Home (one of them). Glimpses into the past week...

It's ridiculously hard to believe that we arrived in the States just over a week ago.  

After a long bus ride, a night and day in Tana and 2 long flights, we arrived in Atlanta safe and sound Monday evening. We were (are!) so blessed by our family waiting for us at the airport....such a delightful way to be welcomed home.

For some reason or another, our camera has stayed tucked away for alot our time.  Wish it was possible to have captured every moment...every hug...every person from this past week -- but then the camera might have become our focus rather than soaking up and enjoying the delight of the moment.
These are just tastes of the joy and a few glimpses into what we've been doing the past week:

Nick and Toni

Incredible siblings. 

Girl Cousins

Boy Cousins

We left the airport and all went to Chick-Fil-A for a most delicious meal.  Doing the same thing twice in a row makes it tradition, right? (Chick-Fil-A was our first stop during our last trip home in June 2013)

Tuesday morning one of the first things the girls wanted to do was take a bubble bath in Yaya's gianormous tub.  They stayed in there a loooong time.  

Another main priority of our first day home was connecting with our dear friends, the Whites.  We were able to spend the afternoon with them playing and catching up and laughing and eating cheeseballs.

Wednesday we headed to Athens to be with Amy (it just so happened that it was her birthday!!)...ate at the Varsity, got pedicures, ate at Cali n Tito's, went to a Lady Dawgs basketball game - great way to spend day #2. 

Thursday morning we left Athens and went to Warrenton for Thanksgiving at the Cabin.  Such a lovely day with family...beautiful weather...tremendously delicious food.

Friday we headed back to Columbus and have been here ever since...

• building epic train tracks
• plugging things in without adaptors
• having rich and meaningful conversations (one far into the night)
• sharing at Crosspointe 
• delightfully sweeping up leaves
  
• enjoying the Fall weather
• taking longer than 2 minute showers
• missing our ship friends
• catching up with GA friends
• getting school work done

• being blessed by so many who know us and love us
• in awe of the kindness and generosity of so many
• seeking to enjoy this sweet time and make the most of this time that God has blessed us with.

One other exciting part of our time home has been that Nick was ordained on Sunday evening. Once again we were so blessed by the friends and family who came (some great distances!) to share in this special event with us.

And just to answer a few of the questions that have been asked quite frequently lately...

Yes, we are enjoying being home...yes, it's a little strange and overwhelming (but not really)....yes, we miss the ship....yes, we can relate to this article about home...yes, it's good to be here....yes, this first week was full (but no worries - the others aren't nearly as full!)...yes, we'll be going back to the ship (January 5)...yes, we're seeking to enjoy this time and make the most of it - peaceful, restful, meaningful, rich...those are some of our prayers for this time.  Please pray with us and for us.

Surely there will be more to come.

Screening & Such

For those of you who have been around with us the past couple of years (and for those of you who have been around Mercy Ships long before we came onto the scene!), you will know that in the past, our patient screening process has primarily been one, massive, day-long event where thousands of people line up.  One-by-one, the patients come through our screening process where it is determined whether or not they will be able to receive surgery.  

This year, Mercy Ships has implemented a new screening process -- the reasons behind this are many (we're happy to share them with you if you'd like to hear!) - but it mainly comes down to best practices and the way to best serve the country of Madagascar!  Smaller screening events will now take place throughout the entire field service -- the first of which began this week. 

Here are a few pictures that were taken earlier this week.  What a joy it is to think that these pictures represent thousands of Malagasy lives that will be forever changed in the coming weeks and months (not to mention the hundreds of nurses and doctors whose lives will forever be changed as they care for these patients)...

If you're interested, here's a blog post from Sierra - one of our writers onboard.  She shares "the Starfish story" that we love so much and her screening experience.

Yes, there are many in the line that had to hear a very hard and disappointing "no, we're very sorry, but we are unable to help with your condition..." But even those who weren't given an appointment card encountered the love of Jesus as they were seen and talked to and prayed for.  Please pray for those that received a "no" -- may they know their great worth even in the midst of struggling with whatever issue it is that they are suffering with.

Please also pray for those who received the ever hopeful "Yes" -- may God give them patience as they wait for their appointment day and then may they receive the best possible care and treatment as they come onto the ship.

And please pray for our Screening Team -- Mirjam, Jasmine, Naomi, and Nate (others certainly help them -- but the vast majority of the screening work falls to these four). They will continue these screenings here in Toamasina for three more weeks, and then they will travel to other parts of the country to continue finding patients.  Pray for strength, endurance, and energy.  

Want to know one of our favorite things about these pictures?

One of our favorite things is KNOWING the crew in the pictures....that's not just some guy blowing bubbles -- that's our friend Peter making a kid's wait in line a bit brighter and more fun.  This is the same Peter who teaches Eli karate and shares chocolate chip cookies and has Adel songs on his ipod.

And this isn't just another person giving an eye test.  This is Therese from Norway who met the love of her life in Congo and who gives and serves selflessly on the Eye Team.

And this is not just a random lovely lady taking notes on a potential patient.  This is our friend Jas.  Jas who speaks life and Truth and has a creative flare that many just dream about.  This is Jas who is a coffee connoisseur and has a brilliant accent and generously shares herself and her friendship. 

And these aren't just 3 people taking a break and chatting it up.  These are 3 strong and mighty ladies who have boatloads of knowledge, experience, and passion.  Kirstie, Mirjam and Michelle... our Hospital Director, Screening Coordinator, and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, respectively.

What a privilege to get to know these people and share life with them here on the Africa Mercy.  We get to live and serve and play and pray with some incredible people!

We can't tell you enough how beautiful it is to see the hospital coming alive again after months of being dormant... this week patients have been onboard for pre-surgery consultations and further screening.  On Monday, patients will be admitted to the hospital, and on Tuesday the first surgeries will take place.

These photos were on a nurse's Facebook wall today.  It shows the nurses as they looped around the wards and through the OR to pray together over the hospital. We thought it was beautiful and certainly worth sharing.

It's good to be here.

Surely there will be more to come.

Made it to Madagascar

We arrived safely in Tamatave (aka Toamasina), Madagascar this morning!  

We are so grateful for all the prayers that have been poured into our safe sail and smooth arrival. 

Here are just a few favorite photos from the day:

First glimpse of Madagascar

Jordan's foot sticking out of the pilot's entrance on deck 3

Looking for the pilot boat 

The Pilot Boat!!!  We were most excited to see that guy on the right in the blue and black jacket!!!

A few precious friends waiting for us on the dock

Emma's "I Love You's" to Nick on the dock

KJ & Mirabelle!

2 incredible Dutch Men that we are blessed to call "friends"

2 happy Cash Fellas

Our home.  Tied up to dry land. 

We are excited to be here and excited to be a part of the story God is writing in Madagascar.  We are very aware that He was at work long before we arrived...and He will be at work long after we leave...but for this time, may we be used in any and every possible way to bring hope and healing to some of His beloved creations in this lovely country.   

Please pray for the crew of the Africa Mercy as everything gets into "full swing" this week.  Many screenings will take place in the days and weeks to come as we seek out the patients that will fill the wards and halls of our hospital.

We can't wait to share the stories with you!  

Surely there will be more to come.

Ready.

As the ship makes its way to Madagascar one nautical mile at a time, one can sense the excitement...the expectancy...the readiness...

After months of maintenance and months of waiting and weeks of sailing (with a few wonderful PR tours thrown into the mixture for good measure), we're ready....

Ready to see this ward transformed back into a place that is filled with love and recovery.  Ready for the smiles, stickers, games of jenga and coloring pages. 

Ready to see these halls filled with nurses in scrubs and patients taking strolls and VVF ladies singing their songs of joy and redemption.

Ready for these mattresses to be made into beds and filled with patients who are preparing for surgery and recovering from surgery (not to mention their wonderful care givers tucked away underneath them).

Ready to look through this porthole and see the miraculous goings on of the ORs...doctors and nurses using their skills, talents and abilities to restore LIFE, HOPE and HEALING to countless beautiful individuals.

Ready to see patients and crew sitting in this sweet spot under the stairs having conversations and working on their physical therapy.

Ready to be the hands, feet, hugs, smiles and love of God to hundreds of Madagasi people.  

Surely there will be more to come.

Capetown: Lessons from the Scratch Patch

It's pretty incredible how God can use random places/situations to remind us of His love.

We visited the Scratch Patch while the ship was docked in Capetown (actually, we visited it twice).  We heard a few people talk about visiting this place where you could "pick out rocks and it didn't cost much."  Sounded like a winner.

In the midst of watching the Cash Kids pick out just the right rocks and put them in their little zip lock bag (that was supposed to be able to close), God brought a few things to mind...here's an attempt at sharing them.

#1: At the Scratch Patch - and in God's Kingdom - castaways become treasures. 

The rocks at the Scratch Patch are "B grade" - not even sure what exactly that means in the world of rocks...but in talking with the lady that works there, she said that these are the rocks that can't be used in making jewelry.  For whatever reason, they were deemed "not good enough" or "invaluable" or "useless" -- yet, there they are...being picked out as TREASURES by our children (and by hundreds of others each week).  The very rocks that someone deemed "unacceptable" are sought after, picked out, rejoiced over.

Sounds alot like God and His love.

Sounds alot like what God does in and through Mercy Ships.

#2: "We have to be extra careful with the broken hearts - they have rough edges."

At some point in the search, Emma found a heart shaped rock.  She then proceeded to dump out all the other rocks she had collected and only put heart shaped rocks in her little bag.  She wanted only heart shaped rocks...and, because of her determination and ruthless pursuit, only heart shaped rocks made it home with us!  In the midst of the search, she found a heart shaped rock that was broken off and she said "We have to be extra careful with the broken hearts - they have rough edges."  Oh so true.

There are lots of broken hearts in our world right now.  Many of our friends' hearts are broken over their children (or lack there of), over their marriage (or lack there of), over disease and addiction, over their own terrible decisions or the terrible decisions of one they love.  Broken hearts are fragile...tender...and we desperately need them to be handled carefully.  It is good to know that our hearts are in good hands...our God is extra careful with broken hearts.  May we learn more and more about handling hearts carefully.

#3 It is important to look at the individual, not just the masses

To walk in and see the large number of rocks was really cool...but what was really incredible was to pick up one rock and study its beauty...and to pick up another rock and see its intricate designs.

Sometimes the masses can be overwhelming...but remembering that the mass is made up of individuals - individuals with a story, with a purpose, with their own unique value and beauty - can make all the difference.  It reminds me of Screening Days.  It reminds me of the Starfish Story.
 

So there ya go.  Lessons from the Scratch Patch.  1.70 Rand well spent.

Surely there will be more to come.