My new home: shipshape and ready to sail

The M/V Africa Mercy: a converted Dutch ferry boat, is now one of the world's largest non-military hospital ships...and also my home for the next 3 1/2 months.






I share a cabin on deck 3, the hospital wing, with 5 other women...Our double bunks are built into the wall. Currently I have just 1 roommate, but I hear more will be arriving once we reach Togo!
I think my little cubby will shrink quite a bit when my new roommate arrives and we flip her bunk down! We try and keep the cabin pretty tidy for weekly cabin inspection.
For the next few days we are docked in Puertos de Tenerife. We went out and explored a bit,



















and last night one of the locals came out and gave us a private concert shipside with his amp and guitar. Much more to come...

Hola, buenos tardes!

"Welcome to your new home, this is the Africa Mercy!" said one of the security guards, as we stepped out of the little jeep. Finally, thank God, I made it!

It has been a long and crazy week filled with blessing after blessing. After finishing up my last few shifts at Harris HEB, I slept a bit, then packed up my apartment and headed out. It started raining hard as soon as I hit Little Rock, and continued all the way through to NY. Catching short but amazing times with friends along the way, I flew out of Rochester Monday morning. Well, I tried to.

Our first flight was delayed. "We'll update you in an hour" they said, and this went on until 3:30 pm, when we got our wheels-up for JFK. Had a super neat conversation with a gentleman who had been waiting since sunday afternoon (the day before!) for the very same delayed flight. I shared with him that I had friends praying for safe and timely flights, and a half-hour later as we boarded the plane he told me "I'm calling my wife when we get to JFK...I wanna tell her that prayer really works!"

In JFK we were again delayed, waiting in what they sketchily called a "people-transporter" for hours for the OK to board. I slept like a rock across the Atlantic, only to run like crazy in Madrid trying to board my flight for Tenerife...which was on final boarding call when my connecting flight landed. In an amazing miracle, there were Mercy Ships staff to greet me at Tenerife despite my 3 hr late arrival via another airline. God had engineered my joining the flight of another staff member, and we all squeezed into the jeep and headed out across the island towards the M/V Africa Mercy's berth in the harbor!

Can't believe that this time has gone by so super fast. I'm already packing to leave Texas in less than a week! Looking back, I have been so blessed. Although I never expected to end up in Texas, I would not change it for anything. My coworkers at HEB are amazing, and I find myself being able to love ED nursing again - something I was missing. I've even begun to enjoy critical care again!! I will miss my newfound friends, but...God knows, maybe I will be back someday!

Leaving here Wednesday after work, I'll be booking it back up to NY via Cedarville, visiting a few good friends along the way. I've packed my malaria meds and culturally appropriate clothes...soon it will be time to break out my pathetically limited Français. I can't wait!!