2 weeks working on the Africa Mercy

It has been 2 weeks since I started working on the ship, it has been interesting coming to grips with the way things are done here! I have been working on the plastics ward, which is great as that's what I do back at home, they may have different ways of doing dressings and paperwork but ultimately the goal is for the wounds to heal which is the same as at home!! The patients are great, they welcome you and make you feel like you have known them for a long time! It will be sad to see them go at the end of this week as the hospital closes. The hospital is closing so we can get things ready to sail, this means double bleaching everything and then securing them so they don't go flying around when we are sailing!!! Next week it will be cleaning time. We are heading to Ghana first for Christmas and then to Togo in January to start a new field service.

I was working yesterday morning; a Sunday, back at home at work I would be thinking I'm missing church, and would rather be there..... But I am sooo pleased that I am here; they had a church service on my ward, it was great. One side of the ward was packed with patients from other wards and staff from the ship. As it was the last Sunday for the hospital they had a worship time and a testimony time. It was great to hear the patients saying thanks to God and how their lives are changed through Mercy Ships!

When I have time I have been able to go to the market and walk around the town, it's so busy but it's easier to walk to places than to drive; the traffic is terrible. The only problem with walking is that you have to dodge the cars, motorbikes, carts and the rubbish lining the streets! It makes for fun times!

This photo is taken from the dock where the ship is. You can actually see this scene from the ship. It serves as a reminder to me of why we are here; to bring hope and healing to the poor.



Better let you know were I am living... I am in a 6 berth cabin, on deck 3, this means there are no windows. The positive thing is that the hospital is on the same deck, so I can roll out of bed and walk down the corridor and I am at work, it beats the M4! One of the things I have to learn is how to share a bathroom with 5 other people, and making sure not to wake up my bunk mate at 6:30 in the morning, especially when I am on the top bunk! It is very different to living in my own house! Space is limited in these cabins, so most of my time is spent out in the common areas. This a good place to meet crew and play games. The conversations are interesting as currently there are 30 nations represented on ship, but thats for another time!

Yarm's Farm Word of Life School, Sierra Leone

After a long journey on 4 differents planes we landed in Sierra Leone at 5 in the evening. The first step out of the plane and I am hit with the heat (especially the humidity) and the smells, and I feel I have come home and I realise in that moment how I have missed those smells that only come from Africa!
We all pile into 2 poda poda's which are van's that really should only sit about 8 people but at times here can fit 20! All our luggage is all loaded on top of these - this is when I am praying that all our luggage gets there in one piece! We are taken to a small car ferry for the hour long ride to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone! Thunder and lightining guide our way there, no rain yet but its coming!
We arrive in Freetown with all our suitcases somehow they have made it! Then it's a small ride to the ship where we are greeted by food! We don't have long onboard as it's now raining and we need to get to Hope Centre, were we are staying for the next 2 weeks - it's about 45 min drive in good traffic! Fortunately we have a good drive there and we settle into our dorms. The girls, all 12 of us sharing a dorm and the boys sharing the other. The Hope Centre is a beautifull place. We have power from 7 in the evening to 7 in the morning, that means we can cool down at night with the fans blowing; a very good thing after a hot day out in the sun!!

The next day we have a sleep-in as recovery from jet lag! We eventually make our way to Yam's Farm, it's a small fishing village and their main source of income is bringing in sand from the sea and selling it for construction.
The area is very poor, they have no electricity and they get their water from various wells. After a very bumpy ride we get to the school and we are greeted by 250 screaming children all wanting to hold our hands. An incredible moment!! We are then introduced to the Pastor who is also the principle of the school. He shows us around the school which consists of one room with 6 classes in. All the benches are squeezed in, and you wonder how they can teach all these kids in different grades in one room. Then we are showed around the construction site where we are going to help build the extension to the school! 
Four of us were in the children's ministry, this meant teaching the primary school in the morning. We had planned a few lessons before we got there, and we had also got some things we would leave at the school which they could use. We bought a world map, in a school of 271 only a few had ever seen a world map, even the teachers were amazed. How simple things we take for granted in our country to them it's an amazing thing to see. It was great to see the children's eyes glued to the map and to what we were teaching!

After lunch we would join the rest of the team on the construction site. The jobs included making bricks from scratch, digging and more digging, shovelling sand from one place to the other. It was great to see the school extension go up, unfortunately it's not finished yet, but hopefully will go to see the school before we leave Sierra Leone and it would be great to see it finished!
It was hard work at site and it was very hot, at the end of the day we were all drenched in sweat, cement and sand! As a team we all got on really well, supporting each other and enjoying the time we had together as a group.
During the weekends we were able to relax and enjoy the beaches! They are soooo beautiful here, it was nice to be able to swim and go walking on the hot sand :)

In the 2 weeks we were there, we were able to teach at 2 other local schools, this was a great chance to show the love of God. They were very gratefull for us coming and spending time with them. It was a great experience for me, which I will never forget!

Sorry for not having many photos; on the ship it takes a long time to download them. See my facebook for more pictures!
I will write another blog to let you know how are things going here on the ship!

Africa Mercy

Hi all!!!
At last I have internet access! This is a quick note to let you know I am now on the SHIP!
The last 2 weeks as a team we have been in Sierra Leone working on a school, my days were full with teaching in the morning and then helping with building work in the afternoon. We were there to help build an extension to the school. It has been a great 2 weeks, tiring and hot but very rewarding! I will write more later when I get more settled in!

Packing time, again!!!

Yes it's time again to pack my stuff into bags as we are leaving Texas tomorrow to go to Sierra Leone. It's an exciting time!! This is what I have been preparing for.
The first 2 weeks we will be on field service, this means helping out in the community of Yams Farm, inland from Freetown.. I am part of the children's area. I'll be teaching and playing games with the children from the local school. The rest of the time we are going to be building an extension to the school. This should be fun, as I really have no idea!! I should have had lesson's from my Dad!!! Oh well!!!! During this time I will not have internet acces, so I will not be able to update my Blog :(

I better tell you what I have been up to for the last week.
We had our basic safety training. This included firefighting, first aid, and how to safely evacuate a ship!!!! We had a a practical session in the pool for this, it was to say at least good fun, but also hard work!!! We all passed the training with flying colours!

This last Sunday we went to the Cross Brand Cowboy Church. It was a great time, they were very welcoming and invited us all to have lunch with them! So we had good Texan food of Chilli and cornbread! I actually thought I could easily become a cowgirl!!!! Yee-haw!

Today was our last day of Gateway. We had to all do a final presentation. We all went so well and was at times emotional. I realised how much I have learned by being here and that it's time for the next step! I am very excited to be going and really feel God has led me to this point. Please pray that as a group we travel safely to Sierra Leone and that we have a great time learning and being an impact in the community.
That's all for now from Texas... I hope ya'll pray for me now!!

Fire Fighting!

Today we started with basic safety training (BST). First thing we do is get training on Fires, this meant trying on the breathing equipment that firemen use! It was to say the least very funny, but we all got them on under a minute. Tomorrow we will get tested for it!!!
We also tried on a fireman's uniform which was very hot! We got to choose a helmet, got some big trousers with braces, a jacket, boots - snug with enough room for socks and a balaclava (flash hood) to make the fireman uniform complete!! Tomorrow we get to practice fire fighting techniques, unfortunetly we are not allowed to have real fires as there is still a fire ban. They are going to have a smoke machine, it wont be the same but it should be fun!

The rest of the week will be first aid training and sea survival. It is nice to be doing something practical as the last 4 weeks have been in a classroom!

That is all for now, but watch this space for more funny pictures!

Thank you

We have had some really good teaching the last few days on worldview which is preparing us to work and live in different cultures with different beliefs. Today we ended one class with saying "Thank you to Jesus", and I thought it would be a good time to say "Thank you to all you amazing people that support me in prayer and financially." It means a lot to me that I have people praying for me but also helping me financially; without it I would not be here. For those who don't know, I am volunteering with Mercy Ships. I don't get paid, and as part of the nursing team I actually have to pay for accomodation and food. This trip has been a step of faith for me, and so far God has been amazing in the preparation and provision.
If you have it on your heart to support me then contact me via facebook or email. Or even go to Mercy Ships UK and my designatioon code is #3083. And once again a HUGE thankyou to you!!

And just for fun this is what I saw today a wild Pig!!

another week gone past!

Hi y'all
Well another week has flown by. It has been another full week of classes, this week it was on personal and interpersonal development. It was good teaching on living in a community! So living on Mercy Ships should be easy sailing!!!!!
We are having group sessions for our field service in Sierra Leone; we are going to be working in a community for 2 weeks before joining the crew on the ship. So we are getting prepared for this time, please pray that we get everything organised and ready to go, so we can work amongst the Sierra Leonians, and be a blessing to them.
As a group we have really come together, and that has been such a blessing. This weekend we were able to go to the Largest Flea Market in the World, I must admit I was skeptical at first, but by the 4th hour of being there, I could see why they call it that!
This sunday I have been able to relax and recharge my batteries, which I needed as I have been struggling with a bad cold for the last week. So feeling better, went out for a drive to see a bit of our surroundings, so I am ready now for this week.