Here's a letter I wrote to the Senior Group at my church. Thought you would enjoy it
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| Fire training out on the deck. |
It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m
sitting in the “living room” well, deck 6 in one of the lounge areas set up for
us. One of the things I don’t normally cover is the everyday life of living on
the Africa Mercy. I don’t think I live much of an exciting life anymore. Things
have become very normal since I have lived on the ship almost a full year
during my two services with Mercy Ships.
Version 1
Tomorrow morning I will begin another week on the
Africa Mercy. After my two minute shower, some Bible reading & a boring breakfast
we will have our weekly communications meeting. There we will hear the same
announcements we heard a few months ago. There will be lists of people arriving
and departing from the ship. A new activity will be announced and we will
finish with prayer praises and requests from different departments around the
ship. From that point we will all go and start the work week that will look
something like it did the week before.
Version 2
When I wake up somewhere around 6:15 tomorrow. I will
be fully rested after not having to work all weekend. After thinking about
getting to bless the crew at work today I will jump into a hot shower. I’m
thankful I get a shower; a lot of people here in town only get to wash in polluted
or often reused water. Once dressed in my clean clothes, I might not have the
newest clothes around or the most fashionable ones, but thank God I’m blessed
to have them and they are clean. We might only be able to do 1 load a week, but
that only makes me think twice when I’m doing something that might make them
dirty. So, I’m out of the room and up one flight of stairs to breakfast, all I
have to do is put my bread in the toaster and make my cup of hot tea.
Everything has been set up for me and when I’m done I only have to put my
dishes on the rack for the Dinning Room team to clean. Once I have everything
ready I go out to deck 7 where I get to watch the dawn of a new day. Fishermen
pass by in their fishing boats as I read about the Israelites as they cross
into the Promise land. If I’m back outside tonight around 6:00 I’ll see them
coming back into the port. During the communications meeting I will be reminded
about the Ash Wednesday service to start lent. I’ve never participated in lent
before, but since Jesus dwelled in the desert for 40 days before starting his
ministry I think I can give up something for Him for 40 days, and spending
extra time in the word will be much more of a blessing than a taker of my time.
When I hear that over twenty people arrived in the last week I can pray for
them as they transition into this wonderful place, and as I think about two of
my best friends and the fifteen others that left the ship since last week I’m
reminded how blessed I was to spend so much time with them. When the meeting is
all over we will be dismissed and the team I get the opportunity to lead
everyday will start the task of blessing our crew. If you’re just watching them
work you’d see them wiping down tables and straightening chairs in the café,
making a stocking list and restocking the shelves, and making two small batches
of crepe mix. But if I take my time to really see how their ministering I will
see them tidying things up so the crew have a place to take their break. They
will be putting amazing things on the shelf considering we live in Africa and
all of these things have been imported from around the world, the crew will be
so happy to get to have some Oreos and their favorite brand of chocolate. The
one mixing the crepes is making a nice snack for all to eat if they missed
breakfast or if they just need a boost of sugar to start the week.
Wow, those two sound a lot
different than each other….
I
get to live in a wonderful place where lives are changed daily, not just the
patients in the hospital but also the crew that get blessed by the patients and
day workers of this beautiful country.
This
last week when I read that the long battle I had been following about Nathan
Husky had ended it made me really look back and remember that each day is a
blessing. God has new things for us everyday. Yes, everyone gets blessed. So as you’re going through the rest of the day look for the
ways that God is blessing you. At first it might take a little more to notice.
At that point look for ways that you can bless others. It’s very true when they
say it’s better to give than receive.
Thanks for keeping up with
everything that I do. I know you’re praying for me, because I can’t do this on
my own. Only through God’s grace and power can I live each day in His service.
-Josh
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| Down in the engineering supply room. |
