Onboarding Program ~ Volunteering

This week of the Onboarding Program we focused on working with those we serve, focusing on worldviews and cultural differences.
We are working on learning some basic French phrases, as the primary language in Guinea is French. I am finding the French language extremely difficult to pronounce, though I think I am starting to understand the basic rules.

Evening Game Time

The Mercy Ships staff here volunteer at the local food bank once a month and I had the opportunity to go with them this week. We packed 2540 meals for underprivaleged children to take home with them after school so that they could have three meals a day over the weekends. I loved that the staff here at the IOC take the time to help in their community here, even while they work for Mercy Ships.
I had the opportunity to go to Dallas on Saturday with a few other members of my group. We had fun exploring downtown and watching a local street artist. Then we went to see the Kennedy Memorial and finished the day of with some delicious Thai food.

Enjoying the Sunshine

At the Kennedy Memorial

Fun Downtown

Walking in Downtown Dallas

A Walk in the Park



Spray Paint Art



Street Artist using Spray Pain and Fire to Create Art

 

Thai Food for Dinner

We were excited to learn that another charity organization called Sevenly will be selling shirts from February 25th to March 3rd to benefit Mercy Ships.  I helped the staff here to prepare by helping to tie tags to over 1500 Mercy Ships bracelets, which will be mailed along with every shirt that Sevenly sells.

Onboarding Program - Having Some Fun

This week classes focused on personal and interpersonal development. We talked about different personality types and how they affect communication, interaction, and conflict. I have learned a lot about myself and how my personality affects the way that I interact with others, and how I approach leadership and conflict. We are also studying more on prayer and hearing God's voice, and I am loving the time that we take everyday to pray as a group.
One of the families working at the IOC had our entire group over for the evening for dessert and fun. The food was delicious and there was much laughter to be had.  

With Jeremiah and Shea at the Bergstrom's

Gracie and I

 

Robin and I at the Bergstrom's

Fun with Chris

 

Fun with Esther

Gracie's older brother, Caden, turned 8 years old this week and we threw him a birthday party.

Celebrating Caden's Birthday

We have started planning our field service construction project. We will be building a playground near a local hospital and school for the neighborhood children. We will also be doing VBS for two days at a local school.
We have had a full and active weekend this week. On Saturday our group decided to go to the local zoo. The zoo was beautiful, and I loved seeing all of the animals. The pair of white tigers were my particular favorites.

Me and My Lovely Roommates on Our Way to the Zoo

Fun at the Zoo



Enjoying the Tigers at the Zoo

I met my great aunt at the zoo gate just before closing time. I had not seen her in ten years, but when I had learned from my grandfather that she lived just twenty minutes away from the IOC, I called and arranged to meet her. We went out for dinner at a local restaurant and had a lovely evening together catching up on the last ten years.


Me and Aunt Vikki

On Sunday we went to Cowboy Church again and then watched the children's rodeo that was held afterward. It was so fun to watch the children practicing their roping and riding.


Children Praying Before the Rodeo

Then, on Sunday evening 60 minutes aired a segment on the Mercy Ships and our entire group gathered together to watch. If you have not seen it you can go to my link and watch it. They truly did a wonderful job, and our entire group cheered at the end of the segment. Many tears were shed. I am looking forward even more to joining the crew of the Africa Mercy. We are truly blessed to be joining such an amazing organization.

Onboarding Program - Prayer

Week two of the Onboarding program has been focused on Faith Foundations. We have studied the nature and character of God, spiritual warfare, and prayer. It was truly an inspirational week and I have learned a great deal about prayer and the life that I want to live for God. At the end of this week we had a silent retreat, for the specific purpose of spending quiet, uninterrupted time with the Lord. We were driven to a local state park, where we each spent four hours walking along the paths that lead around the lake and through the forest in prayer and silent worship. It was a wonderful experience and one that I remember for the rest of my life. I realized how little time I actually spend with the Lord, away from all the distractions that surround me, and take the time to just listen. I hope to continue to make a conscious effort to find places where I can be alone with the Lord without distractions.
We had our first meeting this week for our two weeks of field service in Guinea before we board the ship. We plan to build a playground for the local children in Conakry, Guinea, near the local hospital and Christian school.
As an added bonus to this week, the youngest member of our group, Gracie, turned six years old. We celebrated together with presents, cake and ice cream, and the traditional British game of pass the parcel. Our little family grows closer by the day, and I feel so blessed to have these amazing people in my life.

Cookout Night at the Nash Home

A Few of the Ladies

Another Beautiful Texas Sunset



Gracie's 6th Birthday Party ~ One Big Family

Onboarding Program ~ The Adventure Begins

This has been an interesting and instructive week. I am living in the family dorm at the Mercy Ships IOC. With all of us living in such close quarters with one another and sharing the common areas, our small training group has grown to be a family, and I love knowing that I will be spending at least the next year on board the Africa Mercy with all of these wonderful people.


Getting to Know One Another Games



Walking Around the Lake During Our Free Time

This week we completed our first week of training and received our certificates for completion of the Foundations of Mercy Ships (FMS) course. One step completed in this journey to join the crew of the Africa Mercy.  One of the highlights of our week was listening to Don and Deyon Stephens speak to our group about how the Lord led them to start Mercy Ships, and their vision for the Mercy Ships going into the future. They are such an amazing couple. They are the leaders of such an amazing organization, operating a floating hospital and providing free, much-needed surgeries to some of the most needy people in Africa, and yet I found them so easy to talk to, with no pride or haughtiness over their great accomplishments. Their humility and love for the Lord and their hearts for Africa are truly inspirational.

Onboarding Group Photo

Goofy Photo

Our Small Group Photo

Another Beautiful Texas Sunset



Sunday at Cross Brand Cowboy Church

A Dream and a Prayer

For as long as I can remember, the Lord has given me a heart for missions, and most especially a heart for the people of Africa. I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a nurse in Africa. I was twelve when I first heard about the Mercy Ships, and the more I learned about the Mercy Ships and their mission, the more I felt a tug and a call on my heart. It became my dream and my most heartfelt prayer to serve one day with Mercy Ships as a nurse.
All throughout middle school, high school, college, and nursing school I continued to dream and pray about the day that I would serve with Mercy Ships.
That time has now come, and I cannot wait to see what the Lord is going to do. After years of prayer I applied and was accepted into Mercy Ships as a nurse. I am now at the Mercy Ships IOC attending their training program for those who wish to serve long-term with the Mercy Ships organization, the Onboarding Program. In five weeks I will be flying to Africa to complete two weeks of in-field service after which I will join the crew of the Africa Mercy as a Ward Nurse.
This is the culmination of years of prayer and a childhood dream come true. The Lord is doing amazing things through Mercy Ships and I cannot wait to be a part of their mission, "Following the 2,000 year old model of Jesus, bringing hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor".

Standing outside the gate of the Mercy Ships International Operations Center (IOC)