2 week surgeons

So I have learned that often the surgeons on the ship come for 2 weeks at a time. As you can imagine it would be difficult to have a number of skilled surgeons devote such time to this lifestyle. However there are some! .. But for the most part, they come for about two weeks.. 

so for example I flew in with 4 ladies. and one was the vvf surgeon for the next 2 weeks.. and the other was also a vvf surgeon.. but was going to be her assistant during this time. So Mercy ships simply schedules as many surgeries in that specified area as they can for those two weeks.. and then waits for the next specialized surgeon to come along.

So thats sort of a interesting thing I've discovered.

The uniqueness of all this, however, is that .. no one really gets to know these doctors very well. They arrive.. works like dogs!! and do back-to-back surgeries! and leave. I had no idea this was the case. So when I arrived with these vvf doctors we talked a lot in the airport and of course, I  was very fascinated with them and what they were doing...  but now I see them and they pretty much only know me.. and the few nurses they work with. So they're always like LINDYYYY!! hows hospitality! hows your day?! and everyone knows. they're they vvf surgeons but they're all like hoowww do you knowww themm?!!?

Needless to say! The Lord is so cool. B/c I'm going to get to WATCH a vvf surgery sometime next week (which is unheard of.) because there's a sign up list to watch any type of surgeries which is always PACKED for departing crew.. but since I know them.. they've hooked me up =) 

OKAY BACK TO WHAT I MEANT TO WRITE ABOUT...

I was cleaning a family cabin yesterday and I learned it was for a family with 3 kids and the dad is a surgeon .. so they are only coming for 2 weeks. So I thought, oh, cool..

Then Kathy said.. but they are coming to see if they might sign on for a whole year.. which like you've seen from above. is huggeee, to have a surgeon sign on for an entire year.

So I asked how old the kids were.. 4, 12, 14 .. which sort of made me flinch .. because I thought back to when I was 14 and I thought if my parents had told me I was leaving my friends for a year to go live on a boat where I might have 3 kids in my class.. I wouldn't have been too happy. But then my thoughts jumped back to actually being here on the ship and what a blessing a surgeon for a whole year might be to the mercy ship. And I just started praying. 

And as I was in their cabin cleaning. I was behind the scenes. but I was praying. And thats something I feel like I'm learning big time these first few days. There's SO SO SO many people that work on this ship that are NOT in that hospital. and they make things happen. But I just used that opportunity to pray for that family, and bless that cabin. To allow the Lord to touch each and every one of their hearts as they are here for only those two weeks. That He might put people in their path that would really encourage them to come back for long term. That he would have the kids meets other kids they really clicked with. But just that they would see clearly what a good work He could do through them in a year on the ship. And that in it self is so neat..to be able to prepare a cabin through prayer for a family. And that has been my favorite revelation of the week! =)

xoxo lindy