Traveling North

Recently I took a trip up North for a weekend away. It was a wonderful trip that allowed me time with friends, a chance to relax, and to see more of what Mercy Ships is involved in.

The trip took 5 hours by car to arrive at our destination. We stayed at a small hotel in Kindia. The drive was filled with lots of traffic, pot holes that could swallow a small car,  and the love and laughter of good friends.

As we left the city and the traffic one would expect to be able to drive faster and enjoy the freedom of the open road. However, here in Guinea as you leave the city the roads become peppered with large potholes that make travel slow, bumpy and sometimes dangerous. I was thankful for the skills and caution of our hired driver who skillfully avoided many of the hazards. This often included vehicles traveling towards you on the wrong side of the road as they attempted to avoid potholes on their side of the road.  In the end we arrived quite safe and sound and with good stories of the sites along the way.

Main lanes of highway leaving town

Suffice to say things are quite different here in Africa. It was not uncommon to see motorcycles driving down the road, weaving in and out of traffic with only inches to spare. Most often the drivers do not have helmets and often carrying multiple passengers. I think the record here is 5 adults on one motorcycle. It is very common to see families travel this way, including mom and dad a several small children. Sometimes even infants in moms arms. Child seats are pretty much non existent here. Like I said quite different.

Photo by Marina Schimd

Photo by Marina Schmid

Photo by Marina Schmid

Another thing you see is animals. Lots of animals. By the road and in the road, and you better not hit them. It is understood that fences do not really happen here and livestock can wander to wherever the next grazing spot might be found. So, the road will often contain goats, sheep, or cattle. They may or may not be accompanied by young shepherds.There is also the occasional chicken or duck in the road.  So they become yet another obstacle in the road to be avoided.  Most of them seem to know that the cars and motorcycles are dangerous and mostly stay out of the way, mostly.


There are also very few rules for driving. Lane markers are really not there and if they are they are really more of a suggestion. It is not uncommon for cars and motorcycles to be traveling the wrong way and headed at you on your side of the road in an attempt to avoid heavy traffic on their side of the road. All of this together adds up slow driving. So our trip north which is 133 kilometers (82 miles) took 5 hours. This is Africa.

I hope I don't sound like I am complaining. Just trying to give you a picture of what it is like here. The trip was well worth it . The reward was 2 days in a nice, quiet, inexpensive hotel. It was inside a walled compound so reasonably safe, and had a restaurant on premises. I shared a room with a friend from the ship, which turned out to mean we also shared a bed. We were thankful that it was a King size and we had plenty of room for both of us. Our room was quite spacious and we had a mosquito net so we slept quite soundly without fear of little visitors in the night.

comfy sleep

roomy bathroom

headed to my room

Our meals were quite nice. Very affordable, delicious and I was even able to order my own meal in French. Learning French has proved to be quite difficult for me but I continue to try and am learning a little. I was please when I got my food and it was actually what I thought I had ordered. Success! Dinner was filet de poisson and palm fritte ( fish and chips.)
Breakfast was Cafe' Ole, Pan and omelette. ( Coffee with milk, bread and omelette. All quite delicious.

a nice place to eat at the end of the day

The next two days were spent exploring the local area. There are several different waterfalls in the area and we were able to visit two of them. The first one had a pool at the bottom that was very shallow, but the falls were quite lovely. We spent several hours there enjoying the sound of the water, the jungle and soaking in some sunshine.

Bride's veil falls  Kindia

Bride's Veil Falls

Me at Bride's Veil falls

Shallow enough to walk all the way across

The second waterfall was much larger and had several pools large enough for swimming. The water was quite cool and a bit of shock when you first jumped in. We had a lot of fun swimming and splashing around. It was nice to get away from our responsibilities for a while and just relax. Lunch followed at a little local restaurant nestled in the trees next to the river. We had more fish and cold drinks and great conversation with our driver. He spoke great English and talked to us about his country, his family and  we shared about the ship. It was a really great day.

My onboarding buddies and me in the pools

a little lunch in the trees?

A peaceful lunch next to the river

He leads me beside still waters 

We returned to the ship in the same way traffic, potholes and livestock oh my...This time we made it in four hours which was pretty amazing as we traveled back on New years eve. The traffic in town was really crazy but our driver delivered us safely back. We had one more day to rest as the New Year was wrung in on the ship. We had open mic night in the cafe and a dance party in between acts. The new year came with fireworks in town that could be seen from deck 8. At least that is what I heard, as I was in my bed by 10pm bringing the new year in deep in sleep. :)

We did have a side trip to the agriculture site while in Kindia, but that is a story for another day.....
Happy New Year. 

Good To Me (Audrey Assad) (Lyrics)

January 2019

I always wonder what to blog about. Does anyone even read these? It often seems like vanity to think anyone is even interested in what I may have to say. This time of year everyone else is blogging about what they did in 2018. Reflecting. I guess it is only natural. As I think back I am truly amazed at the faithfulness of God. I can see his hand at work in my life and in the lives around me.

I am thankful for the amazing friendships he has brought into my life. And for the existing friendships he has help me maintain despite thousands of miles of distance between us. I am in awe and how he has faithfully provided for my safety, my health, and my finances. I have also seen his faithfully provide for others too. For jobs at just the right time, friendships to fill lonely moments, finances when all seemed lost, new homes and new babies. For church families to stand with those in difficult times and let them know they are not alone. Love poured out on those around them, so they might know there is one in heaven that loves them more.

It is still a mystery to me that out of everyone in the world he has chosen me to be a part of what occurs here on this ship. His faithfulness is on display daily as we see one life after another transformed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is a work that we can assist in as he allows, but ultimately work only He can accomplish. Only he can heal bodies, hearts and broken spirits.

Over the year he has allowed me to learn new skills in my jobs , while being exposed to things I have never seen. He has stretched my physical endurance, and taught me to trust him more each day. I have had the blessing of diving deeper into God's word and learning more about his character and His plans for me and those around me. I have laughed, cried, celebrated and mourned. It has been an amazing year. I have felt love from distant lands and distant friends, many of whom I have not seen in years, and yet they have come along side me in spirit and love and helped me through this year.

The year ahead is unknown. Yet I know I can trust in the One who holds it all. Nothing will be a surprise to Him.

Back to work

I have completed my first  full week back to work on board the Africa Mercy. It has been a busy but very good week. I really love being a nurse here. It is so different than nursing in America. Here I have the opportunity to openly pray with most of my patients. I am able to see my patient as a whole person. I have been taught and fully believe that each one of us is made in the image of God. We are more than just a physical body. As a result illness can effect us in not  only the physical , but also in our emotions, our soul and our spirit. I believe healing can occur in all of these areas and illness therefore needs to be addressed in all of these areas. I am so thankful that I am in a place where we not only have to freedom to do that, but are actively encouraged to do so.

I interact with not only the crew that live on the ship, but with our day crew as well. Day crew are crew members that live in the country that is hosting us. They are hired to work on the ship for the 10 months we are here. What we do as a ship would be impossible without them. One of the benefits they receive as day workers is access to the crew clinic. They are able to come to us and seek medical care and advice. Many of them have had little access to medical care in the past. It is often not affordable or unavailable. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to serve them.

One of the other great things about working here is being with others who are passionate about the same things I am. Everyday we take time out of our schedule to spend time in devotion. We do this as a team. Taking turns to bring something to share with the team. We then spend time in prayer together. We pray for our patients, our ship mates, the country, the government, our families, our friends and anything else the Lord puts on our heart. It is rapidly becoming my favorite part of the day.

Speaking of prayer, would you pray for the screening team? Today a team left to go upcountry and find additional patients that may not have been able to make the journey to the capital city of Conakry. Their journey will be long, and they will be far from the support and safety of the ship. Please keep them in prayer these next 2 weeks.
Pray for them to find those that God wants to shower with hope and healing.
Pray for their emotional health as they encounter suffering and sorrow and will be forced to say no to many we can not help.
Pray for joy in the yes' for those we can
Pray for safety in travel, in large waiting crowds, and politically unstable areas.
Pray for no road blocks or other obstacles along the way.
Pray for unity and clarity on hearing from God. 
And please continue to pray for the missionaries living in this country who invest all of themselves to share love and light with those who are lost in darkness.

I don't have any pics of my team just yet, but I will try to post some soon.
Know I am missing you all and think of you often. You too are in my prayers.
For King and Kingdom

below are a few pics from Guinea since arriving.

The fist one is 5 o'clock traffic on a 2 lane road.

Local church during my two weeks up country

a small grocery store

Playing banana grams (speed scrabble) with some students at the youth center. Helps them practice their English.

Melons for sale at a road side market

A good view of the chaos of and intersection where 2 roads meet

a lumber yard of sorts...believe the poles are used for scaffolding. ( next to and inlet from the ocean)

Another road side stand selling house hold goods.

Guinea week 1

So we arrived safely in Guinea a week ago today. Time has flown by and there is so much to say.

My month of onboarding training in Texas went well. I was there with 10 other people who will be serving on ship long term with me, as well as about 20 more who will be serving in Texas. Together we went through 4 weeks of training to help us prepare for the days to come.

The time was a gift with much of it spent sitting at the feet of Jesus. Time was spent studying the character of God, and how we can listen for his voice. Time in prayer for ourselves, the ship, and interceding for others. Talks on how to resolve conflict in a biblical manner. More time taking personality tests and learning to understand how that effects how we relate to the world and others around us and how they might relate to us.  A great deal of time was spent on learning about other cultures and how to go and serve in them, learn from them, and be sensitive to them without compromising that which we know to be true.

Our flights here were smooth and uneventful. All our bags arrived and we had no delays and no lost baggage. Thank you so much for your prayers. God was so faithful. We all said it was the most pleasant transition through customs any of us had ever experienced.

The guest house I am staying at currently is quite nice. We are located on a mission compound and the team has two houses side by side. The single men are next door. In my house there are three single ladies and one couple. (Our family with small children went straight to the ship on arrival in country- we are missing them) We have a modest house with a kitchen and living room, three bedrooms and a dining area. We eat all of our meals together and end each night with devotion time and reflecting on what our day held.

This week we have split into two groups with the men working on construction projects, and cleaning out a workshop on property. They are also building a kitchen for one of the single missionary ladies who is moving into new housing. They have been quite busy and working in rather warm conditions. I am sure they would appreciate your prayers.

The ladies have been going to a local youth center to help with English lessons and cleaning and organizing areas for them. One of our projects was to clean out a large storage room, organize the items in it and sort through what might no longer be needed. It was a large job but I think we have it about licked now. We work on that for several hours in the morning, then we join the students in the cafe after class. There we play games like scrabble and other word games, chat in English so they can practice, and a few of us even try out a little french.

We are working on building relationships both with the students that come to the youth center and the staff that volunteer here in Guinea. The students are lovely and very hard working. They come from a variety of circumstances but all share a common goal to improve their life and  the lives of those they love.I have really been enjoying the time we spend practicing conversation.

One of the highlights this week was when we split into groups of men and women on one of the days. The men talked about what it means to be a man and when do you know you have achieved it. How is that different from the culture here and the different cultures represented in our groups. The men reported it being a good conversation and all of them said it was the high point of their week.

The ladies talked about women's health issues. We spent a fair amount of time in prayer prior the event and could not have been more pleased. Our discussion began with basic information about women's bodies and the changes they go through as they become adults. Although most of the women present are well past beyond the teenage years when this occurs many of them had never been able to have an open and honest dialogue about it. As we talked, many other topics were brought up and discussed. It seemed to open the door wide for a midwife/nurse who has been serving here for some time. The conversation switched from English to French and the women became even further engaged at that point. It was wonderful to witness them get answers to questions many of them may have carried for a long time. One of the best questions I heard was a women who wanted to know how she could be sure to conceive twins.

So this week looks to be more of the same. More time bonding as a team. More evenings spent praying and seeking God's will. More days with construction and conversation. Thank you for your prayers and support. We will be traveling  again on Friday, please keep us in prayer for that .

As I close this email night has fallen, the crickets are singing and in the distant the Muslim call to prayer echos through the night. The Iman's voice is deep and loud and haunting. It is a sound that is repeated five times a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is very much a part of life here.  For me it is also a call to prayer. I  hope it will be for you as well.

For King and Kingdom

Basic Training

Hello from the great state of Texas!! My time at home flew by as expected and I have been in Texas for almost 2 weeks now.

My time at home was spent hopping from place to place catching up with friends, spending time with family and even squeezed in a few speaking engagements. I was happy to see as many people as I did but it just never seems like enough time to say everything that needs to be said, or just spend time together saying nothing at all.

My first week here in Texas was spent on the Mercy Ships campus participating in what they call Basic Safety training. It is a series of classes that takes an entire week. The two major highlights are the fire training and the water training.

For the fire training we spent a few days in class learning about fire and how it spreads, and how to put it out. Mostly how to prevent it in the first place. We also were taught how to put on turn out gear properly also know as bunker gear. In addition we were educated in the use of SCBA equipment which must be worn so you can breathe in a smoke filled environment. That was not too hard for me since I am already familiar with breathing through SCUBA equipment when I dive. To pass from this class to the next required one last step. We spent the good half of a day here putting out controlled fires with the skills we had learned. We were required to know what equipment we needed to use and demonstrate our ability to use it. The last and biggest was a pile of pallets on fire in a shipping container. We went in the container in full gear and put out the fire. It was intense to say the least.

Our next challenge was water safety. We learned about emergencies at sea and how to respond to them including man overboard drills and what to do in the event we would ever have to abandon ship. It was a very interesting class and I learned a lot. The height of that class came at the local college pool. Here we were required to demonstrate our ability to put on our survival suits in the allotted time, swim in them and climb aboard a life raft in the pool. This is not an easy task when you are floating better than a blow up pool toy. It was quite the challenge. After passing through that test we moved on to jumping from the diving board in life vests and swimming across the pool. The final test was demonstrating our newly learned skill of flipping over a 12 man life raft alone. I was very worried about this test as I had really struggled to get in the raft in my survival suit. However it turned out to be much easier than expected and I flipped that big old raft over with no problem.

I am happy to be learning these new skills before returning to the ship full time. I do hope with all my heart to never need them. I will try to post some pics from these events in the next few days. In the mean time, Mom you can sleep a little better knowing I am fully approved by the US Coast guard to respond to and emergency at sea.

Thanks y'all for your prayers

Montana

August is coming to a rapid end. My time with friends and family in the states is more than half over. It seems to be passing so quickly. It is such a blessing to have this time. Quiet mornings with the word in a sunny living room. Hospitality and generosity that leaves me humbled. In awe of how God is using those around me to provide for my every need, and even things I don't really need, like ice cream and meals out.
It should not surprise me. First God has shown me time and time again how I can trust him to provide. How I don't have to solve everything on my own. He has a plan. That he is trustworthy and faithful. Second I know that he has called me to this life at this time. And I believe that he will equip me for that which he call me to.
This week I was able to spend most of the week with good friends in Montana.
Montana is so beautiful, vast open spaces, amazing animals, and mountains that take your breath away. This morning as I reflect on my short time in Montana Psalms 18:19 comes to mind. "He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me."He delights in me.  That is often hard to wrap my mind around. But this week he gave me visual teaching of what that looks like. A Father delighting in his children. I was blessed to spend time with my friends David and Janna and their two children Trin and Corbin. Watching these friends with their children was such a blessing.
Multiple times God used their interactions to show me how he loves me. Even when I whine, even when I start down the path of disobedience, He speaks gently and lovingly. He guides me and corrects me and directs me back to where I need to go. He does not do so in anger but gently and lovingly.
When I  am amazed and entranced by His creation, it brings Him joy. I was allowed to see the delight on the face of parents as their children discovered the joy of creation around them. Moths and grasshoppers that brought on smiles and laughter. The adventure of searching in creeks, and the wonder of how God placed so many seeds inside of cattails.
The beauty of a Father reading to his children. One snuggled safely on each side. How as his daughter he wants me to curl up next to him and soak in all he wants to teach me. To feel safe, secure and loved.
How a mother loving prepared and provided meals one moment and fun the next, and all the children had to do was trust and enjoy, and be obedient.
Lovely pictures and memorable lessons.
As I finish off my time here in the states, I hope there are more lessons to come and I am as receptive as a child.....