Celebrating Easter

Easter on the Africa Mercy has proven to be a very special occassion/season!  From Lent to Holy Week to Easter Day, the Chaplaincy Department (and various others!) did an incredible job of making it meaningful, worshipful, memorable & special.

The Mosaics Caroline and Eli made at the Academy Easter Party

Our theme for this season has been "We are a Mosaic."  The theme was introduced at the beginning of Lent (much could be said on that theme...the bottom line being that individually we're just bits and pieces...but put us together and something beautiful is created).  Catharine Schwebel, one of our chaplains and an incredibly talented artist, worked on this mosaic during our Sunday Night Community Gatherings.  It was fascinating to see it come together.  Here's the finished product:

Nick, Caroline, Eli & I participated in Thursday Night's activities (our sweet friend 'chelle offered to hang out with Emma for a bit).  We were able to walk through the Stations of the Cross and share communion in the "Upper Room."  Then we went out on Deck 7 starboard side to the Footwashing Station.  There was also a "Garden of Gethsemene" set up in the International Lounge as a place to go and pray.

This is the "Queen's Lounge" (a meeting room) tranformed into a beautiful place to walk through the Stations of the Cross and take communion.  It was such a privilege to listen to Nick as He walked our family through the stations. 

Footwashing Stations (the ocean is to the left, just in case you were wondering....)

The "Garden of Gethsemene"

Good Friday was a Ship Holiday.  Our family went to Roome Island with a few other familes-- the Easter Island trip!  Pictures to come.  It was really a great day of resting and playing and trying out a paddleboard.

Saturday morning we dyed Easter Eggs...mass quantities of Easter Eggs.  Fun fact: the colors turn out very muted in a lovely sort of way when you start with brown eggs.

Emma took a break and helped herself to one of the eggs

After dying Easter Eggs the kids worked on a cross mosaic that we ended up hanging on our door.

On Sunday we celebrated in all sorts of special ways!  Sunrise service...pastries in the Cafe...Easter Morning Service...brunch....egg hunt in Mid-Ships...open cabins (people sign up to host an open house, Mercy Ships' style).  It was the perfect mix of worshipping, feasting, playing, resting, fellowshipping and reflecting.

The sun rising over the city of Conakry.  

Some of the cookies & pastries of our Easter Brunch -- with the basket o' colored eggs in the background.  The brunch really deserves an entire post all to itself.  

Mountain of grapes and cheese!  This is the first time we've had grapes since Christmas (and before that, the last time we had them was in July. We miss grapes.  and strawberries....)

Some of the incredible Dining Room and Galley staff.  They are awesome. 

Carys and Rachel (2 fantastic high schoolers!) sharing the Easter Story with the kids using Resurrection Eggs before they were let loose to find little chocolate eggs in the cafe and Mid-Ships

Hallelujah!  We serve a RISEN SAVIOR.  Our God is not dead...He is completely alive.  Our sin - all of our sin - was nailed to the cross and we bear it no more.  He is our perfect spotless righteousness...our souls are purchased by His blood.  Because a sinless Savior died, our sinful souls are counted free.  We are His, He is ours.  Oh, what a Savior!  What a reason to celebrate.  

Surely there will be more to come - because of Easter there is always more to come.