Musings on Ebola

This morning, I sit here in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where there are no cases of Ebola within about 3,000 miles of us (unlike the U.S., which has several active cases).  I am very thankful that we are safe and disease-free here.  However, it is frightening to follow from afar the spread of Ebola and apparent improper handling of cases even in the U.S. - a country which has state-of-the art medical care, technology, communication abilities and an educated population.

Because Tanzania has almost none of those abilities, it would definitely be pushed to its limits were Ebola to emerge here.  First of all, I don't have a high level of confidence in the medical system here. Even in a Western-style clinic, a Dar friend of mine was recently diagnosed with anemia when it turned out that she had an infection in her colon.  There isn't a lot of health education here, and the city relies almost exclusively on crowded public transportation.  Things could very quickly spiral out of control in this urban setting.  This is definitely a worrying thought which has been starting to preoccupy the missionary community here:  What would we do if Ebola spread into East Africa? Into Tanzania? Into Dar?  If/when would our school close?  Would a quarantine be imposed?  Would we even be able to leave the country if we wanted to?

When reading about Ebola I'm tempted to give into the opposite poles of fear (what if? what if? what if?) or denial/indifference (if I don't think about it, it's not going to happen). What I should be doing is spending time on my knees in prayer.  Because even though Ebola isn't here in East Africa, it is absolutely devastating West Africa.

It's very sobering to read what my friends Steve & Dyan Larmey, heads of Young Life Africa, wrote just yesterday about the spread of Ebola among their colleagues and friends.  It puts a very human face upon this largely abstract tragedy:

Friends,

Our Young Life friends in Sierra Leone and Liberia are closing in on four months now of life/death with Ebola. They keep praying, going and hoping, but visibly they see a battle being lost. The numbers of infections and deaths are increasing--the World Health Organization says that in 2 months there will be 10,000 new infections each day if some significant intervention does not happen. The death rate has risen from a low of 52% to over 70% now.

The Liberian government has run out of money to pay health workers who are threatening to strike if their $500/month danger pay is not increased to $700/month. President Johnson of Liberia literally begged the workers’ union to continue working, explaining to them the government has no money. In what has been called by some a surrender, the government of Sierra Leone is now just giving families rubber gloves and some hydration salts and medicine and is telling people to treat Ebola victims at home because they lack space at Ebola treatment centers.

Here are some updates from our Young Life family in Liberia and Sierra Leone:

Our teacher staff in Freetown, Sahr Kamasie, lost his wife Victoria two nights ago. She was 29 years old, fell sick and died a few days later. She has left behind a 2-year-old son John and a 3-month-old baby Matilda with Sahr. Sahr has been waiting alone in his house with her body waiting for Ebola test results on her body to come back. The babies are at their grandmother’s house where they sent them as soon as Victoria was sick. Please pray for Sahr and the Sierra Leone team. The results will come back Thursday. If it was not Ebola (thousands of people are dying of many things other than Ebola every day because the healthcare system can only handle Ebola cases) they will bury her body with just a few friends. If it is a positive test, Sahr and the children will be under quarantine.

Andrew Quimeh, one of our top volunteer leaders in Kakata, Liberia died of Ebola yesterday. He was on the Leadership Tree of our Area Director Yancy Dixon. A Campaigner kid from the same area – Greature Worr – was released Ebola-free from a treatment center after weeks of treatment, but she lost her father and her sister. Pray for Andrew's family, for Greature and for Yancy and his team.

Jeraline Johnson has two weeks left of her second 21-day quarantine. She is the only one left in the house as both her sister and brother-in-law have died of Ebola and her niece – 2 year-old Blessings – and Blessings’ Aunt were both diagnosed with Ebola and taken to a treatment center 8 days ago. I asked her what she does all day as she sits alone: "I pray and I read my Bible. Psalm 91 I pray constantly. I sing and I praise and thank God."  Then she broke down in tears and sobbed with me on the phone for about 5 minutes and said, "Steve I am so so scared." There was good news today as Blessings' aunt was released after 8 days of treatment from the Ebola center. At the end of the call she composed herself and said, "My hope is in Jesus alone. And He is faithful." We prayed Psalm 91 together.

Our Area Director from Robertsport and DGL graduate, Baccus Roberts, and two other leaders from Monrovia, Abraham and Gbeme, are all currently sick. We are praying that this is not Ebola. Pray for healing for them. 

James Davis, our regional director for Liberia and Sierra Leone, texted today, "Steve, I have to admit, I feel like giving up the fight, but if I do who will help lead kids and leaders. We have no peace, freedom, etc. Our people are dying every hour.  Our hope is in Jesus, but we fear we may be the next Ebola victims. I can't bear this – Jesus we need you more."  He later texted back to the whole team of Senior African leaders who are here now in Colorado, "I promise I will NOT give up – the Band of Brothers do not give up….I know that we are not in this alone – the Lord is with us. And so are you."

Please continue to lift our friends up and let's not grow weary. Let's be strong for them as they focus not on what is seen but what is unseen.

Thank you,

Steve & Dyan

Psalm 91:5-7: "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you."