So, with only one week left for me on the ship, Wendy and I figured it would be good to write down a list of what life is like here on the ship (so in case my sanity comes into question in the future, I can look back to our blog to see what we've really been up to).
You know you're living on the Africa Mercy off the coast of Benin when...
- you thank God each day for the wonderful meals He provides at the cafeteria morning, noon, and night, and ask Him to provide strength and courage for the day when you will no longer be on the ship and you will once again have to cook and wash dishes for yourself
- the cabin down the hall has enough occupants to field a baseball team (there are cabins that house 6, 8, and even 10 people!) - thankfully we have a couple's cabin, which means it's just us two in the cabin!
- signs are posted encouraging one to face adversity with Christ-like attitudes, and then they go on to announce the rationing of toilet paper due to a shortage on the ship
- you find yourself, along with 100 fellow crew members, waiting excitedly on the top deck for the highlight of the week to begin - the ship, which has been docked in the same location for months, is moving 500 meters to the other side of the port to get 700 tons of fuel
- you wake up the next morning disoriented because the view outside the window is different than usual - then you remember that the ship is still getting fuel
- more than half the people you meet are dressed in blue Mercy Ships scrubs, and since your position is not medical, you wear your Smurf T-shirt to feel more part of the team
- you sit down to have lunch, and you find 5 different nationalities represented at your table
- you anxiously await the arrival of the next container from the US - it is rumored to contain toilet paper and Chips Ahoy cookies!
- you hear the sound of jets flying overhead, but then you realize it is just kids riding their tricycles on the deck above you
- the words "aft", "bow", "port", and "arrr maytee" become an integral part of your conversation - you find yourself either sleepy or a bit nauseated (due to the rocking motion of the boat)
- if you are like Wendy, you can often be found standing in front of fans and air conditioning vents throughout the ship
- if you want a good workout and a sauna treatment at the same time, you visit the workout room on deck 2
- signs are posted encouraging one to face adversity with Christ-like attitudes, and then they go on to announce the rationing of toilet paper due to a shortage on the ship
- you find yourself, along with 100 fellow crew members, waiting excitedly on the top deck for the highlight of the week to begin - the ship, which has been docked in the same location for months, is moving 500 meters to the other side of the port to get 700 tons of fuel
- you wake up the next morning disoriented because the view outside the window is different than usual - then you remember that the ship is still getting fuel
- more than half the people you meet are dressed in blue Mercy Ships scrubs, and since your position is not medical, you wear your Smurf T-shirt to feel more part of the team
- you sit down to have lunch, and you find 5 different nationalities represented at your table
- you anxiously await the arrival of the next container from the US - it is rumored to contain toilet paper and Chips Ahoy cookies!
- you hear the sound of jets flying overhead, but then you realize it is just kids riding their tricycles on the deck above you
- the words "aft", "bow", "port", and "arrr maytee" become an integral part of your conversation - you find yourself either sleepy or a bit nauseated (due to the rocking motion of the boat)
- if you are like Wendy, you can often be found standing in front of fans and air conditioning vents throughout the ship
- if you want a good workout and a sauna treatment at the same time, you visit the workout room on deck 2
- you can get a really good strawberry-type milkshake if you order a white chocolate raspberry frapaccino without the coffee at the Starbucks cafe on Deck 5
- when you wake up from yet another strange dream, you're not sure if it caused by the malaria medicine you are taking or the fish you had for dinner
- you rush down to breakfast on Wednesday morning, hoping you are not too late to get pancakes
Bon voyage!!!
- when you wake up from yet another strange dream, you're not sure if it caused by the malaria medicine you are taking or the fish you had for dinner
- you rush down to breakfast on Wednesday morning, hoping you are not too late to get pancakes
Bon voyage!!!
1 comment:
I'm trying to get the honor of being the person to write the most comments on the blog because I love reading your updates and want to encourage you in this. Makes me feel like I'm right there with you -- maybe I'll even get a white chocolate rasberry thing without the coffee at Starbucks. . . for the sake of the gospel. Thankfully, no toilet paper shortage here. Not sure if I'll be able to say that a month from now,when I will be in Uganda on a 2 week medical mission trip! Praying for you and enjoying hearing about what God is doing in your lives and through your lives in Africa!
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