Isolation

The COVID-19 is now beginning to heat up around here. We went from 7 confirmed cases for a stretch of 8 days until 8 more were announced this morning and 1 more just a few miles from where I stay. The troubling part of today's news is that 7 new cases entered beginning March 4 and the 363 known passengers are being sought after for testing. Just how many people have those 363 have had contact with in the past 18 days?
Today all the major markets closed which are the source that supplies all the street vendors who in return sell to the locals. It is my imagination that food will become scarce and money will be extremely tight. People eat hand to mouth so many will be suffering and I project that violence and crime will escalate.
 
I have not been outside my gate for one week now with the exception of visiting a fellow missioner who has been battling a severe foot infection and to visit these three orphan boys who are living near me. Before my visit, I only knew 21-year-old Jackson who is in our Metal Work class at school. I sincerely enjoyed meeting Peter who is 17 and Zachia who is 23.  I brought with me 3 plastic chairs and a couple sacks of flour. These boys are filled with joy and polite as can be.
 
I asked them what they eat and they said ugali, Sukuma wiki (a rape plant) and sometimes cabbage. So, what about meat, I asked and Jackson, yes, he replied, in 2018.  Jackson said he does most of the cooking, but would like to learn how to make chapati. They work at a nearby Sisters house doing yard work, hauling stones, cement work, and whatever needs to be done for 50 bob per day, 50 cents. I noticed they had one very small padlock to secure their door when they were not home, so I asked if I could buy them one. Before, I left I invited them to come to my place for lunch and I would have a padlock for them.
 
They arrived about 9am and I had them wash and sanitize their hands. Abdalla, my guardian son and catering student graciously accepted to teach Jackson how to make chapati, French green beans, and chicken stew. The other two boys and I played Scrabble while we waited for lunch to be prepared. It was difficult for either boy to come up with or spell any words, I found every word for both of them in a way that they still felt as they were achieving them on their own. The crazy part of it is that I ended up in last place!! Hahaha!
 
I put the place settings on the table using a knife, fork, spoon, plate, and glass and three pots of food along the center of the table. Jackson accepted the offer to give thanks, he prayed softly but deeply as they all buried their faces into their hands. After they completed filling their plates, they hesitated to observe how the utensils were to be used for eating. Before I knew it, the utensils were down and their left hands held folded chapati for sopping up the soup of the stew and the right had a piece of chicken. They were very much enjoying themselves. It was the first time they had ever seen green beans. When we were finished, Jackson scraped all the plates, cleared them to the kitchen, where Abdalla did all the wash up. He then returned all the chairs as they belonged.
 
Now this was the perfect day to spend in quarantine. For me there are no better moments than these. In mission-covid-19-ministering from home