Crazy to think that September is already here and school is back in full swing, especially since this is the first time in 22 years that I will not be going back to school. Hopefully the heat wave that comes with summer has passed and the chill that comes each fall is back in the air... at least that's what I imagine as I happily write this to you from the cool confines of the midships lounge on board the Africa Mercy. Outside it is hot, muggy and humid, but I have been told this is the coolest it gets in Benin. I never appreciated the fresh air that we have at home, in fact I probably complained about the smog more often than I was thankful, but oh what I would give to take in a lung full of fresh outdoor air. The next time you walk outside and you don't smell gasoline, an outhouse or any other foul odor say a little thank you to the Lord, for clean air really is a blessing.
Other than dank air, my time on the Africa Mercy thus far has really been an enjoyable and unique experience. I have finally settled into the coming and going of people on the ship and LOVE my department. I am quickly becoming good friends with the other girls, and my biggest problem is that we're constantly baking which also means we're constantly sampling (you can't serve something you haven't tried, right??) But that just motivates me to get off the ship to exercise, something that has become my outlet from the ebb and flow of daily life here. I have even had the courage to practice with Mercy Ships very own football (soccer) team!!! I have never played football before (unless freshmen year PE counts??) and I am not sure anything can compare to playing football with a group of Africans on a sand field. It has been a very fun experience and is something that I look forward to on a weekly basis. The team even has a coach who played for his national team and has given me a few pointers to the game. :)
Thank you to those of who that prayed for the little baby that I shared about in my last update. The 9 month old baby boy passed away several days after I sent that e-mail. Apparently he had been sick at birth and the father would not accept the baby as his child and refused to mark the baby's face with his tribal marks (something that families do here to show their acceptance of their children). Over the time that the family was at Africa Mercy receiving care from the nurses on the ward the fathers heart was touched by the love and compassion that was shown to his family. The father was so moved that he held his baby boy for the first time, and it was then that the baby passed away. The Lord used this little boys condition to bring his parents to Mercy Ships and as a result both of the parents heard the gospel and accepted Christ as their personal savior before leaving the ship and the father could accept his son in spite of his ailing physical condition. The father told one of the nurses: "Thank you so much. Now I know why you are here and now I know how Jesus loves." What an incredible testimony of the Holy Spirit and how he moves and works in our hearts and through our actions!
I have recently been challenged with the truth that we are Jesus' hands and feet to the world. What an incredible privilege it is to be the instruments that He uses to express his love to the people he brings into our lives!! And what a wide variety of instruments there are!! My time here has been much different than previous missions work that I have been involved in because I am behind the scenes as a hospitality hostess rather than on the front lines of sharing the gospel or helping the sick. This has been challenging at times, but a very valuable lesson to learn that each member of the body is just as important as the other, whether it's a nurse on the ward working with the sick, a deck hand painting the side of the ship or a cook in food services. Mercy Ships is a ministry that relies on a wide assortment of people possessing many different gifts and skills, but all are crucial to making the mission of bringing hope and healing to the lost possible.... and each of you have made it possible for me to come and be part of this mission as well!!
Thank you again for your love and encouragement.
grace & peace.
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