Week Two! April 20-27

Week two is done! It feels like time moves differently here on the Africa Mercy, it's hard to believe another week is over! 

Ship Life

    Easter Sunday on the ship was AMAZING! The day started with a sunrise worship service at 5:30am on the top deck. It started pouring rain during the service, but we all continued to praise in the rain! At the beginning of the service, we sang songs mainly focused on the cross and Jesus' sacrifice for us. For the second half of the service, the songs were focused more on the celebration that Jesus rose again and we have Him as our reigning Savior! The rain stopped after a few minutes and the Lord blessed us with a stunning double rainbow! It was a beautiful image of the Gospel, starting the service with clouds and rain but finishing with sunshine and a rainbow! Later that morning, there was a more traditional Easter service with more worship and a teaching message. The galley and dining crew organized a delicious Easter meal in the afternoon and the overall atmosphere on the ship was so joyful and celebratory! 

 

  



    There is a "run club" that runs for ~20 minutes around the port every Monday/Wednesday/Friday morning. It was fun joining them on Monday and Wednesday this week! Running in 90% humidity, even at 6:00am, is no joke! I swear I couldn't stop sweating for the next 2 hours, even after a shower 😂. I also went to the ship gym for the first time and it was better than I expected! Heather and I had the whole gym to ourselves both times we went this week - yay! 








    Another fun surprise about the ship is the pool on the top deck! I'm told it is made out of an old shipping container which is cool. I've really enjoyed relaxing up there, but learned the hard way that the shade canvases do not in fact block the UV rays. I've been going through lots of sunscreen now! 
 
    On Tuesday evening, a group went to the little carnival right in town. They had a man-powered ferris wheel that we rode. The operators would climb up a ladder, jump across to the bars, and then hang until the weight and momentum brought them to the ground... and then they repeated the process until we were spinning! 

    On Friday night, we went to a restaurant/karaoke place in town. It was SO much fun! There were probably 40 people from Mercy Ships there, including a few of the day crew who I have become friends with. It was a fun night filled with dancing, singing, and new friends! It seems like everywhere I go, there are new people to meet since new people are always coming on the ship. I was on call all day on Saturday, meaning I couldn't leave the ship, but I sat around the pool all day reading and relaxing. 


    Today (Sunday) I had the opportunity to go to Plum Island with a group of doctors from the ship for the morning and afternoon. We took an hour long boat ride to a tiny island, inhabited only by one security personnel. We snorkeled, climbed to the top of the lighthouse, and walked around the island. It was beautiful and I saw so many fish! 







Surgery On Board

    This week I was on a plastic surgery rotation in the OR. The two plastic surgeons had arrived last weekend, so it was our first week all working together! We had a variety of types of cases including mass removals, skin grafts, and a free flap surgery. The free flap surgery was the biggest case of the week and I had the opportunity to scrub in! I had never seen or scrubbed a surgery like that, but it went very well! The patient had a previous large burn on his chin/neck that had caused a contracture and limited the motion of his head and neck, in addition to the burden of an obvious physical difference. The scar was removed and skin and tissue from the arm was used to replace it. The surgeons identified the vessels needed to supply blood to the new skin and connected the graft! They then took a thin layer of skin from the patient's thigh to cover where the arm skin had been removed. In total, we were in the operating room for around 7 hours, including the time it took to anesthetize, prep, and complete the surgery. It was so amazing to be a part of such a life-changing surgery! From what I've heard, the patient is doing very well and the graft is looking great! 



    Overall, another great week done! Thank you all for the prayers and encouragement. As much as I am loving life here on the AFM, I do miss you all! I repeatedly thank the Lord for the community He has blessed me with back home and that I have so many people cheering me on! All for His glory!  









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