I spent a week in Phoenix a few years back and I learned what they mean when they say, “At least it’s a dry heat.” Pam and I were coming back from an event to our motel room at around midnight and the temperature was over 100°, but the relative humidity was 25%. We were just enjoying a nice stroll with no clue how hot it was.
Around here, 100° seems like a death sentence. Even the mid-nineties. Sorry for the rant. My point is, in these conditions, you just can’t take anything for granted. Even the smallest tasks like walking a block outdoors can be deadly … not to mention mowing the yard!
At Wichita Falls Faith Mission, we are aware minute-by-minute that our clients’ health is at risk in these extreme temperatures. With the Covid-19 pandemic looming, we are under the gun to find ways to keep them cool and hydrated while also making sure they are properly distanced, masked and practicing good hygiene. We are fully aware that this virus would go through our facilities like a hot knife through butter.
So far, God has protected us, and we have only had one confirmed case at our women’s shelter, Faith Refuge. With the Health Department’s guidance and some strict discipline on our part, we are hopeful that we have reduced or even prevented any community spread.
Your support, both financially and by prayer are vital at this time. We have cancelled our Fall fund raiser, Faith in the Falls. We are unable to utilize volunteers like we normally do. Our staff is stretched in some areas and our expenses have increased related to new procedures for COVID-19.
The upside to all this is that God is still in control. Yes, we are tired, but, as they say, it is a “good tired.” Our partnerships have become stronger with the other non-profits and social service agencies in town. Our staff has never been closer as a team. We have learned some new ways to do things. In some ways, I think we are even better at what we do.
One more heat-related reference and I’m done. Let’s look out for one another. If you see someone on the streets passed out, confused or dizzy call the police for a welfare check. You might save someone’s life.
