CCH
IPT WEDNESDAY (INTENTIONAL PRAYER TIME) by Kathy Young
Because Hawaii's COVID-19 infection
and death rates have flattened, careful softening of community safety measures
has taken place. However, Memorial Day's evening news showed crowded
conditions and large groups partying on our beaches. Some people
disregarded health mandates, acted irresponsibly, and chose their own fun over
the safety of all.
In Philippians 2:3, the Bible
says: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” [NIV] The
people of Hawaii have done so well so far. Will we persevere?
Oh Lord, we pray:
· that those ignoring
health safety guidelines put the good of our community first.
· for the health and
welfare of the loving, supportive members of our Community Church of Honolulu
and their families. Especially keep our precious kupuna--some in senior
residences--safe, dear Lord!!
· to ask that you
infuse our state and national leaders with wisdom, strength, and supreme
collaborative skills as they decide on the next critical steps Hawaii and the
nation will take toward the future. Help our battered state economy
recover; reveal ways to ensure safe entry of all visitors.
· heartfelt prayers
of thanksgiving and support for our medical teams, front-line and emergency responders,
and all those who leave the safety of their homes to ensure that we have food,
gas, medical supplies...whatever we need.
· for those who face
changes and decision-making in their life journeys. Reveal great
opportunities to anyone who needs new avenues of service or employment.
· for our youth and
young families. The future is full of uncertainty. Those in school
don't know what to expect in the coming months. When will schools and
colleges start and what will fall semesters look like? After months of
staying or working at home, children and their parents will make critical
decisions about future months. Going "back to normal" won't be
the same. Transition won't be easy. Careful choices are now
possible. God give each person the wisdom and tools to forge paths that honor
Your plan and reflect what You say in Philippians 2:3.
· continued support
and appreciation for Pastor Holly, Pastor Frances, Ardis, Hari, Glenn, Nate,
and our Executive Committee leaders. They have allowed us to worship as
and continue to BE God's beloved church. They will make critical
decisions about future opportunities to worship and serve You. THEY show
us how to live by Philippians 2:3.
· prayers of deep
appreciation for our Aloha state. People are courteous, thoughtful,
safety-conscious, and friendly--even in the Costco line or while
safe-distanced, waiting to pay at a grocery store. We thank our God that
we live in this place, with these people.
· while remembering
with love Sau Chun, Suelyn, and Kee Fun. Prayers of support for their
families and for the families of Ryan Urabe's mom Alice, and Ethel & Willie
Chong's son Clifford.
· for those who are
sick or dealing with pain, sad or lonely, anxious or afraid. Let them
know of Your loving presence, oh God. Inspire them to call one of us or
move one of us to call them.
· for those in your
heart.
ADAM TABA
MAGNA. CUM. LAUDE.
Editor’s note: For this year, EVAN was the First,
ADAM is the SECOND Magna in a row for CCH (continuing a tradition of previous CCH grads earning academic accolades)! *mic drop*
Although Adam couldn’t have a
traditional local style graduation on the Roosevelt High School campus with the after-grad lei and gift
fest, his loving family made sure he and his accomplishments were CELEBRATED!
And Adam just turned 18 last month!
ADAM, your church family is
so proud of you. We cherish you and send
you to your college adventure with God’s richest blessings and our love.
THE PARTY LINE
REFLECTIONS FROM A SMALL
BUSINESS OWNER
by Tammy Lum
How fragile we all are. Whether it’s a disease or a satellite (which
would be staggering!) or anything life threatening, and its national, it
effects each one of us. This was a
drill. Life has changed forever on so
many levels. This is also a taste of
government control. Fear. Lack of God.
A wake-up call. Awareness. In business you can take for granted your
success and not prepare for hard times until it happens…it happened and just
like that the world stops! And bam!
Families reunite being confined in one household for so long. Communication, praying, peaceful meals,
gardening, baking, crafts, music, walks, talking to your neighbors, doing good
deeds for others, oceans are clear again, fish are swimming, air is cleaner…. This
is a time of reflection and time to spend with God and to appreciate each day
of life, to stop and smell the roses.
REFLECTIONS FROM A MEDICAL
DOCTOR
by Dr. Brent Uyeno
Reflections: MD Edition
Doing my work as a physician
on the “frontlines” of the Coronavirus pandemic is not necessarily harder, it’s
just…different…very different.
In terms of the “frontlines,”
I put that in quotes because I’m kind of at the back of the frontlines. I have
friends and colleagues who are working in the emergency rooms and patients who
are firefighters and police officers. They are the ones truly on the frontlines
putting themselves constantly at risk of infection.
I still see patients in the
hospital and see my patients in the office, in-person and virtually. I found
out an old dog CAN learn new tricks. Kristin has been the technical advisor
helping the office to navigate “Telehealth” visits. These are online physician
visits using computer cameras to see and talk to patients. Of course, this type
of visit is no problem for the younger generation. Many of my elderly patients
need their children help them set up the visit.
Many of the scheduled visits
are routine follow up visits where we discuss laboratory results and health
maintenance and screening issues, such as nutrition, exercise, and cancer
screenings. These follow up visits can more easily be done in an online
setting, as compared to sick visits. When patients are sick or hurt, my staff
and I discuss if we think the patient can be appropriately evaluated with an
online visit or if the patient should be seen in the office. I have done online
visits where patients have shown me rashes, pointed to where on their knee was
sore, and how high they can raise their arm before their shoulder starts
hurting. Telehealth works to a point and I can diagnose and treat many health
concerns with this limited information. By the physician asking the right
questions and evaluating the patient’s answers, we can get a good idea of the
likely diagnosis. However, if the patient has a problem where I think I would
need push on the lump or feel the clicking of their knee, or if I think I may
need to order studies (blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound), then we will have the
patients come to the office. Or after a prior online visit, if the patient’s
problem persists or worsens then we will have the patient come in for an office
examination.
As many medical offices have
done, we have changed the way we see patients in the office. We wear masks and
have the patients wear masks during their office visits removing them only as
necessary to examine the nose and mouth. We wipe things down with sanitizing
solution even more frequently than before. When patients do come in to the
office, we space the visits out to minimize the number of patients in the
waiting area. Other offices have essentially done away with the concept of the
“waiting room” and will have patients come in for scheduled visits only. Some
offices have their patients wait in their cars and call them on their cell
phones to come into the office after the prior patient has left.
In my other roles as the
Assistant Chief of Staff at Kuakini Medical Center and a member of the Medical
Executive Committee at Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, I participate in
committees that involve the inner workings of the hospitals. We are involved
with gathering information to pass on to the hospital personnel and crafting
policies to keep all our staff protected and continue to treat patients safely.
I have come to embrace my supporting actor role to do what I can to help
support the staff and keep the hospitals’ engines humming to remain ready for
any future surge of patients that we pray will not happen.
I appreciate the comments
from my patients expressing their thanks to me and my staff for working and
being available to keep them healthy, but we have only been able to do what we
do because of the other “essential workers” who do their jobs and also the
public who do their part, wearing masks and social distancing, to minimize the
number of infections in our community. It’s all intertwined and the
frontline blurs, because we all have some part in keeping ourselves and others
healthy.
SOME (VERY) GOOD NEWS
PROTECTING A FELLOW STUDENT
FROM BULLYING . . . FROM A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/5/23/1943198/-When-Utah-Teacher-Berated-Fifth-Grader-For-Having-Two-Dads-His-Female-Classmates-Put-A-Stop-To-It
At Deerfield Elementary
School in Cedar Hills, which is about a thirty minute drive from Salt Lake
City, eleven year old Daniel van Amstel instantly knew what his answer was
going to be when the substitute teacher asked the fifth grade class the
question the day before the school was to be let out for Thanksgiving vacation
in late November of 2019. “What are you
thankful for this year?”
After being in five foster
homes and having one adoption process stopped half way through, Daniel had
finally found his forever home with a family that loved him so much, they
wanted him to officially be their son. And so he said, “I’m thankful that I’m finally
going to be adopted by my two dads.” What
he got from his mostly Mormon classmates were smiles.
But that good feeling was shut down
immediately. According to those in his class, the teacher snapped. “Why on earth would you be happy about that?
That’s nothing to be thankful for.” For ten long minutes she lectured the 30
children with “homosexuality is wrong” and “two men living together is a sin.”
Three of the young girls, 10-11 year olds I must
point out, weren’t having it. At all.
Led by 11 year old Sophie. They told the teacher that she was wrong. One
kept on repeating “No, No, No.” They
told her to stop again and again, and every time the teacher glared at Daniel,
Sophie would purposely get her attention to deflect the toxic energy being
directed at Daniel. Finally, Demi and a
third girl who wants to remain anonymous walked out of the room, whilst the
teacher threatened them if they did so, and went straight to the principal’s office.
In the principal’s office,
the impromptu meeting with the two students lasted all of about five
minutes...and the decision was made there and then, and the sentence was
carried out just as quick. The school security was called, they walked straight
to the classroom and in front of all the students they hurriedly escorted the
teacher, whose name has not been disclosed anywhere that I could find, to her
car.
The last word was spoken by
the principal, Caroline Knadler, who told her, “You are never to return. Never.”
Yes, the teacher….the
ex-teacher…. reacted on religious intolerance, but please remember that the
families of the girls and most of the school and district administration also
belong to the same religion….and they reacted in complete tolerance and
ferocious and immediate protection of Daniel and were only intolerant to
intolerance.
PRINCIPAL MEW, THE GIFT
THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
KAISER HIGH SCHOOL
PRODUCES
A PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR
From a SecEd Press Release:
U.S. Secretary of Education
Betsy DeVos Names 161 Students as 2020 U.S.
Presidential Scholars
May 21, 2020
The White House Commission on
Presidential Scholars (http://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/commission.html) selects
scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical
excellence, essays, school evaluations, and transcripts, as well as evidence of
community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
. . .
Hawaii
Koichiro Otake, Honolulu -
Iolani School
Eui Jin Song, Honolulu -
Kaiser High School”
At the end of his
Commencement Address, Principal Justin closed with:
“I began these remarks with
World Languages. My World Language at Roosevelt High [Justin’s alma mater] and
the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa was Latin:
● Vis ut longo vivas tempore
et bene sit tibi in
Translation: May the Force Live Long and Prosper in You!”
A POSTAL CARRIER HONORS
GRADS ON HIS ROUTE
As reported by Aysha Qamar, Daily
Kos Staff, May 18, 2020:
Many local schools have put
up lawn signs in front of the homes of 2020 high school graduates to remind
them of the support they have during this difficult time. One local essential
worker has been spreading joy to local students without expecting anything in
return.
Upon noticing the 2020
graduate signs on his mail route in New Hampshire, a U.S. Postal Service worker
decided to leave a surprise for graduates in the mail. Joshua Crowell began
leaving $5 Dunkin' gift cards with handwritten notes signed with “your mailman
Josh” in some of the mailboxes with signs on the lawn. "$5 isn't much, but
it's something so that the kids can get out of the house and go get a donut and
an iced coffee," Crowell told CNN.
So far, Crowell has handed
out at least 25 gift cards but he plans to continue handing more out. "I
always keep a few extra in my lunchbox so, as I'm doing a route and I see a
sign, I throw a stamp on it and put it in their mailbox," he said.
[One recipient wrote to Mr.
Crowell] "This year has not been easy for most, but I think being able to
make someone's day is important. ... Thank you for being an essential worker,
it means a lot."
What’s even more inspiring is
that Crowell uses his own money to purchase the gift cards. "I'm not very
well-off myself, but I look at it as, if I put a smile on somebody's face, then
I will do it," he told CNN. Crowell’s selfless kindness comes as pleasant
news amid tragic times. It reminds us how far a small act of genuine care can
go.
113-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SURVIVES
CORONAVIRUS AND WARNS HUMANITY NEEDS A 'NEW ORDER'
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/health-news/113-year-old-woman-survives-coronavirus-and-warns-humanity-needs-a-new-order/ar-BB13ZlEv?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
5/12/2020
A 113-year-old woman has
already made history as Spain's oldest woman — and now she's setting more
records as she officially becomes the country's oldest coronavirus
survivor. María Branyas was diagnosed
with COVID-19 in April, according to Spanish news agency EFE. The centenarian
remained in isolation for weeks until she recently tested negative for the
illness.
"Thank you very much for
your congratulations and encouragement," she wrote on Tuesday [through her
daughter’s Twitter account]. "Although I would have preferred not to have
to live this unfortunate situation of nonsense in the treatment of the elderly
in the country, I thank you. And a lot of strength to all the grandmothers and
grandparents who are still struggling."
"Older people do not
deserve the forgetfulness they have received," she continued, noting that
the elderly population doesn't "deserve to leave the world that way"
and that others should not "speculate on their health."
While in isolation at the
Olot care home she's been living at for the past 20 years, according to EFE,
Branyas also reflected on what the world may look like after the pandemic and
warned that humanity needs a "new order."
"In the solitude of my
room, fearless and hopeful, I don’t quite understand what’s going on in the
world. But I think nothing will be the same again," she wrote on
April 2. "And don’t think about redoing, recovering, rebuilding. It will
have to be done all over again and differently."
"I won't be able to
help you. In fact, for my age, I will no longer be there," she continued.
"But, believe me, you need a new order, a change in the hierarchy of
values and priorities, a New Human Age . . . Health and strength, you will
succeed.”
YOU WILL BE
DELIGHTED
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HE’S 94 AND SHE’S 91
10,000 REASONS BY A 2-YEAR-OLD
Cover
by Sophia A. Siban
From
Cagayan de Oro City (2 years old)
10,000 REASONS BY THE
SONGWRITER
PHONE NUMBER FOR STIMULUS PAYMENT
QUESTIONS
Information from the Office of U.S. Senator Brian Schatz
The IRS has established a special phone
line for taxpayers with questions about their Economic Impact Payment - often
called a stimulus payment - issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Taxpayers with questions can call 800-919-9835.
Answers to common questions will be given
via automated message, but there will be an option to speak to a
representative. Wait times may be significant due to high call
volume. Taxpayers are encouraged to first see if their question can be
answered by visiting www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payment-information-center.
Taxpayers can still check on the status of
their payment at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. You will need
your 2018 or 2019 tax return to access the portal. Due to high demand,
the site may take longer than usual to load.
The deadline to provide direct deposit
information for your payment has passed. The IRS has begun issuing paper
checks starting with those with the lowest income. It will take several
months to send out all the checks.
Non-tax Filers
Those who are eligible for a payment but
were not required to file taxes or do not receive social security benefits, can
still visit www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here to
submit your information and receive your payment.
Eligibility for Economic Impact
Payments
- Anyone other than a nonresident alien, a dependent, or an
estate, is eligible.
- You must have a Social Security number for you, your spouse,
and any child you are claiming. There is an exception for spouses of
active duty military members.
Amount of Payment
- Individuals receive $1,200 (joint filers receive $2,400) plus
$500 per child under 17 years old.
- Benefits start to phase out for those with incomes exceeding
$150,000 for married couples, $75,000 for singles, and $112,500 for single
parents.
- With the phase-out, payments will not go to single filers
earning more than $99,000; head-of-household filers with one child, more
than $146,500; and more than $198,000 for joint filers with no children.
- Your income is based on your 2019 tax return; if you did not
file taxes for 2019, the Treasury will use your 2018 tax return.
More Information
- For more information, please check the IRS’s website at www.irs.gov/coronavirus. The “2020 Recovery
Rebates” program is established by Title II (Sec. 2201) of the CARES Act.
- To check the status of your payment, visit www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get- my-payment. You
will need your 2018 or 2019 tax return to access the portal. Due to
high demand, the site may take longer than usual to load.
For more or updated information on federal
coronavirus resources, visit www.schatz.senate,gov/coronavirus
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