Since my last post, I’ve had a joyful time of giving Thanks
on the Africa Mercy, celebrating Thanksgiving.
Mercy Ships usually celebrates a “one day- international Thanksgiving”
for all nations and their respective holidays.
This year, that day just happened to fall on the American Thanksgiving.
I could not think of a better Thanksgiving away from home.
My day started with day shift in the ward, mostly playing with the kiddos,
since no surgeries were scheduled for the holiday. Playing consisted of lots of belly laughs,
joy that filled the room and sending a few kids home with straighter legs than
when they arrived.
Right after my shift, I baked with a friend and we made
apple chips to bring to our dockside dinner.
The more time I spend one on one with friends, the more I realize how
high my spirits raise with more intimate conversation. I love the silly jokes, the funny cooking
mishaps, and how cooking together naturally fosters community. Thank goodness for other foodies like me.
Dinner time came quickly. We finished our apple chips and
went down to the dining room to make our plates, along with an additional
separate plate of desserts, and headed out to the warehouse to share our
meal. We sat family style on picnic
chairs, with long benches set up as our table, at least 30 feet long, filled
with people. Conversation was abundant,
the Macy’s Day parade from 2013 was played on a projector, JMU Marching Royal
Dukes made an appearance, where I gave my timely “JMU DUUUKES” cheer. Corn hole was played, the ping pong table was
active and competitive, and we played and enjoyed each other long into the
evening. My night ended with a family
phone call, just after my family had eaten together. As cliché as it will sound, I felt like
Madagascar wasn’t halfway across the world for that short hour I got to talk to
family. The phone delay was a struggle,
but comical at the same time.
 |
| The food was delicious! |
Who am I to deserve to be so richly blessed, when so often I
crumble under pressure and lose sight of my Holy God? So many things I’ve realized I’m lacking from
home: no Facetime, inability to easily receive packages, not my normal coffee, sparse
wardrobe, doubt in my ability to be a nurse- and all have been abolished. The
Lord has come into each of those things and gifted me. Our internet has just been updated tenfold to
the point we have Facebook online all day (instead of blocked off from 8A-6P to
save bandwith), facetime is up and working, my family is going to be able to
send a small care package through crew mail- instead of missing Christmas
because they didn’t send something in time to arrive on a container, I bought a
coffee press and have my own ground coffee, I’ve found warmer clothes in the
ship boutique (all free), and just last night I got to act for one of my
patients who needed several nursing interventions after his surgery.
Each of those things was definitely hard to swallow when I
realized I would have to go without them for 6 months. I certainly didn’t cope gracefully. But each of those things I can feel confident
that if I didn’t have them and the subsequent rich blessings I have now, I
would still be okay. I could still be
content because I’m here doing what I set out to do. I have Jesus with me, moving and acting in me
and the people around me. He is becoming
more of my portion. The fact that I get to have these comforts back, I will
never understand. His love continues to
baffle me, but I’m thankful.
Other things I’m thankful for:
- Overflowing joy in belly laughs
- For friends and family who continue to include me in their lives though so many miles separate us
- That Hallelujah and Hosanna are the same in English and Malagasy
- For embracing emotions and the subsequent growth and enlightenment it brings.
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