Greetings from Las Palmas Gran Canaria.
I arrived safely back on ship nearly a week ago now. It has been a busy week of unpacking, getting brought up to speed on the health of the crew, seeing a bit of what the island has to offer, and catching up with friends.
I arrived Saturday after nearly 2 days of travel. After little to no sleep on the planes I was quite ready to sleep. However, since I arrived at 2 in the afternoon, I forced myself to stay awake and went to bed at a normal bedtime for this time zone. I was able to sleep straight through the night and has experienced very little jet lag as a result. One very nice surprise for me was a bunk change. Sadly one of my cabin mates will be leaving in a few weeks, so she decided to switch bunks with me knowing I wanted the back space of the cabin. So when I arrived she had already moved and it was empty and ready for me to move in. What does that mean for me....it means a little more space, a little more privacy, and best of all......a window! I am so excited. I finally have a space with a window. It lets in so much natural light and is just wonderful. I may even have to get a plant.
I also arrived to 2 boxes of Christmas presents that my sister sent in January that had finally made there way to the ship. The arrived in April after I left and have been waiting for me. What fun. Christmas in July!!
This week I spent time with the outgoing nurse Jacqui, who has been caring for the crew during the last sail and shipyard. She brought me up to speed on all I needed to know. The bumps and bruises that have occurred and what might be ahead. She has done a great job caring for the crew. I am so thankful she was here so I could go to the states and take care of things.
Some of my week was spent seeing a bit of Las Palmas. The waterfront here is really lovely and has a long boardwalk that is several miles long. Full of shops, restaurants and people of all walks of life. It is a great place to sit and enjoy the breeze coming in off the ocean, people watch, or savor the incredible flavors of gelato as you stroll down the brick lined promenade.The other night I stood and watched as a man used a rope to make hundreds of soap bubbles that blew across the boardwalk in the cool evening breeze. It was a show stopper as children of all ages stopped and watched in delight as the bubbles drifted down the boardwalk. It didn't matter the age, size, race or religion, as many stopped with the same smile of delight, and often ran to catch the bubbles. I was unable to catch the smiles but a friend managed to catch the beauty of the bubbles along the building as seen below. It has defiantly made the off hours enjoyable.
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| The boardwalk in Las Palmas covered in bubbles |
Finally this week has been about catching up with friends I have not seen for months. Sharing coffees, meals, and walks near the ocean. Talking about the good things and the hard things of life. What did you do this summer has been a frequent conversation, followed often by the real, so how are you doing? How are things with you and the Lord. It has felt like coming home.Yesterday the families came home. Now that the ship is in the water, the kids are allowed back on board and so yesterday was home coming. Once again you hear the sound of children, laughing, crying, playing. Some of them happy to see you and some of them shyly hiding behind moms legs. All of them making it feel more like home.
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| Coffee on the boardwalk with Jen |
It never ceases to amaze me how two places on opposite sides of the world, with completely different cultures ,and completely different people can both feel like home. Leaving Virginia was hard. It felt like leaving home. Leaving what is familiar and comfortable and easy. The people I love.People who spent all Spring and most of the summer pouring their love and kindness out on me.
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| Milkshakes with Mom at the Pink Cadillac |
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| Sandstone falls with my sister Christy |
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| Mt Airy with my good friend Patty |
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| Summer Camp with the gang |
And yet stepping on the ship immediately feels like coming home. It feels right, familiar, and everywhere I turn is someone I love doing something I admire, for no other reason than their love of the Lord. Oh how I love this place. The first week has been filled with watching friends work hard, in the heat, with no air conditioning, walking up 72 steps on scaffolding to enter a hot ship and give their all. Three lovely kind men met me at the bottom the day I arrived and carried my three 50 pound bags (23kg) all the way to top for me.
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| The tower of terror...72 steps up the scaffolding to enter the ship in dry dock. |
These volunteers in shipyard are in class all their own. Many will never see Africa, will never see the patients they are working so hard to prepare for. Yet they work with a drive and a passion that is so admirable. Some skip meals, others skip fun trips to town, others work late into the night, so one more thing can be finished, one more goal accomplished, or so the next thing can be started, all with the patients in mind. This ship, this organization, this pack of people that God has called together from around the world is just amazing. I still have to pinch myself that I get to be a part of it. Thank you all for helping me do that! In the end I can truly say....there really is no place like home.
