Praying for the Best
by Dr. Missy Sandberg, physician and MedSend grant recipient, serving in Zambia
Right now it feels like we are waiting for a tsunami to hit. We can see the huge wave off in the distance and we know that it is coming towards us, but we don’t know when it is going to get here or how much damage it is going to cause in its wake. What we do know is it isn’t going to be good.
Handwashing Station outside of Mukinge Mission Hospital, Zambia.
Zambia has made efforts to try to slow the spread. School and churches are closed, hand washing stations are posted outside every business, grocery store, and hospital; and they are encouraging social distancing. However, we are seeing throughout the world that social distancing is a privilege for the wealthy. Most of the people in my area don’t have electricity in their homes, so they are unable to store food for long periods of time. This means they have to go into crowded markets frequently to get food to feed their families. Others need to work daily in these markets and other crowded locations to earn the money they need to feed their families. They don’t have money saved up so they can stay at home. Flattening the curve is going to be very difficult in Zambia.
Like every other country in the world, we are going to be short on supplies and we do not have advanced medical devices like ventilators which will hinder our ability to help those who do develop severe symptoms. Our hospital and missionary community, like the rest of the world, is facing an unknown time. So we stand and we wait, preparing for the worst and praying for the best.
- Pray for the hospital staff that they will stay healthy during this time and if they do become infected with COVID it will be a mild case.
- Pray for my medical friends throughout the world who are risking their lives and the lives of their families by going to work to take care of those patients whose lives have been entrusted to them. Let them be strengthened during this time and protect their hearts as they watch the consequence of this disease, not just with those who have been infected by it, but also those whose medical care for other chronic diseases is impaired due to lack of access to medical care during this time.
Editor’s Note: The above post was taken from Dr. Sandberg’s April 2 update. At the time of this posting, the total Coronavirus cases in Zambia is 70.
Healthcare remains the only form of access as a Christian witness in many countries.
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