Sail Date Delayed

(August 8-12)

Well, after the wonderful anniversary, I started my three-day work weekend; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Here is the port in which we are currently docked:

Saturday, after work, Joe and I were invited to go for a scenic drive with some friends who rented a car for the weekend.  I thought since this would be my only weekend in Tenerife, I should take advantage despite my tired state.  We simply picked a road and drove for several hours:

We stopped an interesting lookout point.  I am not really sure what the buildings were originally.  One of our friends thought it was a military base many, many years ago.  The view was certainly stunning!

We drove further along the road, then chose a smaller road to follow.    The road was narrow.  So narrow, in fact, we had to back up and find an open parallel parking space to make room for an upcoming bus.  We stopped at the end of the road which was in the middle of a small town, Igueste de San Andres, nestled into the side of the mountain.

I could seriously live here!  The weather was perfect, the company wonderful.  

On Monday morning (August 11), we had the other mandatory meeting.  Thursday's meeting is usually a community meeting - worship and speaker.  Monday's is a communications meeting - providing information to us that we will need for the week.  

This particular Monday, the Managing Director (MD) shared some news that significantly impacts us.  The sail date to Benin is delayed.  We are supposed to leave this Friday, August 15.  However, we will not be leaving until August 29.  The International Management Team (IMT), or (as I call them) the higher-ups, want more time in order to evaluate the Ebola situation that is going on in west Africa.  Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria all have confirmed cases of Ebola.  As of the 11th, there are two suspected cases of Ebola in Benin.  Blood samples have been sent to Europe for confirmation.  There are confirmed cases in Nigeria at this time, but all are traced directly back to the American that flew into the Lagos airport from Liberia.  No new cases have appeared.  But still, the Nigerian border is less than 50 miles from our marina, and the borders are not tightly controlled as they are in the U.S.A.

The main concern for the IMT is the safety of the ship.  The Africa Mercy is not equipped to handle cases of Ebola.  Treating Ebola requires specialized equipment and training, neither of which we possess.  We are a hospital ship equipped for certain types of surgeries.  Unfortunately, many people are likely to show up who do not understand the difference.  We are more likely to be putting ourselves at risk than helping the situation.  I have included Mercy Ship's official statement at the end of this blog.

In other news, we have finally gotten our refrigerator and TV for the room!  No, we will not have access to actual TV channels.  The TV will only be used for movies.  Both bring a sense of normalcy and home to our little cabin.  But we have still not gotten our third bag yet from the airline.  We have been trying to call, without success.  The Purser's office will now be making inquires on our behalf, as we have been unable to reach any employee by telephone.  It's now been just over a week without this bag!!

Here is Mercy Ship's official statement:

As its hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, prepares to leave for its ten-month mission to perform life-changing surgeries and train local healthcare professionals in Benin, West Africa, Mercy Ships continues to be acutely aware of the Ebola situation in the region. The organization is taking appropriate steps to protect its volunteers and staff. In April, Mercy Ships redirected its upcoming mission from Guinea to Benin out of caution for the safety of its crew. Benin has no reported cases of Ebola. 

The Africa Mercy is the world's largest civilian hospital ship, designed to operate as a surgical specialty hospital. It is not configured to provide the type of treatment required by Ebola patients.  In addition to having changed its itinerary, Mercy Ships has also implemented strict travel restrictions to the affected areas and will continue to monitor the situation closely, making programmatic adjustments as needed.

Founder Don Stephens commented, “The well-being of our patients and dedicated crew is our greatest priority. It is fundamental to our continued service to the forgotten poor in Africa. Our prayers go out for the countries impacted by Ebola. These are places and people we know well because we have served them in multiple visits over more than two decades.”

We will continue to update you...

Life in the Galley

Life aboard the big white hospital ship.

This week, I have spent a lot of time cutting vegetables.  Yes, you read that correctly, cutting vegetables.  

Sunday was a blissful day of rest and unpacking.  I unpacked every last pocket of our carryon luggage, hoping to make our cabin a little more like a home than a hotel room.  We also took a tour of the ship, which is also required by the previously mentioned official maritime organization of whose name I still cannot recall.  There is a good-sized library considering it is aboard a ship.  But, I suppose, people traveling home are likely to leave behind a few books in order to make room and weight for other items.  

The ship is smaller than I thought.  I am not in anyway disappointed.  I looked at several blogs and, of course, the Mercy Ship website, and the dining room and cafe areas look huge!  But, instead, it is just a comfortable size.

And, my loved ones, do not worry.  There are plenty of lifeboats aboard!

Here is the beautiful port in Las Palmas where we happened to be docked:

I was hoping to use Monday to get a few details in order before reporting to duty.  However, at breakfast, I discovered that everyone was given a note or personally spoke with their superiors and knew exactly where they should be and when.  But I was lost!  So after a visit to the ship's bank to set up an account, I went straight to Human Resources.  The HR Manager, Henry, immediately escorted me to the heart of the galley.  

Side note here:  There are some mariner terms that should be reviewed.  The Africa Mercy is a ship, not a boat (engineers and captains are very particular about this!).  Embarkation is to go onboard a marine vessel.  The galley is the kitchen.

So, here I was in the kitchen, being handed a work shirt and apron.  When the chef told me I needed closed-toed shoes, I was flabbergasted.  I had no other shoes yet!  Instead I had to use a pair of shoes left behind by a previous galley worker.  They were a size too big, so it was slightly uncomfortable, but I soldiered on, determined to do my job.  So, I cut vegetables in my too-big shoes.

Galley work is hard work.  My scheduled is as follows: 

Week 1: work Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 

Week 2: work Wednesday and Thursday

Repeat.

I was exhausted after only two days in the galley.  I was also experiencing jet lag.  Meanwhile, one bag arrived on Sunday afternoon and a second late Sunday night.  

On Tuesday afternoon, we sailed from Las Palmas on the Gran Canaria island to Santa Cruz de Tenerife on the Tenerife island.  It took almost five hours.  I had been worried Joe would get seasick, even though this sail was supposed to be easy compared to the 10-day sail to Benin.  However, working in the galley that afternoon, with no windows and the warm temperature, I was the one whose stomach was churning.

Joe, however, had a much better view:

I was making chocolate chip cookies (about 300 cookies!), and as I took the trays out of the oven and the ship swayed the oven's door swung back and forth.  It was an intricate dance.  The ovens are just over six feet tall and stand upright.  Everything on wheels, including all our kitchen trolleys were tied down with bungee cord.  Drawers have a metal clip so they do not slide open while the ship rocks.  It was most definitely an interesting experience.  And, a learning experience as well.  I will be working here during the longer sail.  However, when we are sailing, I will work every other day because weekends do not matter at sea.  

I had Wednesday and Thursday off and went to town both days.  On Wednesday, a friend and her two children accompanied me to town so I could purchase some necessities for our cabin.  We stopped by the park, which was just outside the port entrance.

Thursday (August 7th) was our anniversary!  NINE YEARS TOGETHER!  Joe is an incredible husband, and I am so blessed.  I had wanted to go out for a nice dinner and spend time together walking around town.  Unfortunately, there is a mandatory meeting Thursday night, and we were not allowed to miss it (I asked!).  I was upset.  Between the jet lag, being sick (yes, I had gotten a cold), and just being in transition to a big change in our lives, I was very emotional and on the verge of tears most of the day.  But, my wonderful friends from Gateway came to the rescue yet again…They arranged a lovely intimate table for two in one of an upstairs lounge (the Queen's Lounge) and then served us dessert!

It was an incredibly generous thing for them to do for us.  This anniversary will remain so special, not just for where we are physically, but because so many friends came together to create something beautiful for us!

Embarkation

Okay, so here is the second in my series to catch up to current events.

So, while we were not truly sad to say goodbye to Haiti, we were also not looking forward to the amount of airtime we would be getting in so short a time span.  We arrived back in Texas Wednesday night.  And, bless Kelly's heart, he stopped at Chili's on the way from the airport to the IOC.  What a wonderful driver!  My stomach was so relived to have choices again.

We had just enough time at the IOC to do some laundry and organize the last of our packing.  We sent off one final box via container, which means we should receive it in November!  We had only packed one suitcase for our Haiti trip, but we had three checked bags for the ship.  All three were just under the 50lb. limit.  For those of you mathematically challenged, that is close to 150lb. of luggage!!

We left Friday morning along with 13 of our teammates.  We flew from Tyler, Texas to Dallas to London to Madrid to Las Palmas.  Four planes in all.  The journey was about 30 hours long.  Our entire 15-person group took the same flights from Tyler to Dallas and again from Madrid to Las Palmas, but for the longer two flights, we were split in two groups.  Joe and I literally left our phones on until Dallas, Texas.  We called Verizon from the airport.  After being on hold for a short while, I was literally canceling service as they called us to board the plane!

We had a 6.5 hour layover in Madrid, so Joe, Jessica, and I left the airport for a few hours.

Spain is beautiful.  I really enjoyed our short walk in Madrid.  I loved looking at the architecture.  Europe is filled with such history…the US is just a baby nation compared to Europe.

We had a nice meal at an outdoor cafe - although, of all the cafes in Spain, we ended up at the one with American cuisine!!  But still, the ambiance was definitely Spanish!

And, of course, we cannot forget dessert…

We arrived in Las Palmas just before midnight…but our bags did not.  All three were misplaced.  Thankfully, having experienced lost luggage before, I was prepared.  I had two changes of clothes for each of us in my carry-on along with my own iPad.  Joe had his guitar and a tech backpack (which contained his computer, iPad, camera, and a bunch of wires).  We filled out a claim and prayed it would not be long until our bags joined us onboard.

I am pretty sure God is trying to teach us something.  Perhaps about being content in all situations, as our third bag is still missing…seven days later.  Remember that I mentioned I was prepared to lose our luggage?  Well, I was wrong.  Our new bedsheets and towels were among the bag's contents along with Joe's work clothes, our underwear, and various other clothing items.  Now, in Haiti, we got used to taking showers with our underwear and shirts on so we could wash them.  However, it is difficult to do that when you are only allotted two minutes of water for a shower!  And we are not yet that desperate.  We have already done laundry twice in the seven days we have been here.

We are blessed to have travelled here with good friends.  They offered to give or lend us everything.  Even underwear!  (Although I am pretty sure that was a straight gift rather than an item to be returned!)

We climbed aboard the ship at almost 1:30am.  I was exhausted.  I could not fully appreciate the beauty of my new home.

Reception guided us through Embarkation, which is basically some safety instructions and paperwork required by some official maritime organization (I have already forgotten the name).  Finally, carrying only our carry-ons, we were led to our cabin.

After a very brief look around, I changed into my only set of pajamas and fell asleep, not to awake until 10am.

Haiti

It has been so long since our last update, and so much has happened.  I am starting a series of three blogs to catch up to current events.


First, there is Haiti.

Joe and I left for Haiti on Wednesday July 16.  We left the IOC at 3am and traveled the whole day, arriving at Nehemiah Vision Ministries (NVM) at about 6pm.  It was a long day.  Here is Joe and fellow teammate John (aka Chuckles):

A little about NVM - there are about 6 year-round non-Haitians working on campus.  They are all missionaries, drawing no salary from the organization.  NVM was founded by a Haitian pastor who is called to evangelize, disciple, and empower the Haitian people.  The ministry employs many local workers for a variety of jobs.  The four pillars of the organization are education, health, economics, and leadership.

To support education, the ministry has a school onsite.  Haitians consider an education complete when one graduates sixth grade, though those in the area rarely attended school for that many years.  The school already has preschool through sixth grades established, and are beginning a seventh grade class this year.  In previous years, there were none or too few students in order to justify the expense of a new classroom and another salary for a seventh grade.  However, this past year, six Haitians graduated the sixth grade, and NVM was able to raise funds for a new building which will house the seventh grade class, along with future classes.  The ministry's goal is to continue adding a teacher each year to follow these six students through grade 12.
To support the health needs of the population, NVM has a clinic onsite that sees no more than forty patients per day.  There is currently one doctor, though there is space for a second physician.  It is difficult to attract educated Haitians to this poor area, especially since the salary is not as competitive as in other areas of the country.  The teachers and physician already employed have a love for God and Haiti.  Employees and school children are seen at the clinic too, apart from the forty allotted slots.  Each school child is vaccinated; the cost is included in the school fees.
To help the local economy, NVM not only employs many individuals, but also offers classes to adults to teach marketable skills.  For example, women can learn to weave baskets or sew.  Once a child completes enough education, NVM will help place him/her with a university or trade school.  The goal is to educate this generation so that they earn a living.  A common phrase heard around campus is, "we're here to give a hand up, not a hand out."  There are several guards patrolling the premises at all times.  Most businesses or organizations have guards; there have not been any instances of violence:

The last pillar is leadership.  NVM trains formally-educated and lay pastors through discipleship and development.  I know the least about this pillar as I did not interact much with the pastors.
The ministry also has a children's home within the campus.  It is not an orphanage because some kids have parents but they are unable to care for the children and also because the children are not being adopted out.  NMV is helping to raise them up with a love for Haiti.  There are two houses onsite, one for girls and another for boys.  Currently each home is about 50% full; there are 24 beds in each house.  There is a house mother and a house father, both Haitian.  Pictured below is just a glimpse of one of the actual homes:

So, that is Nehemiah Vision Ministries.

But, I am sure you are asking, what did Joe and I do?

Well, our team filled in a lot of gaps around the campus.  Joe and two other team members worked with Paul, the Haitian mechanic, on a variety of projects.

 I spent two days at the agriculture site before moving to the warehouse for the duration of our stay.  The first two days of work, Thursday and Friday, I worked very hard beneath a brutal sun.  I hoed, mulched, weeded, and helped lay down water hoses.  Unfortunately, the brutal sun also gave me a migraine that first day.  It took several days to adjust to the heat.
But when I moved into the warehouse, I was blessed to have the roof over my head and the giant bay door open so that the breeze could still reach me.  I was helping to repurpose wooden pallets into shelves.  Yes, I got to use the power tools!!  Thanks to John and Stefan who reviewed the safety features so I could avoid cutting off a finger or two!  Here are two of the shelves I helped build and then painted:

Here are several other projects we assisted in:

The Wall!  We helped build a 100-foot section of a wall that will encompass the property.  In Haiti, a wall indicates respectability.  Everyone respects a wall and the property within.

The English School!  For one week, several people assisted at the school by chaperoning and playing with the children.  This was a great way for many people to form relationships with the children.  Here is Josh playing a rousing game of Musical Chairs:

The Prayer Garden!  We revamped the prayer garden, transforming it from an enclosed area where natural ran wild to a beautiful respite in the middle of the campus.  The prayer garden was really Luwanna's baby:

The Ag Site!  Two team members, in particular, worked very hard every day to hoe, mulch, irrigate, and plant a new section of farm.  Literally, the day the last seed was set in the ground, the skies opened up and rained down.  It was amazing to witness.

Although it was rainy season, the rain did not fall until that time, just days before we left for Texas.  It also poured down the night before we left.  While this was difficult for Haiti, it was a small blessing for our team as the mosquitos were not as plentiful due to the arid conditions.


Our daily schedule, Monday through Saturday, looked like this:
0730 - breakfast
0900 to 1200 - work
1200 to 1300 - lunch
1300 to 1500 - work
1730 - dinner
1930 - group meeting

Although I often worked until 1600 since I enjoyed painting so much.  But, times are very -ish in Haiti. Dinner was at 1730-ish (that is military time for 5:30pm).   Sometimes that was 1730, but sometimes that was 1800.  Very -ish.

Sundays, we attended church which lasted about three (yes, three) hours.  Then we lounged around outside since it was cooler in the shade with the breeze blowing than in our dorm rooms.  There were two dorm rooms - one for men and one for women.  Couples were obviously separated for the two weeks.  One day, our leader took out her thermometer in the dorm room because she was not feeling well, and it read 106 degrees!  As in, our dorm room consistently reached over one hundred degrees during the day!!


But, lest you think we were all work and no play….

We went to a luxury resort called Club Indigo.  The second Saturday, we lounged on the beach all day.  We had a scrumptious buffet lunch.  After a week and a half of rice and beans every day for lunch, we were incredibly grateful for this lunch.

This was Joe's first international experience, and he did wonderful.  We had a few rough days, but Joe kept me from asking for a return ticket on day 3.  I was frustrated for inconsequential reasons, not feeling well physically, and just miserably hot.  But he was a true helpmate, helping me to get past my frustrations to a point that I could be content in what I was doing.  I consider Joe my greatest blessing that God has given me.