The Day Before Screening

I can't take credit for any of this. It was written by a friend of mine. We went through training in Texas together last year.

You can check out her blog:
jesussavingmefromme.wordpress.com

The Day Before Screening: Congo

by micey

It’s the day before screening and all through the ship
The crew are gathering supplies for the trip
The boxes are stacked by the gangway with care
In hopes that 5000 Congolese will be there

The day begins early and goes very long
So the crew will bunk down to be healthy and strong
Our leaders especially will get to bed early
So next day their leadership will be joyful not surly

And I in my scrubs and durable shoes
Have set the alarm clock, I will not hit snooze
Out of my bed at 5:30 I’ll drift
To be at the car in time for my shift

We’ll hit the road smiling for the 15 minute trip
And pray the police will wave as we zip
Along the port road to our great destination
The Lycee in Pointe Noire where we’ll see all the nations

Please pray for people from near and from far
To reach us by foot, by donkey, or car
That the day would be orderly, peaceful, and still
That thousands may have their lives changed by God’s will

This is the mission of the great Mercy Ship
That lives will be changed by one hopeful trip
That our great God and Savior will be magnified
That the name of Jesus will be glorified

His… Michelle

Philippians 1:20

Please join us by praying for the screening day. God hears our prayers. Pray for him to bring the people from everywhere! I will give you an update this weekend with how everything went.

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Diversification

Diversification is a word used in the investment world to make sure that you don't have all of your eggs in the same basket. It refers to making sure that you have investments in more than just one realm of finances. Some suggest that you use a mixture of CD's, Stocks, Bonds & Mutual Funds.

Today's diversification talks about spreading out and getting to know more people. Last week there was a group of people sitting around in the cafè and a few new people asked for suggestions about living on the ship. One that was mentioned is one that I'm not so well at. I mentioned it because I know my time would be better if I worked on it. Then the topic came up in a book i'm reading so I thought I would share it with you.

We all need more than God and a best friend. We need a group of supportive relationships. The reason is simple: having more than one person in our lives allows our friends to be human. To be busy. To be unavailable at times. To hurt and have problems of their own. To have time alone.

This is hard sometimes for me. I have my group of friends and I know generally how they will respond and the things that we will talk about. I already know the things that they like and they know things about me. After being on the ship for a while it gets harder to make investments in to other groups of people. You know that they might not be onboard very long and you wonder if it's worth the effort to invest in a new group of friends. In the mean time it means that the friends that you have become more paramount in your life. You begin to rely more and more on them and then when they are busy you might get flustered because you needed somebody to talk to or just to hang out with.

We’re all a group of lumpy, bumpy, unfinished sinners, who ask for help and give help, who ask again and give again. And when our supportive network is strong enough, we all help each other mature into what God intended us to be. 

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.     Ephesians 4.2-3

Things have been very busy with work. Between normal business and three other big projects the days go very fast. One of the projects is performing the task of Logistics Coordinator for the Screening Day. I'm in charge of coordinating food & water for the crew and potential patients, cleaning the site after we are finished, transporting equipment to and from the selection site and a few other various tasks. Please keep me in your prayers as the day comes next week. Our selection day will be August 28th. You can also pray for the many other crew that all have important tasks, the many surgical staff coming to screen patients, and the thousands of people that will show up with ailments on the screening day.

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The Law of Activity

We sailed into Point Noir on Friday. After 13 days at sea we saw dry land and made history by being the first visit to the republic of Congo by Mercy Ships. Saturday morning I went into town to do some adventuring and see what things were like.
It is one of my goals this year to be more active in being involved. Not necessarily with being involved on the ship, but embracing the culture more. Previously I would go out, but not too extremely often. Fairly regularly but not enough to embrace the culture. It's pretty hard for me when I live on a fully developed ship and motivating myself to go out and journey through the unknown parts of town. I like things that I already know and often get stuck in a rut, or as many of us call them routines.
Today as I was doing some Bible study the Law of Activity came across and I thought I would share it with you.

The Law of Activity

Many times we have problems because we lack initiative-the God-given ability to propel ourselves into life.  Consider the contrast in the parable of the talents. 

Matthew 25.14-29 

For it will be like a man going on  a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away

He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents went and made two more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, "Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, "well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that i reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent form him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The ones who succeeded were active and assertive. They initiated and pushed. The one who lost out was the passive and inactive. The sad thing is that many people who are passive are not inherently evil or bad people. But evil is an active force, and passivity can become an ally of evil by not pushing against it. Passivity never pays off. God will match our effort, but he will never do out work for us. That would be an invasion of our boundaries. He wants us to be assertive and active, seeking and knocking on the door of life.

Matthew 7.7-8

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks  it will be opened.

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