Freetown Journals: December 2017

"Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him."

Mark 1:3

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation,

and increased their joy;

for to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:2-3,9

(Here's your soundtrack for this post. Press play and keep scrolling!)

Photo cred: Saul

Hey you! Merry Christmas. Our halls are decked, and I'm guessing yours are too! I went away one Saturday in early December, and came back to find a garland winding up the gangway and Christmas trees glittering throughout decks 5 and 6.

Two of our own, Michele and Renée, have both gone home to North America for some well-deserved personal time off for the holidays, but not before the communications team gathered in from our different corners of the ship for a family photo. Let me introduce the gang!

Photo cred: Saul

In the back, starting on the left, is Caleb (Videographer from Minnesota), Shawn (Photographer from Texas), Georgia (Writer from the UK), Renée (my Canadian partner in crime), Tammy (Creative Coordinator from Australia), Christiane (Translator from Cameroon), and Elisabeth (Medical Photographer from Cameroon).

In the front is Rose (Writer from the UK), me (hi!), Michele (Communications Director from California), and Saul (Photographer from Congo).

Midships decked out for Christmas--let it snow!

I'm not gonna lie, work has kind of felt non-stop for the last couple months, and I almost wish I had an extra day tacked onto the end of this week to finish up a couple last things. I'm accepting suggestions for what to name this new 8th day of the week.

On the other hand, what a great opportunity to flex my "rest-when-life-won't-just-stop-for-you" muscle. And no better time to be fully present in the "now" than Christmas time on the ship.

Because the crew come from over 30 different nations, the month of December means celebrating Christmas traditions from all over the world. Early in the month, the whole crew left their shoes outside of their cabins so that Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa) could fill them with treats!

A post shared by Vijfaanboord Van Mercy Ships (@vijfaanboord) on Dec 4, 2017 at 1:17pm PST

Sinterklaas climbing the gangway

But it didn't stop there. The next day, Sinterklaas came to visit the ship. After gathering in the Cafe, everyone went up to Deck 7 to watch as Santa arrived at the ship and climbed up the gangway. He had a couple of his helpers in tow, still covered in soot, no doubt from a recent chimney excursion. ;)

Okay, forget the kids, by the time he was walking on board, I was jumping up and down too!

The following week, the Scandinavian crew gave a Santa Lucia performance. Before being forced to marry a wealthy man she did not love, Santa Lucia ran away and devoted her life to serving the poor by bringing food by the light of candles carried on her head. She is remembered around the world for her faith and martyrdom. The crew lined the cafe and balcony above to listen, and the music plus the atmosphere that the candles created gave me goosebumps--it was so beautiful!

The following night, the crew, along with a few patients, gathered on the dock near the bow for Carols by Candlelight--a tradition from Australia. Events like these make me especially thankful for the A/V volunteers on board who work so hard to make them possible! Instruments, microphones, amps, and a bell choir setup were all brought down the gangway for the occasion.

Last but not least, Did you know that there is a Youth Group on board? Let me tell you, they are the bomb, and I am lucky enough to be one of their fearless leaders every Tuesday night. Early on this month, we piled into some Land Cruisers and took the gang to Limbe, a beach town roughly two hours from Douala. We swam in the waves, threw frisbees, and got covered in sand, then returned with the sunset at our backs, tired and salty and happy.

For the last Youth gathering of the year, we got together for a Christmas party and watched a very interesting documentary about the Star of Bethlehem. It's about an hour long and I would highly recommend it! I'll end with a few gems from the photo booth that Shawn set up: