We are vulnerable but we are not afraid!
It’s the defining moment of our age. News, social media, conversations. It’s all COVID, all the time. It’s devastated our medical systems, our elderly, our vulnerable, our mental health and our economy. Conversations that begin with “let’s not talk about it”, inevitably end up talking about it. There seems to be no escape and many without an anchor find themselves adrift and frightened.
We take great comfort from words written over two millennia ago:
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
There IS a rudder. There IS an anchor in the storm. There IS a haven of rest.
So, fellow sojourners, be of good courage! And enjoy some good news to cheer your hearts:
Wuhan, which was the epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic, has closed the last of its 16 temporary coronavirus hospitals ... because there aren’t enough patients to keep them open.
When restaurants in New Jersey were ordered to close, Bryan Morin, the owner of Federico's Pizza, went straight to the bank and took out a $50,000 loan so he could keep paying his employees. "My father told us a long time ago: You've got to take care of your employees first, because without those employees, you don't have a business at all. I definitely owe them a debt — even if it means I might go into debt”.
All the Apple stores in China have reopened after being closed for one month amid the height of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Chinese billionaire Jack Ma donated 500,000 test kits & one million masks to the US.
In a neighbourhood in Canada everyone agreed to have a drink “together” to show support and remain connected. At 6 o’clock in the evening doors flew open and people stepped out onto their porches to toast their neighbours, give virtual High Fives and shout words of encouragement up and down the street.
A woman in Wuhan became the oldest person to beat the novel coronavirus ... she was 103!! She recovered only six days after being admitted to the hospital.
And speaking of hospitals, how’s this for summing up our overwhelming thanks to those who risk it all everyday:
Imagine Thailand is also in the thick of the fight. We converted our Lighthouse Learning Centre for kids into a community volunteer centre and made over 10,000 face masks for heroes on the frontlines. We’ve produced face shields for hospital workers in Mae Sot. We’ve spoken hope and blessing to the poor, the marginalized, the frightened throughout our communities. And our kids in Takua Pa know where their hope comes from!
