The Coronavirus Diaries: Being Positive

Wednesday December 16 2020

The Rev Ustaz Tut Mai Ngoth is Deputy Executive Director and Programme Officer with the Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan. He also teaches at the Nile Theological College in Juba.

South Sudan is the world’s newest country and since coming into being in 2011 has continued its troubled history with civil war and unstable political leadership. The people of the country have suffered this year from injustice, floods, famine and coronavirus.

ALL TESTED POSITIVE

Everyone is positive,
Everyone is sick
Everyone needs cure
Everyone is tested positive
Everyone will test positive
All will be positive any way!

Some are positive of coronavirus,
Some are positive of tribalism virus,
Some are positive of corruption virus,
Some are positive of nepotism virus,
Some are positive of clanism virus,
Some tested positive of racism virus,
Some are positive of regionalism virus,
Some tested positive of xenophobia virus
All tested positive anyway!

All are positive of insecurity,
All are positive of poverty,
All are positive of hungry,
All are positive of hopelessness,
All are positive of helplessness,
All are positive of selfishness.
Everyone tested positive anyway!

What are you positive for?
What are you positive with?
What are you positive at?
What are you positive in?
What are you positive by?
Everyone tested positive anyway!

They tested positive for killing,
They tested positive for stealing,
They tested positive for looting,
They tested positive for cheating,
They tested positive for lying,
All are positive anyway!

We are all tested positive to ignorance
We are all tested positive to intolerance
We are all tested positive to arrogance
We are all tested positive to abhorrence
All and Everyone tested positive,

O God have mercy on us,
O God forgive us,
O God heal us,
O God correct us,
O God renew us,
O God Save us,
O God bless us.
Because everyone, and anyone is tested positive anyway!

The Coronavirus Diaries: reflections from Church of Scotland partners around the world

A Nigerian in Scotland: God is in Charge
Trinidad and Tobago: New Frontiers
Czech Republic: A Challenge for Everybody
Switzerland: An Outpouring of Solidarity and Creativity
The West Bank: A Landscape of Broken Dreams
Nepal: So Many Premature Goodbyes
Malawi: We Must Hold Each Other Close
Nigeria: A Fresh Spiritual Connectedness
Egypt: 'This Is A Time To Witness God'
Guyana: The Strength of our Connectedness
South Korea: A Harsh Reality
Zimbabwe: Convenience or a Wake-up Call?
Sri Lanka: Service is the Highest Form of Worship
USA: Testing Positive
Portugal: The Mission of the Church Has Not Changed
World Council of Churches: A New Dawn is Upon us
Hungary: Physically Distant but Close in Spirit
A German in Scotland: Something New Has Already Begun
Myanmar: We Will Overcome this Hardship
Ghana: This Too Shall Pass
Brazil: The Least We Can Do
Kenya: Caring for One Another in Christ
An Indian in Germany: A Time of Enrichment
Argentina: Time in Between
Malawi: 'My identity in Christ remains unchanged'
Jerusalem: Being Rather than Doing
Malawi: No Lockdown and an Election
Zambia: 'I will never leave you... or forsake you'
Czech Republic: The Covid Cover-up
Zambia: 'All Life is Sacred'
Israel/Palestine: 'The Air is Clear'
Nepal: 'Please Pray for Us'
Malawi: Tough Dilemmas
Italy: 'Together, We Will Get Through It'