket. Um, And then there are the spiritually and safety issues. So safety is no. We can as we're discombobulated, you think about a refugee in one way of like their safety is now They're sleeping out in the bush like I've known friends who walked outside for days to get somewhere safe for you know, they have all these extreme safety issues. But for us in this moment, you know, safety issues of just at the grocery store, uh, a couple hours ago and was wearing a mask and most people were wearing masters. We have these new safety issues in our lives, and then the spiritually is often We do ask these questions of meaning and dealt on faith in new ways that just it sort of, um, irritable, called aftershock. But they sort of feels like there's an earthquake, you know, in our lives, and we seek to understand what we think about meeting and faith in God and in the aftershocks that they come after. So it's a quick survey, but those are some of the the ways that we do get. Like you said that that these BYU's events it's a spy iris, but it also affects us in a really holistic way in our lives.

spk_1:   5:41
Is there a pattern at all for what we're feeling and sensing in this that you've seen in other disasters that you've studied.

spk_0:   5:49
I don't know that. I mean, there's a pattern that will come. Oh, sort of like there's the the preparedness they talk about And then there's the immediate response afterwards and enters a kind of relief stage. And then there's kind of recovery and moving into kind of back into development such one framework of thinking of these like that before the during the immediate aftermath and then the sort of recovery and rebuilding towards what's ahead. So I think that might be a little helpful to think. Okay, where this is such a such a unique event in a way, because often, uh, you know, the disaster is something that that takes, you know, it might take in the earthquake in Haiti. You know, 34 seconds. I remember exactly. You know, that's like a 30 forest I can event. Hurricane is maybe a three day event, But this is this pro long, like weeks, months we don't and then we don't know what the end game is. So I think if we can, you can take a little bit in terms of Okay. We're all discombobulated right now because we're still right in it. That's normal in a disaster. And then there's gonna be the shift towards things. It's like the new normal, as people are saying that we kind of shift in Tokyo. This is the relief stage we're getting out of this. We're pulling through. And then after that, it's more long term development. I think that's That's a way of thinking about what I've worked on is more like development, international development, how we help people. But I think there's an element of that that's true, and I've speak correct. I'm not a psychologist, but I think there is an element of that that we can see in our own lives. Then one other thing without you asked, is great and use different stages of, you know, sort of. It's a scramble and then it's the grieving and I felt myself going through these difference. They just too, and I've heard some people talk about that and it feels like depending on what age people are. You know that there are these different events. Our lives like 9 11 could be one and um for others and I've been a different war could be these different things where there is a grief of loss of everything from graduation. Teoh plans Teoh Ah, writing project to some. You know, a birthday party like all these things, these little losses. But then there's also, I think, a loss of and shifting of what the world is. No, that's kind of deeper and hard to articulate. But I think that's something that many of us are going through as well.

spk_1:   8:09
And so right now we're in more of that relief stage of kind of then the recovery or stages it would you? Is that a viable, accurate?

spk_0:   8:19
Yeah, exactly. Or even in the, you know, depending where we live. It's almost in the disaster, still, right like that, Yes, So I think it's and different people and as families again, this is this fast moving in some way slow will be in other ways and the moment of disaster for some people probably were listening. Now to is like when you're furloughed from your job or, you know, these different things happen. So this is this first time we've ever in any of our lives experiences where its global. But it's also gonna really hit each of us in different ways emotionally, spiritually. But then, on in terms of livelihood and all these other things, too, that will have a big impact

spk_1:   9:03
and that the disaster, like you, said it may not just it's not just a single quake. We did have an earthquake here, like many places around the country and world in the midst of this. But it's not just that it is, you know, is financial. It can be relational. It can be the isolation it can be and so it can and then get, you know, might many of my friends have the virus are getting past the virus or, you know, are intense situations with the virus. And so it's this. It is a rolling kind of experience and, you know, the difference of, you know, my my father in law and mother in law live in sick Alaska. And right now, you know, as of two hours ago, this could change it. 30 minutes. There's not a case they're identified yet. Um, but But that can shift in in just a second. And so it's a It's a wild, sideways feeling experience. What what encouragement do you have for those who know? You know what? I have got to rise up among the resilient in this. What wisdom do you have for those listeners?

spk_0:   10:01
Yeah, I think one is I attacked. But this one, my other books, like I I wrote this book called Slow Kingdom Coming. It was kind of my wrestling with, uh, working in Haiti and other places where change happens slowly and so I for me, I've been thinking about it some a new during this time. And, um so I think about Jesus. Prayer. So Jesus 2000 years ago prayed in our father and thy kingdom, Come on Earth as it is in heaven and then think, Wow, 2000 years later, like Jesus prayed this Jesus taught us to pray this and it's not come true yet, like, it's not fully realized yet this prayer. And so this is a slow kingdom coming in. So I think this part of what we are brought face to face with again is that this is ah, a smoking. I'm coming. And I have my work and reflecting and talking with people in studying scripture. And I think, are there these three stages too? Um, kind of being resilient moments like this and one is to limit. You know that too many people suffer too much for too long, and in this moment it's on the head. Find its friends. It's family. It's our it's ourselves. It's our supposes, like whatever it is, like you mentioned that it could be jobs, it can be sickness. So we lamented, It does feel like this is a time to slow down enough to the man tiny conversation with a theologian yesterday and he was kind of walking through the Holy Week. I felt like a gift to meet that made me slow down just to think through all this. Uh, you know, the eastern, the Monday, Thursday and Good Friday and and into Eastern thinking all we need to slow down and not rush rate to Easter, you know? But just take time on Good Friday on Holy Saturday as not just on that weekend, but in our lives, as as people of faith and then lament. But then we don't stand limit. Then I think it's a move towards hope and thinking. What ISS What is my hope? Where's my hope rooted Ah, and faith in God and also and hope is rooted and that God puts us here for each other, help each other out through hard circumstances. So and reflecting on hope and thinking about hope and then the third step to me. So lament and hope, and not just staying in that. But then what is my commitment then and then? Lament hope. And what is my commitment to be on the side of that, hoping to process participate in God's Kingdom coming in. So eso then I think, How am I going to help my neighbor? What am I? How am I going to use my gifts to to help out people in my church were vulnerable or, you know, if you're a writer to write something, if you're a singer, this saying if you're a nurse to be doing your job, that's so hard right now and so let me kind of running to it. That rubric, of of lament and hoping commitment kind of helps me when I do feel discouraged, basing not the same thing quite like this, but it faced other things that at least have some resonance with this moment we're facing.

spk_1:   12:58
What are some of the ways that you've seen or heard of people reaching out and making a difference. I know for my husband and I who are quarantined. Uh, you know, there's a lot of things. Um, it was hard. We were what? We took a walk in the neighborhood and we saw family moving in, and we would have loved to have helped them move in and carry all their stuff. And and we just we can't And it's It's almost painful at times for all the things we can't do. I know for us when the small things we can do is, whenever you know we are able to buy groceries, make sure you don't make a donation to our local food bank because we know there are those who don't have the ability. What are some of the things that you're seeing, um, that each of us can do to engage healthfully in in this time, serving and making that commitment to others?

spk_0:   13:41
That's a great question is it's actually been one of the privileges of doing the kind of work that we do in the Humanitarian Disaster Institute now and then. This this church planning manual that my colleague Jamie Eating and I wrote is, um, we've heard from all kinds of churches doing incredible things like there's been this suffering. That's, um we're just at the front end in some ways, because of the economic ramifications will keep going. But, man, I've also I have to say, have been so encouraged. I think, Ah, the way churches have responded so creatively to continuing to be worshiping communities. Ah, and seeing their high tech churches with four cameras and systems on the go already working. But then this sees small church is going to face time live or recording something for YouTube. So I think one thing that's been encouraging is people working on worship to help each other out. I've seen um, and heard about, uh, different people working with refugee communities. So it's a community that I really care about, worked with a lot over my vocation, and so heard about Dr the refugee pastor here in Chicagoland area. He came from south Sudan, and so I was talking with him and he said two things he said, One Please reach out like great churches were reaching out like you, said Margaret, sort of, uh, some of these communities are more vulnerable. Is they need information or help with food, bank issues and some really practical things like that where they might need someone to help shop for them or they're not getting all the information they need. Then I loved, he said, but and also we've been able to encourage others because we know loss. Already we've gone through. Last week we lost everything and you know, and walked and escaped and left families and had no home and started over and other. That was really beautiful, that I wasn't thinking in that way, like I've experienced in some ways I wasn't thinking about in this moment and thinking, Wow, there could There are refugees, air undocumented workers or others who can, I think, the source of spiritual strength for us right now, if we're way have years to listen, Um and then I think the practical things like I don't know if for your in your neighborhood there. But it's been great seeing in our neighborhood different, um, families of Britain viable versus out in chalk on the sidewalk. And, uh, when we did as a family, we did big been set up this lee elaborate sort of thing where you're supposed to hopscotch and then spend three times and then accountant on these different numbers, like on the sidewalk, goes for almost for a full block, where we took like, half an hour to do this sort of almost playground chalk playground that they had set up on there. So that was really beautiful example of being neighbors. Everything from those, like little bursts of joy, really serious things like Who's food insecure? Who are the older adults in your neighborhood who can the church in the city government Then everybody can kind of rally around to make sure they're getting what they need.

spk_1:   16:40
So good. And also, I think, one of things I'm saying that's exciting is in the churches. Some of them. It's almost like God has already pre positioned them. I have amazing friend Lori Well, Hyatt at Central Church in Las Vegas, and you know, they've had a food pantry in. So this happens in all the food pantries in that area shut down, except for their church and one other. I think in that in that area, Vegas. And so you know, they've got cars lined up for, you know, three and four hours waiting for, you know, access to food and they said last year, I think they distributed about £300,000 of food in the last three weeks. 34 weeks. They've already done two million, and and so she's like this little thing that we had Food Pantry right now is just, you know, being used in amazing ways and seeing that there are places and people who it feels like, you know, have been divinely positioned for this moment, um, to be able to speak in and and provide and be part of a larger team and community pouring out and serving.

spk_0:   17:43
I love that you said that I could jump in for a second. I, uh So one of the things of this church planning manual that Jamie I did is we say askew, think about responding for a church. Think about how, like what your strengths are or how God has already gifted you. And we've kind of found studying and working in this area that the best responses that are sustained for long term or exactly what you just said there about your friend. It's it when churches don't try to become like a new center for disease control or a many health clinic. But it's when are we called to now? And I think this works for families as well. Like, what are our gifts? Where do we find joy and serving others? Where have we already been doing work? And if that's a food pantry, that's a perfect example. And I think other churches I know that work with like, um, families of undocumented workers has a special ability in language and trust where they Congar oh, right into that. So nobody, no family or no church can do everything like this is too big. But I think if we I have it right into an entry, you've written about drawing. I love your writing about joy in the past and talking about joy. But I think we pivot into this place of where we're gifted and where we find joy and serving. That's probably where we're best equipped to serve right now, too.

spk_1:   19:00
So good and the creative ways to show love toward each other in this time, um, you, I believe, have met our little pup Hershey before, and he passed away, and it was it was not delightful at all. Um, but it was interesting in this context. Toe watch how people loved us. Well, um, toe watch the people who lots of people sent letters and emails, and that was really encouraging. But also the ones who would, like, grab their phone to make a little video and send that or find a picture of her, she on their phone. And send that or come to our yard with a sign that just says We love you or send flowers and it's amazing and help this season. Those things meant so much more and that there are acts of compassion and kindness, and I see you and you're not alone in this. It just man, it's it's it's deeply meaningful.

spk_0:   19:56
That's bringing out some something beautiful to we have to say in the midst of this, which which is another thing that's not unusual in disasters that there is. This what kind of beauty and generosity I think there. There always could be a handful of people exploiting moments, but can overwhelmingly be a beauty and generosity that comes out in moments like this. I did, colleagues say, was yesterday or the day before was her husband's birthday. And so the there in a small like House church. I'm not sure exactly 15 or 20 people, and they were already doing house Church with this church was going to come by and I've seen a couple of these on Twitter YouTube of kind of the parades of people honking, you know, as I go by the toe to say hi and Happy Birthday. And you said there there Group all got out of their cars, kept a good safe 10 feet from each other and by get someone but like a stereo system, crank it up in their car. And, um, people ranging from teens up into their sixties did a disco dance for your husband's birthday. And she just said the joy that in all of them are kind of emailing afterwards and stuff like seeing each other from this distance. But there was just this incredible meaningfulness than and joy and uplift the spirits that happened, like you said you were saying, because of the creativity of loving each other. That was that, um, it's finding new expression in this moment,

spk_1:   21:17
you know, in the five stages of grief, you've got denial and anger and bargaining and depression and acceptance. And then there's the six with which is meaning and and from your study of disasters, I I'm I'm I'm under the camp that, like, we never thank God for a disaster like you don't think God for cancer. Um, I I don't, um I move for is that I don't consider cancer a gift, because cancer is something you don't want to give to someone else. And so I would never want to give covert 19 to someone I would never. And yet in that they're still gifts to be found. How? How do we posture our lives in such a way that we can discover, perhaps meaning or insight or the gifts that are tucked into such pain and hardship and suffering?

spk_0:   22:08
Yeah. First, I love how you frame that. I feel the same way that these are, uh, a gift. And I I would also say, you know, e don't know these get theologically difficulty, but I don't think there gifts from God. These are not gifts from God that, uh, Teoh kind of have some people suffer so others of us can be disciple better. Eso I agree with you there. But it is also a really hard question. I think for me what I have found going to this and knowing it's so big and complex, that kind of speaking personally like Wait, I've don and seen it was people I worked with is, um, making sure I'll just give a list of a few examples that helped me in the past and now you know, it's like pausing for gratitude was simple thing that we all we talked about, we know is healthy site clubs with for us but pausing for gratitude like our team. I worked really hard on some projects and still right in the middle of this, but we kind of pause for 30 minutes, one team meeting, just to say that we're grateful and this sort of doing many celebration because we felt like we had served hard, worked hard and in the context of no denial about how hard everything was. Okay, we need Teoh to kind of stop and be grateful and say OK, we've done our best. You tried to serve God. People were supposed to serve well here, so I think those small things and something I teach my master's students that I've been really helpful and and one of my books when I wrote what I was responding to. The earthquake is, um really for me, reading this homes and writing my own songs, I teach our students how to write a psalm, kind of give them a sort of step by step based on the songs of how to go through. But to me, what's so helpful in finding meaning and going through this is the sums will give me and give us ah, voice for anger. In this moment, it'll give words for doubts. Like how long a Lord like how, like literally. How long will this going If you're living in New York City right now, if you're a nurse in the ER, that's overwhelmed. Like how Long award, how long And so to give voice to that. And then, um, there's ah ah, I've actually I did this the other day. We're reading a psalm at family dinners have gotten better at family dinners. I would 11 year old and 14 year old at home and different activities you can, and a pushing on dinners for different chemists practice or, you know, whatever happens s We've been good, it doing family dinners and slowing down a little bit more and we've been reading Assam every night. And so we're reading some 13 was where we were in reading the Psalms together and my kids read and I thought of all this thing I think I learned in C. S Lewis's book Reflection on the Psalms. Ah, where about for you? But for me in the Psalms, the harsh speaking about the enemies can trip me up sometimes because it is the love your enemies part of Jesus, and then smash your enemies. Part of the Psalms can be love just, well, disconcerting sometimes like how they work this out. But like 20 years ago, I read C. S. Lewis and he talked about how we could put in the place. Many We used to think about sin and suffering there. And I'm not quoting me exactly what I think about Santa, but suffering. That's what we want to be vanquished. My daughter read the psalm and I wrapped in each place. I sort of replaced, um, Krone virus or covert 19 and a place where it said the enemy I found like you were like making meaning together like your your question like we're making meaning together as a family around the dinner table, as we were voicing in the beginning of that song like How long will are there gonna be away forever? Like what's gonna happen and then moving towards space. But it's thing pressure, and it was like, crushed this thing that's making so many people suffering and let us let us through to praise at the end. So I'm kind of rambling a little bit here, but I think those these are just some of these ways where there's no formula for making meaning. But I think we want to create that space for the men, for seeking and what have other people found. Words in the past knows connecting those help us find words that for things that are so hard to understand and in that if we're also doing this together virtually or with people were living with and then I think this is a way to make it through. And like you said, there are ways we can make it through and be stronger and more resilient. Riverside

spk_1:   26:33
so good, so good can I? First of all, I love your writing and in my listeners so that I don't say that a time, Ah, very often about my guess. But, man, Ken's writing

spk_0:   26:45
is some of those lovely, beautiful,

spk_1:   26:48
stunning, um, is just it is just phenomenal. And one of the things that we do can't on the joy casters you loved. Ask our guests

spk_0:   26:57
for a recipe and it could

spk_1:   26:58
be a recipe for life or for something you cook or for navigating difficult times and just wanted to see what what practical Ah, wisdom. You'd love toe leave our with our listeners with

spk_0:   27:11
that. I know I jumped and I jumped in too early than with facts. I think that's the recipe I want to. I can't leave you with us to go to the Psalms and they start with some 13. I think some three worked really Well, this is super practical right this moment, And you might feel if you're listening like, oh, is this gonna be like, Oh, I already read this out loud, or what do I would wave you're this or do I change the words of Scripture? But I I think that the enemies that were called into like so my encouragement is to go with confidence. Um, you know If you don't on Facebook live to start to do it in the in your own privacy. And to read one of these psalms, start with me Psalm three, then go to some 13 and the The recipe there is, too, every time it says something like enemies or foes or you know, this thing that should be conquered on, you know, for me, I picture, you know, David facing a rebellious army or, you know, there's some kind of ah ah, back and forth and their spears might be flying. So but for us to think about Corona virus and to think about the possibility of of death and to think about our neighbors suffering. And I think if you read it through, that's my encouragement, read through the Psalm plug that in experiment with it like what happened to me is not just like I knew this, but I didn't really do it until I've done it with my family the other night of dinner, and when we did it, it transformed everything about the song like not just those words. I felt like I was finding, in a way, finding my my prayers for this moment for the first time and so kind of a recipe to you and, ah like for your listeners. And and my hope is to that. What that adds is it's this recipe that we can be honest about our faith of God. I know you're greater. This market is encouraging this, like, honest and the joys, but are honest in the sorrows. But I hope that could be a practical way to do that. And that that could be something that could be could be meaningful in this moment to do together and that maybe it then can carry on beyond this Corona virus time and be something that's meaningful in your life. Have a really honest faith that's resilient. And it's not hiding from the suffering. But that is also finding lots of joy.

spk_1:   29:28
Thank you. Can't thank you for your wisdom, your insight and thank you for being on the joy cast.

spk_0:   29:33
Thank you. Great. Great to be with you, Margaret.