Calling Boogeyman Coronavirus' Bluff

"To die is gain!"  I wasn't kidding! I confronted our staff with a bold proposal. Philippians 1:21 was my text for our staff devotions on Feb. 26th. I made sure they understood what they would be asking people to do, literally risking their lives.  I explained that we'd only be taking healthy people, without young children, under age 40 (myself the exception). I wanted a solid commitment that they could fill a 747 airplane with 500 volunteers before I presented the offer. I was encouraged by their thoughtful agreement, so, we committed to follow through with this. I actually sent this to the US Embassy Medical officer in Phnom Penh:

“You may think that this is a crazy idea, but, let me know. We have seen the panic around the world.

I have read that the Chinese are having problems finding people to work in the Covid-19 hospitals, especially in the areas of cleaning bed pans, toilets, removing the dead, etc. True or not, I do not know. But, we do know that the Chinese Government is atheistic. Death is final for them. Foursquare Cambodia is the largest Christian Church in Cambodia. We do not fear death and we believe in the power of prayer. We believe that Jesus is the Healer. So, seriously, we would like to show support for Prime Minister Hun Sen's bold and fearless actions, by being willing (as Cambodians) to fill the largest airplane China is willing to send, to transport Cambodian Foursquare volunteers to work in the hospitals. Most would be untrained (medically) but, all would be able-bodied, well-disciplined, and ready to work. We would go for one month and all we ask is for transportation, safe food, lodging, and proper equipment to work with.  All we ask in return is that we be allowed to briefly pray for and with people we assist. I would be personally willing to lead the team, and we would undergo safety training prior to departure and submit to Chinese leadership in the country. We would also self-quarantine upon return. Please, let me know your thoughts?”

I was surprised at his speedy reply: "Hey Ted, I love the idea but I can guarantee that the Chinese will say no. They are not going to let Christians in even if this was their only solution. I appreciate the wonderful offer though. I spoke to the Deputy Chief of Mission about your proposal. He related that the US would not support. That being said, if you sent a proposal, independently, to the Chinese Embassy with a very secular proposal. The worst that can happen is that they say no."

He was right about the Chinese, even by leaving everything 'Christian' out of our proposal, once they found out that FCOP was a Christian organization (they do check) we were "persona non grata".

So, why did I do this? I got a lot of pushback for my stance against the coronavirus hysteria. Granted, no one wants to suffer with this virus. But this devil is trying to shut down the world. I just want Cambodians to realize that they have about as much chance of being eaten by a tiger as they do dying from this devil. Here are some postings from the Center for Disease Control:

• There are now more new cases occurring every day outside of China than within.
• Today, Monday, March 2nd, there were no new cases reported within China for the first time in months.
• Worldwide, the number of newly recovered patients has been greater than the number of newly infected every day since Feb. 19 (for the past week).
• The number of serious and critical cases, as well as of new deaths, is declining worldwide.
• From the analysis of death cases, it emerged that the demographic profile was mainly male, accounting for 2/3, females accounting for 1/3, and is mainly elderly, more than 80% are elderly over 60 years old, and more than 75% had underlying diseases present such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and in some cases, tumors.
• A number of successful treatments are being used and new protocols for treatment are developed daily.

In Cambodia we have had about as much traffic to and from China as our airport could handle. The place was as busy at midnight as at 9:00am. Now, it looks like a ghost town. With all the Chinese here, Cambodia has had one case of Coronavirus which was active in the patient when he arrived. He has long since fully recovered. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen flew into Wuhan, China to encourage Cambodian students and workers quarantined there. He is fine and has been back for more than two weeks. It seems the temperature here is too warm for the virus. Simply practice good hygiene, only wear a mask if you are sick, wash your hands or use an alcohol sanitizer often, and have some faith. The worst that can happen is you get to heaven early. Death will be the best day of your life if you know Jesus! And for those of you who are determined to be afraid, though it is a month old, do at least one thing. Watch this: watch