The Work Continues...

Greetings from Dakar, Senegal...

God is on the Move...

We are entering into the 31st week of this Senegal field service and the 28th week of surgeries.  It is hard to believe that so much time has passed and that there are less than 100 days remaining until we sail away.  There have been many ups and downs in that time, but one thing that has remained consistent is that God is at work.

There have been hundreds of surgeries, numerous medical capacity building classes, and many signs that God is changing lives on and off the ship.  By the end of this field service, around 900 people will have received life changing surgeries.  

Ava and her friend, Araina, delivering homemade muffins to the
Hospital Director, Keren, for the patients.

Miracles...

Most recently, the ship was praying over a sweet little girl with a large facial tumor.  All signs pointed to a long and potentially life-threatening surgery.  Recovery for her was not a guarantee.  However, by the grace of God, all the scans and all the evidence was wrong.  The tumor was removed quickly and easily and that same little girl is happily running around the ship nearly recovered.  It is rare for us to get to interact with the patients due to COVID; however, this particular patient is a bit cheeky and will make her way up to the rest of the ship on occasion.  The day I met her, she was wearing a pair of pants that Caleb had outgrown and I had put down in our “swap and shop” area.  It was a sweet reminder that even the littlest volunteers on the ship can make an impact.

A Different Kind of Healing...

The kids are back into the swing of a new school year.  Jeff is settling into his new role on the ship and I am helping out a bit more in the Chaplaincy department.  The Mercy Ships Chaplaincy department seeks to inspire all staff and crew to follow Jesus and to live out our core values in community.  One of the highlights of this new role for me is a prayer meeting with the Palliative Care Team.  Palliative Care is a branch of Mercy Ships that is not often highlighted.  People like to hear about those who are healed and go on to live happy and successful lives.  However, that is not the case for all of our patients.  Some patients’ conditions have progressed beyond the point where medical help will bring physical healing.  This is where the Palliative Care Team steps in to tenderly care for dying patients and their grieving families.  This team will often spend 8 to 12 hour days off the ship in patients' homes comforting them and working alongside local medical and religious leaders to offer spiritual and practical support.  It takes a special person to work in this capacity and it is an honor to be able to hear their stories and pray for them.

The Palliative Care team visiting with a terminal patient and her family.

Prayer Requests...

We are so grateful for each of you who continue to support us in prayer.

--Pray for successful surgeries and that they can see the love of Jesus through our words and actions.
--Pray for energy and joy to finish this field service strong
--Pray that we can share the love of Jesus in our words and deeds to those on and off the ship

--Pray that we can hear the Lord's calling for what is next in our lives

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 so much for all of you who have sent letters and packages, it means so much.  We do write back to everyone we hear from, but sometimes it will take time to get our letters as we are at the mercy of someone traveling back to the states to mail it out.

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

Ava, age 10, on her first day of 5th grade.

Rosie, age 9, on her first day of 4th grade.

Caleb, age 3, on his first day of preschool.

Saturdays are for surfing!

All of the elementary school girls celebrating a birthday.