As a cargo pilot, I’ve been flying around the world with a front-row seat, you could say, on the global pandemic. Businesses have been opening up again, but for many weeks cities such as Paris, Dubai, and New Delhi were empty and airport shops shrink-wrapped. And then there was China, which seemed like another planet. In late March, after blocking in at our gate in Guangzhou, it took about three hours for us to get through Customs and Immigration and medical screening for COVID-19. 

The fear of contagion is something pilots deal with all the time, traveling from country to country and being in close quarters in a cockpit for long periods. By watching my thoughts and allowing in only spiritual thoughts from God, I’ve had quick healings of contagious disease and have often experienced the preventative effects of prayer.   

This latest trip to China reminded me of a time several years ago when I was flying around Asia and the captain came down with symptoms of the flu during a flight into Guangzhou. The coughing and other symptoms were aggressive, and he apologized to me several times because he was sure he had passed the flu on to me.