Prayer Letter

It’s a shock to realize that what you once dreamed is no longer the dream of your heart.  That where your heart once was is no longer your home.

It hits me hard when I look out on the beauty of small-town New England in the autumn and realize that, gorgeous as it is, there is so much more to life.  My past goals of living here, raising a family, saving lives at a local hospital – it’s a transient reality, lived for a moment and then ready to go on the back burner to simmer again. 

I thought that when I came home from Togo I could go back to normal, that the heartache would heal in time.  Instead I find myself still there, in the stark, bare reality of a life without resources and a soul joyfully reflecting the glory of God, regardless of the cost.  My skin may be white, but my heart still beats with the rhythm of the djembe.  My naiveté has been lost and instead I sing with Brooke Fraser, “Now that I have seen, I am responsible; faith without deeds is dead.  Now that I have held you in my own arms, I will not let go…”

I found myself debating the point with a doctor from work at 4 am this week.  Night shift can sometimes be good for substantial debate.  Dr. Duke is wrong…a life of service cannot and should not be separated from faith.  In reality, a life of service can only be lived by faith, a reflection of Christ at work in a soul…a heart surrendered in worship.    Otherwise it becomes dry and meaningless.

And so, friends, I am headed back to West Africa.  To be a part of the miracle of a child living only by the grace of a good God and the fervent prayers of a mama.  To love the outcast and touch the hurting.  I will be a pediatric nurse again with Mercy Ships, this time in Sierra Leone – a country already torn apart from years of war.  My commitment is from January - May, 2011, and I am very excited!

I plan to meet the Africa Mercy in South Africa for the sail to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Along with my responsibilities as a pediatric nurse I expect to participate again in surgical screenings, respond to the need for Pediatric ICU (PICU) and ICU nurses, and most likely joining the emergency team again as well. 

I covet your prayers and welcome your support.  Because all of our surgeries on Mercy Ships are provided free of charge, I will need to raise just over $5000 for my 4 months of crew fees and the plane tickets.  Regardless of whether or not God leads you to contribute financially or join me overseas, please pray for my co-workers, patients, and myself.  Please pray for volunteer medical staff to be raised up, for God to prepare our way in the hearts and lives of the West Africans, for safety and for opportunities to witness.  I have continued keeping up with my blog here at this address, and plan to continue to do so throughout my trip.

To learn more about Mercy Ships or make a donation, you can visit my page at https://connect.mercyships.org/page/outreach/view/crewmates/colesl.  Donations can also be mailed directly to Mercy Ships, P.O. Box 2020, Garden Valley, TX 75771, with a note attached that they are for Acct # 2699.

Aiming to reflect His love,

Laura