Managing Expectations...

Greetings from Dakar, Senegal...

Disappointment:  when expectations don't line up with reality.  There's been a lot of disappointment lately, which has honestly made it hard to sit down and update this blog.  Approximately one month ago, we had our worst COVID outbreak onboard.  Between lockdowns, unending restrictions, an accompanying flu outbreak, and some family issues at home, disappointment turned to discouragement, sadness, and frustration.

This Christian life is never promised to be easy.  When we set up expectations about what our lives should look like, we are bound to be disappointed.  Though the trials have been challenging, in the grand scheme of things, we have it very easy — we are safe, healthy, we have a roof over our head, and we have food in our bellies.  In James 1: 2-3, we are told to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”  It is a hard realization that without challenges like this, we can’t grow in our faith.

Sunset in the Port of Dakar, where the Africa Mercy is docked.

One foot in front of the other...

We powered through it and are happy to report that the hospital is back up and running.  We took a week off to explore more of Africa in Morocco, which was also a huge blessing.  We are now gearing up for the arrival of our sister ship, the Global Mercy.  In a few short weeks, the Global Mercy will sail into Africa for the first time and serve alongside the Africa Mercy for a month.  The Global Mercy will host a number of medical capacity building classes to help further the education and training of local medical providers in Senegal. Two ships has been a dream for the organization for many years and we are honored to witness it first hand.

A glimpse into a very fun family trip to Morocco.

Prayers and praise...

Please continue to pray for us:

--Manage our expectations and try to align them with the Lord’s plan.  

--Our patients who missed or delayed their surgeries when we were shut down.  

--The Global Mercy's safe sail to Senegal.

--We will continue to be a light in this nation.

I’m going to leave you with a link to some beautiful patient stories that remind us in the hard times that God is doing big things for these people, and we are grateful to be a part of it.

Sokhana, the first patient on this Senegal
field service. 

Support us...

Did you know we have a physical address in the US where you can send us mail and it will get sent over to the ship?  We'd love to hear from you!

Thank you to those who have reached out with letters, goodies, and gifts!  It means so much to us!

The Scace Family - AFM

PO Box 2020

Lindale, TX  75771

As always, if you’d like to support our mission financially, please use the donation link below to make a tax free donation.  

DONATE HERE