Quite a Month

The view from where the Africa Mercy is quarantined. We are very fortunate. :)

I hope you all had a blessed (although different) Easter. I don't think I need to tell you that it's been quite a month for Mercy Ships--I think it's been "quite a month" for everybody, everywhere!

I wanted to provide an update from the Africa Mercy. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have additional questions!

The Ship's News

• During normal operations, the Africa Mercy relies on volunteers who arrive every week from all over the world in order to run the ship and the hospital at the highest, safest standards. As travel restrictions began to take effect to reduce the spread of the virus, the decision was made to suspend surgeries in Senegal, and the ship has been locked down since March 14.
• To reduce risk to the crew and the Senegalese health system, the decision was made to relocate the AFM to the Canary Islands, at least until the immediate crisis related to COVID-19 has passed.
• To be more specific, we are moored in the port of Granadilla, on the Island of Tenerife. Although this is a new port for the AFM, the ship has been to the Canaries many times for routine maintenance each year.
• As part of the national quarantine measures in Spain, we are not allowed to go on land.



A photo we took for a friend who was no longer on the ship

• There are currently 239 crew on board--down from over 400, plus 260 Senegalese Day Crew. We are all healthy and safe (and we can't complain about the view from our port). It still sounds like a lot of people, but the ship feels empty compared to normal.
• There are some very dear friends of Mercy Ships here in the Canary Islands named Thierry and Lydia. They take up many complicated and exceptional logistics questions on behalf of Mercy Ships, communicating with the government of Spain and the port and doing absolutely everything they can to make sure the crew of the AFM are taken care of. They are truly our Aquila and Priscilla.
• Mercy Ships is evaluating how the organization, given certain operational limitations, can be utilized to assist in the global COVID-19 response.

The ship arrived in Tenerife the morning of Tuesday, March 31st.

Financial Update

For AFM crew who are still on board, Mercy Ships has suspended monthly crew fees until August, which means my monthly expenses are lowered by about half at the moment.

Starboard side

If you are currently a monthly donor, I will be putting info on the Fundraising page of this blog, and I can send an email when there are updates, so be on the lookout for that. If you're not a monthly donor and want to stay in the loop in that way, let me know via email, WhatsApp, or social media and I will add you to that email list!

I know that for many people, finances are not as certain as they were a month ago, and perhaps there are a lot of questions about what to prioritize. At this time, I am grateful to share that I am financially "okay". If you need to make any adjustments to your monthly giving, you can contact Mercy Ships Donor Services during business hours (US Central time) and they can assist with that. For convenience, I've posted their contact info on the fundraising page.

Personal Update

Laurianna and I followed along to my friend's
yoga podcast. I can recommend it! You can find
the podcast by searching "Jessica Jeffcoat"
wherever you listen. We found it on Spotify.

Thank you for your continued, support, prayers, and encouragement! I'm doing well, and have enjoyed a long Easter weekend with the rest of the crew.

Work is keeping me occupied, but I am finding time for self-care. And although we cannot go on land, it sure is nice to look at! The photo at the top of the post is the view from the port side of the AFM. I've always loved watching wind farms. :)

Remember that time when we thought we had plans for April? HA. Originally, I was planning to take some time off this month to visit the US. From there, I was planning to return to the ship before travelling to Liberia in June with the Advance team to help prepare for the ship's arrival there in August. But as March progressed

• quarantine measures made travel impractical if not impossible.
• flights went from being great bargains to non-existent!



The ship hadn't seen rain since October!

• finally, the Dakar airport just closed. And that was that.

Now the only way to have plans is to hold them loosely, so that's where I am right now. Needless to say, the next five months will look very different than planned, and I'm sure you can relate. I am looking forward to seeing so many people the next time I visit the States. I'll just be a little late. ;)

Bonus factoid! 

In case you missed it, the Africa Mercy is not the same as the U.S.N.S. Mercy, which is a US Navy hospital ship operating in the port of Los Angeles. Just wanted to clear that up in case there was lingering confusion. Although I'm sure the crew of the Mercy could also use your prayers.

Truth for this time

When I think about the rapid changes of the past month, and our current period of waiting, I also think about how we have a God who created the universe and can do anything he wants. He chose to come to earth as a human for 33 years, then he died and went to hell and back in the span of three days--talk about rapid change! He did this so that we could be free forever.

Palm Sunday service on board

Even when we don’t experience freedom the way we’re used to, this weekend we got to celebrate our true freedom!

I've also been thinking, this is a period when most of us just don't get to rely on feeling "useful" in the way we're used to (unless, perhaps, you're working in an essential role, in which case, THANK YOU!).

As we go forward, how can we use this time differently than we did before? How can we use it to reflect God to those we're connected to, even if we don't see them in person?

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)

May god strengthen and encourage you each day as you have need. And let's not miss an opportunity to reach out in encouragement to others. We all need it.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Mid-March in Dakar, saying goodbye to departing crew on the dock.

Goodbyes are hard. :(

The pilot that steered the ship into Granadilla.

  

My friends knew I wanted to go snorkeling on my birthday, but we couldn't leave the ship, so they transformed one of the meeting rooms into an underwater scene! I was totally blown away--I felt so loved!

Just before sunrise on Easter morning.

Easter colors! We clean up alright ;)