Pastor Jean in Cortez

  On Wednesday evening, we gathered outside the Cortez Hospital to light candles and pray for all of our community's healthcare workers.  20+ people attended, representing 3 churches--Methodist, Episcopal and Nazarene.  Jim Mimiaga from the local newspaper attended, took photos and wrote a generous article which can be found here  https://the-journal.com/ articles/194592 Early on in this pandemic--back in March and April--a great deal of attention and appreciation was shown to our healthcare workers.  People shouted from open windows and banged pots and pans each evening to show their support.  Meals were delivered to hospitals and clinics.  Banners thanking healthcare folks were hung from buildings and bridges.  All of this took place while our local Montezuma County, Colorado, numbers were very low.  We simply did not have the number of cases other parts of the country were experiencing. Now we have the numbers!  600+ cases so far in a...

  I have an idea.   After seeing so many healthcare workers speaking out on news programs about the horribly difficult COVID-19 conditions they are working with, I have an idea.  When this pandemic started, these healthcare heroes were being celebrated every night with cheers and noise-making around the country.  Now they are now struggling, for the most part, without any visible signs of support from us, the public.  It's actually worse than that. They are actually being attacked verbally and sometimes physically by people who tell them that the coronavirus is only a hoax and the healthcare folks are lying about all of it.  All while 255,000 Americans have died from this disease and many more are becoming very seriously ill. Nurses across the country report that some of their patients argue and deny the existence of COVID-19 disease--even as they are about to be intubated because they cannot breathe.  Medical workers are being yelled at, harassed...