a little walk down (prayer card) memory lane

Spring 2012

Lakebottom Park, Columbus, Georgia, USA

Photographer: Ritchie White

Spring 2013
Africa Mercy, Conakry, Guinea
Photographer: Suzanne Scheumann

Fall 2014
On the Dock, Tamatave, Madagascar
Photographer: Catrice Wulf

Spring 2016
SPAT Port, Tamatave, Madagascar
Photographer: Suzanne Veltjens (artist formerly known as Suzanne Scheumann)

Can we have a prayer card for living and serving in Columbus, Georgia?  Maybe everyone should have a prayer card - a Christian's call to live and serve on a ship in Africa is no more or less significant than a Christian's call to live and serve wherever it is that God has them living and serving...but if everyone had a prayer card, we'd all need industrial sized fridges to put them on. 

Card or no card, we're greedy when it comes to prayer - we love all the prayer support we can get....and we are so very grateful for all the prayers that have been prayed on our behalf these past 5 years.  Please keep praying for us...and let us know how we can be praying for you. 

Surely there will be more to come.

Return Addresses

This might possibly be the most random blog post ever....but I (dianna) think it's pretty interesting - maybe you will, too (or maybe this will just continue to confirm how very quirky I am)(though quite a while back I decided that "quirky = freedom to be who God has made me to be!")

Fun fact:  we are instructed to always shred all names and addresses before throwing things away here on the Africa Mercy.  Really it's not a bad thing to practice no matter who you are or where you live - there's always the possibility that trash may be gone through in America but it is a definite  reality that trash is gone through in Africa.  It's actually very impressive how trash is used and even stewarded here.

Another fun fact:  we LOVE getting mail. (click on that phrase for more information on this topic!)   Thanks to the kindness of so many, we end up with quite a few envelopes that need to be shredded, BUT, honestly, I don't always want to make the not-even-very-far trip down to the shredder....so I rip out the return addresses (ever so carefully). And I save them (and then I throw the envelopes away in our trash can).

2014 Christmas Cards sans the Return Addresses

Return Addresses (I tried hard to make sure no one's address was fully showing in this picture!)

the collection

I don't even know why I'm sharing all of this....I was just tearing the return addresses off the envelopes the other night and thought "This is so random...and it would be fun to share."  And I also thought "I bet no one has a clue that this is being done with their return addresses."  

I'm also sharing because I need some help - I don't really know what to do with all of the return addresses. Right now they are filling up a little basket in my desk drawer.  I keep thinking some great idea is going to pop into my head...but, alas, nothing has.  Maybe I should try to find something on pinterest (I just ventured into that world recently.  Watch out.)

Any ideas?  What can I make or how can I use these delightful bits of paper?  Because they really are gifts from God - each one represents a card, note, letter or package that some awesome individual or family sent our way.  

Thanks to each of you that have sent tangible love and care to us through the mail.  Your efforts cross the ocean and encourage our souls!! 

Surely there will be more to come. 

life right now: 6 word phrases.

No more dry dock (for now).

The ship is in the water.

We are back in our cabin.

It truly is home sweet home.

Immigration is onboard to check passports.

Sea trials tomorrow, praying for success.

Ready for Madagascar, let's go now.

We trust God and His timing. 

Surely there'll be more to come. 

AFM Signs

Part of living in community means lots of people need to know lots of things -- and in this community, that happens to have a revolving door (meaning lots of new people in and lots of people out, pretty much constantly), one of the main ways to communicate information is through signs.  

There are lots of signs all over the place.  

Here's a random sampling of some favorites: 

Gives you some interesting glimpses into our world, doesn't it?!  Even the salon has rules (though calling them "policies" seems a bit easier to handle).

We love this place...and we appreciate the efforts that are made to keep the peace and to have clear expectations and communication.

Surely there will be more to come.

catching up

Yes, it's certainly easier to keep up than to catch up...but sometimes catching up is necessary.  Today's your chance to enjoy some pictures from the past couple of months of Cash family life!   

Italian Naval Ship

So there was an Italian Naval Ship that docked near us a couple of months ago...and not just a Naval Ship - an aircraft carrier!  The 3 eldest members of the family got to go over for a tour. We definitely enjoyed getting to see the ship and it was exciting to walk out on the flight deck. Though, in our professional and very mature opinions, the best part of the tour was saying random things with our best Italian accents....("fettucini!" "spaghetti!" "bonjourno!") 

Some shots from every day life...

Mrs. Herma and her preschool girls!

this picture is awesome on so many levels. 

The girls visiting the wards (pictures thanks to Miss Suzanne!)

A glimpse into the glory of container day/getting packages

Maybe someday we'll write about how getting packages "works"...just know that it includes overhead pages that get us all excited and then climbing lots of steps.  Thankfully, this time around, a few of the deck guys were willing to help carry this precious cargo up the 4 flights of stairs.

It's not a bad picture...his eyes are closed in joy.  

A Gateway Gathering
When we first left Columbus on this adventure, we went to Texas for 5 weeks of training called Gateway.  The others in our Gateway group quickly became - and have remained - some of our closest friends in Mercy Ships.  It's been hard to say good-bye to the ones who have already finished out their commitment....and there are more leaving in the next few weeks.  BUT some are staying on with us...and some are coming back!!  As a way to celebrate this special "ship family" we went out to a restaurant called "la Pyramid" last Sunday afternoon.

Caroline holding the newest member of our Gateway Group!  

The Mums at Carnivore

As a way to celebrate/honor the moms who are leaving, we all went to dinner together (well, most of us...a couple were missing)...it was especially exciting that the favorite restaurant of the Cash family was the venue of choice.  

Caroline's workshop
Living on a ship means that there are spare bits and pieces of all sorts of things just waiting to be discovered - occasionally on deck 8 and especially on the dock...(and we have a really nice carpenter who let the girls come get a cup full of treasures the other day). Caroline has been collecting random metal parts and has been making "instruments" in her workshop.  Gran'daddy, feel free to take the credit for this one.

So how's that for getting a little more caught up on Cash Family life?  We still have Easter pictures and stories to share.  But we're closer to being caught up than we were...and that's always a good thing (as is the word "better"...but that rabbit trail can be chased another day).

Surely there will be more to come.