Our "5 Things" to Share in April

1. We are nearing the end of our service on board.

It is a bit surreal to be leaving the ship so soon, but it is a transition we have been preparing for during the past few of months, and we are both looking forward to this next chapter!

Many goodbyes, and now it's almost our turn!

In terms of leaving the ship community, I can say that I have been on board long enough to have seen many long-term friends leave the ship before me. I can honestly say I do not feel like I am losing a community when I leave the ship, but just joining another part of it, the part that lives all over the world! I have several Mercy Ships friends who even live in Minnesota!

After a period of resettling in Minnesota, I will also be starting a new (remote and non-volunteer) job with the Mercy Ships US office, as a Recruitment Coordinator. I'm looking forward to using my experience on the ship to help other people as they prepare to serve on board!

2. Kate will be home in May, Jay-B will come later.

We could use prayers for logistic details to fall into place in God's perfect timing, including scheduling key appointments, transitioning to new insurance, finding the right apartment at the right time, wedding preparations, and for Kate starting her new job in 1-2 months.

Kate doing a shadow shift in one of the
wards in preparation for her upcoming role!

3. Our wedding is coming up, but the visa process makes planning difficult. For that reason, we'd usually prefer to talk about something else instead.

Easter Morning on the GLM

The visa process is country- and visa-specific, very complex, and quite a mouthful to describe. We appreciate that questions and advice are always well-intentioned, but the kindest thing most people can do is be one less person bringing our minds and conversation back to the topic of visas. Our ask would be to please wait for us to share updates ourselves!

That being said, we are both feeling optimistic and like to look on the bright side. Making an international transition sometimes requires flexibility, but this is nothing we haven't tackled before. These are "light and momentary troubles", and a year from now, the visa process will be behind us. We will be enjoying married life, putting down roots, making new connections and enjoying time with old friends--and we can't wait.

If you do bump into Kate back in Minnesota, here are some great questions to ask instead of asking about the visa process!

• What was a highlight of the past field service for you?

I recently had the opportunity to spend
a couple of mornings helping a local
women's clinic with an archiving project
with other ship volunteers!

• What makes Sierra Leone unique out of all of the countries where you have worked?

With fellow crew on a recent visit to the Sierra
Leone Peace Museum.

In the archive room where they store testimonies
from Sierra Leone's civil war.

• What did you learn in your role as Sales Manager?

The Sales Team serving in the Cafe on Easter morning!

• What are you up to now that you're home?

Friends visiting our "neighborhood" (Kate's term) on the ship
during a recent "open cabin" event.

4. If you would like to continue supporting Mercy Ships by supporting their volunteers, we know two!

 Jay-B is still on board and will continue his volunteer service with the Staff Development department on the Global Mercy until the visa process is complete, at which point he will also relocate to the US. He is still fundraising, and his donation page is here.

Celebrating Kate's birthday last month!

A friend of Jay-B's, Raymon, with whom he worked on the Rehab team when the Africa Mercy was in Benin, is also preparing to re-join the organization and is seeking financial supporters! It was a joy to hear about his desire to rejoin, and we would like to share about his journey with our network. You can read a bit more about Raymon here.

Our friends Raymon and Dean when they were
working together on the AFM Rehab team

As mentioned earlier, Kate is concluding her volunteer service with Mercy Ships. If you have a recurring donation set up through Mercy Ships, please contact Mercy Ships Donor Services to redirect or stop your donation. They can be reached at 903-939-7080 or donor.svc.manager@mercyships.org.

5. We are incredibly grateful for your support!

No blog post is long enough to say "thank you" for your support for both of us, whether through prayer, words of encouragement, and financial support. We have been consistently blown away by the thoughtfulness and good will of our "village", and do not know where we would be without you. God always provides, but the fact that he chose you to support us in this calling is a big deal to us, and we are truly grateful to have partners in mission like you. Thank you.

With our worship team on Deck 11 before a 
recent outdoor service.