Ward Church

We are still in the process of sorting out what Sundays will look like for us here in Guinea.  I have been to a local church a couple times with Cora but we hadn't gone to church as a family before this weekend.  There are so many factors that make getting to, staying at, and sitting through church difficult for kids under 2.  So this weekend John suggested we go to the church service on the hospital ward down on deck 3.   Every Sunday there is a service for the patients who are in the hospital and crew can sign up to join them.

There have been moments since we arrived here in Guinea where I've wondered about my love and passion for medical work in Africa.  I haven't had opportunities yet to be intimately involved in the work that goes on here everyday and so, at times, I have had a clouded view of God's work here.  I am so thankful for this time as a stay-at-ship mom and I wouldn't trade it for anything but I also know that I need moments like Sunday to remind me of the bigger picture. 

Church was held in one of the hospital wards.  It is a large room with patient beds along each wall.  Chairs were set up between the beds and aisles.  Some patients were occupying the beds and otherwise the beds were used as additional seating.  The room was overflowing with patients, nurses, and other crew.  Many of the patients had bandages covering their newly transformed faces and limbs.  A group of West African day workers and crew played the drums and led us in worship.  This was not your typical western Presbyterian worship (no offense :) ). This was loud, on your feet, shake your body, sing-it-like-you-mean-it worship.  There was dancing, stomping, clapping, crying and full out praising.  Man, I've missed that.  I would say I had my first "moment" since being on the ship.  A moment of total awe at what the Lord is doing here and complete gratitude to be able to be a part of it.  As I scanned the "pews" of people of every color from all over the world worshipping God together I was brought to tears.  I don't know the religious views of everyone there but I do know that it was something very special to come together like that to praise the Lord and I know he was pleased to see his children from many tribes and nations singing out to Him.  It is obvious that he is at work in people's lives on this ship!

 

Dressed up for church!

 

 

The rest of our week and weekend was good also.  Some highlights (captions above):

 

 

Swam in the pool for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 Beautiful rainbow from Deck 7 and. . . 

. . . sunset from Deck 8. We get to see beautiful sunsets like this most nights while Adalynn plays on the top deck. One of the amazing blessings of living on this ship!

 

  Promised Adalynn a walk in the "blue backpack" on Saturday, but it rained all day so we took a walk around the ship!

 

Favorite slide. She learned how to walk up it this week so she can walk up and slide down all on her own.

 

 

 

  Bang trim. Cora got one too but haven't gotten a good pic yet.

 

 

Adalynn and Emma were given leotards and tutus for their dance class. Adalynn wore hers all day long and practiced Ballet all afternoon :)

 

Cora likes sweet potatoes!
 

 

 

"Have a great week!!"

 

 

 

 

Our week in pictures (and some words too)

It's been a good couple weeks and we wanted to share some picutes capturing some fun moments. 

 

 

Most importantly. . .it's Cora's 5 month birthday today!!  Who can believe it??  She is growing so fast. She can roll over both ways, she's laughing and smiling all the time, she LOVES her sister, she's learning about eating rice cereal, still not taking a bottle, still not sleeping through the night, but very happy and SO much fun!!

 

Some of the elementary school girls dressed Cora in this hat.



Happy girl!

 

 

In Adalynn news. . .she started Ballet class.  Well, actually "Creative movement" class.  One of the perks of living on a ship full of people with hidden talents!  She loved it, though she didn't really understand how to do most of it, but she had a chance to play with her buddies, Emma, Xavier and Malachi.  Mrs. Gretchen was very patient!

 

Standing tall like Oak trees.

Flying like birds (this was Adalynn's favorite part)

 

 

Second in importance to the kids (and John, of course) is food!  Last weekend I (Tracey) had the chance to "tour" some local grocery stores and outdoor food stands.   It was nice to see what they had available.  It was great to get a bit further away from the ship, too.  Cora came and slept in the Moby wrap while we shopped.  It was a fun morning.

 

 On our shopping trip, I was able to purchase ingredients to make gluten free bread!

 

I got some great fresh, local produce like this pineapple. It was amazing!

 



I also bought ingredients to make a mexican casserole and gluten free cookies for our potluck for the families on board.  It was a fun time to get to know some of the other families and for the kids to run around the dining room without so many other people around.

 

 

Speaking of food, another container arrived from Texas this week!  We got all 12 boxes of our diapers that John's parents bought us before we came. 

 

 

 Also I was excited to find oatmeal, crackers, almonds, fruit snacks, and fishy crackers!! How exciting. Also, our backpack so we can take Adalynn out on walks.

 

 

 

We've been keeping ourselves busy and enjoying ourselves a lot these last few weeks. We have continued to have some challenges but overall feel that we are really starting to settle and enjoy living in this community environment.  There is always something going on and we feel that we are starting to get to know people and build a more intimate community.  We continue to pray for friendships and good support here.  While we like the community, it's also nice to have time in our cabin.  Here are some of the things we like to do for fun:



READ!

 

 Play with a bucket of bubbles in the shower.

 

 

We miss you all and continue to thank you for your support and your prayers.   Also wanted to let you know, for those that are interested, that if you want to send anything to us for Christmas it has to be in Texas by the end of September in order to make it on the container that will get to us by Christmas.  Let me know if you don't know how to send it!

Screening part 2 John's turn....

So my turn on our first few experiences in Guinea. Just thought I would add my voice to Tracey’s great writing. (As as side note I am now reading the Shack too). These weeks since we got here have been all kinds of crazy with lots of ups and downs. Before we got here, the things I will talk about here Tracey and I talked about a lot and were talked to about them as well. But no matter how you much you talk about them or hear about them or even watch a video about them, we weren’t prepared for them.

I want to talk about the screening first. I was able to go the night before and help set up and even then started to wonder with a little trepidation about what the day was going to be. We ate breakfast at 5:30 got there about 6 in the morning and I was overwhelmed by 7:30 after I saw some of the first patients come through my station. Those videos just don’t do justice for what I saw and touched and smelled. I was so broken for people with such need and lack of resources.  

At some point soon after, I knew that God had provided me some extra strength and I was able to do what I was asked to do.  I, along with many many others, worked through the day and evening and got back to the ship at about 9:15 pm. I was on my feet most of the day and walked many stairs helping many of these same patients get from one place to the next. I pretty much ate quick snacks to keep going with no real lunch or dinner. One of the mangers on the ship I worked with at the screening was in charge of the scale and stood by the scale recording weights  for 4 or 5 hours straight without any break that I saw and not one complaint during or after. Our galley crew still had hot food ready for us when we got back so late after starting the cooking for breakfast before 5. That is just a couple examples. I was so encouraged to watch so many people work such long hours and I never heard one cross word all day. The teamwork and focus on purpose was something that truly touched me and encouraged me throughout the day. No departments or titles or agendas or such things. (It was actually really nice to not be finance director for a day) It really was all about the people we could help. I couldn’t imagine not finishing the day with everyone else after watching that.

I don’t say these things to say look at me because I have no idea how I was able to do that. The only explanation was that dose of strength to make it through. (It was kind of like runners high but way beyond, if that makes any sense.) I really believe God wanted me to see that and experience those things first and then gave me the strength to make it through. That strength wasn’t coming until I had shown up first and experienced it. That seemed to be the experience for others I spoke with afterwards. No way could we, on our own, use the couple hundred people we had there and screen over 3,000 people in one day without incident in a country where medical type events have been over run in the past. God was so evident and thus we were able to work hard and work together to see really cool things done. I was so elated after that day, especially to see how so many people from so many different departments on the ship came together to serve the people of Guinea with such a singular focus.  

This brings me to talk about life in general on the Africa Mercy. This place is filled with flawed people (in the words of Paul, I being chief among them) who do their best to live and work together to further God’s kingdom. The work we do here is hard and there are lots of moving parts and departments, all of which are needed in order to run a first world hospital on a floating box in a developing nation. Despite knowing that I am highly flawed, I have this expectation that everyone here will see the world as I do and get along perfectly without issues because we “follow the model of Jesus to bring hope and healing”. Amazingly enough, my priorities and idea of service don’t always match up with the other 399 or so other people here. (Of course, my ideas are the best ideas). This happens with lots of us on the ship and we get frustrated with each other and start to question each other’s faith or commitment or whatever. When I step back and think about it; that is completely crazy, but it certainly isn’t the first time in my life I have done that. That’s why the screening day was so amazing for me to watch and hold to and point to after living here for a while, both for myself and the people here I live and work with. Screening day was such an amazing picture of how the kingdom of God can work if we put ourselves aside, believe the best in others and really just focus on God and what He is doing and come along for the ride by his side. Stop focusing on ourselves, our priorities, our specific roles, our agendas, etc and just work hard doing what God has asked us do to advance his kingdom.

As I step back and look over my life in reflection of this, I can see so often how I have been defeated with similar thoughts whether it be with coworkers, ministry leaders, other church members and already some in the short time Trace and I have been here.  Because what I wanted done isn’t being done or isn’t being done how I want it done. Because of that I start to think that others just don’t get what following Jesus means as if I have the market cornered on that. (And thus the conflict starts between us.) And doing all of this without turning to God and asking what I can do to further the kingdom and do it with the others he has placed in my life. We were meant to do this together abiding in Christ for our strength with all of our gifts and flaws. It was a great lesson for me and one I hope that I don’t forget any time soon, but….

The funny thing was I started to do and feel these not so good things about people here so quickly after the screening. A week hadn't even gone by. Really John Really? How quickly we move on with our life and forget the wonderful things God taught us and thus the valleys that follow the highs of a day like screening. Thankfully there are people here including Trace that helped bring me back to the truths I learned. Writing this helped too and hopefully will help others know God can use us to do really cool things and give us strength beyond the norm when we are willing to work together and believe the best in each other.

Now I get to post a cute picture too. Didn't want everyone to think I am all work an no play.

 

Sharing life without agenda

Sit back, this post is wordy, but hopefully worth the read J  This past weekend I read the Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  I feel like that is a bit of a confession.  I say that because I am usually the last to jump on the latest reading bandwagon. . .especially Christian books.  I’m not sure why that is.  I guess I just know that sometimes people get overly excited about something just because everyone they know is also excited about it.  I like to let the wave of popularity die out and then I usually end up reading the book and being in a better position to decide for myself how I feel about what is written without getting caught up in all the hype.  That make sense?  All of that to say that I really feel that the Lord led me to pick up that book this weekend.  So much has been swirling around in my brain over these last couple weeks regarding our work here and parts of this book helped me to better understand some of what I’m feeling.

Let me back up a bit. Last Monday was the screening day for Mercy Ships. Cora and I were able to go for about 4 hours. John was there for about 17 hours! It was a long day for many people but in the end it was an amazing day. Over 3,000 people were let through the gates into a large complex called the People’s Palace where they underwent screening to determine if we could help their various medical conditions on the ship. This does not count the thousands that were turned away before even entering the gates. Since there are only 2 doctors for every 10,000 people in Guinea, there is an obvious need for medical care. Our ship is specialized in certain surgeries and so, unfortunately, there are many that we cannot help.  (photos thanks to Michelle Murray, one of our amazing photographers!) 

 The line of patients extending along the coast

 

 Waiting to be seen

 

 Inside the courtyard of the people's palace

 

 

More lines

 

The People’s Palace is a large building/theater complex for various events.  The Mercy Ships team that organized the day needs to be commended for a seemingly flawless day with little, if any, hiccups.  John and I both had roles of “patient escorts”.  Our job was to take patients from one station to another.  John led people from a station that took their medical history to where they would have a physical.  I was at the photo station and led patients from there to the table where they checked out and left for home.  The photo station was the last stop for patients after hours of waiting and answering questions.  At this point they had a surgery date and were getting photos taken so the doctors would have something to visualize in preparation for their surgeries.  It was a humbling place for patients as they not only exposed their deformities but had photographs taken.  I could see the tension the patients were going through, grateful that they could be helped but embarrassed or ashamed as they were required to expose the condition that made them different.

Most of the patients we help fall into the categories of: facial tumors or deformities, pediatric orthopedic deformities, burn contractures and cleft lip/palate.  So this is mainly what I saw.  To see such a concentrated amount of these types of deformities was really unbelievable.  There were many with football or basketball sized tumors on their necks or faces.  Most of the children I saw were orthopedic patients and so either not walking or not walking well.  Some were joyful that they had their appointment card and the cares of their deformities seemed to have lessened, but there were still those who couldn’t hide the toll that years of being “different” had taken on them.  Two people that stood out to me most were a man with a deformed face and a little boy with a tumor coming out of his eye socket.  The man with the deformed face kept a rag over his face and a hat pulled down low.  He didn’t look anyone in the face and was clearly feeling ashamed or embarrassed at his condition.  He was asked to remove his hat and the rag for the pictures and you could see the anguish on his face to feel so exposed.  My heart broke for him as I could imagine that his actions must be spurred by a lifetime of negative reactions to his appearance.  I found myself praying so much for him that day and the following days that his surgery would not only restore function but bring him dignity and allow him to better see that he is loved by God and worthy. 

The other patient that struck me was a little 3 year old boy with a large tumor growing out of his right eye.  The tumor filled the entire eye socket and protruded about 3 inches from his face.  It was not pretty.  Most of the other kids were very interactive and really loved being talked to and interacting with Cora, especially.  This little boy looked very sad and afraid.  He didn’t want us anywhere near him. Whether this was from pain or the knowledge that he was different and had been treated poorly was hard to discern.  His mother seemed very loving and attentive but the boy was obviously hurting.  Once again, I felt called to pray that his healing would restore his dignity and allow him to grow up loving himself just as God made him. 

My heart broke for these people but also felt joyful as most of the people I interacted with would have a chance to be helped!  It was really great to be able to share that with them.  Having Cora there was really great too as she provided a bridge to the patients. They all wanted to touch her hair and talk to her and it broke down some walls and allowed me to communicate a little better with them.  Surgeries started on Thursday this past week and the hospital is now up and running.  It is so exciting to be a part of all that is going on here. The screening allowed both of us to see that a little more first-hand.

So what does that have to do with The Shack?  A very good question.  After the screening I found myself wondering what it meant to love these people well.  The majority of the people in Guinea (85%) are Muslim.  They have grown up as Muslims and it is very much a part of their lives.  I see great benefit in the work we are doing to provide physical healing, but what does it look like to be Jesus to these people?  Jesus didn’t just heal people, he left them better than he found them.  He revealed himself to them and that was what they were really hungering for, whether they knew it or not. Physical healing only lasts until we all die anyway and Spiritual healing is for eternity.  So does that mean that we need to convert them to Christianity, which would, in their eyes, tear them from their family structure and culture?  I felt myself wrestling with so many questions.  I believe Jesus came for all people, but where did that put me?  What is my role? It feels good to see the results of physical healing but I know that the man with the deformed face needs Jesus if he is going to truly be healed.  The little boy with the tumor in his eye may have some temporary healing in this lifetime, but what of his eternal healing?

This is where The Shack comes in.  This book along with some wonderful teaching by Steve Schwind (our Staff Development director) helped me to better understand what Jesus wants of me, of all of us.  There is a part in the book where the main character, Mack, is having a conversation with the character Jesus about The Church and what the body of believers is supposed to be.  The character that is portraying Jesus says to him

“It’s simple, Mack.  It’s all about relationships and simply sharing life. What we are doing right now—just doing this—and being open and available to others around us.  My church is all about people and life is all about relationships.  You can’t build it.  It’s my job and I’m actually pretty good at it.”

Later the character Jesus says, “Remember, the people who know me are the ones who are free to live and love without any agenda. . .Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don’t vote or are not part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions.  I have followers who were murderers and many who were self-righteous.  Some are bankers and bookies, Americans and Iraqis, Jews and Palestinians.  I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa (God the Father), into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved.  This doesn’t mean that all roads lead to God.  Most roads don’t lead anywhere.  What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you.”

Even though this is not a quote from the Bible itself, I feel that it is truth.  Jesus calls us to love others right where they are and he does the work of transformation.  We are not called to create Christians (ie: conform others to our Western ideas of what it means to follow Jesus).  We are not called to “convert” people.  We are called to meet people in their lives, right where they are and love them with the love of Jesus and HE does the work of meeting them there, no matter where “there” is, and drawing them to himself and inviting them into relationship with him.  I guess I knew this deep down but my knowledge has been tainted by many things over the years.  I feel freedom now to just love people without an agenda.  To live my life here asking Jesus to love others through me.  What an amazing truth.  Jesus wants to know us and have relationships with us. . .with all his people!  Please pray with us that we would be open to loving others, no matter what, and that Jesus would meet patients here on this ship and work through their physical healing to bring them to a relationship with himself.  And. . .if you haven’t read The Shack, I recommend it!

And. . .of course, some pics of the girls:

 

 Wagon rides on Deck 7 while watching the sunset.  Does it get much better than that?  I couldn't believe Cora could sit up in the wagon! She is getting so big. She also had shots this week and I was able to weigh her finally. She is 17 lbs. 2 pounds heavier than Adalynn at her age.

Cora's hair is getting more curly, especially in the humidity.  I also think her eyes are bluer than Adalynn's ever were, so maybe they will stay blue?

Guinea life

We've been in Guinea now almost 2 weeks and in some ways it feels like a lifetime.  I think we thought we had transitioned to ship life but we soon found out that ship life in Africa is different than in the Canary Islands and we have had to go through another whole set of transitions since being here in Conakry.  But now we are finally starting to feel settled. . .again.

Yesterday was a really exciting and VERY long day.  It was our screening day for patients.  This is the day that we schedule many of the surgeries that will happen over the next 10 months.  I have so much to say about the day yesterday, what we saw, how it went, etc, but I will wait until we've both had time to process and collect our thoughts.  For now I will update you on what has gone on these last 2 weeks and share some fun pictures of the girls!

I mentioned in the last blog a little about the port being a bit different than we expected.  John and I have both had rural African experiences and so landing in a large port city was different than what either of us had pictured.  This was harder than we thought to adjust to.  At first we felt fearful about leaving the ship, especially with the girls.  We still have some of those "healthy fears" but I think we are slowly starting to learn about our area and appreciate what we have.  We have had the chance to venture out a few times.  The port has many governmental offices and so we are not really allowed/encouraged to take many pictures, unfortunately.   Here are some pictures from the ship of our surrounding area:

Taken off the Starboard (right) side looking toward the Aft (back) of the ship.

 

Starboard side looking towards the bow (front) of the ship.  This is much like the view out our windows.  You can see the tents set up for rehab and our landrovers that help with the off-ship programs and patient transport.

Taken from Port (left) side of the ship towards the ocean and islands at sunset.

 

In the distance the 4 towers are the mosque.  It is one of the largest mosques in the world.

 

 

As far as getting off the ship goes, John and I have had different experiences but haven't gone anywhere as a family quite yet.  I have been out several times with friends to just walk around the city.  The streets are fairly clear of traffic on the weekends, so this has been a better time to go.  I'm not sure I could even begin to describe what it is like. If you've ever been in a third world city, then you know.  If not, it is unlike any city in America.  There are so many things going on, so much to look at that I will nevver see it all over these 10 months.  You may see a woman washing laundry, child peeing, man brushing his teeth and chickens walking through the sewage all in one block.    The streets are lined in many areas with people selling goods.  I see clothes lining the streets at times and don't know if they are for sale or being dried?  There are some fairly nice businesses and some very run-down buildings.  There is no rhyme or reason to it, it seems.  There are many buildings that look like the construction was halted many years ago for whatever reason, yet scafolding remains so maybe work is just slow.   People have been very friendly.  I have taken Cora in the Moby wrap and they really love to see her and touch her hair!  I am very thankful for some of the other moms that also like to get out and walk around.  It will be a good time to build relationships and get some fresh(er) air.

 

Last Sunday I went to church with a group of about 30 from Mercy Ships.  I took Cora in the Moby and John stayed home with Adalynn.  The church is one of the only Christian churches in this area and it is very small but what it lacks in size it more than made up for in excitement and joy.  The people were so welcoming and there was lots of very loud music and dancing.  It was really fun to be there and Cora actually slept through much of the service.  It was great to be a part of worshiping the Lord with the Guinean people.  I am hopeful that we will be able to go as a family next week.

 

We have had some hard moments here and times of wondering  "What in the world are we doing here?"  But those times have been few and God has been so faithful in showing us little things that confirm His desire for us to be here.  Two of these blessings that really stand out involve John's time off the ship.  The first is that he has been able to play Ultimate frisbee once a week at a nearby field.  While this may seem like an unlikely place to see God working, for John this has been such a neat gift.  He missed playing Ultimate Frisbee so much while we were in Craig.  It is a game he loves.  To be able to play it here. . .in the middle of Africa. . . is pretty amazing and it has been a good outlet for him!

The other blessing was that John got to go to the home of one of the big wigs of Rio Tinto mine here in Guinea.  Rio Tinto owned the mine John worked for in Craig before we left.  The Rio Tinto Guinea office is walking distance from the ship!  Rio Tinto is very interested in getting involved in what Mercy Ships is doing here and John was able to bridge that connection between them and Mercy Ships.  It was a really great night and everyone is excited about what might go on in the future between Rio Tinto and Mercy Ships!

 

The Girls continue to do well and adjust to life here.  I think both of them have really blossomed with life on the ship and have many "aunts" and "uncles" helping take care of them.  I can't believe how much they are growing and changing!

 

 

 



 We love our matching monkey dresses!!

 

 Adalynn's friend Emma. They are in nursery together and becoming very good friends.

It's fun to play up on the top deck of the ship.  Emma is almost a year older than Adalynn so she takes good care of her!

 

 One of Adalynn's favorite things to do is to "go walking".  She likes to just walk around the ship, up and down stairs, etc.  This day she wanted to carry her babies in "Cora's purse".  It was so cute and everyone got a really big kick out if it.

 

 

 One of the families on the ship with older girls gave Adalynn thier old doll house. She has had a lot of fun with it. I look forward to the two girls getting to play with it not to long from now.

 

 

 

Our boxes finally arrived that we sent on the container!  It is so great to have our kitchen things, toys, books and some decorations to make our room feel more like home.  I will send more pictures of our cabin now that we are getting things organized.   It has been amazing to realize how much Adalynn has learned now that we have her old books.  She knows so much more than when we packed them up in May.  She was also really excited about the boxes!

 

I tried to upload a video of Cora but it didn't work. I'll try to get it on Facebook.  Please be praying for the hospital as it begins surgeries on Thursday of this week.  I will write more about the screening and opening of the hospital in the next couple days.  Thank you for your prayers!