On Our Way

There was great excitement among the crew as we finally set sail for Congo. This is the start of something new. Mercy Ships has never been to Congo before. We are breaking new ground, and the anticipation is almost palpable. Teodoro was there to play his trumpet as we sailed out of Tenerife, as he has done every time the ship has sailed from Tenerife. It gave us a real sense of blessing as we sailed from port.

Teodoro Playing us Away

Sailing Away from Tenerife

As before, the bow is one of my favorite places during the sail. The very best part of the sail is when the captain announces "Dolphins on the bow", and everyone races to get to the bow and hang over the railing to watch the dolphins as they dance and leap in the wake created by the ship as it cuts through the waves.

Photo Credit to Bethany Kremer

Photo Credit to Bethany Kremer

Photo Credit to Bethany Kremer

Of course another favorite for me is still worship on the bow. It is so wonderful to be with this community, singing praises to our Lord together as we move on to our new home for the next ten months

I am more eager than ever to reach Congo. After spending the entire summer working in housekeeping, I am anxious to be a nurse again, and more than anything I want to be back in Africa.

A Sailin' We Will Go

In My Lifejacket for Abandon Ship Drill

Guinea has been lost over the horizon. After ten months in port, we on the Africa Mercy sailed away from Conakry, amidst the cheers and whistles of the dock workers. The tugboats blew their horns long and loud in farewell, in a way that I have never heard them do with any other ship. The sound of those horns brought tears to my eyes, to think of the difference that Mercy Ships has made, not just in the lives of our patients, but in the lives of the many other people of Guinea that we have interacted with in the ten months that the ship was in port. And then we were to far away to hear them and the land slowly shrunk on the horizon, until we were surrounded by nothing but the vastness of the blue ocean.

Pulling up the Gangway

Tugboat Coming in to Guide Us Out to Sea

With an Africa Mercy Life Ring, Ready to Sail

Dockhands Waving Goodbye

Waving Goodbye as the Tugboats Blow Their Horns in Farewell

Sailing Away from Guinea

Posing with Esther

Goodbye Guinea

Testing the Lifeboats

I must confess myself grateful to learn that I do not get seasick. With my tendencies towards getting sick on amusement park rides, I had feared that I might be prone to seasickness. I still cannot walk in a straight line after three days at sea, but this seems to be the same for everyone else on board.
Our second day at sea was a Sunday, and I had the opportunity to experience worshiping on the bow with the entire crew as we watched the sun set.

Worshiping on the Bow

Captain Tim Joining in Worship from the

Sunset at Sea

I love the sea. Standing on the bow is one of my favorite activities, and I spend most of my free time there, watching the ship cutting through the waves, watching the flying fish, and hoping for a glimpse of dolphins.

Flying Fish

Dolphins off the Bow (photo credit Reuben Plomp)

Gran Canaria here we come!