Few, another week gone, this year is on the run now,
after January is finished we are heading for the end of the year. What a whirlwind
week. The Japanese tourist went to a local clinic here and the doctor advised
him to check with the local hospital as she suspected he was positive for the
virus. Well, he climbs on a plane and when he reached Japan he was tested
positive. They found the tuk-tuk driver who was in contact with him so he is
positive as well. Good news is that his family is ok. I was reading an article
that a doctor wrote and I think its good to reflect on the fear that is in the
world today. It is not so much the virus but the fear that makes people do
things they normally do not do. Like in Australia where people fight over
toilet paper.
Let’s rather focus on God and be vigilant and do our
part in trying to stay safe. I will be
in the province tomorrow as work goes on and the people are sick. Pray for
safety on the roads as well as a healthy body. Yours’s truly is suffering with
2 infected ears and it drives me nuts with the constant ringing in my ears.
Nothing serious, I get it every month at least once. The extreme heat caught us
overnight and its tiring sleeping while sweating. It always reminds me of our
days in Bethanie, sleeping outside without any fans. Sweet memories.
Good news is that I gave Heang the money to start
building our little classroom for the small school in a remote village. I will
check with him tomorrow about the progress. I am really happy we can do this
after all this time and it seems Heang is excited to start teaching there.
Please pray for Twans that need to look after both the
boys at home. Anton will be busy with his school online as the teachers give
them work to do in Google classroom. Pretty convenient in this time. We are so
glad for this as such things as this virus is unforeseen and still, the children
can do school.
Please pray for our sending church back in
Windhoek/Namibia, Windhoek Moedergemeente, as they are busy with their Mission
week. Pray that the Call of Christ will be heard. Our church is also going
through a rough patch while transitioning and adapting to new leadership, which
is all good, but pray for unity amongst everyone as change does not come easy.
Older people love to leave things as they are and move on while the younger
generation loves change. Ugg its hard being old-school……
Here is the article. A bit long but worth reading.
It's from someone else and I just borrowed it as it makes sense.
Mary Winger Rae
March 7 at 8:30 AM
A cousin of mine works in GRH in K/W. This is a blurb
written by one of the doctors she works with there, regarding Covid-19. Very
astute and well reasoned response to the hype around this:
I'm a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist.
I've been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis.
I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa.
HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough,
Diphtheria...there is little I haven't been exposed to in my profession. And
with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable,
overwhelmed or downright scared.
I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the
implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and
continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for
the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who
stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new
scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.
What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave
of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of
panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb
shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks
that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually
needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in
airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion
of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who
thinks they " probably don't have it but may as well get checked out no
matter what because you just never know..." and those with heart failure,
emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting
rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess.
I am scared that travel restrictions will become so
far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions
will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic
Games...that could be kyboshed too. Can you even imagine?
I'm scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade,
harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately
culminate in a global recession.
But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are
telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality,
openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful,
suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.
Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a
city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect
it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not
likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and "fight for
yourself above all else" attitude could prove disastrous.
I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with
patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great
deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible
diseases in our society. Let's meet this challenge together in the best spirit
of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek
truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and
catastrophizing.
Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts.
Our children will thank us for it.
#washurhands #geturflushot #respect #patiencenotpanic
May God bless you all in this week
Love
Rossouw-clan
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