Roadblocks

Hello again,
I can't quite remember how long it has been, but it feels like a while. In a way there are a lot of things going on over here.
The ship first. We have patients so that is a plus, and a full crew. Another plus. Problem is we seem to be using way to much water. I have my guesses on that, but I won't state them. So, the crew has to go through a showerless weekend. Hopefully today we get to take a shower otherwise my hair is going to be very scary. I am just thankful that I did not go to the beach. Those who did, have to shift with briny hair with road dirt salted in. Gross.

Actually we seem to be hitting a lot of road blocks lately. Something happened to one of our containers and is just now getting it when it should have been here more than a month ago.

In all this we must remember one thing: we are missionaries here to serve God and the people who have their surgeries done in the OR. Sometimes we get a little comfy around here with our starbucks coffee (its out of caffeenated coffee and chai so a hit on people like me who seem to be getting addicted to caffeen), our internet, our comfy beds, and our air conditioning. Funny how most of these things have been challenged for me during my time on board. We had no air conditiong in South Africa and it was Summer. There was a brief spell of bad amounts of internet, and now I have to deal with no Chai and no shower. Oh woh is me. Considering Queen Elizabeth only took two baths per year and they thought her crazy for the one extra, I can deal. Thank you all for the scarves I received for Christmas. They are coming handy.

Anyways, as to things I've done of note - not much. Becca took me with her to the Hope center (where the patients go when not in the wards), where I had the pleasure of narrating a story for the sake of a teaching exercise Becca was doing. It was fun, they really got involved. Becca and the interpreter (the people here speak Creol which is a very strange version of English and does need interpretation at times) acted out the bits beautifully.
I think that is it. Please pray for us out here.
Love you all,
Heather

Humans

Soooo, admitadly I lazed out and didn't make a blog this last weekend.
That is why I shall do so now.
We did have the screening, and it went extroardinarilly well. Their were no riots and a lot of people came to terms about what happened through this screening. Yes, God is good, and He knows what he is doing. It's just that as a rephraze from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, God is not a tame God. How can we know what will happen next and what He will do in each situation, not that He is the one who created what happend the first time.
The ship has been pretty steady on every other note. We have had a flow of visitors from both the US and Norway. We call them vision trips and it is full of people who want to know what we are doing on board. There has also been several big functions, one with the President's wife, and one for all the medical people from Sierra Leone who have helped us out. Without either the Vision Trip people or those we did functions for, the ability to run this ship wuold be nil. So I am not complaining about the vague offset from rotine. We are not here for ourselves but for those in the hospital, and yes we have patients!
I went all around town with Becca yesterday. That was fun simply because I was with a friend, but it was also good because I got to see diferent parts of Freetown. Most of it is full of shanty housing and tiny shops selling everything from electrical fly swatters to fried plantane chips (these are delicious). There were some nice buildings, such as the Judicial hall and other governmental building. Also the areas where foriegners live. That is the hardest part about living in low income country. Sometimes the poverty doesn't seem to end. Then I also see bits and pieces of the war: people without certain limbs.
Then Becca said something which kinda jerked me for one a bit. She said, they were happier here than in Togo. It reminded me to look at their faces. Sometimes we are so caught up with what's going on with their physical being that we forget about what is important. The people here do seem happy. They laugh and chat in the market place. They go to work, they come home, they are normal people with lives. Yes they are poor but first they are humans.

Comming Up

Well, I’m back on night shift again, land of solitude, movies, and random nigh owls. Strangely, I like it.
Since the last time I wrote, not much has happened. I have gone to the beach once and had an African meal on Monday (specifically made so westerners can consume).
After much thought, the Africa Mercy crew is having another screening on Saturday. Surprisingly, people seem even more driven to be a part of it. This is why we are here, and the saddest part of last time was the fact that people would not be seen. So now a chance has been renewed and everyone is getting ready. Please pray for that day.
Thank you for all your support.
God bless.
Heather

Pics of Sierra Leone

Freetown, Sierra Leone from the ship at sunset. Absolutely beautiful.

Our Dock and home for nine months

:)

So, the reason why I uploaded these photos instead of writing about my adventures is, I haven't had any lately. I've been working night shift, but as I was posting these pictures a group of patients came in. Each one of them had various expressions on their faces: hope, fear, awe, and even blank looks. They have tried to get this healing for so long they don't know what to think and are saving the happiness of health for when it actually happens. Still, it is such a good reminder of why I am here. It makes me happy that the patients pass by me as they come in.

Thank you all for reading and praying for me,
Heather

A Good Day then a Bad Day

After ten days of working at reception, I finally got a day off on Saturday, and went to the beach with my good friend, Becca. This was also a bittersweet day since Leah, another good friend, had gone home. Nearing the end of our time at the beach on Saturday, we went for a walk then met up with one of the people Becca had met before when she was scouting beaches (she was making up the intertainment book for the Africa Mercy). In both Togo and Benin, the people I interacted with, especially potential patients, did not speak good English. It is so much harder to click with someone you do not speak the same language as, then with those you can understand. I did not understand this fully until I met this man. He spoke fluent English. My brain instantly clicked him as being my equal. I hate to say it, but sometimes I find that hard to do. Now, he did not want to become a patient, but his father was going blind. The hope on his face was absolutely beautiful when we told him his father might get treatment and see again. It instantly brought to life the hope people gain when they even hear the name of "Africa Mercy". See, they aren't just thinking rich people, white people, westerners, a nice facility. We are their only hope of ever walking, seeing, or being normal again. Most African countries have minimal health services and even smaller surgery ability. When they do, there is no insurance affordable enough for more than half the people. Sometimes it is easier to remember them as a statistic, but the hope I saw in that young man's eyes, when he heard there was a possibility that his father, a man he loved, could see again, then that statistic fell away, and I saw a human being clinging onto something. That is so powerful. Hope can be dangerous.
Today Mercy Ships had screening day. It is when thousands of people come to a large stadium or building to be looked at and get the yay and nay on getting a life changing opperation. This is a lot like getting in line for that Peter and John miracle in the Bible with the lame guy. Same desperation.
I'm not sure what, so I am not going to speculate, but something went wrong. Quite a bunch of people got into the gaits before they were supposed to and a lot of other things escalated to created panic, panic born of desperation made worse by hope. Something I almost feel bad about, is I am thankful no Mercy Shipers got hurt.
Amongst the Africans who were in the midst of the chaos there were injuries and one death - an African man who only wished to be looked at and maybe cured. Hope had spured him. I have no idea who this man was. I do not know his family. I have never see his face, but I pray that his family will be ok and that the comfort of God will flow over them.
This makes what we are doing so much more real. This is why I'm here. To help those doctors and nurses who are essentually being Peter and John. Peter and John did not give money. They did not tell the begger he needed to follow Jesus first. They just layed their hands on the man and he was healed.
Who are we? We are just tools God uses, and Satan hates that. Satan hates healing, joy, and hope. Hope is a powerful thing.
So please pray for us on board the Africa Mercy as we process everything that has gone on today. It is a tragedy that Satan used what we ment for good. Still, God is powerful and will use this tragedy for good. Thank you God.

God bless you all.
Heather

Sierra Leone

Well, I'm here!
My camera is full, and believe me I have found no time to take download those pictures so I can take more, so you'll have to live without for a bit.

Anyways, it is absolutely beautiful here. The city of Freetown is basically crowned by mountains and water. People have built their houses all the way up the mountain, and the two are so close together, that we can see the individual lights of the houses up the mountains. I haven't been here long to gain a general outlook on what the people are like, and what the atmosphere is like here. I took one walk from the port to one of our houses, which took five minutes. Still the walk was somewhat adventurous, considering how friendly people are here. Everybody stopped to say hello and ask how we were. There are little shanty shops all the way up the road but people aren't grabby about getting customers just a friendly hopefulness.
I think I'm glad we are here.

Work itself has been a tiring, long process. I can't complain. Most of the time we have little work in comparison with everybody else. Still, work has been non stop busy. On monday I must have worked for twelve hours all together and stayed up till one am embarking thirty new crew members. The next day was quite the challenge. Its been good though. I feel useful, and like I know something. Just tired. God is good though, and he has provided the strength I've needed.

Well, I hope all is well. Don't forget about us here in Sierra Leone.
Thanks,
Heather

@ Sea

Once again we are sailing. This will be my... let's see... my fourth and last time sailing. That is a somewhat depressing thought. In August I am planning on leaving (unless God says differently) for home, making a few detours to Swaziland and Europe along the way. Yes, it's six months from now and I'm already starting to think about it. Humph. That's probably not a good thing

Ok, so sailing. Its been fairly relaxing. Sailing is the period of time that I have more days off reception than on. I also don't feel as obligated, as its my fourth time, to do all those things one does while sailing (going to the bow, looking at the stars from deck eight, sleeping on deck eight), which is also nice. That is not to say that I am not keeping busy in my own way. As those who know me, already know (bad sentence structure there but oh well), I want to be a writer, so I've been studying on that. I've been reading a book called Self editing for fiction writers and taking notes. Its a good book. I've also started a blog up on my life as a newbie writer (as a sort of advertisement: http://insignificantwriter.blogspot.com).

Yesterday was busy in the fun department. One of my good friends on board just had a big birthday, so I attended her potluck lunch (had really good chocolate cake). Happy Birthday to Kathy!! One of the families on board had an open cabin (there are no houses so its kind of like an open house) and I hung out with them (popcorn). For dinner we had cake once again, as one of the babies on board turned one. Happy Birthday Lily! Yes I know this is getting listy (no, that is not a word). We then had worship on the bow (the bow is the most forward part of the ship and in this case is outside with the waves - think Titanic), which is always amazing. I love having worship in the middle of nature with the sun setting and the water splashing - purely magnificent. The last mass crew event was sock golf. Now, I'm a nerd when it comes to any type of sporty event, which means I'm terrible, even at sock golf (sad, very sad). Ok, so explanation: think Frisbee golf except with socks rolled up and on a tipsy ship. Hah! Oh well it was fun anyways... that is until I got annoyed with myself.
Ah well it all rolled up and got sleepy when my normal group of friends (they call themselves the nerd herd for some strange reason) and I watched Eureka in one of the family on board's cabin. Its something we do almost every day, and is a good way to take a breather before the end of the day - watch a few television episodes than go to bed. After this horrendously long day (started at twelve pm but don't tell anybody), I curled up in my bed, finished my book, read a bit of my Bible, and fell asleep. All in all, it was a good day.

Ok so yesterday was busy in the fun department, but that isn't to say I haven't been working, wasting my father's valuable money (he's supporting me). When I have been working, works been a lot. We have badges to do, packets for the forty some odd arrivals boarding when we get to Sierra Leone to make up, emails to answer, questions to direct, phone calls to answer, notice board stuff, and a host of other piddly but time consuming and much needed stuff to do.

In all, after my bout of not bearing the seas to well (not quite sickness but discomfort for sure) I have had a nice sail. Hope your having a nice week too.

God bless
Heather Out.