The Corona Virus Disease, the Enhance Community Quarantine and the Total Jail Lockdown brought us a lot of mixed feelings. It brought us doubts and uncertainties. It made us bored and home sick. Above all, it brought us anxieties and fears.
As humans, it is but natural for us to be worried and/or be bothered by those mind-boggling dilemmas. We can not deny the fact that doubts and uncertainties loomed ahead of us during the early days of the community quarantine and the lockdown, as a precautionary measure to pin the pandemic down. We started to ask numerous questions. Can we really bear to be apart from our families for a long period of time? When we’ll be relieved or replaced? When will this pandemic end? And when can we see and hold our loved ones again?
Fortunately for us Jail Officers, we are trained to be solitary if the need arises. We are trained to overcome sorrows and loneliness. On the other end we are also trained to withstand pain and endure fatigue. During these trying times, we thought that we are prepared enough to stand against all odds, notwithstanding our very limited resources. So, we opted to uphold our sworn duty rather than to stay at home with our beloved families. We tend to become fearless as we are holding on in the frontline and fastened our seatbelts as we join this race against time. Then we properly assumed our posts, duties and responsibilities with utmost professionalism and integrity, in the service for our clientele, to the BJMP and to our country as well.
However, as the days goes on and on, we have been overwhelmed by the pandemic’s rage and fury. The number of the infected rise steadily and the same as through with the fatalities. We have disregarded the number of the recoveries during the early stages of the virus onslaught. Fear is gradually corrupting our souls and minds. The fear of missing the chance to hug the persons we love the most, when the smoke of the war we are waging against this life threatening calamity goes down. Followed by the boredom that slowly undermining our strength and morale. We started to argue out of nonsense. We started to feel fatigue and to fall apart rather than united. Desperation sets in, we started to breakdown.
Nevertheless, the Heavens never allowed us to fully break apart and that our sacrifices shall be gone into waste. Our warden was fully aware of our actions, actuations and behaviour. He tried to find ways and means to alleviate our conditions. At this point, he encourages us to hold a Bible Fellowship with him. Then we gave it a try. At first, most of us were hesitant. But, again and again, our warden kept on insisting to continue our fellowship despite a slow start. And, as the days rolled on, our fellow jail officers become warmed up and started to actively participate our fellowship. Then, a new day is dawning.
The Bible taught us Faith, Love and Hope, through the verses that we have studied and shared. We actively shared accounts and testimonies about our life’s shortcomings and frustrations. On how we can handle and overcome such and learn from it. More than anything, thanks to the Almighty Father for he taught us Humility and Perseverance. From then on, we started regain our composure. Our morale is boosted back, our spirits rekindled. We become more focused on our duties and responsibilities. We learned to be calm even under pressure. We started to believe that everything happened for a reason and for a purpose. That everything shall fall at the right time and at the right place. That this pandemic shall come to pass and everything shall return to normal.
Finally, our duties complied and our dreams fulfilled. The Changing of the Guards has been approved and we’re allowed to return home and reunited with our respective families.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY…
