Triangles and Circles

If you've talked with us for even a minute, you've heard us say that living here on the Africa Mercy is beautifully challenging.  Here are some thoughts that Nick shared with our Community of Faith that helps make some sense of why this place is a wee bit tricky.

Life on a Mercy Ship is part triangle and part circle.

The Triangle represents our Organizational Life.  We are an organization – we are a hospital ship.  And we have a mission.  We have designed programs to fulfill that mission.  The ship is the platform through which we deliver that mission.  And we, the Crew, are the people who organize together in order to enact that mission – we are an organization.

And organizations need structure.  They need workflow.  They need layered leadership.  They need a chain of command.

Without organization, the hospital doesn’t function.  Without organization, no one creates the duty schedules.  Without organization, no one tracks the supply orders; no one prepares the menu for meals; no one recruits & trains the volunteers.

Without the triangle, no one schedules the surgeons, or cleans the ORs, or keeps the financial records, or tests the water for drinkability, or maintains the electrical & plumbing systems.

We need the Triangle!  But can we get real for a minute?  The triangle bothers some people – let’s be honest.  Some people think the triangle comes with too many politics, too many rules & regulations, too many policies & committees.  Some people think the triangle makes the ministry feel too much like a business.

But the Triangle is how we are all here.  We all applied for & were accepted into positions within the Triangle.  And the Triangle is how we deal with medical crises and technical mishaps that arise.

In Guinea, my family lived up on the aft-end of Deck 7, and one night – I believe it was Christmas Eve – one of the local fuel trucks that was parked behind our ship spilled it’s load into the ocean right behind us!  An overhead announcement called for all Deck & Engineering Crew to rush to the dock for hazardous material containment.  It was late at night, on Christmas Eve!, and about 50 men & women from the AFM worked into the early morning hours to contain the massive oil spill.

Without layers of leadership, without emergency-response protocols, and chains of command, and policies and manuals and after-action reviews – in short – without the Triangle – none of this happens.

Three weekends ago, on a Friday night, a patient on the Wards was rushed into the OR with severe bleeding from the neck.  EMT were called.  An OR Team was assembled.  An emergency surgery took place late in the evening.  And, by the grace of God, a patient’s life was saved.

But, would you allow me to challenge your theology there for just a second?  Yes, it was by God’s grace that the patient survived.  And yes, He gets all the glory for doing what only He can do!  He preserved a life that night that by all explainable means should not have survived.  But we played a role in His grace.  His grace worked through us and our systems.  Do you realize the magnitude of that?  We are partners with God, co-laborers with His Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 6:1)  He frequently performs His divine miracles through our earthly hands and efforts.  Isn’t that amazing!?  2 Corinthians 4:7 says that God’s all-surpassing power – His divine glory & grace – dwells within us & works with & through us – we, who are but jars of clay, flimsy earthen vessels.

He is at work in & through the Triangle.

Then there is the Circle.  The Circle represents our Community Life.  And specifically our Community of Faith.  The Circle is how we exist here beyond work.  Beyond the badge.  Beyond the job title.  We are people.  We are individuals, beloved by God, redeemed by Jesus, indwelled by His Spirit, brothers and sisters with a common faith and an eternal destiny with each other through Christ.

The Circle is where we find our spiritual vitality.  There is spiritual equality in the Circle.  We can all pray for each other, all bear one another’s burdens, all encourage one another in our faith, all spur one another on towards love and good deeds.

The Circle is what we look like to outsiders while we accomplish the mission of the Triangle.  That’s what Jesus told His disciples in John 13:35 – it’s not only what you do it, but how you do it that matters – they will know that we belong to Jesus by our love for each other.  The Circle is how we treat the other members of the Triangle: with common dignity.  With common respect, regardless of position.  With common value.  With common honor.

In the Triangle, the Captain and Managing Director lead.  Their word carries the most weight.  They are ultimately responsible for the safety of the Crew and the success of our mission here.  But in the Circle, they are simply men – our brothers in Christ – our equals in our common journey of faith with Father God.  Even our Triangle leaders need a safe place to study God’s Word with others, and search the deep questions of the faith with others – in a Circle setting.

I’ll go even further than that: I am the Senior Chaplain.  In the Triangle, it’s my responsibility to step up and be the spiritual leader of this vessel.  That’s what my position requires of me, and it is my honor & joy to get to do that in this amazing place, among you amazing people!

But I need a Circle, too.  I’m not perfect.  I need a safe place to confess my sins to other believers here.  I don’t have my life all perfectly fit together – I need a Circle of believers who can pray for me and support me in my own faith-journey – and that’s you guys.

The TRIANGLE is our Organizational Life.

The CIRCLE is our Community Life.

• The TRIANGLE is how we all got here.
• The CIRCLE is how we exist together here.
• The TRIANGLE is how we get the job done.
• The CIRCLE is maintaining our spiritual vitality.
• The TRIANGLE has hierarchy – ranked positions.
• The CIRCLE has equality – brothers & sisters.
• The TRIANGLE has formal leadership.
• The CIRCLE has informal leadership.

The TRIANGLE makes up half of our mission: to bring hope & healing to the world’s forgotten poor – through free, world-class medical programs.

The CIRCLE makes up the other half:  to follow the 2000-year-old model of Jesus – through spiritual transformation in Christ-centered community.

The complete mission of the Africa Mercy requires both!  Our mission is incomplete without both halves of our mission statement.

This is hard to do.  Most people don’t live where they work.  Most of us have never shared a communal life with our co-workers, our supervisors, our HR rep, our Bank Clerk, our coffee shop employee, our pastor.

This is unusual.  It’s difficult to hold the tension between organizational life and community life in balance.

Circles & Triangles: these two shapes normally do not fit together.  You cannot put a circular block in a triangular hole.  You cannot put a triangular block in a circular hole.  It doesn’t work in geometry.  But it can work here.

In fact, successful life onboard requires one to manage this tension well.  It is a tension to be managed (a good thing!), not a problem to be solved (a bad thing).

All of us, as members of this organization – as position-holders within the Triangle – we have to be willing to submit ourselves to a Circle onboard, or else our whole life and experience onboard will be in the Triangle.  It really will be like we just live & sleep at our work, and our lives can become very one-dimensional.  When that happens, we tend to reach the end of our service time here exhausted, used-up, burned-out, mad at Mercy Ships, and distant from God.  I don’t want that for you.  Mercy Ships doesn’t want that for you.  And God certainly does not want that for you.

People weren’t meant to live in the Triangle.  Our most healthy lives are lived in the Circle – in community with others who love us, who know our faults and blind-spots, and who graciously support us along in our journeys of faith with Jesus.

We need the Triangle in order for our work to be effective and efficient: we need hierarchy and positional leadership.  We need people to make decisions!  We need people to lead the way for the team!

But we all need each other to thrive in community, and to complete both halves of the mission that we have all been called here for: to provide free, top-notch medical programs that serve the world’s forgotten poor – that’s the Triangle half.  And by following the 2000-year-old model of Jesus, to bring spiritual transformation to lives – through Christ-centered community.

Surely there will be more to come. 

Mercy Ships Core Values according to Eli

And now it's Eli's turn to contribute.  Again, this was a school assignment (God bless the Academy for giving us so many things to share). Eli was happy to share it because it meant he didn't have to write anything else for the blog...

Values of Mercy Ships - Eli Cash - 2016

      A value is a word or phrase that you model your life around, whether it is money, love, or God. Values also influence your decisions.  Mercy Ships has four main core values, love God, love and serve others, be people of integrity, and be people of excellence in all that we say and do.

      The people on the ship are supposed to love God; we show this by going to the community meetings and participating in worship. The crew also shows this by participating in mercy ministries, because the Bible says that when we serve each other we’re serving Christ as well. Finally we show that we love and serve God when we came to the ship, God called us to go to the ship and we came.

      The crew is also supposed to love and serve others; they do this when they get each other food or snacks from the ship shop or the dining room. The crew also does little things for each other like holding open the door for the people behind them in the hallway. And finally the people on the ship show that they love and serve others by doing surgeries on the people who get cleared for surgery after screening.

      We also are people of integrity here on the ship. We show this by not stealing from the ship shop and café when we know that we can do it without being noticed. We also show this by getting only one of the food items that is under the one-per-person sign. The crew shows this in how they return the borrowed books from the library on time.

       The fourth value is showing that we are people of excellence in all we say and do. We can show this by being polite to other people by saying thank you to the dining room staff, or holding the door open for the people behind us.  We also show this by doing our very best in the jobs and tasks we find ourselves doing.  

     The four core values of Mercy Ships can be shown in different ways.The Africa Mercy is a great place and we can make the best of the good conditions given to us by not only following but living these four values.

Eli, School Picture, October 2016

Surely there will be more to come. 

A Giant See-Saw for a Home

Caroline wrote the following for a school assignment.  She gave us permission to share it here (reluctantly...but permission, none the less!!)

Have you ever seen a giant see-saw with hundreds of people on it? Well, I live on one.  It's a ship called the Africa Mercy. The Africa Mercy is a great place to live for the following reasons: our destinations, friendships, and community life.

Guinea, 2012

The ship goes to many exotic places - that is one of the main reasons why I love the ship! First, in August 2012 until June 2013 we went to Guinea.  There was an amazing hotel and pool with these adorable little kittens. There was also an amazing park which provided a great field trip spot and a good place to play.  Then, in August 2013 until June 2014 the ship went to Congo which had an amazing beach very close to the port. There were also with many restaurants with low prices and good food. In October 2014 we went to Madagascar.  It was so awesome we went for two years.(JK we went cause we had nowhere else to go because of the Ebola crisis in West Africa) There was a very grassy soccer field where we played Frisbee and there were many amazing spots that people went to for  relaxation during the weekend. Most recently, in August of this year (2016), we have arrived at Benin! Here there is an amazing treat called fanice! It is absolutely delicious. If you are looking for an international traveling home then you should move to the Africa Mercy!

               

At Arbre d'Vie Orphanage a few weekends ago

 I love the ship because of my friends who support me in smooth times and rough as well. First of all, I have met kids from all over the world. It is almost like visiting the world in one day. For example Maya, who is from America, and Anna, who is from Liberia, would have never been my friends if I had not come and lived here. Secondly, I see my friends almost 24/7 which makes our friendship as strong as steel! We ripstick on the dock a lot and we usually play Frisbee on Fridays! Unfortunately, being an MK (Missionary Kid) has its down sides. Often times my friends go back to their home countries or get reassigned. It makes me feel very sad; sometimes I sit and wonder why people have to leave. Still, I love the diversity of my friends.

Caroline and her sweet friend Elsa (one of those hard good-byes)

Although, the ship is very large we are all a very close community. To begin with, unlike other places, we have a school right here onboard. We have this funky celebration called Jabulani day were everyone dresses up using the basics of a theme. It is totally breathtaking! Also, everybody knows almost everyone else. I trust a lot of adults and I feel comfortable enough to just walk up to someone and say "hi" even if I do not know them.

Crew of the AFM, Congo

Obviously, the ship is one of my favorite places on the planet! I feel like everyone is as close as a giant “family” that travels together all around Africa. God bless the Africa Mercy now and forever!

Surely there will be more to come!

All God Does Is Good

A lovely nurse named Cara wrote something on her blog a few weeks ago about one of our patients.  It has stayed in my heart and mind and I want to share it with you:

Iyebiye kan // Precious one

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 / CARAD

"Today is our third day of Maxillofacial (MaxFax) surgeries on the Africa Mercy for the 2016-2017 Benin Field Service.  And I am one happy pediatric nurse! We have a recovering and adorable 6-month cleft lip baby named Patricia, today we operated on a beautiful six-year old cleft palate named Minabelle and tonight we welcomed an 8-month baby boy (also cleft lip) named Israel. I’ve already kissed Patricia’s hair more times than I can count and gave her a bath on Monday night that made me far happier than it made her. I have shaken Israel’s hand twice in welcome, enjoying the way he regarded me with solemn and inquisitive eyes.  I got to spend time reassuring Minabelle and her mom this morning not to be afraid and then again this afternoon promising that we would care for her, that we had her bleeding and her airway and her pain under control.

But there is one sweet baby in the corner of our ward, in beloved Haingo’s old bed, who has stolen my heart in a special and particular way, one who is especially precious to me.

Her name is Bignon.  

Just like Haingo, Bignon is a cleft lip and palate baby, too – and our first medical admission of the season.  Bignon weighs 4 pounds and is three weeks old.  Bignon’s mother arrived exhausted and defeated, with a dehydrated and lethargic baby who barely had active reflexes and didn’t even have the strength to cry during her blood draws.  Yet already during Bignon’s first 24 hours aboard, both mother and baby look far more full of life than they did the previous day, both full of food and receiving rest and good care.

On Deck 7 today, during fresh air time, I asked one of our day crew to ask Bignon’s mother if the baby’s name means anything. 

“It does,” our translator told me.  

“It means ‘All God Does is Good'”. 

I had chills. How fitting. How perfect. How well that name illustrates the powerful story of this fragile little baby and this brave, brave Mama.  Can you imagine someone laying your baby in your arms, after hours of laboring, and seeing how small she is, seeing her bilateral cleft lip for the first time, being frightened and unsure of what caused this enormous, obvious, difficult defect —

AND YET still turning your eyes to heaven and choosing to name this darling little girl “All God Does is Good”? 

If I had faith like that, if I had trust like that, how different my every single day would be. How different my relationship with God would be, my relationships with my loved ones and my relationship with myself would be.  It is nearly beyond my comprehension to imagine what depths of peace you would feel in knowing, knowing THAT intensely that God had everything, every hardship, every struggle, every curveball under His control and that He was making choices for you and your family that ultimately were good, no matter how scary they seemed at first?

That kind of faith is the kind that they say moves mountains. 

Upon our return to the ward, my heart still full and my throat still lumpy and my eyes still stinging, I watched Patricia and her Mama greet little Israel. I watched Patricia’s mom showing off the nasal bolster, pointing at the steri-strips, gesturing to the nurses and talking fast and excitedly.  I watched Bignon’s mom coming over, showing off her own little clefty girl, her own pride and joy. I could hardly tear myself away. Three cleft lips and their mothers having a party in the back of the ward in our incredible unit on a floating hospital docked in Cotonou, Benin.

Indeed.  All God Does is Good."

Amen.  If you'd like to read more of Cara's heart and thoughts, here's the link.

Surely there will be more to come.  

smorgasbord - benin, screening, set up and open house!

For your reading and looking enjoyment: a few pictures, 2 links (alongside the first 2 section headers - click on them, you'll be glad you did...but you may need tissues if you read Kayla's) and some 6 word phrases (a smorgasbord of treasure and delight!).

Benin -- Nick & Suzanne's blog

• Colorful, zemidjan filled, beautiful, beloved Benin.  
• So very thankful to be here. 
• Much to be seen, tasted, smelled. 

Screening -- Kayla's thoughts

• Heart achingly breakingly beautifully tough work.
• Thousands lined up...hope is rising. 
• Wish we could help them all. 
• Well done good and faithful screeners. 
• Each form represents possibility: life change.

Hospital Set up

• Before and after, what a difference.
• Hours of cleaning, unpacking, setting up.
• Every moment an act of worship. 
• Getting it ready for honored guests. 

Hospital Open House

• Hands on learning is the best.
• Such fun happening on deck 3.
• Injections, surgeries, sutures and lab work.
• Maybe we have a future surgeon?

Surely there will be more to come.
(or "Surely there is more to come" if you really want to stick with the 6 word phrases).

Arriving in Benin - Containers of Hope and Healing

We arrived in Benin this morning!  

Arriving into a new country is tremendously significant.  It's very nearly overwhelming to try and wrap one's mind around what exactly it is that we're pulling into the port to do. It's quite emotional....quite powerful...quite humbling...quite a reminder of how very much we need God and how we can do nothing without Him. 

We were standing up on Deck 8 this morning around 9 as the ship was maneuvered so very carefully into her berth, and I said to my friend Michelle, "Ships do this every day...coming in and out of ports....but this is so much more significant..."  She's a wise, brilliant one.  She replied (in her beautiful South African accent), "We aren't here for a quick stop to offload containers filled with goods.  We're here for months because we need to offload hope and healing."

We have containers of hope and healing to share with God's beloved people of Benin.  In fact, we are the containers.  

Truth on the wall outside of the Preschool Classroom of the Academy 

The kids have been studying Benin 

Benin looks like a turkey leg...or a key...depends on which map you're looking at. 

The Benin flag was raised on the ship this morning as we entered Beninoise waters

The Advance Team awaiting our arrival this morning

Sidling up to the dock

A view from the dock

And what's more overwhelming than pulling into a new berth space and seeing in person the tangible results of prayers and dreams and hundreds of hours of hard work? What's more overwhelming than knowing you're pulling into the ship parking space that will be your home for the next ten months?  What's more overwhelming than thinking about what it really means to unload hope and healing?

What's more overwhelming is the fact that God has been bringing hope and healing to Benin long before we arrived...and He'll continue to bring hope and healing after we're gone -- but for this sweet season, we have the honor and privilege of joining in with Him in bringing hope and healing to the people of Benin.

Surely there will be more to come.

End of the School Year: Character On Display

In the whirlwind of the end of the school year (the week of May 22-26) and leaving the ship for our summer in Georgia (Friday, May 27) and then being with friends and family in various locations over the summer, I haven't taken the chance to post one of our favorite Mercy Ships Academy Traditions from this year.  Until now...

As in previous years (click on these links if you have time and are interested in reading more from 2015  2014 and 2013), we gathered in the International Lounge on the morning of the last day of school to commemorate and celebrate the end of the school year. As in years past, the teachers called up each student and read out words of Life, Truth and Affirmation -  a character trait and a special verse for each one.

Now, we certainly don't have anything against academic achievements being celebrated - but there is something remarkably significant about students being recognized and applauded for their character.  

It is with grateful hearts for the character God is developing in our children that we share the traits and verses that their teachers gave them.

Eli -- Understanding and Loyalty

Written by Ms. Remy: "Eli has been a loyal classmate and student this past year.  Eli is someone that his peers can count on.  He is patient and shows great self-control in challenging situations.  He has a deep desire to be kind and generous to those around him.  He is a loyal friend, always willing to lend a hand.  Eli has the ability to observe and understand situations and issues that occur in and outside the classroom.  His understanding can often help being the solution to a problem.  What a wonderful way to honour and glorify our Lord.."

Eli's verses -- Psalm 119:30-35

"I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.  I hold fast to your statutes, Lord; do not let me be put to shame.  I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.  Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.  Give me understanding so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.  Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight."  

Caroline -- Joyfulness and Obedience

Written by Ms. Remy: "Caroline comes in smiling and, if she gets the opportunity, she would be jumping up and down as well. She enjoys life and gladly shares this joy with her classmates and teacher.  Caroline is not only a girl filled with exuberance, she also has a beautiful obedient heart.  She respects and obeys her teachers and any authority figure set before her.  She wants to learn from them and accepts any feedback with grace. Her joy and obedience bring honour to God."

Caroline's verse -- Joshua 22:5

"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you:  to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul." 

Emma -- Joy

Written by Ms. Katie:  "Emma's heart is bursting with joy on a daily basis.  But "daily" does not even describe it accurately - her joy is more on a minute-basis!  She walks in the door with a smile, laughter, enthusiasm and exciting stories to share, and she stays that way all day.  Her enthusiasm knows no bounds - no matter what we learn, discuss or do, Emma is happy and excited.  She sees the joy in absolutely everything.  This joy is deeply rooted in her heart and it finds its way into the hearts and lives of the people around her.  There is no way to not be affected by Emma's radiating joyfulness, and this is a very special gift that God has given her.  What a powerful way to impact people's attitudes and lives.  This is a a rare and beautiful gift.  Never lose your joyful heart, Emma!"  

Emma's verse -- Romans 15:13

"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."

We cannot thank God enough for the Academy and for the teachers that have invested so very much into our childrens' lives.

The new school year starts this coming Tuesday, August 9 (my goal was to post this before the new school year began! #score #2daystospare).  Please join us in praying for the teachers and students as they begin the 2016-2017 school year.  May they each be all that God created them to be - striving for excellence, soaked in grace and truth, looking for Him and to Him at every turn.

Surely there will be more to come.