A few months back, I was having
some quiet time in the morning and was reading about Peace. I read the following from the book “Jesus
Calling” – “Thank me for the gift of My Peace, a gift of such immense proportions
that you cannot fathom its depth or breadth.
When I appeared to my disciples, it was Peace that I communicated first
of all. I knew this was their deepest
need: to calm their fears and to clear
their minds. I also speak Peace to you,
for I know your anxious thoughts.”
The semi-recent Ebola outbreak in
West Africa has taken center stage in the news.
We really had no idea how much because we have no internet access (other
than sending or receiving email) in the village. Most people have no idea where
Guinea is on a map. We began to hear
that it was making news across the world, somewhat clued in by the rash of
emails asking about our safety and proximity to the virus. We just had NO idea
what a splash it was making until we went to the capital last week. It is right that it should be a leading news
article. This is an Ebola epidemic of
epic proportion and many are dying. The
numbers increase daily and there is no cure!
As I read through the articles,
news and postings over the past week, a few thoughts struck me.
1.
The majority
of the American news reports seem focused more on keeping it out of the US than
on concern for the people who are suffering with the disease and others who are
battling against it. That obviously is a
generalization, and not the view of everyone, but seems to be a common
thread. It is amazing the level of
self-protection that arises in a crisis.
Not that I want it to spread to the US, (though that seems unlikely) but
still. Are most people outside of West
Africa concerned for those in the midst of the fight – or just concerned about
keeping it out of their borders?
2.
It seems to
have sparked an interesting debate on the value of serving overseas. One of the most prominent articles catching
people’s attention was written by Ann Coulter.
While I did not read her complete article, I read a response article
called “Are Christian Missionary Narcissistic Idiots?” It is an interesting read- a little long –
but worth it none the less.
Situations like this are really
very troubling and heart wrenching for most missionaries who serve
overseas. What is the right answer? Do we leave - hoping to avoid catching this
horrible disease? Do we stay – and do
what we can to help? Are we “safe”
here? Is “safety” what God calls us to strive
for? What is wisdom? When are we acting in fear?
If we decide to leave, what do we
say to our national friends? “Goodbye
and good luck. Hope you don’t get
sick. Sorry that we are leaving and
taking a lot of resources with us. We
know you are scared – but we can escape, so we will.”
If we decide to stay, what do we
say to our kids, family, friends, and supporters? “We don’t feel right leaving – we just hope
we don’t get sick. We will do our best.”
Fear takes over – not just fear
of Ebola, but fear of making the right decision! Don’t want to run – don’t want to overstay if
it is not safe. All of it makes me a
little twitchy. I am a nurse in a small
clinic in a small village. I have not
knowingly taken care of an Ebola patient.
We are prepared with protective gear - but there are no guarantees in
life. I watched the news as a missionary
doctor and another woman working in health care in Liberia fell victim to the
disease.
That news scared me a little –
not because they were American, but because they were medical people who knew
what they were dealing with and had taken precautions, yet still got sick. Just a few days back I got sick – runny
belly, nausea, achiness – not uncommon symptoms in West Africa. Any other time, I would not have thought
anything of it. But this time, I was
mentally reviewing every patient I had seen recently, scanning in my mind to
see if I thought they might have Ebola.
I knew it was not overly rational, but that was the first place my mind
headed.
This is really the first time we
have had to deal with these questions in the medical realm, though the
political situation in countries like this often bring those questions to the
surface. Several years back, we chose to
evacuate out of Guinea, on the advice of the US Embassy, because of political
instability. At that point, we were very
comfortable with our decision – made even clearer for our family as we sat
alone in a guesthouse – listening to constant gunfire around us. For others, the choice was harder. They did not feel in danger. Some chose to wait it out. Others left.
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