Thursday night, Noel and I attended a dinner where two of our Liberian staff shared what life was like for them during the Ebola crisis and especially during the time that the foreign SP staff was evacuated. They shared about how at first the people in Liberia did not believe Ebola was real which led to the spread of the disease. This started to change when pastors were trained to share the message of Ebola, and how this message was spread from the pulpit. The people were more likely to believe their pastor than government officials. They talked about how hard it was for Liberians to not have physical contact since in their culture, a handshake and touch are common. It was also difficult sometimes to come to work when it would have been easy to hide in their homes. They had to make a choice to fight the darkness and trust God to do his work. It was like they were put in this position for “just a time as this.” We are thankful that they did not give up on the fight but kept on even when it seemed their was no hope.
(picture from Facing the Darkness Photos)
On Thursday, March 30th, the Facing the Darkness documentary will be showing in theaters around the United States for one day. Back in June, David and I were able to see one of the first versions of this documentary and were moved by those who took up the fight against Ebola. The documentary is the story of SP’s role in the Ebola crisis as well as Kent Brantley’s story of fighting Ebola. For David and I, it gave us a chance to better understand that season for our team. We are blessed to be able to work with many of the people you will see in the film. We are thankful that God was able to use them during that season and is continuing to use them still.
Here is a link to see if there is a theater near you that is showing the film. I hope you get a chance to see the film. TJ
I hope we get to see it, too! I read Dr. Brantley’s book recently, and it was fascinating! I learned a lot about where you guys live and serve, as well as about the disease and how devastating it is. I have had training at my hospital for exactly the same personal protective equipment that Dr. Brantley wore, in case Ebola ever visits Texas again. Of course, our staff would have air conditioning, most likely, and the Liberia staff did not!
Thanks for your updates! We love to know how you are doing!
Love and miss you guys!