Reality
Stephen Covey, wrote in 'First Things First' that "Truth is that which pertains to reality". There are all kinds of wild claims out there, such as 200,000,000 people dying in this pandemic. That does not pertain to reality, but is a projection and one based on fear. So, what are our current realities? This will = Truth. In Cambodia, our biggest health concern is not COVID-19, its Tuberculosis. Fact: As of Wednesday, April 1, 2020, exactly ZERO people in Cambodia have died of COVID-19. But, since New Year, 2020, about 3300 Cambodians have died of Tuberculosis.
One month ago the world 'hot spots' for COVID-19 were China and South Korea. Today, the latest daily reports show a total of 9 people dying in those two countries combined. In total they have lost around 3,500 people. This is currently more than in the USA, but why the big drop? Both countries are treating new cases with a cocktail of medications based on hydroxychloroquine.
This is really our biggest problem. Cambodia's river system has been blocked: Rice Farm Update Our shipments of MannaPak (Nutritional Rice Meals) was halted in early March due to Covid-19. We don't have government support here. Millions of Cambodians are out of work and will soon be desperate. We have over 3,000 orphans and staff to feed with about a 45 day supply of food on hand. We are going to plant in faith. But, we also believe God will turn this lemon into lemonade. FCOP is in discussion with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to produce MannaPak in Cambodia with our own rice. This will not only give us food but a dependable market for our rice with the addition of a lot of good jobs. FMSC will ship FCOP the vitamin, mineral and protein additives which we will then package and add the rice. This will cut our shipping cost by 2/3. Please pray it happens.
So what is really going on? For that we go to the ultimate truth (God's Word) and get our reality. I believe this is the war we are in. Micheal kicked Lucifer out of heaven when he became 'the devil', 'that serpent of old' who deceived God's fiat creation, mankind, us; created in God's image. Satan didn't have that (God's image) so he tried to commandeer it in the garden. Jesus won it back for us at the cross, and we are now his foot soldiers. "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Rev 12:7-12