We Made it...

 Greetings from Gran Canaria...

Tomorrow will mark two weeks since we first walked up the gangway to our new home on the Africa Mercy.  We are currently docked on the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, Spain. 

It is hard to believe we are actually here.  Sometimes it feels as though we just arrived and other times it feels as though we’ve been here forever.

Cheerios & Worldview...

Though it has been wonderful, the transition itself has had some rough moments.  Jet lag is hard; jet lag with a two year old is harder.  The first few days, I admit there were moments where I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.  When Caleb’s appetite was gone and every option here was “yucky”, I was really longing for some good ol’ American Cheerios.  We learned a lot about worldview before we came here, and in my worldview, Cheerios are an international item that every baby grows up eating.  I guess I put them up there with Coca-Cola or McDonalds.  Imagine my surprise when that was not found to be the case.  No Cheerios in the galley, no Cheerios in the Ship Shop, no Cheerios on the island anywhere.  

Caleb did finally start eating despite not having Cheerios, and God used that experience, as well as many others, to help me recognize my narrow worldview.  I know that this will only become more pronounced as we sail into third world countries exhibiting a level of material poverty non-existent in the US.  

Shipyard...

We are looking forward to sailing to Senegal after the New Year.  Before that, we are wrapping up our time in dry dock and shipyard in Gran Canaria.  The Africa Mercy has undergone a “Life Extension Project” while waiting for the return to Senegal.  Some notable repairs included: 70 tons of steel replaced, 350 meters of piping replaced, 49 tons of paint, and 120 windows replaced.  Next week, we sail to Tenerife, another of the Canary Islands.  We will stay there until we return to field service in Senegal.

Transition...

Despite all of the challenges of transition, we are so grateful to be here.  I’ll close with an excerpt from an incredible book I’m reading called, “Making Peace with Change”:

“In every new place, He is there.  He is the same here as He was in the last season, in the last location.  His character and His ways toward us are steady and unchanging.  This is where we can hang our hat, even before we put hooks on the walls of our new homes, or know which way to go in a new situation.  The struggle is learning to rest in it.”

Pray for us...

We are thanking God for bringing us here safely.  

 Please pray for:

-Continued grace as we navigate transition

-Preparations for returning to field service

-The Global Mercy is facing some challenges with Visas

-Patience with all of the COVID restrictions we are still facing

Support us...

As always, if you’d like to support us financially, please use the donation link below.  A big thank you to all of you who have come alongside us financially, we are so grateful!

DONATE HERE

The kids enjoying playing out on Deck 7.

The kids enjoying the pool on Deck 8.

Enjoying a day off the ship at the beach.

Fridays are for waffles.  Yum!

Another day on the beach with Ms. Beth.

Celebrating a birthday in the Village of Teror.

Shipyard is not exactly a beautiful place until God puts his touch on it.

Rosie on her first day of third grade in The Academy.

Ava on her first day of fourth grade in The Academy.

Caleb on his first day of preschool in The Academy.

Caleb is so lucky to have Ms. Beth as his first teacher.

The girls hiking a volcano on the island.