Here is the testimony of the Toan family that explains how they went through this ordeal with the help of God.

Hello. My name is Pauline Amany. I have been married to Boa Guy Nelson since 2004, and we have two children: a 14-year-old girl named Boa Yédidya, and an 11-year-old boy, Boa Kouassi Noam. We are all parishioners at Marie-Reine-de-la-Paix church.

I am a production officer at Trudeau Airport in Dorval. I am also an assistant catechist, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and a SASMAD volunteer.

Yédidya is a student at Dorval School. She is also an assistant catechist and a reader. Noam is in “Treasure 3” level, the level right after First Communion, and an altar boy. Nelson, works at Bell and in the construction business, and is a good parishioner.

1. During the pandemic and quarantine, our main challenges consisted in managing time to avoid monotony, boredom and stress. We also tried to remain in fellowship with God.
    
2. To manage time, we made doughnuts and a few little treats together. We played board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly. Often, in the evening, we would watch together fascinating historical documentaries on the Roman Empire, the last Tsars of Russia, etc.
    
3. To remain in communion, we prayed together every evening before the TV party, focusing especially on Psalm 91. We used to pray together before the pandemic, but now that there were no constraints the next day, we had quality time to pray. We prayed especially for the coming of a spiritual awakening, because the pandemic showed us that one can lose everything in a flash, but no one can take God away from us, as He resides within us. We prayed for the sick and their families.

Personally, in addition to the family prayer, I would pray with my God at 4:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., in the form of intercession prayers for health care personnel, the sick, and the victims who did not have time to give or to reconcile with God.

The God of tenderness and Love reassured us through Psalm 91. Whoever counts on Him finds a shelter under his protective wings. We did not lack anything. God saved us from all kinds of illnesses, and we came out of this time more connected.

The Catholic Church helps us through the masses broadcast on social networks, and I remember the very moving Urbi et Orbi.

My parish made a big difference from the very beginning. An intercession cell was set up through novenas given by Deacon Francis Bégin every night at 9 p.m. on Zoom It is a great experience, and we still follow the novenas online (Effata for young people on Zoom).

The Mass on YouTube, Reflections on the pandemic and the Divine Reading, those are all led by Father Francis McKee on Zoom.

To those who have lost a loved one, we wish our sincere condolences. To those who are still fighting the COVID, we say, “courage, hold on”. And to everyone we say, “Anything can happen overnight, so let us give to God the rightful place He deserves in our lives.”