What's up?

What was?

It has been an eventful few weeks and we have a lot to share! We have said goodbye to Congo.  Our time in Congo was a bit different as I (Tracey) missed so much of our time there while I was back in the States, but it was still really amazing to reflect on all the Lord did through the ship’s service in the country.  At the end of each field service (time in a certain country) a synopsis is put together with the statistics from our time in that country. Statistics can be exciting, but they can also be impersonal.  As I looked though these numbers I tried to remember that each number listed represented a life that was changed. Every person listed here walked down the gangway of the Africa Mercy with a hope that was previously non-existent.  These numbers are people who not only had life-changing surgeries but people who had an encounter with the God of this universe and our prayer is that they will not only have physical healing but spiritual healing as well.  Here are some of the numbers (if you want the entire report you can go here):

967 people can SEE better after Cataract surgeries

 

78 children had orthopedic procedures allowing them to REGAIN function in their limbs

 

434 people had tumors REMOVED from their face/head or neck

170 people had cleft lips REPAIRED

 

207 people had plastic surgery to RESTORE function from burn contractures or other deformities

477 people had general surgery to CORRECT defects such as hernias

60 women had VVF surgeries and REGAINED their dignity

 

2,527 people had surgeries that CHANGED THEIR LIVES!

Please join us in THANKING GOD for an amazing 10 months in Congo! And please continue to pray for these beautiful people.

What’s going on now?

The ship set sail on June 1^st for the Canary Islands.  The sail will be approximately 14 days. John and the girls are enjoying the sail.   

 

The ship crossed over the point where the equator meets the prime meridian! Pretty exciting for ship people!

 

 

Jack and I were able to make a short trip back to Colorado during the sail to surprise my state-side family for a family reunion in celebration of my Grandfather’s 90^th birthday!  

 

The ship community has been amazing as they have helped John care for the girls in our absence.  It has been a good time for all of us but we are really excited to be reunited when the ship arrives in the Canary Islands on June 14th.

 

What’s next?

We will spend 2 months in the Canary Islands while the ship is hoisted out of the water for repairs.  For the first 5 weeks we will have to move off the ship and into a hotel as the children are not allowed in the shipyard.  John will travel to the ship from the hotel to work every day.  We are excited about this time with other families at the hotel but it may also be a tiring time of living away from our home. We will move back onto the ship (and into a bigger cabin!) at the end of July. In August we will set sail for Cotonou, Benin. 

 

 As you may remember, our original plan was to go back to Guinea, but due to the continued Ebola outbreak we were unable to return at this time. Please pray with us for the country of Guinea as they experience this devastating outbreak.  

We will keep you updated on our adventures in the Canary Islands as best we can with our potentially limited internet access this summer.  Thank you, again, for your continued prayers and support!