Peace. Be still.

I woke up the other night to the voice of the Captain being pumped into all the cabins through the PA system at 12:30am. He was requesting for all deck crew to report to their stations in order to keep the ship safe and secure. It was only after that that I noticed how much the ship was moving. It felt like we were sailing again, except we weren’t. We were moored to the dock like normal, but there was still a lot of movement. And this movement didn’t feel like the rocking and swaying we feel during the sail, it felt like the ship was shuddering. Long, deep shudders ran down the ship every few seconds and I became aware of the flashes of lightening and rolls of thunder out my little window. Rain poured down the pane in never ending torrents…and I was scared. It’s the first and only time I ever sat up and prayed that my ship wouldn’t sink. I’ve never had cause to pray that on the Disney Magic or on the Africa Mercy until that night. Granted, this is me talking…a non-mariner who scares quite easily, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but it is how I felt, especially after hearing the quake in the Captain’s voice. I laid there in bed thinking about the patients down below and how scared they must be, and also about how scared the disciples must have felt when they were caught out in a storm on the sea of Galilee.

 I did eventually go to sleep and woke up to sunny skies, but a dock that looked quite chaotic. Benches were strewn around, the handwashing station tent was missing, the rehab tent has collapsed, and even part of our container wall had been knocked over. It looked pretty rough. In line for breakfast, the Captain told me that a ship docked near us had come untethered and was coming towards us during the night. Twice it came very close to hitting us and it did eventually run into another ship farther down the dock, but not us. We heard that in town trees had been ripped out of the ground and cars had been flung by the wind and storm. During kindergarten that morning, my littles and I went our to deck 7 and stretched our little hands out over the dock and all the people who were already starting the long clean up process, and prayed. We prayed by name for each person we saw down there cleaning. We prayed for the patients who had been so scared and had thought we were sailing away in the night. We prayed for the people in town who didn’t have a home to be in during the storm last night or whose home had been swept away. My littles even prayed for all the animals who were out in the storm. I wish everyone could have had the view I did, of five little five-year-olds stretching out their little hands through the bars on deck 7 to pray over everything they saw.

 The beginning of this field service has felt pretty scary and stormy for me. My heart and mind have felt weighed down with lots of things like attempting to help the new teachers stay afloat, trying to figure out where I fit in this constantly changing community as friends come and go and change, praying for big decisions about next year, missing my family, and lots more. Yesterday a new friend came up to me as we scooped food onto our plates in the dining room and asked how long I have been onboard. I told him and he said that I really seem to thrive here and that he always sees a smile on my face. That kind of threw me for a loop because I don’t feel like I’ve had nearly as many smiles over this first quarter, but I’m glad that apparently joy is still coming across. After that comment I looked up the word “thrive.” Siri said, “to grow or develop well or vigorously.” Yes. That certainly is happening here. I may not feel happy all the time and I may have lots on my mind, but I can with certainty see God growing me here. And that’s good.

 So, while there have been storms in this first part of the Senegal field service, both literally and figuratively, I want to do like my littles and stretch out my hand over all the questions and concerns and craziness and pray for all that I see. I’d appreciate it if you’d like to pray with me.
-Pray for some critical positions that need to be filled both in the Academy and ship wide (and if you know any computer, PE, or French teachers, please send them my way!)
-Pray for the community and friendships onboard as people come and go. Pray that the community onboard would come together and that no one would feel alone. I think this is one of Satan’s biggest weapons here.
-Pray for the surgeries going on every day and also for those we cannot help.
-Pray for unity and love and wisdom for each of us and for this whole organization, especially as we soon expand to two ships.

When Jesus spoke to the storm he said, “Peace! Be still!” That’s what I want in my heart and mind, in my classroom, in the hospital, and in every department onboard. Peace. Be still.