Things were going pretty steady in January and the first half of February then my parents came for a visit. I think somebody pushed the fast forward button when they arrived. From the 14th of February till the 4th of March things seem to have gone in a blur.
Those first six weeks of the year before my parents came I was constantly thinking about what I would do this year, weather I would go home or stay on for another field service. It was very nice to think of the opportunities coming available on the ship, but at the same time I was balancing that with what else I thought God might have in store for me. Many of my friends will be coming back to the ship and going back to Guinea would always be exciting, but I never could get the peace about coming back. One night while sitting in my bed reading I came to the conclusion that it was time to stop struggling with the decision. When God told me that if I followed His call to Mercy Ships He would take care of everything else. Through my time in 2011 when I decided to come to the ship there was a definite peace about the situation. Every step of the way was very natural and without regret. So, at that time I decided that when I leave the ship in May it will be goodbye for now. This wasn't any easy decision. I'm still not sure what to think about leaving my home of 2+ years. My normal, which is actually pretty crazy, is about to change again.
The next question then comes to mind, if not Mercy Ships then where. It shortly crossed my mind to look for a land based clinic in Africa to work in. Maybe The Luke Commission or something like that. My friend Tiffany is volunteering with them and having great experiences. After contemplating that for a while I decided that it's time to be in the United States again. Currently I'm looking for a Conference Center or Retreat/Camp type place to work. Three years ago I had just heard about Mercy Ships and two years ago I wouldn't have ever expected to be managing a small shop that does $750-$1000 in sales every day. I imagine that what I do next will be in the Guest Services/Support Staff/Food Services realm, but I don't want to limit God to that.
In the mean time I'll be finishing up my time here on the ship over the next 8-10 weeks. They're hoping to have the next Sales Manager picked out so that I can hand-over to them and pass on some of my experiences. Leaving my friends here will be very tough and I'm not sure how excited I'll be about that, but I am excited to be traveling between here and home. I'm looking into traveling for a week or two to see some of the parts of Africa that I haven't been able to see over the last 2+ years.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippines 4.4-7
