Prayers in the Time of Cholera

 A few weeks ago I was talking to some friends about cholera.  I told them that I had read an article that cholera cases were on the rise in Clove Island and that people should start taking precautions.  One of the men laughed, “It’s all a scheme,” he said. “I don’t know anyone who has had it.  I haven’t heard of anyone having it.  Do you know anyone who has had it?”  I told him I hadn’t.  “It’s not real.  The government knows it can make a lot of money from aid organizations.  It’s not a real crisis.”  At the time I couldn’t say whether he was right or wrong.  There is little trust in the corrupt local government.  Who’s to say they weren’t creating a crisis out of the hopes of getting some kickbacks?

Buckets arrive for handwashing stations

Fast forward a few weeks and yesterday, I was sitting on my porch talking to a friend, when a procession started marching by.  It sounded like a funeral processions, but the people weren’t dressed for a funeral.  I asked my friend what was going on.  “It’s a prayer for God to stop cholera.  They are walking all around the city, praying that the cholera outbreak would stop.”

How attitudes have changed in just a few short weeks!  But with good reason.  The number of cases, ( a dozen a few weeks ago) have grown to more than a hundred new cases each day.  I imagine the man who spoke of not knowing anyone infected could name more than one person he knows, as can we.  We know of at least 4 acquaintances who have been hospitalized for treatment.  Most people have started taking more precautions—some wear face masks, others have hand washing stations outside their businesses, many have stopped shaking hands and give a fist-bump instead.  There is even talk of the government initiating curfews and bans on public gatherings like schools and weddings.

In case you are starting to freak out about cholera and our safety, let’s take a moment to look at the reality concerning cholera:

New flowers

The truth is cholera, though an extremely unpleasant and potentially dangerous illness is quite treatable and avoidable and is not normally life threatening if handled properly..  The CDC writes, “With proper treatment, even severely ill patients can be saved.”  Moreover, treatment is relatively simple and cheap through rehydration therapy and basic antibiotics.  In the US, cholera is nearly nonexistent, near “eliminated by modern water and sewage treatment systems.”

Clove Island does not have “modern water and sewage treatment systems.”  Cholera is very treatable if you address it quickly, but people here do not trust the government, the health system, the things they hear about cholera.  So sometimes patients come to the hospital after days of suffering, at which point it may be too late.  Others refuse to go the hospitals at all and quickly pass away at home.

Neither is there good understanding about how the illness is spread.  As the prayer procession went by, my friend said, “Prayer is good, but they need to be changing their actions.”  I agreed with him until he told me that cholera is spread through bad chicken and moldy rice.  I spent some time trying to correct him, but I’m not sure he believed me.

We felt encouraged by the prayer procession.  Our friend’s comment that prayer should be followed by action is a good one, too.  Yesterday’s prayer procession shows that islanders are now taking the situation seriously.  And they are right to call on God for mercy.  For He is full of mercy and love. “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

A break in the rain, but more clouds forming

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Everyone was able to travel safely after our gathering, including some visitors from the US who left just before the bad weather arrived.  We are thankful for some cooler weather.  We are thankful for our kids back at school doing okay and getting back into the routines of their classes.  

PRAYERS REQUESTED
We pray with islanders for mercy and an end to this epidemic! Pray for those who are sick, that they would recover quickly.  Pray for those inclined to stay at home to get the help they need.  Pray for people to take action and proper precautions against this epidemic. Pray for wisdom for the leaders who must make difficult decisions during these days.  We are also experiencing lots of rain on the islands. Some areas are suffering with significant flooding, which can also precipitate the spread of this illness.  Flooding is also affecting the area where our kids go to school in Kenya. There was a landslide not far from campus where people lost their lives. The campus is secure but the community is suffering. Again, we pray for mercy and that the rains would abate. There is meant to be a gathering on Wednesday with brothers and sisters, pray that it would be an encouragement to all to be lights in dark times.  Pray for our house, which has some serious roof cracks and leaks that will probably require some significant repairs.  Pray for our relationship with our landlord, who we like a lot, to not be strained by this expensive repair issue.