Cultural Immersion Tour

Last weekend, I was given a memorable opportunity to experience various aspects of Malagasy life.  The staff development team on board started providing these tours because they found that there was a barrier between crew and the local people.  I have felt this first hand.  Pretty much everything you need is provided on the ship.  Then I stop and realize how many days its been since I’ve been outside.  Aside from our day crew and the patients, I might not interact with any other Malagasy people or understand their culture.

This tour has quickly become a “must” experience while you are in Madagascar and its in high demand.  I signed up for the tour a month ago and even all the spots for the April tours were taken.  And even on my tour date, I had to sign up 5th on the waiting list.  I resigned myself to waiting around for the May dates to become available and just maybe I would get a chance before I return home.

I know that God was looking out for me.  The Thursday evening before my tour date, I received an email stating that there had been last minute cancellations so if I still wanted to go, the spot was all mine.  Yes, please!  Even the 6:45am departure time was worth it– and this is a very non-morning person talking here!

Christ Is Risen Indeed: Easter on the AFM

Every 6 weeks on the Africa Mercy, we have a ship wide holiday.  Easter is a special exception and we had an additional day off on Monday– making it a 4 day weekend!  It is a great opportunity to take an extended excursion to explore the country.  However, I decided to stay behind to experience Easter on the ship.  I had heard from long-termers that it is a very unique and special celebration.  And I found that they weren’t exaggerating.  I’m used to Christmas getting most of the attention celebration wise, even in most Christian churches.  But I could tell with Mercy Ships, there is just as much emphasis placed on the importance of Christ’s resurrection as His birth.

Escape to Palmarium

Nearly a month into my stay in Madagascar and I was invited by some members of my bus family to Palmarium Resort and Nature Reserve for an overnight stay.  It was the weekend before my birthday so I jumped at the chance to escape from the ship for just a short while.

We met our guide at a local port in Tamatave and travelled south by boat along the Pangalanes canal.

(Left to Right): Kiran, Elaine, Me, Jamie, Mel, Tori, Ryan, Phil (Thanks to Jen for taking the photo!)

Arahabaina tratrin’ny tsingerin-taona nahaterahanao ianao!

Odon was laughing at me.  But rest assured, it was not in a malicious way.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Malagasy people, it’s “if they tease you, they like you.”

Though I was a bit perplexed.  I felt that I had asked a pretty simple question.

Beauty for Ashes

Before I left home for Madagascar this time, I shared a vlog on my Youtube channel regarding one of the greatest lessons I learned on the ship.  I told the story of a young woman- who I called “Nashima”.  She suffered from a condition called noma.  Noma is a gangrenous infection that eats away at the mucous membranes of the face.  A weakened immune system plus impoverished conditions are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

The population most at risk for noma are those under the age of 12 and the condition has a 90% mortality rate!  But those who survive are faced with a lifetime of shame, loneliness, and pain.

The saddest reality of this condition is that it is 100% preventable.  It is not a hereditary or congenital condition.  It is a disease of poverty.

The predisposing factors for noma are malnutrition, poor hygiene, and unsafe drinking water.  If I were to develop noma back home in the US, I would be given antibiotics and proper medical care.  I would most likely be healed and the infection would be staved off.  But here in Madagascar where it is difficult to travel to a fully equipped and trained hospital- let alone pay for treatment- the progression of this infection is a certainty.

You can hear all these facts, but it doesn’t become real until you see for yourself.  This is Tahina– the bravest woman I’ve ever known.

Photo Credit Justine Forrest, PAT09001 Tahina waits nervously for the first of her surgeries onboard the Africa Mercy

Snapshots

Since the moment I left Detroit 4 weeks ago (wow, has it really been that long?), everything has been moving at a non-stop, frenetic pace.  The time has gotten away from me and so have my blog posts.

To those of you who have been patiently waiting for any sort of update, I can only say “azafady” (the Malagasy way of saying sorry).  I’ve found that it covers a multitude of sins here.

Please, please, please forgive me.

I have a ton of ground to cover so in an effort to not overwork myself and avoid boring you with every single little detail, I thought I would share some of the photos I’ve taken so far and how my second arrival to the Africa Mercy went.

This Time Around

It’s a rare blessing to get a second chance at something.  So when it was confirmed that I would be returning to Madagascar for a second time, I resolved to make the most of the opportunity.  My first time serving with Mercy Ships is one of the best experiences of my life, but there is always room for improvement.  After pondering over it the last two months, here are 7 things that I plan on doing differently this time around.

New Year, New Adventures

As I look back on 2015, there have been amazing moments and experiences.  But all of them pale in comparison to my 2 months spent in Madagascar.  And I’m happy to say that 2016 is looking even brighter with the knowledge that I will be returning to serve with Mercy Ships a second time!

I will be embarking the Africa Mercy on February 14th… the fact that it is also Valentine’s day has not escaped my notice.  🙂

Not only am I returning to Madagascar, but I’ll be gone for double the amount of time– 15 weeks vs. 8 weeks.  With my return and the increased length of stay comes advantages and disadvantages.  On the positive side, I’ve achieved alumni status which has lowered the cost of my monthly crew fees.  I also have prior experience and knowledge that I didn’t have the first time around.  And then the negatives are that I have more money to fundraise in a shorter amount of time.  However, I firmly believe that God has everything under control and He will provide what I need.

If you have been following my blog throughout this first trip, you have already read some of my stories.  What you might not know is that I barely scratched the surface of all I could share!  I’m hoping that as  I prepare for my return, I can write those stories here and explain why I believe so much in the mission of Mercy Ships and what they are doing for the people of Madagascar.

As I set off on the next leg of my journey, I would ask that you keep me in your prayers.  Please follow this blog so you can be updated on my current prayer requests and fundraising progress.

THANK YOU and MAY YOUR 2016 BE MERRY AND BRIGHT!

Departures

It’s been a month since I returned home from Madagascar and yet I still think about the country, the people, and Mercy Ships everyday.  I experienced more in 2 months aboard the Africa Mercy than I have in 2 years in the operating rooms of Detroit.  To be honest, I’m still processing a lot of it and I don’t have a complete grasp on all that I think and feel about my experiences.  But in this post, I’m going to try my best to share the impact that this adventure has had on me.  Consider it a “where are they now?” exposé.

With a Little Help From My Friends

It is my last day on the Africa Mercy— I can’t believe it!  I wanted to post this past Sunday, but I had an extremely lazy day/I was on call and was called in for a 15 minute case.  Terrible excuses, I know.  Before I knew it, it was Thursday evening and I thought, “I need to write something.”  And now I’m posting this the night before the 8 hour bus ride back to Tana.  Ugh, procrastination.

During the hours of writer’s block, I kept thinking about what I’m going to miss most about Mercy Ships– my friends.