Fear of . . .

First off I just want you all to know that we are back on the ship after spending 5 1/2 weeks in a hotel while repairs were done on the ship.  It was a good time away but we are SO thankful to be back home.  We are in a larger cabin and Jack is SO happy to have his own room (and so are Mommy and Daddy).  The girls started school this week and from the inside all looks "normal" again.  It is a sweet place to be.

However, in the midst of all that normal stuff we are being confronted daily with the terrible Ebola outbreak.  Physically we are safe, as we are a good distance from all that is going on.  But the devastation of the illness and the effects it is having  people of the countries in which we have served is so hard to watch. We hurt for our fellow crew members with family there (and there are many). There is so much to say about all of this and this is my second attempt at a blog about the Ebola issue.  The first attempt included the facts and figures about Ebola and the grim picture that is West Africa right now.  After rereading through the blog, I realized that the focus was all wrong. By now, you probably know about Ebola and (at least) vaguely what is going on.  If not you can read this.

What is going on with Ebola is real and it is devastating. . .but it is NOT the entire picture.  As I have been praying through all of this I was looking up verses on fear in the Bible. As I was doing this I realized that the word fear is used far more to speak of fearing God than of fearing other things.   It got me thinking that our focus needs to not be on the fear and devastation of this horrific illness but rather on the Great Physician, the Father of these people, the God of the Universe. What I DON'T know is the answers to WHY this is happening. But what we DO know is that God loves these people and is grieving all that is going on. I think he wants our hearts to break over it as well but I do not think he wants us to feel hopeless or overwhelmed by it all.  He wants us to be falling on our knees before him in response instead of dwelling on the horrors. These are words I desperately need to hear and remember as we deal with the ramifications of this outbreak on the work we are doing.

Many of you have expressed concern about our safety. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that we have also felt fear and concern over our safety. We already changed course once. We were supposed to be sailing to Guinea in two days but we decided to go to Benin instead due to Ebola in Guinea back in April.  Now we are two days away from our initial sail date to Benin and we are having to reassess again. While Benin does not currently have any documented cases of Ebola, Contonou, Benin is very close to Lagos, Nigeria where there are, indeed, cases. Because of this, the organization has made the decision to stay in the Canary Islands (where we are right now) for an additional 2 weeks.  Our sail date is now August 29th.  However, we are not yet sure where we will sail.  Maybe Benin will be considered "safe enough". But maybe not.  If not Benin, then where? The leadership of this organization has some HUGE decisions to make. This is unchartered territory. No one knows what the right decision is. How far away from Ebola is "far enough"?

This is the point where I start to feel overwhelmed and worried.  And, thankfully, this is also the point where God has been reassuring me.  He is not limited to loving people of only a certain nation or continent. He is not limited in how he can use the amazing people on this vessel or the resources we have. He is not limited in working only in ways that we have worked in the past.  He is not limited by this outbreak.  He still loves EVERY PERSON on this planet and I know that He is not going to let a ship full of willing people do NOTHING while there is MUCH to be done.

So, the plan is this:  To wait in the Canary Islands for 2 more weeks while many prayers are prayed and strategic planning is done.  Then to sail to wherever GOD decides he wants us to be for whatever amount of time he chooses. Is this comforting?  Well, I happen to be someone that is super fond of plans and control and so I am still daily having to give this up but the more I pray and read, the more peace I have that God is going to surprise us all with all he has in store for us this year.  I am confident that it won't look at all like what any of us thought and I’m beginning to realize that maybe that's exactly how we want it to be. Maybe not having a perfect plan, a perfect schedule, not having things look just like they have in the past or just like we want and hope them to look is exactly what we all need. We need to be in a place where we can trust more fully and let God be the center of what we are doing. When I look at it like that I feel excitement and anticipation about what this year will hold. So I can't give you details of the where but we can say that the WHAT is going to be a picture of our Great God doing Great things in a Great Nation. 

Thank you for continuing to pray for us, but please also be on your knees for the people of West Africa who have been ravaged by this disease.  And please pray, also, for the leadership of this organization as they have some VERY difficult decisions to make. We appreciate you and are thankful that you have chosen to walk this journey with us.

We feel confident in how Mercy Ships continues to deal with these unexpected situations in a prayerful and professional manner so we also wanted to include these statements from Mercy Ships:

 

"As its hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, prepares to leave for its ten-month mission to perform life-changing surgeries and train local healthcare professionals in Benin, West Africa, Mercy Ships continues to be acutely aware of the Ebola situation in the region. The organization is taking appropriate steps to protect its volunteers and staff. In April, Mercy Ships redirected its upcoming mission from Guinea to Benin out of caution for the safety of its crew. Benin has no reported cases of Ebola. 

The Africa Mercy is the world's largest civilian hospital ship, designed to operate as a surgical specialty hospital. It is not configured to provide the type of treatment required by Ebola patients.  In addition to having changed its itinerary, Mercy Ships has also implemented strict travel restrictions to the affected areas and will continue to monitor the situation closely, making programmatic adjustments as needed.
Founder Don Stephens commented, “The well-being of our patients and dedicated crew is our greatest priority. It is fundamental to our continued service to the forgotten poor in Africa. Our prayers go out for the countries impacted by Ebola. These are places and people we know well because we have served them in multiple visits over more than two decades.”

 

"Due to recent reports from the region of West Africa on the threat of Ebola, Mercy Ships has decided to delay the departure of the Africa Mercy hospital ship from the shipyard  in the Canary Islands to Cotonou, Benin until 29th August 2014.  This will allow Mercy Ships to monitor the situation in the region and assess the feasibility of a safe field service in Benin.  Don Stephens, Mercy Ships President and Founder, has reiterated that “the safety of our crew is the most important element in this decision.  Mercy Ships remains committed to our continued service to the forgotten poor in Africa."

Peter Schulze
Managing Director
Mercy Ships

Not a Vacation but Refreshing

At the end of every field service, the ship needs a little (or sometimes big) tune up. Ships are not designed to sit in a port for 10 months and not move. It's kind of like taking your car and just driving it in bumper to bumper traffic all the time. Each year we have been with Mercy Ships, the Africa Mercy has come to the Canary Islands for its maintenance period. The Canary Islands are beautiful and do provide a chance to recharge after a long field service.  

For many, this is chance to go home for a bit or take a holiday somewhere. There is no hospital running and flights from Europe are much cheaper than flights from Africa. The work that goes on while we are in country is hard and stressful and feels non-stop and people take the rest that is needed before gearing up for the next field service. Our family did that last year, returning to the States for a month before I headed back to the ship to start the Congo field service. This year, since we only returned in March after Jack was born, we have stuck around for the maintenance period.

Last year, I was the only one of my staff to actually leave for an extended period so our finance functions went on without me. This year, most of my staff have either left the ship or are taking a much deserved break. So it was needed that I stay. This rest period has been anything but for me as I was doing many of the finance tasks that my staff usually does so well. As the director, I know how things work and the outcomes but until now was not as well versed in the details of the different roles. This has been quite the crash course. At one point, I was monitoring five different emails and officially had four positions on the ship. After this time, I am even more thankful for the wonderful staff I get to work with every day.

In addition, being here has allowed me to witness all the other incredible work that has been going on during our time here. The ship is a construction zone with all the different projects going on. The local shipyard personnel have repaired our rudders and propellers, cleaned and painted the hull, cleaned fresh water tanks, replaced our hospital flooring and other large projects. In addition we have many people come here just for this phase as projects assistants and provide the much needed TLC our ship needs. These projects people have done everything from replace pipes, lay new floor, replace ovens, rewire electrical, update equipment, welding and building furniture.  They do all this in quite uncomfortable conditions. The ship is out of the water and the services are diminished. Running water on the ship comes and goes. There is no ventilation and so it is very hot inside. Imagine doing construction work inside a tin can that sits in the bright sunshine for about 15 hours a day and doing that at times with no running water. All of our project people come from all over to work in a difficult environment so we can have an efficient, effective and comfortable environment to do the work we do the other 10 months of the year. There are people here in their 70s all the way down to twenty-somethings doing all of these things along side each other.

They have accomplished a ton. When we go into this phase we have three levels to accomplish. Level 1 has to get done. Level 2 is important but we can go on if it does not get done and Level 3 are things we don’t think we will get to but would be nice. We have had more staff this year than in a long time for this phase and they work hard. We are just about done with the Level 3 stuff and there is still over a week left.

Here comes the refreshing part. These projects personnel do this out of the limelight as well. This is not Africa, there is no hospital or patients and a much reduced crew. But there is joy in the work going on and I can tell they are proud to be a part of it. I like the fact that I do a job that is out of the spot light knowing my job is important so that the work of the hospital can be done. But I at least get to go down to the hospital, be with patients, hear them singing and meet the people and share stories that I am personally a part of. Our project assistants do not get any of that and that is okay with them. They gave up their time and money and come to do the necessary things without any of the stories.

Sometimes it's okay if there isn't a story. I need to remember that. I want God to do great things using me that creates great stories and He does, but it isn't about me. Sometimes God needs us to be the pages and the ink and the binder and such things. These things need to be there when the Author comes to write the stories.

Here is a couple of pictures to give you an idea of the transformation that happens to the ship during this time. This is just one example of all the work that is accomplished here.

   

Upon Arrival

Now

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!

 

Natache



You can't help spending time down on deck 3 (the part of the ship that houses the hospital) and not be changed.  The minute the black stairs turn into the green hospital floor, life changes. Lives change.  God is at work in this place and if we are too busy thinking about ourselves we miss it.  But then we take the time to step back and watch miracles unfold in the lives of people and we are, once again, amazed at the work Our Great Physician is doing on this ship of HOPE.

The week after we arrived back on the ship we met Natache.  This woman came to the ship with guarded hope.  Eight years ago she found herself pregnant out of wedlock and then lost the baby due to a prolonged labor. As a result she was left childless, alone and broken. AKA: rock bottom. She had suffered a horrific tragedy and all that she was left with was a condition called vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) due to the prolonged labor. She now had a small hole between her bladder and her vagina which caused her to be constantly incontinent.  The women who suffer from this illness are shunned and ashamed. They are outcasts and pushed aside. They see themselves as no longer being a "true woman". She has spent the last 8 years feeling this way.

From March 14th until yesterday we went as a family to visit Natache and the other VVF ladies in the ward. We tried to go at least 4-5 nights a week.  The girls begged to go down and hand out stickers. The women LOVED seeing the kids, especially Jack.  They passed him around and talked to each other about what a fat baby he is.  You could see their eyes light up when we came. Not because John and I are any fun, but because they were meant to be mommies and many of them had been robbed of that chance and now they got to be surrogate mommies to our children, if only for an hour a day.

 

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to Natache as she has been FULLY healed after 7 weeks and 2 surgeries! What a bittersweet day.  On the one hand, we are rejoicing with her that she has come to the ship and found the hope and healing she was longing for! And yet, our hearts break a little to know that we will likely not see her again this side of eternity.  She touched us.  She reminded us of why we are here.  She was an example to us of what the Lord can do in the lives of the broken and broken hearted.  She came feeling rejected and shunned and is leaving with a new hope!

Our last few nights with her were precious. We printed off some of the pictures we had with her and our family. Almost as an afterthought I put stickers on the back of them with verses from the Bible. You would have thought we'd given her diamond rings! She had the translator read the verses to her and she choked up at the realization that she was loved. Not just by us but by the God of the universe. She said she wanted to live her life by the truth of those verses. When was the last time I choked up reading God's promises to me?  What lessons we have learned by watching God take the broken and draw them to himself.  The story of these women is an amazing window into the heart of God.  We got to take a peek and we were blown away.

 

As I sat on the dock with her yesterday waiting for her ride we talked about what life would look like for her now.  She will live with her sister and her mother. She plans on going back to braiding hair to earn money. She hopes to marry someday but doesn't want to settle for someone who will not love her with the love she now knows she deserves.  She says that her time here has showed her God's love and she plans on reading her Bible and learning more about Him. I'm not sure where she was spiritually when she came to the ship but I know that she is leaving KNOWING that Jesus loves her and has a plan for her life.  She started crying when we talked about how God has given her a second chance. She says she will not waste it and I believe her. What a mighty God we serve and what a privilege to be a part of the work he is doing here.  Thank you, Natache, for touching our lives and pulling back the curtain for a peek through the window of God's heart. We will miss you.

Playing with a baby on the Ward

Stickers for the Ladies.

 

Dancing with Natache

         After the dress ceremony.

 We are not allowed to take video or pictures ourselves on the Ward for patient privacy but I was able to record this audio of the singing at Natache's dress ceremony! It was quite the party!

SO

So, its Easter and that moves us all in different ways. Easter here on board is a really special time. There are things going on but not so much that you feel overwhelmed by it all. It is a pretty cool time where we really come together as a ship family. It will be memorable for me as well as I have learned something that will probably stick with me for a long time. I came across something in a teaching I listened to in the last couple days that has really hit me hard. In John 13 as the last supper is beginning we read this passage of scripture. It is the very familiar washing of the feet.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that He had come from God and was returning to God; SO he got up from the meal took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet....

In the passage of scripture, the contrast on either side of SO is what stands out to me now. In one verse, it talks about Jesus being from God and having all the power in the world. In the very next phrase, Jesus is preparing to wash his disciples' feet. These are the same disciples that in a few hours will betray him or deny him or abandon him and Jesus knew they were going to do that.

It says right there that Jesus had all things under his power. He could have used that power to lecture his disciples or any number of things or even change what was going to happen in the next 24 hours. But instead, we get to the SO in verse 4.

SO, he got up from the meal took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet....

After acknowledging that he had all power, scripture tells us he chose to wash their feet. Jesus had all the power and authority to do anything and what did he do with it? He served. He served those who were going to really let him down really bad and really soon.

One of the reasons we are here is that I get to be an accountant and be in this place and be involved in the great work Mercy Ships does. The team I work with in finance are amazing and I do get to play with spreadsheets a lot. (Yes that is a good thing). In my past jobs, I did the analysis and just handed it off to the decision makers. New to me here, is that I make just about every spending decision. I feel the weight of that responsibility often. This responsibility sometimes leads me to feel like I am just getting in the way of the work everyone is trying to achieve. Money is a limited resource and my role is to manage that resource here on board which means saying "No" sometimes. I feel like the bad guy in the midst of all these good people doing really good work. I know that my role is needed and I do enjoy being an accountant and a CPA,  but sometimes I really just don't like the responsibilities that come with it. Sometimes I wish we had an endless supply of money that could be given out freely. Then I would get to say "Yes" all the time and not feel like a hindrance to all the amazing people I work alongside.

Sometimes God asks His followers to do things that are hard and the tasks themselves are not necessarily joy bringing. The joy will simply need to come from doing the task in obedience to the call. There are amazing things about being here. There is such joy in watching my girls grow up going to a hospital to hang out with patients and give them stickers as their after dinner activity. There is joy seeing the patients light up when our family enters the ward. There is joy in seeing my wife help save baby Alseny's life just because we were here at the same time as a baby who needed a mother's milk. There is joy in getting to play ultimate frisbee with an African sunset as the backdrop. There is joy working with my finance team. There is lots of joy to be found by being here and I get to receive that joy because of the calling God has given us. My role, which has tasks that may not always bring joy by themselves, is part of that call. Doing that job and taking the responsibility that comes with it, means I get to experience the joys I mentioned and so much more.

I missed a lot of joy in our first year because I was so focused on how hard things were. The joy is actually starting to be more evident because I am accepting that I must serve in order to receive the joy. Parts of my job are always going to be hard. But doing this job can bring joy because God has called me to do this job at this time in this place.

I will bet that Jesus got a lot of joy when he walked out of that tomb on Sunday morning, but prior to that he did hard things that were part of that call. Jesus took the power and authority that he had and still chose to serve. He served them that night by washing their feet and he served all of mankind the next day by laying down his life for all of us. After that, the joy came when he walked out of the tomb having conquered death and offering his children the ability to come unto him.

This Easter I have learned that joy comes from service and look forward to Easter Sunday now to celebrate the joy of getting to celebrate with the joy giver. The one who served and sacrificed before he conquered death, so I could experience the joy of life with Him here and in the age to come.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

 

Sent from Windows Mail

 

Clouds

We've been back on the ship for a week now and I really felt led to express my thoughts about this week.  Our very first week on the ship in July of 2012 was one of the hardest of our lives.  Adalynn and Cora were not sleeping and so we did not sleep. John's job was overwhelming. We had just moved our family to a ship!!  It was a really rough time for us.  We thought we were moving to the ship to be missionaries and that life would automatically be good and easy and we were SO wrong.  We were trying really hard not to approach this transition with dread.  This morning I read in my devotional about a movie that was being made about WWI and that they had to postpone filming for several days because there weren't any clouds in the sky.  The producer said that the aerial fight scenes wouldn't be the same with a blue sky. They needed clouds to give perspective and make the film better.  The devotion related this to life, that sometimes the clouds are needed to give us perspective.  We had those clouds and I am so thankful to say that this week back has been amazing and we recognize the perspective that those clouds gave us.

We learned a lot in this last year and I think we were able to approach this move back to the ship in a different light.  We didn't have the false idea that life would be perfect but we also didn't come feeling completely pessimistic.  I think we came knowing that life was not always going to be easy but that the Lord has led us here and he will carry us through whatever pitfalls we encounter.  We spoke with a lot of our friends and family about the prayers we needed to make it through this transition.  I am so grateful to say that we have felt God's peace and all those prayers answered so vividly.

I wanted to write this blog because I don't want to miss the opportunity to praise God for the amazing answers to prayer and peace that he has given us in this time.  Last night we all slept through the ENTIRE night!!  Yes, that means that I didn't wake up AT ALL for any of my children.  This is a huge milestone.  Time and time again John and I feel that we have been attacked with lack of sleep. I think it is one way Satan has brought us down as a family.  We knew going into a transition overseas with 3 children that lack of sleep was a very real possibility.  We did have 3 nights in a row of the girls waking up to play in the middle of the night (including Cora singing "If You're Happy and You Know it".... at midnight". Lets just say we did not clap our hands.)  But instead of becoming overwhelmed and down about it all we really took it in stride, blamed jet lag and made it through.  Now after one short week we are all sleeping well-Praise Jesus.

The girls have adjusted so well! They love school on the ship and they love all the constant attention.  When I ask them if they want to eat dinner in our cabin or down in the dining hall they both say they want to eat with "all the people".  The things we thought would be overwhelming and take them time to adjust to have been a breeze.  Once again, answered prayers and the Lord's faithfulness in carrying us through this time.  Jack has assumed his role as the "youngest crew member" very well. He is such a laid back baby and has really not missed a beat with all this transition.   I got to take a walk into town with him on Sunday with our friend Gretchen.  We walked to a little café about a mile or so from the ship.  We got ice cream and Jack was swept away immediately by the ladies running the café.  They carried him around for most of the hour we were there, talking to him and showing him to all their friends.  They then asked if we named him after Jack Bauer.  And that is why I love Africa!

So, thank you for your thoughts and your prayers. Thank you for your continued support.  We look forward to our continued transition back and look forward to learning more about what it means to see the Lord through the clouds of life.  We feel so blessed to be here and to be able to serve in this way with such an amazing group of people standing behind us.  We will do our best to keep you updated and hopefully soon give you a little taste of Congo.  But, for now, join us in praising God for his faithfulness and also enjoying some fun pictures of our first week back!

The girls ready to head to school.  Adalynn goes to the preschool and Cora to the nursery.  Both get to go 3 mornings a week from 9-12. Their classes join each other for snack and recess.

Saying "goodbye" to Jack before leaving for school.

Playing on "deck 8".  This is the top deck of the ship. They have a little jungle gym with a slide and some tricycles to ride around.  Adalynn was so excited that she was big enough now to pull Cora on this tricycle.

Swinging on "deck 7".  This is where they spend most of their time playing outside. It's where the school has recess too.  They love the swings. From here we have a view of the dock and the patients waiting to get onto the ship.

A view of the dock from deck 7.  The tents and patient waiting area is behind me the other way.

Dancing in the cabin after I got it finally all cleaned up and all our stuff put away.  It feels good to be back to our small home on the ship.

Saturday morning we took the girls swimming. There is a pool made from an old container on the top deck of the ship.  The girls had a great time!

Jack just sunbathed and slept by the side of the pool.

You can see all  the large ships all around us in the port from the view off the pool deck (and Jack chilling in the foreground).

Another view of the port from the pool deck. That green floor is "deck 8" where the girls were riding the bike.

Jack looking super grown-up! 

We made it!

 Thank you to all of you for your many prayers for our journey to Congo.  We arrived safely yesterday around 3pm Congo time (8am Colorado time).  From door to door it was 36 hours of travel. A feat we hope to never do again.  

To say that prayers were felt would be an understatement. We felt surrounded by the Lord's peace and calm. The girls did amazing and Jack pretty much slept and smiled the entire trip! We sat next to a family with triplets about Jack's age so we felt like we had it easy compared to them! We were able to get seats in the bulk-head with a bassinet. This was such a great blessing and allowed for a bit of extra room for the girls (and us) and a place for Jack to sleep.  He even enjoyed just lying in the bassinet and staring at the seatbelt and no-smoking lights :)  

We were exhausted when we arrived but we were able to have some dinner and go to bed at our normal bedtime. We all slept really well and felt a bit rested this morning.  Tonight was a harder night for the girls to get to sleep as I think they are experiencing the jet lag they were too tired to feel last night.  Please pray that they would adjust quickly so that they are not too tired over these next few days.

Our first day on the ship today was really good. Adalynn woke up this morning and really wanted to go to school.  She's been talking about her school for months and she couldn't wait to go back.  We weren't planning on them going to day, thinking they'd be so tired but she insisted and she had a great time. Cora ended up going to her nursery class for the morning as well. They meet up with Adalynn's class for snack and recess so they enjoyed that very much.  It was so sweet to reunite with so many of our ship friends.  People gave us a really amazing welcome. Our cabin was clean and the beds were all set up. They even hung our pictures up for us to make it feel like home (we had to take everything down while we were gone as others used our cabin).

We are excited about our transition back and continue to be thankful for your prayers for us during this time.

I've included some pictures from our travel below!

Also wanted to let you know how you can contact us.

Email:  is always a great way. This email is fine or you can send one to our personal emails if you prefer.  traceylwall@gmail.com or johnwall215@yahoo.com.

I Message: Our I-message account is johnwall215@yahoo.com

Phone: Our number is a Florida number so it is free to call us from your cell phone.  Just remember we are 7 hours later than you (if you are in Colorado).  Our number is 

954-538-6110 ext 6211.

Mail:  We love to receive mail!!  It is free for us to receive letters of any kind and they usually get here in a couple weeks!  Our address is:

The Walls

M/V Africa Mercy-Crew Mail

PO box 2020

Lindale, TX  75771

Packages: It costs us $8/lb to receive a package directly (ie: to above address) so if you want to send us something that will get here in 2-3 weeks we ask that you please include some money for the shipping costs to receive it.  If you want to send something that can get here in 2-3 months instead you can send it to the same address but include FOR CONTAINER ONLY and it will be free for us and arrive on our shipping container 2-3 months after you send it. Address it  like this:

The Walls

M/V Africa Mercy-FOR CONTIANER ONLY

PO Box 2020

Lindale, TX 75771

Adalynn watching a movie while eating!

Cora having fun with the iPad

Jack sleeping away in his bassinet.