Working while we wait

The Windmills admire a beautiful Granadilla sunset.

I'll admit that the past few months have been difficult to put into words. But hopefully in this update I can bring you up to speed on the highlights.

Besides being on a completely new ship, and everything that brings with it (more on that at the end of this post), one of the other major differences between 2020 and today is getting to enjoy much more freedom on our little island home! Far from being in lockdown, during our free time, the ship's crew can now come and go from the port, swim, hike, eat in restaurants, visit businesses, and explore the beautiful place that God provided for us more than two years ago, at a time when we had literally no where else to turn.

The natural beauty of Los Christianos, one of the beautiful
coastal towns on Tenerife.

In June, the Global Mercy sailed from Tenerife down to Dakar to moor alongside her little big sister, the Africa Mercy, for one month. While there, we were able to welcome a number of Medical Capacity Building trainees into the hospital. This was a very significant milestone in the life of the Global Mercy--her first time in West Africa, supporting the local healthcare system by providing training to its professionals. Many of the crew had never been to Africa, and we could not have been more excited.

While the two ships were together, Mercy Ships hosted several African Presidents and Ministers of Health for a visit of the Global Mercy. It was an incredible honor to welcome these guests on board. 

Following that visit, Mercy Ships had organized a very meaningful ceremony to symbolize the Global Mercy joining the Africa Mercy in service, and the crew of both ships were able to participate in the celebration. With a prayer and a vase of flowers smashed against the bow, the Global Mercy was christened. 

After the christening, the senior leadership of each ship took turns carrying two torches, which themselves were beautifully and very thoughtfully crafted from pieces of previous ships in the Mercy Ships fleet. The first torch was lit and carried down the gangway of the Africa Mercy, across the dock, to light the second torch beside the gangway of the Global Mercy. In the background, the Academy students and members of the ship choir (called the Key of Sea!) led the crew in singing "This Little Light of Mine". You can watch a wonderful video of the torch lighting here!

Lead maxillo-facial surgeon Dr. Gary and AFM Managing
Director Bernard participated in a torch-lighting ceremony
to symbolize the GLM joining the AFM in service.

Looking back at the Africa Mercy as we sailed away from Dakar.

On the first of July, we waved goodbye to the Africa Mercy and set sail. A few days after arriving back in Tenerife, the third and final phase of Global Mercy equipping began. There are some major projects that need to be completed before the ship will be ready to receive patients for surgical care.

To give you a snapshot of what equipping looks like, I have a story to share. One week I noticed that the temperature of the water coming out of my faucet ranged from hot to steaming hot. I mentioned this to another crew member, who confirmed that this was definitely not normal, so I submitted a maintenance ticket. The next time I came down to deck 6, every plumbing cabinet in my hallway was open. Apparently I had unearthed an issue that spanned my entire neighborhood!

This is all just part of the territory when you're working on a newly-delivered ship! I am encouraged by the thought that every single problem that we solve now is a problem that we don't have to solve while also caring for patients in the hospital.

Most of the equipping work is concentrated in the hospital on decks 3 and 4. Up on deck 8, where I work, it could look like not much is changing. But there is an equally important mission that is harder to see. The ship community is establishing the culture on board. As we are figuring out "how we do things around here", we pray that God will give us wisdom to use this time well, and to establish momentum in the direction we want to walk. It's slow work, but deepening this community's roots can and will have generations of impact.

"If the root is holy, so are the branches."
Romans 11:16

So while the crew are understandably eager to be back in West Africa, doing what the ship was designed to do, there is plenty of work to do between now and then.

To those that have prayed for good health for the crew, thank you--God has heard! We have had a number of COVID cases on board, which would be very hard to avoid in a ship environment, but none of the cases have been severe, for which we are very grateful.

To those that have prayed for safety, thank you--God has heard! In both our work and our play, the crew have stayed safe.

To those that have prayed for this new community on the Global Mercy, thank you--God has heard!

To those that have prayed for wisdom for how to do this work well, thank you--those prayers are always needed!

Welcome Back

I pulled the Land Cruiser into the Port of Dakar around 6:20am on February 1st. In the pre-dawn stillness, I killed the engine and gazed ahead in slight disbelief. The dock in front of me had been cleared of the rebar, rice, and flatbed trucks that had covered it just a few days prior, and would be transformed again in a few short hours.

Welcome back to Berth 14.

Before long, the sun came up. The first group to join me were Day Crew, all alumni who had worked with the ship before. They were there to set up the dockside infrastructure that would soon help us welcome patients from around the country. I was especially excited to see Ka, who I knew from the previous field service. (Ka also appears in this post from February 2020!)

Welcome back to Mercy Ships, friends.

Morning devotions with the team at our apartment.

By God's design, there are some seasons of life where grace carries us through one day at a time. Many people have experienced this reality in deeper valleys than I've ever walked, but my team got a taste of it in January. It was a month that seemed to last one day and a whole year at the same time. Arrival day was barreling towards us, and thinking of all that had to be accomplished in time was a bit overwhelming! Through unexpected challenges, exhaustion, and late nights of work, we found ourselves frequently leaning on God for our daily bread. 

To those that prayed for me and the team in Dakar, thank you. When we were working and waiting for one more appointment, one more phone call, or one more authorization, we were frequently reminding each other to trust God. Trust that He would come through in His perfect way, in His perfect timing. It's a nice thought on paper. In practice, the waiting can be torture!

Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
-Psalm 9:10

Recognizing the silhouette of the Africa Mercy in front
of the Pilot boat was a highlight of the day!

Despite the struggle, February 1st did come. It was a day filled with greetings, hugs, photos, a portable toilet delivery, a lunch run for the dockside teams, one very exciting boat ride out to meet the Africa Mercy and drop off the Pilot who would guide her into the port, more hugs and photos, and an arrival ceremony hosted by the Senegalese Ministry of Health. Any exhaustion from the preceding weeks was replaced by a sense of victory, and pure joy! 

Welcome back to Senegal, Africa Mercy!

That's one excited Advance team!

Almost two years after the ship left, arrival day felt like the perfect answer to all of our waiting, questions, and prayers. Mercy Ships will be able to fulfill its promise to the people of Senegal, and our team could not be more honored to have played a part in it.

(To see more photos and videos from arrival day, I saved it as a highlight on my Instagram page.)

With our work as an Advance team winding down, each of us was preparing for their next step. Several members of my team moved onto the Africa Mercy to serve in roles on board, while others prepared to return home and continue in their roles as part of the Country Engagement Team. 

One last team dinner before we parted ways.

Arriving in my cabin

As for me, there was a period of uncertainty, and periodic conversations with the HR team about where I might land post-Advance. After much prayer and deliberation, I accepted a role as the Executive Assistant on the newest member of the Mercy Ships fleet, the Global Mercy.

Welcome back on board, Kate.

The job title may be familiar from my time on the Africa Mercy, but it comes with a new ship, a new team, and an unusual schedule for the next year that bears little resemblance to the seasonal rhythms that I had come to know by heart.

While the Africa Mercy is actively treating patients and training Senegalese medical professionals, the Global Mercy is still getting equipped for service, and won't be ready to welcome its first patient for almost another year. But the preparations being made now will be crucial when the time comes for her to follow in the AFM's footsteps.

I boarded the GLM at the end of a months-long equipping phase in Antwerp, Belgium. From there we sailed to Rotterdam for a two-week PR stopover. During that time, the ship welcomed tens of thousands of guests to see the new ship first hand. 

Quality time with old friends has been a 
highlight of Rotterdam.

Among many visitors who were discovering Mercy Ships for the first time (yay!), there was also an astonishing number of Mercy Ships alumni who made their way to Rotterdam to see the new "baby" in person. 

Running into old friends, I habitually exclaimed "welcome back!" and then immediately laughed because we were on new ship in a new country. Welcome back to what, exactly? But it was understood immediately. 

Welcome back to this community. 

Leave it to your old friends to make a new ship feel like home.

On Tuesday, the Global Mercy departs for the island Tenerife, to moor in the same port where the Africa Mercy spent almost two years preparing for its return to Senegal. I will write more about the ship's schedule in my next post.

Exploring the hospital with

my friend Irma.

Despite the distance, whether by offering surgery and training or by welcoming visitors to take a tour and hear stories, we are united around one cause. Far beyond Dakar and Rotterdam, we want to participate in God's epic plan to heal the world.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
-Psalm 33:11

Even if we could make all our plans run like clockwork (LOL, we can't.), treat all the patients, train all the local surgeons, and raise all the funds, God is the one who brings true healing. May you experience it this week, as well. Blessings to you, friends, and glory to God!

For health reasons, we still don't do communal singing indoors, but we
can worship outdoors. In Belgium and the Netherlands, that meant bundling up!

Entering a lock on our way out of Antwerp.

Arrival day in Rotterdam

Visiting two former youth students in Delft

Hope and Healing and Plumbing Supplies

When asked how things are going in Dakar, I'll often say, "We're definitely not bored!" Here is a snapshot of what we've been up to since I arrived in October.

A Wolof lesson on the roof.
Our teacher is a Christian woman named Fatou.

It's less than five weeks until the Africa Mercy returns to Dakar. On the ship, there is palpable excitement at each mention of arrival day. The crew have been waiting for so long to get to Africa, and for many of them it will be their first time on the continent!

Chelsea and Becky working from the living room.
Always another email or phone call!

But if you mention the countdown to arrival day to the Advance team, we'll probably say, "SSH! Not yet!" There are A LOT of details involved in getting the ship back to Senegal. So much has already been accomplished, but we are still far from done! 

Chelsea and Jay-B, AKA the HR team, have interviewed and offered jobs to hundreds of Day Crew candidates who will be trained in January. Processes are being put in place to ensure the crew meet Senegal's immigration and health requirements, and that our supplies and equipment can be cleared by customs. 

Teaching a group of future Day Crew about
vehicle safety checks before their driving test.

As Port Liaison, I've been working with the Harbor Master and my talented coworker, Val, to make sure the ship will have fresh produce, water, and waste removal services. We've contacted several partners to source materials that our technical departments might need while the ship is in Dakar, like ball bearings and plumbing supplies. I also met with another local mission group that we have worked with in the past. Their welders are going to make around 100 meters of fencing for our dock space. Crew arriving by plane will be required to quarantine for two nights. To prepare, we met with a number of hotels and taxi companies to find the ones that will be the right fit for this process during the field service.

In between all these tasks, I've been able to do one of my favorite things: scouring the local markets to help find fabrics for various purposes. Soon some of it will be turned into privacy curtains for the dockside tents, and some will be what our team wears for arrival day!

On the hunt for ball bearings
in Marché Sandaga.

As we work to re-establish contact with our partners from the previous field service, and introduce Mercy Ships to some new potential partners, I've found myself face-to-face with hotel directors, travel agents, mechanics, organic farmers, and dear friends at a local craft market.

But it's one thing to be able to schedule meetings, gather info, and confirm the logistics with these potential partners. We could check off all of the details surrounding the ship's return and still miss the mark, if we are not also sharing our Why.

Why does Mercy Ships go to all this trouble to visit a country? Because God has an epic plan to heal the world.

Surrounded by toilets, sharing about
hope and healing!

I didn't want to get lost in the details and forget to share the Why, so I gave myself this challenge: Assume everyone you meet is waiting to hear about hope and healing. 

And that's how I ended up sitting in the back of a plumbing store, completely surrounded by toilets, sharing a video about Ousseynou and Assane, two Senegalese orthopedic patients, with a Commercial Manager I had just met.

Can't say I could have predicted that one.

Not in my wildest dreams.

This visit could have been a three-minute stop. But that woman and many others were touched to hear the twins' story. Suddenly, our conversation was no longer about plumbing equipment. It was about shared humanity and how love makes lives go from broken to healed.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

-Ephesians 3:20

Out to lunch after the Day Crew driving tests.
(Daniel, Linda, Jay-B, me, Chelsea)

As I thanked her for her time, the woman I was meeting with expressed sincere appreciation for the work Mercy Ships is doing in Senegal, and then I got to thank her for the way their business had already supported our mission of hope and healing during our previous field service!

I hope you enjoyed a little taste of what we've been up to here in Dakar in the last few weeks. Thank you for your prayers and support. God has heard, and he has been our helper. Doors are opening and mountains are moving.

For the last two weeks of the year, we have all been enjoying a break from our preparatory tasks to celebrate Christmas and New Years. I just returned from a week on the Africa Mercy, where I had the opportunity to visit with many friends who I haven't seen in person since I left the ship a year and a half ago. Together we celebrated Jesus' birth with storytelling, reflective videos, and worship. It still felt like home there, which was a encouragement and a blessing for me.

Happy new year!

One more team photo in Dakar before we parted ways for the holidays!
(Jay-B, Linda, Daniel, Chelsea,
me, Val, and Becky)