More than two weeks on board! I would imagine most of you are wondering about what I came here to do: chatting about Jesus and taking care of patients! I will confess it is very difficult to write down everything…so much is new and overwhelming. Throughout my time here, I will try my best to paint a full picture of what it is like. So please feel free to ask questions about anything you want to know. This is dear to my heart!

The hospital on board has three surgical wards, an ICU, an isolation unit and an overflow unit. There is a lab, pharmacy, occupational and physical therapy and four operating theatres. Each ward consists of 20 beds.  There is not much privacy for patients. The beds are all side by side, with just enough room to squeeze in between. Caregivers that come with the patient sleep under the patient’s bed. It works, especially because the culture is such one of community. I sleep on the same deck level as the hospital – so it is great not to have to brave the weather or traffic to get to work. I have gotten really good at rolling out of bed and getting ready in ten minutes. Since I can only take a two minute shower, this works.

There are a couple doctors that are on staff with Mercy Ships long term and then there are surgeons that come for shorter time periods, so whatever the type of surgeon dictates the types of surgeries that are done. In the fall, it was orthopedic surgeries and plastics. Currently, we are just finishing general surgeries (hernia repairs, thyroidectomies, lipoma removals)….sorry non-medical friends, lots of medical jargon. Plastic surgeries just started last week again. In the future, I will post about certain patients and their stories. However, I am not allowed to take my own pictures of patients to be considerate of their privacy. I know you all want to see more pictures, but I know you will also understand the respect for patient dignity.

Nursing on the Africa Mercy is amazing! When I thought about being a nurse, this is what I had pictured. At home, a typical day lasts for about 13-14 hours. I spend my day running from patient to patient, never sitting. Charting takes up most of my day, so much so that I cannot spend the time with the patient that I want to. Very seldom do I have an actual real conversation with my patients lasting more than five minutes, despite how hard I try. I don’t ever really know their story or who they are. I may hold their hand, reassure them and educate them. But I want to be a nurse who has the time to see the whole person for who they are, not just what I have to do for them on a checklist throughout the day. Politics are so much a part of the nursing job back home. I get yelled at, disrespected and taken advantage of. I get complaints about too much food on dinner trays, hard beds and service that is too slow. Coworkers are sometimes burnt out, frustrated or frazzled with their workload. I am thankful for the teamwork that I have with my coworkers at home, but normally everyone has their own list of things to do.

Nursing here is so much more relational. I start and end my shift with corporate prayer. I pray with my patients before surgery. I pray with them when they are having a hard moment and the pain is too great. I get to hold an elderly lady’s hand when she comes back from theatre. I get to dance with my kid patients and learn French and use silly sign language to communicate. I draw and cut and make bracelets with the older girls. I go outside and run with the kids for an hour a day. I have played so many games of Jenga and am a pro at it now.  I hold a baby on one hip and give pills with the other. My required documentation is less than ¼ of what it is at home. I have time to breathe and to develop a real relationship with my patients. I can talk about Jesus and read bible stories. I can be a real nurse like I always wanted!

I have met some pretty spectacular patients in my short time here. They have stories of hurt and heartache, discouragement and ridicule. They have been ostracized from society. Because of the surgeries they have on board, their lives are being transformed and you can see the hope in their eyes. And best of all – each and every patient hears about Jesus! In future posts, I will introduce you to some of these patients.

Thank you all for journeying with me to the Congo! 

Yesterday a group of us went hiking. Down a gorge, into the basin, through the jungle and into the savannah. As I was walking and sweating and sweating some more in the heat of the equator, there was a glorious moment when the ocean appeared and a breeze picked up and the end was in sight. I ended the hike by sitting by the ocean shore.

As I looked out into the vastness, doubts begin to arise and questions surface. Yet  I was reminded by the crashing of the waves that Jesus walked on the waves. That He calls us out of our boats to walk out on the water, not alone. With Him. Jesus is the only reason I can do what I do. My heart does not have the capacity to love people unless He enables it. My will does not submit unless He disciplines it. My fears do not disappear unless He takes them.

As I prepare to take care of patients, may they see Jesus and not me.

Oceans

Hillsong

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Fifteen years ago, like most girls in their preteen years, I loved to read books about changed lives and adventures and traveling – hoping that I would one day change the world like my favorite characters. I came across a fictional book about a girl who embarked on a mission trip to Africa upon a (non-fictional) ship. This ship was a hospital that treated patients for free, regardless of age or race or religion, basing their model of care on the 2000 year old example of Jesus. From that point on, I vowed to one day volunteer on the ship. The next fifteen years of my life, through high school and college, I had always remembered Mercy Ships. This summer, after evaluating my life, I applied and will be serving on the Africa Mercy until May!

After 37 hours of traveling – I have arrived in the Congo! Traveling from home where it is freezing cold, I stepped out into the 90 degree heat and just about suffocated while carrying all of my bags. The Congo reminds me much of Uganda, so I felt right at home. The people are very friendly, especially when they see the Mercy Ships logo.

The ship is a beacon of hope to the people here. Pulling up to the ship was amazing – it looms massive in the water. It is so much larger than I thought. The pictures do not do it justice. Everything is very organized here – much different than any other medical mission trip I have ever gone on. I don’t start work until Monday, so I am enjoying meeting people, finding my way around the eight levels and decks, as well as getting out to see the city.

As I sit on the deck and watch the ships come in, listening to the waves, I cannot believe God is allowing my dreams to come true. As I sit back at look at my life, I am in awe of the grace God has shown me. I have been blessed to go on many adventures, share the gospel with people all over the globe and see some of my most cherished dreams coming true.

I am looking forward to orientation in the hospital on Monday! There are not many patients right now, as the ship slowed down for the holidays, but this coming week is supposed to be buzzing with new surgeries. Bring on the patients!!!

The ship!

My very small space:)