I had a dream the other day that my family and some church family came to visit me on the ship. It only reminded me of how I wish you could all come for a tour of my floating home!
While an in-person tour is probably not very realistic, I thought I would at least try and capture some of my common "stomping grounds" here on the ship!
So, here's a short video tour of my room, 3418! :) You can see our... ummm... "cozy" berths and room for yourself! Enjoy!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Heroes: a Glimpse of Screening Day, 2012
When some hear the word “heroes”, they think of huge red capes, abilities to fly, magical powers, or superhuman strength. After February 1st, Mercy Ships Screening day 2012, my personal definition was drastically revised.
The heros we know well; Superman, Batman, the Incredible hulk, are all about people who had supernatural abilities who were stuck on an ordinary earth. But what if ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things in the midst of this less-than-supernatural world? What if prayer, hard work, vision, team-work, and the unity of people coming together in the name of Jesus Christ to bring compassion and love could actually be a little piece of the supernatural here on earth? I say yes.
This year for the large 2012 screening in Lome’, Togo, I was (much to my shock) chosen to be one of the Team Leaders for the Escort team; the group of people responsible for managing patient flow to and from all of the different areas of the screening. Whether it was escorting a “no” patient to the prayer area, or walking with a “yes” patient to and from their many stops amidst the maze of pharmacy, surgeon specialty, history taking, and laboratory stations, our 80+ person team were positioned throughout the entire Lome’ Football stadium, where our screening took place, to help every patient get where they needed to go. We have four FANTASTIC sub-leaders (who were all nurses, of course!) who helped us manage this 80 person team. They were Ana G., Lynn M., Gea vB., and Brenda H.
Being a Team Leader at screening day meant a couple of things…
1) I had (got) to wear a naval uniform complete with a black skirt, pressed white shirt, and shoulder epilates. Impressive, right?
2) Be the proud bearer of a walkie-talkie,
3) Work with one of my favorite British nurses, and old Togo-2010 Mercy Ships friend, Frances Douds!
Frances and I made such a great team! I was so thankful to be partnered with her for this whole experience as she had been the solo Escort Team Leader in Sierra Leone in 2011. She claimed she was also glad to have a co-leader and sub-lead team this time. It made a HUGE difference and allowed things to run so smoothly! As a little side note about Frances and I, we have a joke around the ship that the two of us make up two of the “top 4” loudest laughs on the whole ship. That, and the facts that we are both “ESPN’s” (actually, ESFPs for all you Myer’s Briggs fans, but Frances can’t ever remember that, so she just says ESPNs), can both be caught singing in the wards or down the halls at random times, and are overall fun-loving people made us a fabulous team! I love you, Frances!
In addition, as I mentioned earlier, our sub-leaders where PHENOMENAL! They made our job easy with their mad organizational skills and competent leadership abilities to manage their smaller teams of escorts. In addition, our head-leaders, Jane and Esther were also FANTASTIC!!! I was just amazed from a Team Leader standpoint how much each person truly fulfilled the full meaning of the word “team”. I cannot commend everyone enough who worked at screening day, from the Togolese Day Workers and Translators to the surgeons and down to some of the Academy students who came to provide a children's ministry, on how wonderfully they all worked together. I felt like it was truly a small picture of how the Body of Christ, with its “many members” comes together to function and care for one another. The incredible amount of energy, effort, and team work left me stunned in sheer amazement.
For some of us, our work started at 8pm the night before screening, to “pre-screen” anyone who decided to get in line the night before and sleep in line, not wanting to miss their chance for a life-changing surgery. Others of us (like myself), awoke at 3am the morning of screening to be part the first group of crew to arrive and complete our final set-up at the stadium. Our goal was to be ready to begin screening patients at first-light; 5:30am. After a few delays that morning, we were able to started seeing patients from about 6am until our final patient left around 6:15pm. I was on my way back to the ship when we heard the cries of celebration over our radio as the last landrover pulled out from the stadium!
While that day was full of much hope and excitement, it was also a day of difficult decisions and heartbreaking responses. I won’t pretend that everything was cheery and happy; so much of what we did that day was say “no, I’m sorry, Mercy Ships can’t help you” to so many of the 3500 people who moved through our screening that day. However, it is that courage that truly speaks to the depth of love and compassion I witnessed that day. I saw person after person pour themselves out, giving one hundred and ten percent to serve and love the people of Togo. I saw unfathomable strength in those who prayed with the hundreds of people we had to turn away. In the end, I saw Jesus. And that is why my heroes have changed, because I witnessed every day, normal people offer themselves to a supernatural God to work and act according to His purposes and accomplish supernatural things. Praise, Glory, and Honor to Him! I was privileged to simply be a part of it.
Thank you all, as well, for being heroes along with the rest of your “Body” across the world. The amount of prayer poured out over this event was so evident. Thank you for being a part of such an amazing day!
The heros we know well; Superman, Batman, the Incredible hulk, are all about people who had supernatural abilities who were stuck on an ordinary earth. But what if ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things in the midst of this less-than-supernatural world? What if prayer, hard work, vision, team-work, and the unity of people coming together in the name of Jesus Christ to bring compassion and love could actually be a little piece of the supernatural here on earth? I say yes.
This year for the large 2012 screening in Lome’, Togo, I was (much to my shock) chosen to be one of the Team Leaders for the Escort team; the group of people responsible for managing patient flow to and from all of the different areas of the screening. Whether it was escorting a “no” patient to the prayer area, or walking with a “yes” patient to and from their many stops amidst the maze of pharmacy, surgeon specialty, history taking, and laboratory stations, our 80+ person team were positioned throughout the entire Lome’ Football stadium, where our screening took place, to help every patient get where they needed to go. We have four FANTASTIC sub-leaders (who were all nurses, of course!) who helped us manage this 80 person team. They were Ana G., Lynn M., Gea vB., and Brenda H.
Being a Team Leader at screening day meant a couple of things…
1) I had (got) to wear a naval uniform complete with a black skirt, pressed white shirt, and shoulder epilates. Impressive, right?
2) Be the proud bearer of a walkie-talkie,
3) Work with one of my favorite British nurses, and old Togo-2010 Mercy Ships friend, Frances Douds!
Frances and I made such a great team! I was so thankful to be partnered with her for this whole experience as she had been the solo Escort Team Leader in Sierra Leone in 2011. She claimed she was also glad to have a co-leader and sub-lead team this time. It made a HUGE difference and allowed things to run so smoothly! As a little side note about Frances and I, we have a joke around the ship that the two of us make up two of the “top 4” loudest laughs on the whole ship. That, and the facts that we are both “ESPN’s” (actually, ESFPs for all you Myer’s Briggs fans, but Frances can’t ever remember that, so she just says ESPNs), can both be caught singing in the wards or down the halls at random times, and are overall fun-loving people made us a fabulous team! I love you, Frances!
In addition, as I mentioned earlier, our sub-leaders where PHENOMENAL! They made our job easy with their mad organizational skills and competent leadership abilities to manage their smaller teams of escorts. In addition, our head-leaders, Jane and Esther were also FANTASTIC!!! I was just amazed from a Team Leader standpoint how much each person truly fulfilled the full meaning of the word “team”. I cannot commend everyone enough who worked at screening day, from the Togolese Day Workers and Translators to the surgeons and down to some of the Academy students who came to provide a children's ministry, on how wonderfully they all worked together. I felt like it was truly a small picture of how the Body of Christ, with its “many members” comes together to function and care for one another. The incredible amount of energy, effort, and team work left me stunned in sheer amazement.
For some of us, our work started at 8pm the night before screening, to “pre-screen” anyone who decided to get in line the night before and sleep in line, not wanting to miss their chance for a life-changing surgery. Others of us (like myself), awoke at 3am the morning of screening to be part the first group of crew to arrive and complete our final set-up at the stadium. Our goal was to be ready to begin screening patients at first-light; 5:30am. After a few delays that morning, we were able to started seeing patients from about 6am until our final patient left around 6:15pm. I was on my way back to the ship when we heard the cries of celebration over our radio as the last landrover pulled out from the stadium!
While that day was full of much hope and excitement, it was also a day of difficult decisions and heartbreaking responses. I won’t pretend that everything was cheery and happy; so much of what we did that day was say “no, I’m sorry, Mercy Ships can’t help you” to so many of the 3500 people who moved through our screening that day. However, it is that courage that truly speaks to the depth of love and compassion I witnessed that day. I saw person after person pour themselves out, giving one hundred and ten percent to serve and love the people of Togo. I saw unfathomable strength in those who prayed with the hundreds of people we had to turn away. In the end, I saw Jesus. And that is why my heroes have changed, because I witnessed every day, normal people offer themselves to a supernatural God to work and act according to His purposes and accomplish supernatural things. Praise, Glory, and Honor to Him! I was privileged to simply be a part of it.
Thank you all, as well, for being heroes along with the rest of your “Body” across the world. The amount of prayer poured out over this event was so evident. Thank you for being a part of such an amazing day!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
One of Screening Day's Arch Enemies...
It is inevitable... every year we have always have huge challenges for our screening day. Some years it is multiple challenges. This year, in Togo, one of our greatest arch enemies appears to be the big, bad GI bug.
For all you non-medical people, GI stand for gastro-intestinal... so yes... you guessed it... tummy bugs! The vomiting or diarrhea (or both) have been running fairly rampant throughout the ship all week long. In fact, I am just now getting up and out of bed myself after having spent most of the past 30+ hours in bed not too far away from a toilet. Ohhh, GI Bugs... how I hate you.
So please, pray for our screening day tomorrow, February 1st. I'm one of the first crew members of the medical screening teams to arrive at a bright and early 5am!!! We have a night crew that is already at the football (soccer) stadium and will have many more arriving during the we hours of the morning to begin our screening at 5:30am. It will be a very LONG day tomorrow filled with so much wonderful opportunity. We would all covet your prayers for this day! Especially for:
-Health: that those who are ill, that they would be miraculously better. For those who are starting to feel ill, that God would touch their bodies and prevent any more illness from occurring
-Safety: safety for the Togolese people as they are waiting in line and safety for all of us crew involved, that there would be peace and order without anger or rioting.
-Divine appointments: That just the people we can help would come, and the others would simply not even show up.
-Grace, love, and compassion: That no matter whether our answer is "yes" or "no", that each and every Togolese person would leave our screening knowing that we love them and that, most of all, they are loved and treasured by God.
Thank you! Pictures to come!
For all you non-medical people, GI stand for gastro-intestinal... so yes... you guessed it... tummy bugs! The vomiting or diarrhea (or both) have been running fairly rampant throughout the ship all week long. In fact, I am just now getting up and out of bed myself after having spent most of the past 30+ hours in bed not too far away from a toilet. Ohhh, GI Bugs... how I hate you.
So please, pray for our screening day tomorrow, February 1st. I'm one of the first crew members of the medical screening teams to arrive at a bright and early 5am!!! We have a night crew that is already at the football (soccer) stadium and will have many more arriving during the we hours of the morning to begin our screening at 5:30am. It will be a very LONG day tomorrow filled with so much wonderful opportunity. We would all covet your prayers for this day! Especially for:
-Health: that those who are ill, that they would be miraculously better. For those who are starting to feel ill, that God would touch their bodies and prevent any more illness from occurring
-Safety: safety for the Togolese people as they are waiting in line and safety for all of us crew involved, that there would be peace and order without anger or rioting.
-Divine appointments: That just the people we can help would come, and the others would simply not even show up.
-Grace, love, and compassion: That no matter whether our answer is "yes" or "no", that each and every Togolese person would leave our screening knowing that we love them and that, most of all, they are loved and treasured by God.
Thank you! Pictures to come!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Adventures of Melisa, Anna, Beau, and Greg!
Bon swa! Como Sava?
Greetings from Lome’, Togo! I’m again in West Africa and SO happy for some heat and humidity after the -10 F Minnesota winter I left last week!
Thank you all SO very much for your prayers for my travels! I had a wonderful time traveling with Melisa from Chicago to Brussels, then up for a quick Netherlands visit before arriving. We had nearly-flawless travels (with one 3-hr flight delay in Chicago) by plane, train, and car, managing to keep all of our luggage with us and be on time for our trains and flights. We had SUCH a lovely time with our Dutchie, old Mercy Ships friends: Corina, Timo, Berdien, Geke, and Johan. We traveled from Brussels --> Rotterdam --> Lisse --> Urk --> Dordrecht --> Brussels.
Along the journey Melisa and I decided to name our luggage. Her extremely large, rolling black duffle was affectionately named “Beau” (short for Buford or behemoth… whichever you prefer), and my large camping pack we called “Greg” (less imaginative; short for Gregory, the brand name). Soo… our trip was dubbed “ The Adventures of Beau, Greg, Anna, and Melisa”. Maybe sounds like we picked up some men on our journey, but no fear. They only refer to our outlandishly giant bags of luggage.
After hauling our 80+ extra pounds of luggage through train station after train station, we managed a number of amazing stops; one of which was in the “hiding place” of Corrie Ten Boom, a famous Dutch women whose family hid Jews in their home in Haarlem during the second World War. The Ten Booms had a secret room made of brick through which 6 people hid for 2 ½ days until they were able to be freed from the Gestapo. (Fitch and I in the hiding place; below).
We had a wonderful time visiting Mercy Ships friends and old roommates on our way to the ship. Thankfully, our awake-until-3am-jetlag happened in the Netherlands where we could better manage the side effects with some delicious Dutch coffee! We had SO many gracious hosts and hostesses! Melisa and I could not believe the warmth of Dutch hospitality. We both agreed that we have a lot to bring back home from the many examples of hospitality we received. Thank you SO much, all you Dutchies!
After hopping on our final train to Brussels , Melisa and I started to get excited… we were getting closer and closer to AFRICA!!! By the time we arrived to our gate in the Brussels airport, we realized we were late arrivals to the enormous group of nearly 40 crew sitting, waiting to board our flight. After we all flew into the Lome’ airport, we were all met by a huge welcome party of Mercy Ships landrovers! As we walked up that gangway, like we had so many times before, Melisa and I were met by huge hugs and “Welcome home!” greetings! Oh! It was SO good to see so many faces once again! I felt the span of the last 5 months since I had left the ship melt away and back into the dear friendships I had forged in Sierra Leone. But then the reality of a ship full of new faces started to settle in. The ship and everything about it was essentially the same, but so many of the people associated with the memories were gone. New faces with new opportunity for memories were approaching! So many lovely new nurses and crew had come to experience the ministry of mercy ships for the first time, and I was SO excited for them!
I did find out I will be Charge Nursing again in the General ward, and am so excited to be able to settle back into that routine from last year. We will be starting out the year, however, with just Max-fax (maxilo-facial) surgeries the first 2-3 weeks, so a little variety will be nice! I was actually secretly hoping to be in Max-fax this year, so in a way, I get my wish!
Ways you can be praying:
1) Continued transition and bonding for all the new crew; especially us nurses as we will be grouping together and meeting our day volunteers who we will be working with all outreach.
2) Our Screening Day is scheduled for February 1st- planned for an intense morning screening to hopefully schedule the remaining patients we need for our various surgeries. I found out that I’ll be the Team Leader of Escorts (I’ll talk more about it later), so if you could pray for that, that would be great! I’m not quite sure what I will need to do or manage yet!
3) Personally, for continued direction and leading from the Holy Spirit to know and see people and opportunities where God wants me to reach out and bless others. Also, a heart that is active and not reactive to the things around me.
Thank you so much! Love to you all!
Greetings from Lome’, Togo! I’m again in West Africa and SO happy for some heat and humidity after the -10 F Minnesota winter I left last week!
Thank you all SO very much for your prayers for my travels! I had a wonderful time traveling with Melisa from Chicago to Brussels, then up for a quick Netherlands visit before arriving. We had nearly-flawless travels (with one 3-hr flight delay in Chicago) by plane, train, and car, managing to keep all of our luggage with us and be on time for our trains and flights. We had SUCH a lovely time with our Dutchie, old Mercy Ships friends: Corina, Timo, Berdien, Geke, and Johan. We traveled from Brussels --> Rotterdam --> Lisse --> Urk --> Dordrecht --> Brussels.
Along the journey Melisa and I decided to name our luggage. Her extremely large, rolling black duffle was affectionately named “Beau” (short for Buford or behemoth… whichever you prefer), and my large camping pack we called “Greg” (less imaginative; short for Gregory, the brand name). Soo… our trip was dubbed “ The Adventures of Beau, Greg, Anna, and Melisa”. Maybe sounds like we picked up some men on our journey, but no fear. They only refer to our outlandishly giant bags of luggage.
After hauling our 80+ extra pounds of luggage through train station after train station, we managed a number of amazing stops; one of which was in the “hiding place” of Corrie Ten Boom, a famous Dutch women whose family hid Jews in their home in Haarlem during the second World War. The Ten Booms had a secret room made of brick through which 6 people hid for 2 ½ days until they were able to be freed from the Gestapo. (Fitch and I in the hiding place; below).
We had a wonderful time visiting Mercy Ships friends and old roommates on our way to the ship. Thankfully, our awake-until-3am-jetlag happened in the Netherlands where we could better manage the side effects with some delicious Dutch coffee! We had SO many gracious hosts and hostesses! Melisa and I could not believe the warmth of Dutch hospitality. We both agreed that we have a lot to bring back home from the many examples of hospitality we received. Thank you SO much, all you Dutchies!
After hopping on our final train to Brussels , Melisa and I started to get excited… we were getting closer and closer to AFRICA!!! By the time we arrived to our gate in the Brussels airport, we realized we were late arrivals to the enormous group of nearly 40 crew sitting, waiting to board our flight. After we all flew into the Lome’ airport, we were all met by a huge welcome party of Mercy Ships landrovers! As we walked up that gangway, like we had so many times before, Melisa and I were met by huge hugs and “Welcome home!” greetings! Oh! It was SO good to see so many faces once again! I felt the span of the last 5 months since I had left the ship melt away and back into the dear friendships I had forged in Sierra Leone. But then the reality of a ship full of new faces started to settle in. The ship and everything about it was essentially the same, but so many of the people associated with the memories were gone. New faces with new opportunity for memories were approaching! So many lovely new nurses and crew had come to experience the ministry of mercy ships for the first time, and I was SO excited for them!
I did find out I will be Charge Nursing again in the General ward, and am so excited to be able to settle back into that routine from last year. We will be starting out the year, however, with just Max-fax (maxilo-facial) surgeries the first 2-3 weeks, so a little variety will be nice! I was actually secretly hoping to be in Max-fax this year, so in a way, I get my wish!
Ways you can be praying:
1) Continued transition and bonding for all the new crew; especially us nurses as we will be grouping together and meeting our day volunteers who we will be working with all outreach.
2) Our Screening Day is scheduled for February 1st- planned for an intense morning screening to hopefully schedule the remaining patients we need for our various surgeries. I found out that I’ll be the Team Leader of Escorts (I’ll talk more about it later), so if you could pray for that, that would be great! I’m not quite sure what I will need to do or manage yet!
3) Personally, for continued direction and leading from the Holy Spirit to know and see people and opportunities where God wants me to reach out and bless others. Also, a heart that is active and not reactive to the things around me.
Thank you so much! Love to you all!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Let the Countdown Begin!
So... I'm not usually a big countdown, time-tracking person. My childhood best-friend Ali (R), however, definitely is! It seems she is always counting down something on her facebook page. Days till Christmas... days till the next weekend... hours until she gets to leave on a trip... you get the idea. For me, I think I've just never been detailed enough to bother counting down minutes, hours, or days. However, in memory of Ali (and all you other count-downer's out there)... here goes!
-15 hours until I get to see my dad, brother, brother-in-law, and niece for one last weekend family bash!
-4 days until I fly from "home" (Minneapolis) to Chicago where I'll get to visit family and friends at a one-day layover. :)
-5 days until I meet up with Melisa and we board out red-eye international flight from Chicago-Brussels, Belgium!
-6 days until Melisa and I get to hop aboard the European train system for a 4-day visit to reunite with Dutch Mercy Ships friends Corina, Timo, Berdien, Geke, and Johan (while getting over jet-lag, I might add)!
-10 days until we board our final international flight from Brussels and arrive in Lome', Togo!
My excitement (and the growing reality of my trip) is increasing as I pack and prepare. To be honest, it really hasn't hit me that I'm going back the the place that I love with so many people I love to do something that I love. It almost seems to good to be true. I am truly in awe of God's work in this whole situation; bringing me here; providing me with so many faithful prayer warrior and financial donors... I am just brought to tears without words to describe my heart. All I can say is thank YOU.
Yes, YOU.
For if you are reading this blog, you no doubt have played a significant role in my life. Whether you are a complete stranger stumbling upon these stories of one pilgrim's journey, or a life-long friend of family member, I truly believe that God's timing of our life-collisions is perfect. You haven't stumbled across my blog for no reason, neither have you been an active (or inactive) part of my life without cause. God knows exactly what we need, when we need it. I just pray we would all have eyes to see each of those collisions and recognize them as moments prepared and set aside by Him.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Going "Home" Once Again! :)
Home. It is one of those words that I never know what to do with anymore. There is my real home, the place I was born that holds all of my childhood memories, the Northern Minnesota area. I am reminded, as I am home for the Christmas holiday, of all the baking, sledding, and Christmas-traditions my family has practiced and celebrated for so many years. My family is what makes up the most prominent sense of "home" that there can be. However, I feel that word "home" describes so many other places and people in my life.
Dear friends (both childhood and new), my Bible Study small-group, and places like Deeper Life Bible Camp all hold a feeling of "home" to me as well. Places of community and belonging where you've been a part of other people's lives, and they've been a part of yours. The most recent "home" I've found myself missing, however, has been the Africa Mercy. A big, floating metal box that most of the crew jokingly say is made of glass, "like a big fish bowl". Everyone sees everything and knows everything with any form of a secret being difficult to keep. This large, white hospital ship has been my home for 9 months of the past 2 years of my life. Despite the negative aspects of living in close community with 400+ other people, the depth of friendships, memories, and multi-cultural experiences both on and off the ship make is difficult to forget.
It is a place all of it's own that I often find my heart longing for.
It's almost a cruel trick of Mercy Ships, that they bring crew members from all over the globe to one place to have you come together, deeply invest in one another's lives, share life-changing experiences as you work side-by-side bringing about the healing and restoration of so many, and then sent back home hundreds, or even thousands of miles away from those dear friendships and memories.
However cruel or loving their gestures really are, I have decided to head back to the Ship for the Togo, 2012 outreach! Thanks to SO many generous gifts from many who contributed to my Sierra Leone trip in 2011, I had left over funds equal to the cost of 2 months of crew fees on the ship. I struggled with the idea of going back to the ship as I've been in Minneapolis the past few months, wondering if my desire to go back was selfish in nature, or really was what God was putting on my heart. To be honest, I never really felt a specific direction from the Lord, but eventually decided to apply and see what happened. Needless to say, I was accepted back (officially)not more than a week and a half ago (see what happens when you wait till the last minute), but already had most of the details of travel and preparation organized and ready to go. :) It's beginning to be a bit routine, which just makes me laugh to think about. Who ever thought I'd end up where I am today? I definitely never did. :)
So, January 23-March 19th I will be onboard the Africa Mercy again serving in the wards and helping with outreach set up. I'm not sure what specific capacity I will be serving in or in what specialty I will be working, but I anticipate that I will be asked to be a charge nurse again. As far as which specialty- I'll just have to wait and be surprised! :)
The special joy of going back for this outreach is the fact that this will be a return trip for me to Togo, West Africa. Togo holds a special place in my heart as it was the first country I traveled to with Mercy Ships. I have already had multiple Togolese friends who are returning to work on the ship email me or facebook me, telling me how excited they are to see me! It will be a wonderful reunion! I cannot wait! Not only are the day volunteers (local Togolese workers) going to be cause for reunion celebration, but many dear friends are still onboard who I will see again, including my very first Mercy Ships friend I made, Laura Coles. She actually is working in my old role as one of the Clinical Ward Educators! I will admit I am glad to have passed the baton onto her. Not that I didn't enjoy the teaching and orientation aspect of Clinical Ward Educator; it's just that through that experience I realized that details and secretarial work were NOT my forte! :) She will be fabulous! And I can't wait to "help out" if needed as well. :)
Not only that, but I will be traveling back to the ship on January 17th with an old roommate from Sierra Leone, Melisa, who will again be my roommate for the 2 months I'm on the ship this outreach! Woo-hoo! :) We'll fly to Europe together and then spend a few days there visiting Mercy Ships friends and getting over jet lag before heading to the ship on the 23rd. :)
As I've been preparing and tucking money away to pay for my plane ticket and costs at home while I'm gone, God has financially provided in 2 huge ways for me that only served as evidence of His heart for my return:
1) As I was calling to re-order my extremely expensive anti-malaria medication (expecting the cost of my 2-month prescription to run around $250-$350), the pharmacist informed me that Malarone (the medication), had recently gone generic, and so the cost of my 2 month prescription would be $10. WHAAAATTT???!!! What a HUGE blessing from the Lord!
2) About a month ago I talked with my landlady about the possibility of going back to the ship for 2 months. As I was describing my potential plan to her, she immediately offered, without hesitation, to waive my rent and, instead, charge me a small fee to not only hold my apartment, but also keep my things all set up and ready for me when I returned. My eyes filled with tears at her generosity and support. In all honesty, her offering became one of the biggest financial factors enabling me to go due to the unforeseen inconsistency of my temp nursing job. I didn't know what to say except a heartfelt "thank you".
I'm still working to raise the last bit of funds to cover all my costs for this trip, but if I have learned anything from the last 2 years of my life, it is that God is the Great Provider; faithful and loving beyond our wildest imaginations. There is no one like Him.
If you would consider praying for my time onboard, as well as the entire Togo, 2012 outreach, I would greatly appreciate it. I can't wait to send you more stories faces of beautiful Africans whose lives have been touched and changed forever.
Dear friends (both childhood and new), my Bible Study small-group, and places like Deeper Life Bible Camp all hold a feeling of "home" to me as well. Places of community and belonging where you've been a part of other people's lives, and they've been a part of yours. The most recent "home" I've found myself missing, however, has been the Africa Mercy. A big, floating metal box that most of the crew jokingly say is made of glass, "like a big fish bowl". Everyone sees everything and knows everything with any form of a secret being difficult to keep. This large, white hospital ship has been my home for 9 months of the past 2 years of my life. Despite the negative aspects of living in close community with 400+ other people, the depth of friendships, memories, and multi-cultural experiences both on and off the ship make is difficult to forget.
It is a place all of it's own that I often find my heart longing for.
It's almost a cruel trick of Mercy Ships, that they bring crew members from all over the globe to one place to have you come together, deeply invest in one another's lives, share life-changing experiences as you work side-by-side bringing about the healing and restoration of so many, and then sent back home hundreds, or even thousands of miles away from those dear friendships and memories.
However cruel or loving their gestures really are, I have decided to head back to the Ship for the Togo, 2012 outreach! Thanks to SO many generous gifts from many who contributed to my Sierra Leone trip in 2011, I had left over funds equal to the cost of 2 months of crew fees on the ship. I struggled with the idea of going back to the ship as I've been in Minneapolis the past few months, wondering if my desire to go back was selfish in nature, or really was what God was putting on my heart. To be honest, I never really felt a specific direction from the Lord, but eventually decided to apply and see what happened. Needless to say, I was accepted back (officially)not more than a week and a half ago (see what happens when you wait till the last minute), but already had most of the details of travel and preparation organized and ready to go. :) It's beginning to be a bit routine, which just makes me laugh to think about. Who ever thought I'd end up where I am today? I definitely never did. :)
So, January 23-March 19th I will be onboard the Africa Mercy again serving in the wards and helping with outreach set up. I'm not sure what specific capacity I will be serving in or in what specialty I will be working, but I anticipate that I will be asked to be a charge nurse again. As far as which specialty- I'll just have to wait and be surprised! :)
The special joy of going back for this outreach is the fact that this will be a return trip for me to Togo, West Africa. Togo holds a special place in my heart as it was the first country I traveled to with Mercy Ships. I have already had multiple Togolese friends who are returning to work on the ship email me or facebook me, telling me how excited they are to see me! It will be a wonderful reunion! I cannot wait! Not only are the day volunteers (local Togolese workers) going to be cause for reunion celebration, but many dear friends are still onboard who I will see again, including my very first Mercy Ships friend I made, Laura Coles. She actually is working in my old role as one of the Clinical Ward Educators! I will admit I am glad to have passed the baton onto her. Not that I didn't enjoy the teaching and orientation aspect of Clinical Ward Educator; it's just that through that experience I realized that details and secretarial work were NOT my forte! :) She will be fabulous! And I can't wait to "help out" if needed as well. :)
Not only that, but I will be traveling back to the ship on January 17th with an old roommate from Sierra Leone, Melisa, who will again be my roommate for the 2 months I'm on the ship this outreach! Woo-hoo! :) We'll fly to Europe together and then spend a few days there visiting Mercy Ships friends and getting over jet lag before heading to the ship on the 23rd. :)
As I've been preparing and tucking money away to pay for my plane ticket and costs at home while I'm gone, God has financially provided in 2 huge ways for me that only served as evidence of His heart for my return:
1) As I was calling to re-order my extremely expensive anti-malaria medication (expecting the cost of my 2-month prescription to run around $250-$350), the pharmacist informed me that Malarone (the medication), had recently gone generic, and so the cost of my 2 month prescription would be $10. WHAAAATTT???!!! What a HUGE blessing from the Lord!
2) About a month ago I talked with my landlady about the possibility of going back to the ship for 2 months. As I was describing my potential plan to her, she immediately offered, without hesitation, to waive my rent and, instead, charge me a small fee to not only hold my apartment, but also keep my things all set up and ready for me when I returned. My eyes filled with tears at her generosity and support. In all honesty, her offering became one of the biggest financial factors enabling me to go due to the unforeseen inconsistency of my temp nursing job. I didn't know what to say except a heartfelt "thank you".
I'm still working to raise the last bit of funds to cover all my costs for this trip, but if I have learned anything from the last 2 years of my life, it is that God is the Great Provider; faithful and loving beyond our wildest imaginations. There is no one like Him.
If you would consider praying for my time onboard, as well as the entire Togo, 2012 outreach, I would greatly appreciate it. I can't wait to send you more stories faces of beautiful Africans whose lives have been touched and changed forever.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The Big-City Girl
Ok... so not really. :) I've had a lot of friends ask if I've fully integrated into "city life" here in Minneapolis, and my answer is usually two-part.
Yes. In many ways I've thoroughly enjoyed all the people, the diversity of culture and fact that I can walk down the street or in the grocery store and hear languages other than English being spoken. I have also seen some of the most breath-taking city views of my life driving across the many bridges within Minneapolis and St. Paul at night. (I still think they should allow full-stops along the I35W bridge for tripod set up and photos at night):) I've pretty well adjusted to the traffic and big-city safety mentality of always locking your car, being aware of your surroundings at all times, etc, but that's kind of been my normal with the traveling I've been doing the past couple of years.
On a separate note, I desperately miss the fresh air, and places where you can just go and swim or fish or be by yourself in nature. I miss the small farmer's markets, favorite little Bemidji shops and restaurants, and the ridiculous way you run into everyone you know while shopping at Walmart. :) Most of all, I think I miss the community of a smaller town/area. Maybe I just miss my Bemidji community, but loneliness has honestly been one of my biggest struggles while I've been here. Don't get me wrong, I've been making new friends and connecting with friends I already had down here, but it just seems that the loneliness is more pervasive with living alone and not having friends to just do life together with. It's definitely left me, again, more and more reliant upon God's faithfulness to my heart, giving me peace and comfort in His presence as I've sat here wondering, "What am I suppose to do next?".
It's left me thinking a lot about what it means to live a faithful life to God. Trying to make sense of the unknown seems to be sewn throughout all ages and walks of life, and so what is the difference between someone just living, and someone living in an eternally-impacting way? Really, I suppose all it means is living obediently to God in what He is calling us to do. I feel like many, however, would further expound on that and say to "follow your heart" because what we feel, God put there and so we should just go with that.
I understand that thought process and agree to it to a certain sense, and yet where do our desires fit into all of that? If I WANT something, does that mean that I should assume it's from God and pursue it (assuming it's not illegal or against Biblical standards)? But then I think about Biblical examples... I don't remember Jesus asking the disciples what they wanted to do, or asking them what was on their bucket list, and yet that is how I think many of us live (including myself!).
I guess in this season, I'm just trying to process through my life; how my desires and goals fit into seeking God, desiring His heart, and obeying Him.
On a more practical note, my agency nursing work has been very challenging not only with trying to get enough work hours, but also with the constant moving from hospital to hospital, and unit to unit with little consistency. Thankfully, I got a 3-week agreement to work on Gillette's NeuroScience unit 3 days/week and am in my final week there and have LOVED it! It has been INCREDIBLE to get back into pediatrics and I have learned SO much just being there! :) On a similar note, I'm hoping to start for some shift coverage at Shriner's Children's Hospital this next week! Yaaayy!!! God has been SO good! I'm SO blessed and excited to be going there!
But, I'll keep you all updated with some more pictures soon! :) Just wanted to write a little life-update for now. :)
Yes. In many ways I've thoroughly enjoyed all the people, the diversity of culture and fact that I can walk down the street or in the grocery store and hear languages other than English being spoken. I have also seen some of the most breath-taking city views of my life driving across the many bridges within Minneapolis and St. Paul at night. (I still think they should allow full-stops along the I35W bridge for tripod set up and photos at night):) I've pretty well adjusted to the traffic and big-city safety mentality of always locking your car, being aware of your surroundings at all times, etc, but that's kind of been my normal with the traveling I've been doing the past couple of years.
On a separate note, I desperately miss the fresh air, and places where you can just go and swim or fish or be by yourself in nature. I miss the small farmer's markets, favorite little Bemidji shops and restaurants, and the ridiculous way you run into everyone you know while shopping at Walmart. :) Most of all, I think I miss the community of a smaller town/area. Maybe I just miss my Bemidji community, but loneliness has honestly been one of my biggest struggles while I've been here. Don't get me wrong, I've been making new friends and connecting with friends I already had down here, but it just seems that the loneliness is more pervasive with living alone and not having friends to just do life together with. It's definitely left me, again, more and more reliant upon God's faithfulness to my heart, giving me peace and comfort in His presence as I've sat here wondering, "What am I suppose to do next?".
It's left me thinking a lot about what it means to live a faithful life to God. Trying to make sense of the unknown seems to be sewn throughout all ages and walks of life, and so what is the difference between someone just living, and someone living in an eternally-impacting way? Really, I suppose all it means is living obediently to God in what He is calling us to do. I feel like many, however, would further expound on that and say to "follow your heart" because what we feel, God put there and so we should just go with that.
I understand that thought process and agree to it to a certain sense, and yet where do our desires fit into all of that? If I WANT something, does that mean that I should assume it's from God and pursue it (assuming it's not illegal or against Biblical standards)? But then I think about Biblical examples... I don't remember Jesus asking the disciples what they wanted to do, or asking them what was on their bucket list, and yet that is how I think many of us live (including myself!).
I guess in this season, I'm just trying to process through my life; how my desires and goals fit into seeking God, desiring His heart, and obeying Him.
On a more practical note, my agency nursing work has been very challenging not only with trying to get enough work hours, but also with the constant moving from hospital to hospital, and unit to unit with little consistency. Thankfully, I got a 3-week agreement to work on Gillette's NeuroScience unit 3 days/week and am in my final week there and have LOVED it! It has been INCREDIBLE to get back into pediatrics and I have learned SO much just being there! :) On a similar note, I'm hoping to start for some shift coverage at Shriner's Children's Hospital this next week! Yaaayy!!! God has been SO good! I'm SO blessed and excited to be going there!
But, I'll keep you all updated with some more pictures soon! :) Just wanted to write a little life-update for now. :)
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