Covid-19: Isolation and Response

I’m not sure I have seen as much written, discussed, videoed, or posted about one subject in such a short time as I have about Covid-19. Understandably since this pandemic is so global in scope and personal in impact or as one person said: “it is both macro and micro”.  I hesitated to write anything since so much is already written.  I know my reflections will likely mirror many others but that’s okay, I think I will write anyway.

Over the past two weeks, Morris and I have joined the throngs in adhering to and promoting the coronavirus protocols given through Government and Public Health.  We understand the need for radical measures for everyone to join the fight in reducing the spread of Covid-19.  We are “our brother’s keeper”!  That’s all right – it can bring out the best in us – like musicians on balconies, city-wide applause for health workers, and random acts of kindness everywhere.

One question currently being asked is:  when in our lifetime has ‘isolation’ ever been so commonplace? When have so many people had to physically distance themselves from normal life, activity, and community for such an undetermined amount of time?  With a backward look at history, you will discover that this isn’t the first time but it has been a while. On a smaller scale, isolation has been common when a pre-mature baby is incubated or a sick person is quarantined to prevent a contagious infection. Also, people who have lived in vastly remote areas like the far north or the very rural or on an island have felt a sense of isolation.  Today though it is the vast scope and widespread of the isolation that seems so unusual. Millions around the world own a new commonality - separation. Its impact seems to be both unique AND generic.

Like you, the situations and people catching our attention most (in Kenya and around the world) are:

·       The vulnerable population – especially the elderly, homeless, sick, and poor

·       The thousands of small business owners (here include so many roadside market keepers) with drastic customer reduction or complete closure

·       Parents coping with working from home and managing children every day –  especially parents with children who have special needs or single parents or high-risk pregnant moms

·       Front line essential service workers – health care, first responders, and emergency workers

·       People with mental health problems

·       People living far from those they love

·       People mourning and unable to conduct proper funeral services

      And the countries where the virus has spread so rapidly. 

Like so many other places in the world, here in Kakamega we have quickly noticed the reduction in people traffic and public transportation, indicating so much change. As The Salvation Army, we are responding as best we can.  We have adjusted our street boys program to ensure they are cared for during this additional crisis in their lives. Morris is working with our Projects Dept. and IHQ to secure rapid response funds to assist local communities.  We are supporting our officers and employees who have migrated to setting up offices at home, ensuring they can effectively work remotely – sometimes it’s the simple things that need extra attention. We have increased the use of social media to bring messages of hope to the thousands of Salvationists who can no longer come together for Sunday worship – a connectivity that is so important to them – truly a loss right now.  We have been especially prayerful for those who are mourning. Last week, one of our young couples lost their only 8-month-old child. Yesterday one of our active officers passed away. While neither death was because the person had contracted Covid-19, death for any reason is always sad and more so now with the isolation restrictions. These families need extra portions of compassion and care.

Along with practical support, acknowledging and naming what is difficult is a helpful response in a time of accentuated stress. You can do this verbally with someone you trust or take time to write down (or type out or record) what you are feeling. We don’t need to be hesitant to lament. Human beings have real feelings and it is okay to declare that all of this change in our world feels uncomfortable, unsettling, frustrating or sad.  Some of you may have seen a great Harvard Business Review article called “The discomfort you’re feeling is grief” - such meaningful insights. I highly recommend it. On a lighter side, there are also fun things you can do while you are isolated at home. I received an article from a good friend of mine about how baking is such a great stress reliever! So true - I made bread and cinnamon rolls yesterday! The website is: delish.com and the article is called “Psychologists say baking can actually reduce your stress.” (If you take this up, try to add a little extra exercise too!)  Reviving what is simple and ordinary right now is really good medicine!

Learning from others through reading or listening to podcasts or seeing what others are posting on social media is a great way to discover how to manage this worrying interruption called the Covid-19 pandemic. No one person has all the answers but when you take the time to find some helpful pieces of advice or share ideas with friends or reach out to your virtual neighbours, your isolation can slowly be conquered and day by day you can overcome how paralyzed this pandemic is making you feel.

Above all, Morris and I encourage people in their faith.  In a Facebook post a few days ago I said faith is a twin companion to fear – it has been for centuries. It probably was in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic, during the World Wars or more recently with the HINI or SARS epidemic or during 911.  No wonder God says ‘do not be afraid’ so many times in the Bible. He knew that fear would be a normal response in so many situations – personally and universally. I don’t believe God admonishes or condemns us for our fear – He knows how fragile we are, how we are made of dust (Psalm 103:14). Instead, God prompts our inner being to find hope by believing in Him. While we wait for this pandemic to pass and for the day of full restoration of our broken world, God gives us this beautiful gift of faith: faith in Him – our Creator and ultimate Sustainer, faith in others around us, and faith in ourselves.

I have personally been finding many statements of truth in the Christian Bible to strengthen my faith. I  leave you with one that has gripped my heart for many years - a friend of mine reminded me of it last week (thanks Joan!). It is Colossians 1:17 “The Lord is before all things and in Him, all things hold together!”

Take care, everyone. Stay safe. Pray often and keep in touch!

Love you all. 

Wanda & Morris

Apart of something bigger

As a leader, I have learned that great leaders (what Jim Collins refers to as Level 5 leaders) focus on what is bigger than themselves. They are sold out to the cause or mission they are a part of and they inspire other people to follow.  This can be true of church leaders and those who lead in other sectors.  Being part of ‘something bigger’ than yourself helps you digress from self-centeredness (a natural human tendency) and find real fulfillment in being part of what helps make a difference in the lives of others.  As Christians, that is certainly the example of Jesus! The season of Lent proves that for sure.

Being part of something bigger than yourself is not only for leaders.  It’s a great thing for anyone.  Last week I watched a video from General Brian Peddle calling The Salvation Army world to a year of urgent prayer about a critical worldwide issue – justice for women and girls. This call is part of the focus being taken by The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission.   I was a little startled when I heard this statement:  ‘perhaps the greatest injustice of our age is that half of the world’s population begins their life at a disadvantage just because they are born female.’  For someone who grew up in the developed world, the idea of being ‘disadvantaged’ just because I was a girl had a limited impact.  But now that I have seen this truth up close and have tried to broaden my understanding of what is happening in many parts of the world, I cannot argue with the General’s words – alarming as they are.

On a truly global scale, across so many national boundaries, is the reality that women and girls have a much harder time owning their value and thriving as equal human beings despite the fact that God created both genders equally. His design has always been for full rights and freedom of every person, regardless of your gender at birth.  Even with incredible international efforts including new laws to protect women against gender-based violence, better access to health care and education opportunities, plus thousands of people uniting for years and years to dismantle so many forms of injustice against women and girls, there is still so much more to be done.

Included in the General’s call to prayer, ‘cryforjustice’, was new learning for me. The year 2020 marks the 25^th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women which happened in 1995 resulting in the Bejing Declaration and Platform for Action where 12 critical areas of concern for women and girls were identified and commitments made to actively address these issues. To be honest, I had never heard of this. I was intrigued to read about what has been done in the past 25 years and it dawned on me how every effort we make toward this cause (becoming actively involved in justice for women and girls) is part of “something bigger”!  If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a world to bring equal value and equal opportunity to the female child.

On Friday, I was part of a monthly ladies’ Bible Study at our office. Together we were digging into some of the narratives of Jesus’ life and teaching. Inspired by Dean Pallant’s book “To be like Jesus!” we considered what it means to not just “do” like Jesus but to actually “be” like Jesus – to look beyond the actions of Christ to the heart of Christ. What truly propelled Jesus to respond to the crowds with empathy and kindness, to oppose cultural norms of inequality, to teach real Kingdom values, and to resist the ploy of Satan to be self-centered?  We discovered the heart of Jesus is compassion, commitment to truth, unconditional love, selflessness, and justice. We looked at the parable of the unjust judge and saw how the widow’s persistent cry for justice was finally answered.  It requires a lot of soul searching and a transformed mind to resemble Christ – but it is possible!

I am so grateful for all that is being done every day (big and small) by thousands of people who put their convictions into concrete action. More girls and women are now valued in the home, the workplace, the community, the political arena, and the church. From governments and NGO’s to advocacy groups, churches, and ordinary people, countless numbers of people (men and women) are part of this ‘something bigger’ so that this ‘greatest injustice of our age’ may be significantly reduced more and more.  Among many other ways we are taking action, The Salvation Army will have a voice at the Commission for the Status of Women hosted at the United Nations from March 09-20 and will hold parallel events with NGO’s and other stakeholders.

Here in the territory where I serve, three significant projects are happening concurrently which focus on justice for women and girls: an Anti-Human Trafficking project, a Women’s Economic Empowerment project called WORTH now expanding to several new areas, and the second phase of a Mother/Child Health Project.  There are also hundreds of small women’s groups in rural villages addressing real-life issues of women’s health care, social matters, community concerns, and family challenges, all with a faith-based strategy. These efforts help reduce unfair stigmas, increase knowledge, and empower women to find their voice and their place in their everyday lives. The Salvation Army is actively engaged across Kenya doing their part for this global cause.

Why does this matter to me? I have two adult daughters and one granddaughter who benefit every day from living in a place where they have untold opportunities to flourish and grow without much discrimination because of their gender. I treasure that! What I never want to forget is that every girl living on this planet is also someone’s daughter and granddaughter. They have every right to the same opportunities as Erica, Stephanie, and Anna-Lynne. I want to be – in some small way – a part of helping make that happen.

At the end of our ladies’ Bible study, we joined the General’s wave of prayer as 12 of us stood in a circle with clutched hands united in spirit to ‘cry for justice’. One of our ladies prayed so earnestly that her burden was almost palpable.  She prayed intensely for an end to child marriages, domestic violence, the challenges facing the girl child, and every form of oppression that females face.  We must pray – individually and corporately - AND we must try to find ways to support a cause that is bigger than we are.  As I search my heart and mind to discover how I can reimagine ways to be more actively involved, I encourage you to do the same – whatever your ‘something bigger than you’ is.

If this cause for justice for women and girls resonates with you, find out what’s happening around the world to close the gap of the inequality which exists between male and female people. (Check out: https://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/about and https://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/2020-cry-for-justice). Be part of International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 08.

Where and if possible, advocate for equal rights for both genders – like fair wages without discrimination. Give females fair access to music groups, sports teams, or other spheres which are currently male-dominated.  Consider volunteering for something in your community that promotes the protection or empowering of women and girls.  Donate some time or money as your gift to the girls and women who need to know they are visible and valued. Or use other ideas that stir up inside you to resist our natural tendency to be self-focused by finding a cause for others that’s worth fighting for.

I recently asked a group of women leaders (officers) here in Kenya what it was that helped them become confident leaders in a culture that is prone to elevate men above women.  The responses included “a supportive partner who gave me the freedom to excel”.  As we pray for the injustice that is still so prevalent towards females, let’s also pray for more supportive partners to stand with them!

Thanks General Brian for calling us to prayer and for shedding a light on how to ‘be part of something bigger’!