Immanuel in the Midst of Isolation

 Over the course of one week, we have had so much upheaval. Last Saturday, we got word that some of our school families had been in contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19. Because we live and work on a campus with medically fragile, vulnerable children, and our school family also has some vulnerable members, we have to be very careful about any exposure. We decided to switch to distance learning for the upcoming week as we waited for test results from those in our school community that had been in contact with the infected individual. We also needed to reschedule parent teacher conferences and decided to do those meetings via zoom. We quickly realized that the exposure was more significant than we originally thought, and many of our school families had been in direct contact with either the original individual or other contacts who later tested positive. 

On Monday, we were notified that one of our students tested positive. The student had no symptoms at the time and was in good health, but we still realized that others in our school had potential exposure. We have many protocols in place to prevent the spread of illness at our school including frequent handwashing, sanitizing surfaces, masks and distancing. Even though we believed that contact through school was highly unlikely, we needed to let the school families know about the possible exposure and also notified the GSF COVID response team. Since our son, Zeke, is in class with the student who tested positive, we were asked to test Zeke and for our family to isolate from the rest of the GSF community for 2 weeks. Zeke had no symptoms, and the rest of our family had no contact with the student, but we wanted to respect the wishes of the COVID response team. The district health office heard about the case and closed the primary school that meets on a different part of our campus. The students do not have any contact between the schools due to COVID precautions, but they still sent all of the primary school students home indefinitely. A team of officials came out to our campus and met with David and GSF administration. Although we were expecting them all day, the officials did not arrive until 7pm and met with our team for an hour and a half. In the end, they came up with some additional precautionary measures to put in place and said that if there has not been further spread, the primary school can reopen the following Monday, and our school can reopen on Nov. 2. Here in Uganda, the only students who are currently permitted to attend school are those in International schools and candidate classes (those finishing Primary school, Secondary school or University.) The cases of COVID are very low here, and the restrictions have been very intense. 

A week after Zeke's last class with the infected student, someone came out to our campus from a lab in Jinja that does COVID testing. Because the administration did not want the testing company to pass through campus, they asked us to meet them at the chapel. The test was not too bad for Zeke, but apparently those who saw Zeke being tested believed that he was sick. Word passed through the local villages and the story grew. Apparently now, many people believe our whole family has COVID. I later received phone calls and messages from people who had heard various reports about our family. I am thankful that people were concerned and checking on us. The next day we got the results that Zeke tested negative. I was very relieved. All the other students who tested were also negative. It has now been 11 days since the last time we saw the student, and our family is required to remain isolated from others at GSF for 3 more days. I am weary and struggling with another period of isolation. It makes me sad feeling like those in our community want to avoid us. I know that is only because of fear. Our family already sticks out and is treated differently due to our skin color. Being a minority who stands out in every crowd can be draining. Now that many are afraid of us due to this COVID scare, I am getting a tiny taste of what some African Americans have described. It feels isolating and lonely. 

Loneliness has been an emotion I have really struggled with recently. I have been reflecting on what it means that Jesus is "Immanuel, God with us." (Isaiah 7:14) The theological meaning is that Jesus was fully human and fully God. That was necessary for him to redeem us. He took our sin and gave us his righteousness through his death and resurrection. But those truths have much more than simply theological implications. Jesus, as a human, walked through this life being different than those around him. He did not fit. He often took time away to go to a solitary place to pray. (Luke 5:16) In my times of loneliness, I need to remember to do the same. I also need to remember that Jesus said to his disciples and by extension, us, "Surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) Even when I feel alone in this world, my Savior knows and has experienced the struggles of this life. (Hebrews 2:17-18) He is where I can find "mercy and comfort in my time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16) In this crazy year of 2020, many of us have struggled with various emotions. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who has felt lonely at times. I pray that we all will remember that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, and be comforted by the peace he brings us through prayer and through his presence.