If Thomas Eric Duncan, for whatever reason, had not gotten on an airplane from Monrovia, Liberia, to Dallas, Texas, he would have become another nameless, faceless person who died of Ebola in Liberia. But because he did get on the plane -- unaware that he already was infected with the deadly disease -- he has put a face on a disease we Americans have tried hard to ignore.
Others can debate who knew what when or whether this gentle-hearted man should have been allowed on the plane or not. That's not mine to decide. What matters to me is that because he did board that plane, Eric Duncan entered my own life and the life of my church, even though none of us had the chance to meet him personally.
Read Full Article »