Quarantine Rules

Watching movie in separated parts of living room

When we arrived in the US a little over a week ago we were told even before disembarking the plane that we should self-quarantine for 14 days.  Since we were traveling through places like Zurich and Newark, this was not unexpected.  Today is day 11 and so far everyone is in good health, but still, we have tried our best to keep to those self-quarantine rules.

For us, the problem was not self-quarantining, it was how to do it while staying at Tom’s parents’ house!  Tom’s parents are in their 70’s, one of the more vulnerable groups we’re trying to protect! So not only do we need to quarantine from the world, but we need to quarantine from our parents as we live with them!  What does that look like in a single-family home?

First we split up the house.  We have the upstairs, they have the downstairs.  We have the family room (or at least half of it) and they have the living room.  We are not allowed to pass into their zones nor they into our zones.  But some of the house is by necessity shared space- the kitchen, the corridor. 

To navigate the shared spaces, we used blue masking tape on the floor to denote the places we are not allowed to cross.  Blue lines cut across wood floors, carpets and stairs, dive under tables and generally help make the house feel a bit like a basketball court, but it serves as a reminder.

Tom in the kitchen

One of the surprising challenges was realizing just how difficult meals would be.  Do we need to eat on different shifts?  We tried this the first day, but meals are great family time, and it was weird eating a meal while talking to Grandma & Grandpa as they stood in the kitchen waiting their turn.  Grandpa figured out a better solution.  If the dining room table has its full extensions included then we could both eat dinner at the same table but still with proper social distancing.  For meals we prepare two plates of everything (one for us, one for Grandma and Grandpa) to prevent cross contamination.  The system seems to work pretty well, and allows us to eat “together”. The house only has one kitchen, which certainly creates some challenges.   Masks and hand washing are required for working in the kitchen.  No children are allowed in the kitchen and we try to clean surfaces after use.

I wish I could say we’ve been good about these rules, but it’s amazing how easy it is to forget.  The blue lines help, but sometimes we cross those lines before we realize it.  Thankfully, infractions are usually quickly recognized and laws enforced by the Quarantine Police—a.k.a. our children. “Grandpa, you’re not supposed to be there.”  “Daaad, you can’t go there.”  Punishment for infractions is not severe—usually it consists of hand washing.

Social Distancing Picture with Grandma

So we’re doing okay, but it isn’t easy. We haven’t seen Tom’s parents in over a year. They want to spend time with us, play games, read to the kids on the couch. Hugs are probably what is missed most. “No contact” means no good morning hugs, no bedtime hugs, no “it’s good to see you” hugs—no hugs.  Period.  The best alternative we’ve come up with is air hugs, but it’s not the same.

We’re trying, but ultimately we put our trust in the Lord. Odds are we have not been strict enough to avoid contamination completely.  Keeping 6 feet away at all times has not always been happening in our confined quarters.  So we pray for protection, and for good health, and pray for all the others around the world in more difficult situations than our own.  We trust in a good God, and ask for his mercy on us all. 

We will say one thing, we’ll be very thankful when day 14 is over!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful that we have a workable way to share the house with Tom’s parents without putting them at undue risk. We’ve settled into a routine of doing some homeschool in the morning and getting outside a little each day. The kids are doing okay in quarantine—we had a day with snow last week and the kids were so excited and quickly fulfilled all their snow dreams (snowman, snowball fight, snow angel etc). Today is our son’s 10th birthday! We are so thankful for him, for the ways he is growing and learning and for the kind, creative, ambitious young man he is becoming. We are thankful that Megan’s dad is feeling better after having a fever last week (he works as a ICU doctor in CA). We are thankful that our teammate had the chance to share the good news with a contact from an art class she has been involved in.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Final touches are being made on an app that will make the first book of the Word available to Clove Islanders in their language (both text and audio). Pray that the final tweaking and release of the app would go well and reach many. Continue to pray for islanders as they learn and adjust to life with COVID restrictions. Social distancing does not come naturally and we’ve heard that in France, islanders are being infected more than other subgroups because they are not following the right precautions. Pray for good education among islanders, especially on the islands where ventilators are few and good healthcare is lacking. Islanders are worried about delayed shipments because of the pandemic resulting in food shortages. Pray that necessary supplies would continue to make it into the islands. Let us continue to pray for the medical personnel (like Megan’s dad) who are working directly with COVID patients—for strength, stamina and protection. Pray for our brothers and sisters on the islands, that they would have many opportunities to share in the midst of these crises.

Traveling through Closing Doors

On the first flight of five!

We’re supposed to be in Kenya right now.  For us, Kenya acts as a buffer between the islands and the US, giving us time to decompress from the islands and prepare for returning to the US. Kenya also gives us a chance to do a variety of errands and meetings that are easier to do in Africa. So we scheduled a week in Kenya before continuing to the US. 

But as we closed up our house on the island, we could see the world’s doors closing. A couple weeks ago it would have seemed impossible to imagine that entire countries would close their doors and shut themselves completely off, but as our departure day drew nearer we had a disconcerting question rise in our minds, “What if we can’t get back to the US?” Usually we wouldn’t have a problem hunkering down and staying on the islands in a crisis, but this was different. These plans to come back to the US had been in place for over a year. We needed to slip through before the door shut. Suddenly that productive week in Kenya didn’t seem so important.

But even as we made the decision to not stay in Kenya, we didn’t know if it would be enough. Each day seemed to come with some country making a surprisingly drastic announcement, and while our path home hadn’t been cut off, the path was narrowing.

On the last flight of five

Two days before we traveled to Kenya, Kenya announced they would be shutting their borders in 48 hours. Our flight arrived around the 36 hour mark.

We also learned that our original flights via Europe couldn’t travel directly to Boston anymore, we’d have to add a leg and travel via Toronto.

It felt as if we were riding a wave about to crash, staying just ahead of policies to shut down borders and stop travel.   When we landed in Zurich, the airport was quiet, most shops were closed and travelers were limited.   We sat down to wait for our flight to Toronto, not realizing that while we were in the air, Canada had closed it borders with the US.  We couldn’t travel through Toronto anymore.  Thankfully, when we checked at the desk, there was still one more path open to us. Two more flights would run between Zurich and the US. They could change our flights and have us go through Newark. 

As the airline attendant worked on changing our flights, she commented that in another day there wouldn’t be anymore flights like this. Word on the street was that everything was going to close down. We gratefully thanked her, wished her good health, and clutched our boarding passes to the US— almost home.

Upon arriving in Newark, they held our plane taxiing to try to minimize the number of people being processed at once.  We went through a very efficient screening process where they took our temperatures and told us to self-quarantine for 14 days. We were constantly reminded to keep our distance from other passengers in line, but everything kept moving. We didn’t mind the wait too much, we had been accepted back in the US! 

Ready to see grandparents in Boston

Ultimately the adventure continued a little longer. We missed our connection to Boston, but with not a lot of people traveling, we easily got on the next flight. The terminal was sparsely populated and all the restaurants were closed, but we were able to grab some pre-made food from a shelf.

We finally arrived in Boston where we waved to the grandparents and smiled behind face masks. Almost 4 days after leaving our home on Clove Island and after over 33 hours of continuous travel from Kenya, our travels had finally ended. Let the doors close, let the wave crash, we had made it through!

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We made it to America! Thank you so much for all your prayers and words of encouragement. We are very thankful with how well our kids did and that even though it wasn’t easy travel there were no major delays or obstacles. God is good! We are also thankful that it seems like the islands are taking the pandemic seriously and have closed their borders. We are thankful that our teammate and former teammate who had dengue are doing better and that the short-termer and visitor on the islands were able to leave before the borders closed. 



PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the islands.  There have been no official cases yet in the islands nation, but the islands have gone into lock down just like the rest of the world.  Our colleagues just let us know this morning that all flights into the country have been stopped, and we hope that this will be effective in slowing the virus’ entrance into the country.  Pray for our colleagues there that they could be a light during this time. Our teammates may have the chance to pray for the wife of one of Tom’s good friends who has just admitted that she struggles with evil spirits.  Pray that they would agree to have them pray and that she might find freedom! Pray for us as we try to stay quarantined from Tom’s parents while living in the same house as them! Pray for our transition as we settle into new rhythms and continue to adjust to the time zone and weather, and as we brainstorm the best ways to share with people about the islands during lockdown.

Sending Us Off

Tom, kids and goodbye cake

We’ve talked before about how important saying goodbyes are on the islands. As we were preparing to leave this week, we were struck by the different ways islanders chose to show us that they cared and would miss us. Here are four different ways:

Honoring Us: Our final week was a hectic time, lots of things to do and people to see. Tom had just one more class to teach when we were approached with a request. His co-teacher said the students wanted Tom and our whole family to come to the last class so they could do something. He wouldn’t tell us what the “something” was, but we knew they wanted to honor us and say goodbye. When we arrived it was more than just Tom’s class there. They set up a bench and table up front for us. We had to wait awhile, but eventually there were snacks, bottled waters, more snacks, speeches, a song, finally a big birthday-style cake. Finally Tom gave a speech thanking them for the great send-off. We said goodbye and Tom was able to actually teach his final lesson.

Thoughtful note from student

Touching Tributes and Notes: As English teachers we often get wonderful notes from our beginner students. Islanders love formal and flowery language, but as students, their English-level can’t always keep up with the level of expression they want to produce. They try anyway! It leads to loving messages and Facebook tributes that make us smile. Here is one letter that Tom got this week (see photo, but transcribed here): “Dear Sir, I write this letter of you say that you are a good teacher. I will not forget your education. I want wish for safe trip. You will miss we. BUY Teacher Tom. This is [student name]. I want for while the happiness and do not forget we, level 3 and [school name]”.

Parting Gifts: Ma Riziki visited us more times this week than she usually does in a month. She seemed paranoid that we might leave without her knowing. Twice she came when we were out and later told us, “I thought you had left.” We assured her that we were going to travel Monday morning, but islanders are so used to fluid travel plans that she never trusted our planned departure date. Plans always change. She came Sunday morning to tell us that she had heard on the radio that all flights were cancelled. Thankfully we knew better than to trust news from Ma Riziki, but we called to confirm our flight anyways. She was wrong, some flights were stopping, not all of them. Our inter-island flight was fine. Finally her final visit was late on Sunday afternoon (she doesn’t like going out at night and first thing in the morning if she can help it). She gave us a heavy load of the local version of spicy peanut brittle to take with us—a gift to bring to our family—a taste of the islands and evidence to them that we are loved there.

Saying final goodbye at airport

Goodbyes at the Final Moment: It seems the closer someone is to you, the later they are supposed to say goodbye. So someone you don’t know well will be content to say goodbye to you a week before you travel. Close neighbors want to make sure to say goodbye the day before. Sometimes it seems like they are making a claim on your level of friendship by when they insist on saying goodbye. The day before we traveled we said goodbye to Ma Nadjma and her mother, but even as we were getting up to leave, she insisted that she would come to our house and travel to the airport and say goodbye.  At the airport, she stayed with us until we were called to go through security.

We don’t particularly like big, drawn-out goodbyes, but it’s the island way and it builds and strengthens our friendships.  So we embrace the island way of doing things and are thankful that we have many friends there who care about us, and that is a blessing.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We packed up our house, said our goodbyes and left Clove Island. We are on the big island now. It was stressful, but we are thankful for the ways the Lord has watched over us this past week, sending people our way, giving us time to do the things we needed to do in the midst of everything.  Our kids finished their exam week and it sounds like things went pretty well.  We await to hear their final grades, but we are happy that they seem satisfied with their work.  Our youngest son only missed the first day of exams and caught up by the second day.  Thanks for your prayers.  Our friend on the French island is also feeling better after a rough week of dengue fever.  The Women’s Day gathering happened on Sunday and was a success.  So exciting to see so many island sisters meeting together.  The visiting group from Africa finished their assessments and all in all it seems that their time on the islands went well. 

Tom packing up and storing our stuff

PRAYERS REQUESTED
We have completed one of five legs of our journey to the USA, but because of the coronavirus, things seem to get more complicated by the hour.  Please pray for our travels, that we would be allowed to travel through countries that are closing their borders and make our way back to the USA without too much trouble.  We’ve also been informed that lines are long and much patience is needed.  Pray that all five of us would have the patience and kindness with one another necessary for the long journey ahead.  Pray that we would not complain or gripe or snap at each other, but encourage one another even in long lines and difficult situations.  The men Tom have been studying with for so long are working toward a plan to meet weekly with the brother they met not long ago.  Pray that these meetings would happen and that great things might come of it!  The whole world seems to be turning upside down with the threat of the coronavirus.  Lift up our world; may God have mercy; may people make wise decisions and yet may they not be ruled by fear.  The islands don’t have any cases yet, but it is coming. Pray that islanders would be prepared with good information and the supplies they need. These are strange times; yet may God use these things of darkness to bring many out of darkness and into the light.

Expecting the Storm

If you keep an eye out for the signs, you usually know when a storm is coming on the islands. The wind starts to whip around in a certain way and the quality and smell of the air changes. Usually it is only a matter of moments (maybe minutes) before the rain comes, sometimes slowly but often in a sudden and dramatic downpour. On an outing on the big island a couple weeks ago, we could actually see the storm front coming towards us and made it safely to our cars just as it started to rain.

Storm approaches (at beach on the big island)

The tricky thing is drying clothes. This time of year, we know that rain is inevitable. So it is always a gamble to put them up to dry outside. They dry so much faster than inside but there is always the risk that they will get caught in the rain. If we are being careful we will notice the winds picking up and we’ll look up and see the clouds forming on the hill above us and we can calmly go and take the clothes down. But more often than we can count, we’ve found ourselves running up the narrow stairs to our roof and frantically tearing clothes off the line as the sky opens upon us. A storm surprised us again.

Waiting out a storm

But there are more than just natural storms that we have our eye out for on the islands. After being taken somewhat by surprise in October 2018 by the violent unrest that broke out on our island, we have tried to be better about reading the signs and anticipate if a storm of unrest could be brewing. As a team we share the rumors and “talk of the town” to get a sense if anything is rumbling. Eventual unrest seems inevitable, though most tell us it won’t be until 2021!

But there is another storm that we expect as well. Another one that seems inevitable. People on the islands are being changed, embracing hope and life, and leaving their old lives of darkness for life in the light. While the number of people changing remains small it doesn’t get that much attention. But as more people are changed it will become inescapable and then the strong island force that wants conformity and status quo will fight back. We’ve seen some rumblings. Last year our colleagues on the small island had a hard time getting visas. Recently a friend who had meetings at his house had his neighbors go to the police to threaten him to stop having meetings. (In his wild days when he had loud parties at his house, no one complained, but now that people are calmly studying and singing songs at his house, his neighbors have a problem!) Another rumble…last month another friend was approached and questioned by extended family members (seemingly at the instigation of her mother) to pressure her to return to the accepted patterns of belief and living. Another gust of wind…this month a friend had a dream of police bursting in and breaking up a meeting. She saw it as a warning— not a warning to be fearful but to be ready.

When we were on the beach on the big island watching the storm coming, it was beautiful. We still worked hard to pack up our stuff and to prepare ourselves for the inevitable wind and rain, but we could still appreciate the beauty of it.

We don’t necessarily look forward to seeing persecution on the islands, but what will precipitate it is beautiful. This change is beautiful and needed. If it means a storm is coming, so be it, we will prepare and pray for the islands all the more!

Tom and kids at sunset

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Our neighbor friend gave birth to healthy baby girl and everything went fine. Thanks for praying. Bwe, Mnyawe have continued to have contact with the brother that came to pray, they’ve also been reaching out and spending time with Tom since we’ll be leaving soon. Continue to pray for them.  We’ve had some good, encouraging times of packing this week and are feeling less overwhelmed about getting the rest of our house packed up in time (we have a week left).

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray that islanders would be prepared for the storms coming and that even the storms would be used to spread light, life and change. Our former teammate who works as a doctor on the French Island was diagnosed with dengue and had to be admitted to the hospital today. Pray for a quick recovery and for his wife and two young girls during this unsettling time. Our youngest son is sick and had to miss the first day of exams for the second trimester of local school. Pray for a quick recovery and for his exams (they are hard for him). Our Womens’ Day gathering had to be postponed because of illness, pray that the women could find to gather and encourage each other soon. The group from mainland Africa has arrived. They have been having many all-day meetings that can be tiring for the locals. Pray for stamina and that the times of training and meeting would be beneficial and uplifting. Pray for our last week on the island before leaving for six months that we’d have time to get everything done and good interactions as we say goodbyes.

What You Meant for Evil...

Having a happy Pancake Day!

If you’re a frequent reader of our blog you may remember Bwe.  For more than a year I have been visiting him at his home and meeting with him and his friend Mnyawe (and occasionally others) to study the word and seek the truth.  They have been seeking for a long time.  Sometimes it has felt like we were talking in circles, but just when I was ready to give up, there would be a breakthrough.  Sometimes its felt like things were going really well, only to have an incident happen that assured me that though they understand a great deal, there has not been heart change.  As our time in the States has been approaching, my thoughts and prayers have often been about Bwe and Mnyawe.  Who could come in and take over? Who could help them to continue on their journey?

You may wonder why this is so difficult.  Don’t I know people? Don’t I have others who could guide them in these things? The answers to these questions is, “yes…but” relationships are not so easy here.  Friendships cannot be simply handed off.  And trust is something that must be earned.  I had tried a few other times.  One young brother seemed very promising.  I thought he would be the one to step in.  He met with the guys a few times, but he suddenly left—left the island and hasn’t come back. I brought another guy along, but it was clear that he was not a leader yet and would be learning as much as any of them.  So it has continued to be a dilemma that lacked an answer.

Then, a few weeks ago, while I was away at a conference in Kenya, Bwe’s house was broken into and everything he had of any value was stolen.  It was clear that the thief was someone he knew. The job was done quickly and efficiently and in a small window of time.  Bwe was so upset he went to visit his brother on another island.  I knew none of this.  When I returned from my trip, I couldn’t reach him on his phone and it wasn’t until I went to visit that I was told the discouraging news.  I went home feeling very discouraged. 

But what was meant for evil, God could use for good.

I would not see Bwe for over a week after that.  At the time, I had no idea how long he planned to stay with his brother and no way of reaching him (his phone had been stolen).  But an idea, not my own, came to me during this time—what if we arranged a prayer time for him at his house?

Right now you’re probably thinking—that sounds bizarre.  But in fact, when robberies happen here, this is a very common response.  They send for the religious teacher and say a ‘prayer’—really a terrible curse that they call down on the thief with terrible consequences.  More than once, people have pointed out to me a crazy man or woman and said it was the result of this cursing prayer. Stories abound of its power.  Hopefully you already know that I did not want to do this kind of prayer. Rather I wanted to take this cultural ceremony and see it transformed.  It would not be a time of cursing but a time of blessing and asking for forgiveness and mercy for the thief.  A few days later Bwe was back and I asked if I could bring some of my brothers to pray this different kind of prayer.  He agreed. 

When I asked some of my brothers, they thought it was a good idea and challenged me further.  “It would be good if we gave him something more than just prayer,” my island brother said.  “Like a phone, or some money…but it would be better if we could give him a phone.”  I agreed, assuming I would need to go phone shopping, when another brother brought out an extra phone. It felt like it was meant to be.

Over the next 24 hours it felt as if God was orchestrating things concerning this prayer.  When I needed to find Bwe to talk through the plan and give him the phone, Bwe suddenly appeared before me on the street.  When I started making plans for something to read during the time, the power went out and I couldn’t print it out.  That lead me to pray more and decide to ask my island brother to take the lead instead of me.  There were others I thought of inviting, but I wasn’t able to reach them.  I let go of my plans and rested in the idea that the two (one island brother, one other foreigner) were the ones that were supposed to go. Bwe and Mnyawe were waiting when we arrived.

There was nothing spectacular about this meeting.  Some people met.  Some prayer was said.  But there is great potential—a connection was made, and made in a special way that allowed for greater trust and in culturally appropriate ways.  We prayed for Bwe and for his home and for forgiveness and for mercy on the thief.  They also listened to many testimonies of God’s goodness and His Kingdom.  They exchanged phone numbers.

What will the outcome be? I don’t know, but I am hopeful.  When Bwe got his phone up and running he gave me a call.  A little later I sent a message to my island brother letting him know that Bwe’s phone was working.  He sent me a message back: “I know, I’ve already talked to him.” 

Rainy Season meets learning to make gifs

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We had a great visit with the short-termer, may God use this time to bless him as he was a blessing to us.  The religious debate Tom was having over WhatsApp went in good directions and Tom was able to share the story of the 2 Kingdoms.  Our new teammate was able to move her things from the smallest island, now we pray that she can follow her things and get back to us safely (travel to/from the smallest island is always tricky). 

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Continue to pray for Bwe, Mnyawe and the brother they met at the prayer time.  May this lead to regular meetings and a new road for them on their journey toward the truth.  A friend came by yesterday who is very sick and traveling to another country for medical treatment.  He allowed for me to pray for his healing in the Savior’s name.  Pray that he would be healed in both body and spirit.  We have only two weeks left on Clove Island before starting to head toward the US- pray that we would use our time wisely and have meaningful times with islanders as we say goodbye. One of the island sisters wants to have a gathering of women for International Women’s Day, pray that it could be an encouraging time and that we’d have discernment in what to do for it. A group from mainland Africa is coming this week to do a big survey of the island situation, pray that they would ask the right questions, have good discernment as they seek to understand and give guidance and advice for the future. As we were in the middle of posting this blog, we were informed that an island friend/neighbor has gone into labor, pray for smooth delivery and healthy mom and baby.