Back to the start

Hey, y'all!

Even though I write for a living, I had the hardest time getting myself to actually hit "publish" on this one. Writing about myself for the world to read feels very foreign - but I wanted to have a space to share the good, bad and crazy of this adventure with you all.

As most of you probably know, I left Pennsylvania two weeks ago to join Mercy Ships, a volunteer-based organisation that provides free surgeries on its hospital ship (the Africa Mercy). For this next field service, we'll be based in Cameroon, West Africa.

I'm currently in Lindale, Texas, doing a five week On Boarding course along with a group of other newbie Mercy Shippers. We're in class each day (I feel like I'm back in college) learning more about life on board, how to raise support, Mercy Ships' vision, and preparing for our individual roles. We kicked off our time with a week of pretty intensive fire safety and water safety training. Let's just say I have a heightened respect for firefighters.

I've also been embracing my non-existent inner Texan. You can now find me saying "y'all," knowing first-hand what a rodeo is and having experienced a shooting range.

Before I left, I had people asking me a lot of questions, like:

Why Mercy Ships? (A question which deserves a whole blog post to answer.)

Are you actually going to be a pirate? (Nope, although I have now undergone pirate safety training. No joke.)

What's life on board going to look like? (Ask me after July 19 when I join the ship in the Canary Islands!)

When are you coming back to the States? (Hopefully, I'll be back to visit PA next summer.)

What are you going to be doing on a hospital ship? 

I'm joining Mercy Ships' communications team as a writer. No bias here, but I'm pretty sure I landed the BEST job on the ship. I'll be working alongside the (awesome) Comms team to share what's happening on the ship. As a writer, I'll be following patients through their surgery and recovery process - and will be able to join some of them as they return home, to capture the homecoming part of their stories. As a result, I'll be able to connect and build relationships with patients, having the incredible privilege of being a small part of their journey.

A year ago, I never could have dreamed of this opportunity, but looking back, the path and God's faithfulness in my life are so evident it blows my mind. But that's a story for another post :)

Thank you so much to everyone who's encouraged, supported and prayed for me along the way. I appreciate y'all so much and I can't wait to see what's ahead.

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If you can't tell which one is me, that's okay. I can't either.

The world's most unflattering immersion suits.