Sixty-six days ago I started training in Texas for coming back to the ship. There have been many good days, some days that weren't so cheery, days where I was excited to see what God was teaching me, and there have been days where I wanted nothing else more than to get back to the galley. I've been on the ship for twelve days now and it has been amazing to be able to cook for the crew again. Turkey & Dressing, Hamburgers, Chicken Fajitas; that's just a few of the meals that I've made and can't wait to start sharing more about life in the kitchen.
Is likely you will find me in my spot on deck 6, eating breakfast in the cafe before work, sitting out on deck 7 in my hammock or walking around chatting with different people. While enjoying my hammock is new this year (gotta love Christmas presents) the others are all things that I love when living on the ship. Last night I got to hang out in reception with a good friend. Last year I spent many nights there with two friends that worked in reception. This year God has placed another great friend into that position, I love how He works these things out.
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| Early mornings make for grouchy people. |
When we left the village we scheduled a day in Accra because of our early flight to Spain. Wednesday the 1st of August we left the hostel at something like 5:00 in the morning. We had to have things all packed up and loaded onto the but by 4:30 and checked out of our room in time to get on the bus.
Being so excited to get moving towards the ship I woke up early early in the morning. By the time we made it to the airport and stood in line over an hour to get out baggage checked I was pretty energized. If you can imagine a kindergartner excited for the first day of school just think twenty years older. We flew from Accra, Ghana - Madrid, Spain - Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.
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| On a tram getting to our flight in Madrid. |
While still in Texas they canceled out original flight and our travel agent was able to renegotiate a new flight schedule that included a night in a hotel before going to the ship. We landed in the islands in the evening, were able to get to the hotel, enjoy wonderful HOT showers and get some food before resting in really nice beds. Thursday I woke up early and went out on a photo walk with two friends. We walked towards the city center and found Cathedral de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a beautiful church, and the Casa de Colon (Columbus House) where it is said that Christopher Columbus stayed before. From there we found a nice little market that I could have stayed at for a really long time and then headed back to the hotel on the waterfront path.
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| Our last group picture before getting to the ship. |
We got back in time to eat breakfast and have out last group devotional. Finally we packed up the bus and rode to the ferry to get to Tenerife. Our ride was a little over an hour and we got to see the Africa Mercy as we pulled into the dock. The ship was right there on the same pier so they threw our luggage in the Land Rovers and we headed to the ship. By three o'clock that afternoon I was back home walking the halls of this place that I love.
Please keep the ship and our crew in your prayers as we sail to Conakry, Guinea. We will be leaving tomorrow at some point and will be sailing for approximately 5 days. From that point the field service will unwind like a whirlwind as we set up the dock, get our new day-workers and have our first screening for patients.
