Ship Memories

My final Cotonou sunset.

On the Africa Mercy, there are some longstanding traditions that make ship life special.  I do not know how long these have been part of the ship community, but they seemed fairly well-ingrained when I arrived in Benin.  One of the special traditions is called "Thankfulness Thursday".

Thankfulness Thursday

Every Thursday in the hospital, especially in my unit B Ward, we spent some time at our shift change sharing what God has done in our lives.  God tells us to always give thanks, and I believe He instructs us this way in order to move the focus off of ourselves or our circumstances and onto Him.  I am not sure how this part of Thankfulness Thursday worked in other departments on the Africa Mercy, but our time of praising God in the hospital wards was special for me, helping to reorient my thinking as to why I was serving on the ship.  In the nitty gritty of every day, it can be easy to become tired and forget why God has called us to do something.  I also have the tendency to complain and view things in a negative light, so repentance and then thankfulness helps me specifically to focus on the goodness of God.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There is also a community meeting each Thursday evening on the ship, which is a time of worship and later an opportunity to learn about some of the things happening onboard the ship.  After the meeting, everyone (who wants) gathers in midships (the common meeting area in the centre of the ship) and the café for ice cream.  The first time I heard about this, it was a pleasant surprise.  Ice cream was quite the unexpected treat (I love ice cream)!

My friend Theresa and I took a quick break from our busy shift on B Ward to enjoy some ice cream one Thankfulness Thursday.

There is always something I can be grateful for, and I find when I look for the positive and praise God, it is not so easy to complain.  This is especially true now that I have left the Africa Mercy and all of my African friends.  It has been difficult to be thankful and to notice the blessings God gives.  However, just because I may not always see God's goodness, this does not mean that He has ceased to be a good God.

Today, God showed His incredible kindness by providing an ice cream treat on my flight home across the Atlantic.  I was reminded once again, this Thankfulness "Thursday" (it's actually Saturday), that our great, sovereign, omniscient God still sees and cares about us!  And that He sometimes uses ice cream to show His love!

A reminder of God's goodness and to be thankful in every circumstance.

Waffle Friday

Another ship tradition happens on Friday mornings.  The café staff make and serve waffles for purchase.  While aboard the Africa Mercy, I only had waffles a couple of times, but I missed the tradition nonetheless.

My friend Karen and I enjoyed waffles together on the ship.  There were so many sugary toppings...icing sugar, syrup, and nutella! (: