I always wanted to be a waitress..

Today I volunteered, out of our 5 person hospitality team, to serve for one of the vision trip luncheons.. unbeknownst to me there is usually only one server. And I had NO idea what took place, how they were run, or how much/little was actually done as the "server". So I was given a short run down and thrown in!

 The luncheon was for 20 people, with 5 tables, and me. 

I had to get dressed up in my little uniform.. (pictures to come) It was buffet style and I was responsible for dismissing tables for food, clearing all the plates, dishing out and serving the dessert, and pouring and serving either tea and coffee! So it wasn't bad. But I was definitely running all around .. trying to keep everything flowing from one  table clearing and setting and refilling to the next! .. I suppose like any normal waitress might do.. But I really did enjoy it. And was told numerous times how wonderful a job I did, which was so encouraging, being that I felt like I had no idea what I was doing going into it!.. And now I've been told.."Great Lindy! There's one on Tuesday next week and another one the next friday!" =P .. Apparently no one really likes serving for these functions.. but I rather enjoyed it =)

The luncheon was held for the vision trip that's here visiting.. which I have explained previously. And this vision trip is a group of guys from Holland. They all work in the holland mercy ships offices .. or work for the companies that the holland offices deal with regularly. And they are the ones who organize and ship over all the containers of food and one other large container.. for something. Anyways .. the mercy ship office guys have brought over some of these men they work with from other companies so they can get a better idea of mercy ships and our mission. And possibly feel led to contributing to all the amazing things God is doing through this organization. 

So todays luncheon was all these guys plus all the heads of the departments of the ship. And they each stood up and shared a little bit about what their department does, and how they contribute to this smooth running organization. 

So I suppose I could say I  found it so interesting because I'm nosy??? .. I don't know, just a guess. 

But its also kind of cool, because now I see these guys all around the ship as I'm hauling bed sheets and mattress covers, and bed spreads and they're like heyy your that girl who was..! =) and they just get more familiarized with the multiple roles that everyone does to contribute and make it all happen.

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Tonight I went for a run on the dock.. and then after a bit ended up heading into town with a few girls that were walking out the gates.. which was fun! we stopped in this little tiki- hut drink area and had some refreshments!

Also .. the rainy season has begun.. which means there's a tonnn of rain.. which is sort of depressing. you think africa. Hot. very sunny. dry. WELL. its still hot. but its wet and humid. very sticky because all the rain. and we're already inside the ship all day.. and with the rain.. we can't really even go out on the upper decks or the dock..  =( so prayers for some beautiful sunshine!  =D 

Much love, Lindy

It's coloring time kids!

When I arrived on the ship, a girl had just left the 10 birth the night before. So with 2 empty beds. I was the 8th person. This past weekend 2 more of our cabin-mates left. One was a teacher in the academy and she was here for like 11 months and the other worked in the offsite dental clinic and she was here for 8th months. Anywayyss. We are down to only 6 of us, in this spacious .. well, some might call it apartment.. with the size and functions of our room. ie: kitchenette, table windows. 

Though, today I made up 3 new beds in our room for arriving crew. so we'll be up to 9! .. it's going to be lively and we're all looking forward to it =)

Also, today, among my hospitality duties of making beds, and cards, baking, and a little cleaning.. there's COLORING!

When we make beds up for new crew they look like this!..

 .. with the cover and duvet along the back, stretched along the bed, the  pillow, and a large, medium and small towel .. and then we set these fun little boats in front on the towel! .. and everyone gets a mercy ships nalgene bottle and a pack of about 4 cookies on their bed as well! mmm!

But, part of our job is MAKING THESE BOATS

so I sat out in the cafe folding.. and folding.. (they're sort of like origami..) 

And then, oh dear! they had to be colored! so then I colored! and I got a LOT of jokes and comments about how I had the toughest job on the boat! and boy I wish I had THAT job! and wow look at you, you big 1st grader! =) and so it was fun. But it just makes for a really nice welcome aboard. and we receive a lot of kind notes and complements on how nice it was to have such a nice bed =) So that is very rewarding!  

I think they look pretty nice myself!

Nurse Lindy!

Well.. not quuiiite nurse Lindy...
but today I got my first preview to my future in nursing .. I was able to watch a surgury! .. And as I was telling my mom about it on the phone. she was like, "Oh,.. so you were looking overhead through a glass, or standing in another room".. and I was like, "no. I was two feet behing the surgeons". It's africa! =)

Anyways, by the grace of God I was able to watch one within one week of being here! For which I am very greatful. Everyone says its very difficult to watch surgeries and to get on the list to watch, and that they mostly squeeze you in to watch one right before you leave. But due to a series of events.. I was able too. (which I sort of explained in a post below) However, it was very exciting! and I loved it! I was let off work for the 2 hour long VVF surgury. And the two VVF surgeons, who I flew in with, were very fun, and talking and explaining and joking with me and the other nurses the whole time. And the circulating nurse in the room was explaining everything, from every cut, slice, snip, muscle, and tissue as the surgery was going on. So it was a VERY neat experience!! I feel so fortunate!

ps. surgery was at 8:30am.. I then proceeded to wear the scrubs ALL DAY LONG.. they're like wearing pajamas! for work! .. how nice =)

... ANd this was my blog yesterday.. but I Accidentally saved my post instead of posting it! =/

Sunday!

First weekend on the Mercy ship I mostly caught up my much needed sleep from jet lag and then a full week of work on top of it!

I went to an ice cream parlor in town with a group of kids my age..

I baked some of my mom's banana bread with the local market banana's ... which helped to wake up eating the same tastes and smells of my mom's cooking for a couple of mornings.

I did a lot of reading and laying up on the top deck with girls from my room.

I miiight have gotten a little burnt?

But overall.. I just caught up on rest so I can dive into all the neat opportunities we have to get off the ship.. which I'm excited to do soon!

"Hello, and I will be your tour guide..." 

On the ship, crew members are allowed to have 2 guests and visiting hours are on sunday. So sunday afternoon all the girls in my cabin are all sitting on the floor chatting when a younger woman burst in and asks if two of us are free for the next half hour or so.. Naturally with curiosity we all ask whyyy?? =) .. she says there is a pastor and his family waiting on the dock, and they had had people speak to them from Mercy ships in their town and they very badly wanted to see the ship, and see what it was like, and how the Lord was using this big boat to save so many people, that they had traveled here from Togo, the neighboring country, to try to get a tour of the Africa Mercy. So this lady, that came into our room, new that our room was large, and thought she had a pretty good chance of finding two girls, without guests to sign them in as "our guests" and give them a quick tour of the ship..

So I volunteered. Seeing that I was in the hospitality department and have been shadowing along other tours because within the next week I will have to GIVE tours ... I thought.. what a perfect opportunity! .. So I gave my first tour yesterday to a pastor and his wife, and their two young daughters. And they only spoke french. So we had a man from Benin translate ..he was waiting on the dock for his son to have a surgery. So he got to see the whole thing too!! =) .. but it was neat! and then the pastor prayed for US. They really enjoyed seeing it all.. and were slightly overwhelmed with the enormity of it all. They said that an outreach team had come to togo and spoke to a bunch of pastors on techniques to spread the gospel.. or something along those lines.. in translation. 

So that was kind of neat! and then we sent them on their way! 

xoxo Lindy

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 

Guest cabins.. oh so fun!

okay! just so you have a bit of an understanding of what I'm about to say.. and more of and idea of ship life!

.. when the hospitality department makes up new crew's room.. we go into a cabin with already residing crew mates. 

All crew are responsible for cleaning their own bathroom, floors, sheets etc...(essentially their whole cabin). Sooo when they receive a new cabin-mate.. all we do as the hospitality dpt. is make up the new bed.. and disinfect their cabinet space. EASY PEASY.

However. Mercy Ships has many guests that come on board the ship. And these guest do not get thrown into 6 person births in bunk beds (athough I've heard some strong opinions on that topic =) ) Most of these guests, however, are part of what they call "Vision Trips". Which are trips of groups normally around 3-8 people who are large donors or potentially large donors for the Mercy Ship organization. And they are interested in seeing where they're money is going or would be going .. or how a project is progressing. OR yea .. you probably get the point =) 

SOO they stay in these VERY nice guest cabins that basically look like rooms on a cruise ship .. and each person has their own room. even though there's two beds.. we make them both up.. very spacious, kitchenette, and yeaaaa.......

SOO these take a lot of work to get ready b/c these vision trips come often and they require a lot more cleaning bathroom, scrub shower, mirrors, sink, drains, toilets, news dishes, clean the coffee maker, vacuum, disinfect all surface areas, make both beds.. you know anything you might do if you were having a guest in your house .. make a pretty fan with the end toilet paper square! (??) the usual. =)

So.. we have 3 Vision Trips this next week and so we were making a lot of those rooms up so it was a lot of learning! =) but I've enjoyed it!

A spirit of fear.

Each morning we have devotions. These can be a community DEVO. (anyone and everyone on the ship who's not on their shift work.. or a department DEVO (mine would include dining, hospitality, and housekeeping crew) or individual department DEVO's .. which was what we had today.. for the first time this week. So the six of us sat in our tiny office. Heather, a girl is actually leaving this week =( shared. And it's sad b/c of barely gotten to know her.. but she's wonderful. She shared part of her amazing testimony which focused on her childhood and dealing with fear. And she spoke to us about her favorite verse  which was .. For the Lord did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, and love and of self-discipline. (2 tim. 1:7) and I remember Nik telling me that verse at some point over e-mail while he was in germany.. when I was fearful about something ... and it has always stuck with me.. and I found that gets me through a lot. Whether it be standing up in front of the church to say something.. or stepping on a plane to go to Africa. But to be able to have these words in our hearts and in our minds is so powerful. Knowing scripture and being able to apply it to out struggles is so cool. To have something I'm dealing with and just to be able to say to myself... Lord, you have not given me this fear.. take it from me. 

And the Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:12 .. 

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Its living and active. So praying and thinking thoughts with scripture and mind. WAY BETTAH (there's a phonetically spelled british accent for you all.)  =P