The Beginning...

Greetings from Magnolia, Texas...

If you are reading this, you've probably just been given the news that the Scace family is preparing to embark on a huge adventure.  It's true!  We have been feeling the call to serve the Lord as a family for quite some time and were led to Mercy Ships right before COVID-19 became a household name.  

A little background...

I (Andrea) volunteered with Mercy Ships for a semester while I was in college.  I lived aboard the Anastasis for three months in Sierra Leone, West Africa; and lived in-country in The Gambia, West Africa, for two months.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and learned a lot about myself, my walk with God, and the people we served.  While I never envisioned myself back on the ship, I also never lost complete connection with it due to the great resource of social media.  In February of 2020, I received an e-mail from Mercy Ships explaining their new upcoming ship, the Global Mercy, and decided to see what it was all about.  As I was looking through their website, I saw an ad for a job that qualified for the entire family to come onboard.  After some more research, I sent it to Jeff and we decided to apply.  

                            2004 - Andrea in front of the Anastasis in Sierra Leone, West Africa

Fast forward to today...

We had no idea how quickly the process would begin, and we were suprised in May when Mercy Ships requested an interview with Jeff.  What began as a nudge from the Lord, had turned into a shove and in we jumped!  Over the next few months, we interviewed and prayed; we filled out paperwork and prayed; and we waited and prayed.  Finally, we found out we had been accepted.  Lord willing, we will be joining the Mercy Ships team for training in mid-January and heading onboard in March.

Questions...

We started this blog now so that we could give the background story of how this came to be and answer a lot of the questions we have already received.

1.  Have you lost your minds?  Are you going through a mid-life crisis?

Don't think we haven't asked ourselves that same question throughout this process.  The answer is a resounding - no.  We feel this is what God has called us to do and we are listening.  While it seems crazy, we are not crazy; in fact, we had to do a psych eval as part of the interview process just to prove we are not crazy!

2.  How long will you be gone?

We have signed a two year commitment with Mercy Ships.

3.  Are you quitting your jobs?  Selling your house?  What are you doing with your stuff?

Yes, we are planning on leaving our jobs or taking a leave of absence.  Yes, we are selling our house.  We will be downsizing our household goods significantly and putting the rest in storage.

4.  What about the kids?  What will they do?

Mercy Ships began with families and has grown with families.  There can be up to 60 children on board at any given time.  The girls will attend an accredited Christian school called the Mercy Ships Academy.  Caleb will be entertained with the playground, pool, his mom, and any many other resources until he is old enough to start pre-school on the ship.

5.  Are the kids aware and okay with this?

Yes!  Before we even applied, we discussed with them and let them be a part of the decision making process.  Mercy Ships has included them along the way, as well.  We have families currently serving that we can reach out to for advice and videos made by former children on the ship explaining what it is like to live aboard the Africa Mercy.

6.  Where will you be living?

We will be living on the ship, the Africa Mercy.  We will have our own cabin with a few rooms, kitchen, dining area, and bathroom.  It is currently docked in Tenerife, the Canary Islands.  They will remain there until COVID conditions permit them to return to serving.  We are not sure which country the ship will be in when we arrive in March.

7.  Will you get to come home at all during that time?

Jeff will get 5 weeks of personal time off from his position on the ship each year.  We can use that time to travel.

8.  Can we come visit?

Yes!  You can visit and stay with us on the ship.  Another even better option-- you can volunteer.  They have short-term volunteer opportunities.  Check out mercyships.org for more information.

9.  What is Jeff's job?  And, what will Andrea do?

Jeff will be volunteering as the Supply Manager for the Africa Mercy.   

Maritime law requires one parent to be the primary caregiver for the children onboard a vessel.  This will be my primary role.  When the opportunity permits, I plan to volunteer in a nursing role and any other role that is needed.

The end...

Well, this wraps up my very first ever blog post.  I know there will be many more questions, and we are happy to answer them.  You can drop them in the comments below and we'll answer them as quickly as we can.

If you are wondering how you can be a part of our journey, the most important thing we need is prayer. Pray that we will be wise, discerning, healthy, and protected.

Please visit the link below if you'd like to make a donation.

Thank you for taking this adventure with us!

DONATE HERE

The Scace Family - Jeff, Andrea, Ava (8), Rosie (7), and Caleb (1)