3-Day Self-Isolation

Since the Movement Control Order (MCO) came into effect a week ago I have been out to buy food twice. It has been 3 full days since I left home. I did do some exercise outside the house, using my old bicycle to good effect. Tomorrow I need to go to the market to buy meat and other necessities. I just pray that I would go to places that are not affected by the coronavirus. Staying at home is not something totally unusual for me. I was out of work for 11 months last year and there were times I could stay at home for a whole day long but never for as long as 3 days as I have done now. My books from Singapore that I received a couple of weeks ago kept me in good company. In fact I started opening the boxes last week and there are now about 4 or 5 boxes still sealed. It has been a joy to discover many old books, especially my Hebrew texts today. I am determined to use this isolation period to study the Old Testament in Hebrew, starting with the book of Exodus, the Song of Songs for its brevity and the Psalms. I also watched many youtube videos where native Hebrew speakers teach biblical texts and read in Hebrew. Today I felt I covered much ground. I still hope to keep a 10-hour day working from home now.
I spent considerable time in waiting on the Lord, praying and worshipping. Today I started a series called "Renungan Pertengahan Minggu [RPM]" (Mid-Week Reflections) and I sent written notes to my church group at 9.45am and another group at 12.30pm. At the end of my sharing, I told my church members to expect at least another two-week extension of the MCO and lo and behold in less than an hour the Malaysian PM announced that the MCO has been extended to 14th April 2020. We did not expect an announcement until end of the week, but I thought it was a good move to announce earlier as the 2-week period is no where enough to gauge whether the virus is brought under control or that the peak is flattened. I think we may see this MCO until mid-May, and that we may have some respite for Pentecost on the 31st May, God willing. Kyrie Eleison.