Here on the Africa Mercy, goodbyes are almost a daily occurrence. The past couple of weeks have been particularly full of goodbyes, hard ones that have left me feeling melancholy.

Last week was the end of plastic surgeries on board in the Congo. Dr. Tertius, our plastic surgeon, has departed and most of the patients have been discharged to either the Hope Center or home. There are only about ten plastics patients remaining in the hospital. Some of our plastics patients have stayed with us for a couple months, meaning we get to know them better and form deeper relationships with them.

The Plastics Team

Their lives are changed forever – but they still have a lot of work ahead of them. They will have many follow up appointments, lots of physical and occupational therapy and will need a lot of determination to have the best outcomes from their surgeries. While I may have only played a small part on their lives and chances are they will not even remember me – I will always remember them.

Also last week some of my closest friends have left the ship, headed for either more travel adventures or headed for home. It is such a sweet community here on board – you meet so many others with similar passions and goals, similar life expectations and stories, similar love for God and His people all around the world. You live in close community (sometimes too close)- working and eating and doing everyday life with these people who you quickly form lifelong bonds with.  This is so precious, but makes the saying goodbye part even harder. For we are spread out all over the world – and who knows when or if we will see each other again.

I am so thankful for my myriad of friends all over the world. It means I have friends who are diverse and different, who challenge me in my thinking and way of life, who are going to the ends of the earth to share the gospel or who are going back home, when it is sometimes the hardest thing to do when you have changed but nothing else has.

God has been teaching me over the past few years that goodbyes are just opportunities for hellos. Sometimes with the same people, more often with new people He is bringing into my life. Hellos are a chance for me to be real, to share myself and hopefully be a blessing to others. And most often, instead of goodbye, we say here in Africa, “See you!” – leaving hope for the next encounter.

"Don’t cry because it is over; smile because it happened."