Captain Taylor Perez has been serving with Mercy Ships for decades. We’ve mentioned him in previous notes, as he was such an impactful part of our embarkment as crew aboard the Global Mercy. A grandfather to all the kids, an accomplished servant leader of all the crew an absolutely kind, loving guy, we are so thankful to have sailed under his leadership.

I’ll never forget in my first weeks on board, his explicit, insistent instructions to 400 adults at the weekly “all-hands” meeting about how to manage a 2-minute shower, a vital skill for living aboard a hospital ship! Somehow he endeared everyone to himself even when scolding us for wearing sandals on the gangway or other safety issues that infringe on our personal freedom, but remind us to lay down our lives for the safety of our ship which is all for the benefit of our beautiful patients.

Earlier this month, Captain Taylor transitioned leadership to Captain O’Shea and left the ship for the last time. He had announced his retirement months before, sailing the GLM into the port here in Tema, Ghana, to be his last sail as a ship Captain.

His departure from the ship looked like a scene straight from the streets of heaven. People of every tongue and tribe and nation celebrating this man with singing, drumming, shouting, crying and tons of hugs, all rejoicing at the thousands of ways, large and small that Captain Taylor blessed the people, patients and culture of Mercy Ships. Note Maverick and Louie front at center at the celebration - even though they had not known him long, he really made an impression on them that I pray lasts a lifetime.

-------------------------------

Another incredible departure I witnessed this week was the first 14 pediatric orthopedic patients being discharged from the hospital and moving to the Hope Center where they will finish their recovery. These are the kiddos I have been spending time with during our Kids & Care program since they arrived on board. The ones who are moving have had successful surgeries, free from complication, are rehabbing well walking around in their little casts and even dancing in their own plaster-casted way! t was an exciting step in their healing, marked by hallways lined with Mercy Ships Crew cheering, praying and singing as they exited the hospital, walking towards their new lives! It was glorious to behold, I’m so thankful I got to witness that moment!

“Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

Penelope Reporting.

One thing I’ve enjoyed very much on this ship is the physical activities: running club, PE, ultimate frisbee, ect. Today, I’ll just talk about running club, and I’ll tell you about the others in a future post.

I LOVE RUNNING CLUB!!!! It’s where we run on the portion of dock that is in front of our ship, portioned off by containers so only Mercy Shipers can enter. It’s kind of like our front yard.

Anyhow, our school sets up a portion of it as a track, and for the first 15 minutes, everyone in the school is welome to join, then for the next 15 minutes, it’s just the junior high and high school (JHHS, as they call it.) We run/walk laps while our AWESOME coach blasts music, some of which is inspiring, and some of which is silly.

Nearly every time she plays Crazy Frog’s version of Axel F, which I love. Highly recommend. It was origonally introduced to me by my Uncle Lucas, and it still brings back “lovely” family memories.

Oh, and if you want some evidence besides that our coach has good music taste to prove she’s absolutely awesome, just consider her wise words: Homework is for losers. She abides by that maxim except in dire necessity, or when forced to give us homework. Plus, she’s a Dutchie, and those guys are pretty cool.

I try to run the whole time, and am usually sucessful. Running is so much more fun when it’s with your friends, but no less exausting, and when tall boys younger than me race by me, I am egged on to greater speed. It’s also fun to cheer my littler friends on.

Altogether, running club is one of the coolest parts of ship life, and if you can’t tell, I love it.

Penelope out.

Lewis’s blog:

Hi. Dad wants me to write a blog, so here I am.

The singer named Myshel Wilkins came to the GLM and wrote this wonderful song titled “Sea of Miracles” If you can find it on Amazon or Apple music or Spotify I would listen to it. She was a beautiful singer and had very white teeth. She sang some hymns before she sung her song. Her mom was from Ghana but she was born in the USA.

Season one of “The Mercy Ships” is now available for purchase on Amazon prime and the first and second season is now on Angel.* Sorry if it sounds like I am trying to sell you stuff.

Hang on and keep going, Lewis out!**

*If you have the subscription. If you don’t you can only watch the first few episodes.

** I’m still here so don’t get any ideas. I am watching!

Hi, Maverick here.

Louie and I’s rubber ducks still are not on the ship due to shipping issues. Sad. Ship life is very exciting and busy.

In school us kids just finished a big set of tests they call MIDTERMS!! A couple weeks back, our former captain left the ship for the last time and went back to Colorado. He’s awesome, we miss him.

The children down in the hospital are adorable. The hospital is a very nice place to visit every now and then. On board the ship they they serve ice cream almost every week! They also have very good crossaints.

Overall the ship is a nice place to live although there are some downsides. I miss Roswell life very much.

Sincerely,

Maverick

1. Music therapy mornings in the hospital!

   Oh my goodness, I love it so much!!! As I mentioned previously, the children can be in the hospital for a long period of time, so I lead them in songs and movements aimed to cheer their spirits, move their bodies and communicate love and care. Their caretakers also love to join in.

   We sing everything from “Baby Shark” (did you know this annoying song seems to be universally known!?) to “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” One hysterical cultural difference is that every time I try to lead them in “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” without fail one of the first animals suggested by one of the kids to add to the farm is a zebra. But what does a zebra “say”???!?

   I’m working on learning from them more songs that are part of the culture here so the kids can easily sing along, my favorite is “Jesus’ love is sweet and wonderful.” All those years in Miss B’s Musik Garten class and singing my way through homeschool - how could I have imagined how God would continue to use them in this new season!?!

2. SPORTS!

   The Mercy Ships Academy has a fabulous PE teacher, a young woman from the Netherlands who is athletic, enthusiastic and a great mentor teacher. The kids just finished up a unit of field hockey and I just love that they are learning different sports and enjoying the way their teacher really pushes them athletically.

   In addition, there are lots of opportunities for any/all of us to join groups of people playing sports in the evenings on the ship and on the dock below the ship. Last week I played volleyball with a super fun group and I enjoyed it immensely! I don’t think I’ve played volleyball since high school youth group days but I did manage to get the ball over the net more than when I played at Mesa Middle School in 7th grade thank you very much.

   Jacob has a solid group of Ultimate Frisbee enthusiasts playing one evening on the dock as well. So far no major injuries from diving on the concrete “field.”

3. Unexpected moments of divine appointments.

   Living in this unique situation, God brings so many opportunities to see Himself at work. Tonight I just quickly took Penny with me down to the hospital to visit a mom who I had connected with earlier today and I knew her son was set for surgery today at 3pm. His name is William, so of course being my grandad, daddy and son’s (middle) name, he was on my mind all day.

   We just had to walk a few flights of stairs to find her still sitting by his empty bed in the hospital ward while he was in his 4th hour of surgery on his leg. We visited, prayed and laughed together a bit just before the nurses came to take her to see him in the recovery room. I hope to see him tomorrow during play therapy as he begins his recovery.
   
   Another unexpected divine appointment this week was walking out the door of my cabin to find a young mom friend who had just received terrible health news about her own mother who is continents away. Hard and holy moments in the hallway when living in community can not be avoided...By God’s grace I was able to share the load with her.

4. No decisions to be made about meals.

   I literally do not have to plan, shop or prepare food for my family. The galley is an amazing place where they produce relatively good meals 3 times a day to feed 700 (?) people from 45 different countries - makes feeding a family of 5 sound simple!

   This is what it looks like for our family: I have a big wooden handled tray, for breakfast and usually for lunch, I take the tray down to the serving line, I serve family sized portions of the items I know our family will eat and then bring it back to our cabin. Here, I plate up the food and sometimes add a few things I have learned to have on hand to help us enjoy our food: Tapatillo hot sauce for Jacob that an American traveling to the ship was kind enough to bring for us, “mama ranch” as my kids call my homemade ranch dressing - I brought a Sam’s size powdered mix. :-)

   We have all learned to eat things that we initially didn’t think we would like (African sauces on meats, papaya, jollif rice, Plantains) but we are thankful when it is spaghetti, salmon or taco nights. For dinner we usually go down to the galley and fix our own trays, eating either as a family or with other friends in the buzzing dining room.

   Sometimes we like to take our trays up to Deck 11 to eat outdoors, which is an open air deck with a trampoline, sports court, playground etc, but also with tables and chairs and a lovely view of the ocean if you can see over the ship docked next to us. Last night we asked another family to meet us there and had our version of a dinner party. But I didn’t have to cook or clean up, just sort our scraps. Crazy. I still can’t get over that part.

   

5. Traditional Scottish Céilidh.

   This is an AMAZING Scottish communal dancing celebration! The Scotts on board (complete with the kilts) hosted a Céilidh in honor of our departing captain and we had an absolute ball!! You must look it up, it is such a joy, we all danced until we were drenched in sweat!

And a couple things I am not loving:

1. Having to use hand sanitizer All. The. Time. Need more lotion to balance!

2. Being near the ocean but not in a way we can enjoy the beach. This is such an industrial area, although we are literally living on the shore, it is a couple hours drive to get to a swim-able, play-able beach.

3. October without any signs of fall. Enjoy all those pumpkin decorations for me!

4. Being so far from so many people we love. We’ve been with Mercy Ships now for a quarter of a year and I am missing all my people. The kids have been asking, “if you could teleport to anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?” Their answers are always to your homes. They miss you all too. We are so blessed to love and be loved by you. xx

Hello, it’s Louie.

Last Saturday was crazy!

First we set out to a botanical garden. It was a 2 hour drive from the ship, and we had to take two Ubers because we had too many people.

We went with a adult friend named Mariann who is from Norway. On the way there, both of our Uber drivers took a detour through a Ghanaian neighborhood because the traffic on the main road was bad.

Finally we got to the botanical garden! We got a tour guide and he showed us around. Apparently, the place was built like 150 years ago as a British camp where people could come to get mentally well because of the jungle mountain air.

We saw cinnamon, allspice tree and nutmeg trees. There was one called a monkey pot tree that has a pot shaped cover with the nut in it but you can’t get the nut out because it is too big. If a monkey sticks its hands in it would be so greedy and stupid that it won’t take them out. It will hang there screaming until it dies.

That was cool, but the coolest thing there was a parasite that had grown around a tree. It took thirty years for the parasite to grow. After it killed the tree, it grew on and is now a tree itself! You can walk into where the tree used to be and it is so cool! (see below)

Now I will hand the mic to Maverick to explain about the WE-APE!

Hi, Maverick here, I am going to tell you about the next part of our adventure on Saturday.

After our visit to the botanical gardens, we went to this amazing place by driving down a very long bumpy dirt road, in the middle of the jungle. It was a zip-line park called “We-Ape.”

It was basically tons of zip lines and rope bridges suspended from lots of tiny platforms in the top of the trees over the jungle. There was a “safe” harness system but it did require a lot of effort from the riders and I would say they would not have this in the US. Every time you got to a different tree house, you would have to transfer your clips from one rope to the next by yourself.

But regardless, it was amazing. There were at least a dozen zip lines, maybe more, and there were also a couple of funny ways to get from tree to tree, such as “flying” on a broomstick.

One of my favorites was riding a bike on top of a rope (see below) suspended above the jungle. It was pretty awesome. Mom, Louie and I did the zip line along with our friend Mariann from Norway. Dad and Penelope stayed below and took photos.

We had a guide that went with us through each of the bridges and helped us with our hooking in and out and demonstrated what to do. The whole thing took about 2 hours because we did the “athletic” course (it required a lot of strength and climbing).

If you ever find yourselves in the jungle mountains of Ghana, you should definitely check it out.

PS. The mangos are really big and cheap in that area!

Penelope Reporting

On last Saturday’s excursion, I had an adventure of my own.

On the drive up, Mav and Louie rode with Dad, but I went with Mariann and Mom. I’d had a late night, and I had woken early, so I was very tired. The Uber’s window was mostly heavily tinted, but there was a small opening in the bottom through which I viewed Ghana.

I found the foliage fantastic, and when it combined with concrete and metal at times it was quite aesthetic. So many people were selling things, and so many were carrying things on their heads.

There was a vast variety of buildings, many concrete skyscrapers under construction, some condemned buildings, many houses made out of shipping containers. Some people were trying to move a shed using a motorcycle, which our Uber driver proclaimed “madness.”

As I saw this and more, our Uber driver narrated to Mom some about the country, giving me some grasp at what Ghana is like. Well, at least until I fell asleep.

The botanical gardens to which I woke were incredibly amazing and inspiring. I especially enjoyed that we were allowed to go wherever we wanted to, and touch anything. Among other things, there were some very mystical medieval-looking ruinsthat fired my imagination. The French fries there didn’t fire my imagination, but they did fire up my taste buds (in a good way).

Since it was difficult to get an Uber, Dad and I had to walk some of the way, about a mile, or 1.61 kilometers, as I’m learning to think in, until an Uber was able to pick us up. It was very interesting to walk through the Ghanaian neighborhood.

At the zip lines, I mostly rested and read Jane Eyre, my current book. Because of the difficulty of getting an Uber, Dad and Mom had to wait quite a while while Mariann, the boys, and I drove home.

Finally, we waited outside for thirty minutes because of some logistics about getting in. Funny thing about living on a ship, my science teacher and my PE teacher were both out there also waiting, and so we got to talk to them. Thankfully, both of them are really cool!

That’s all from me.

Penelope out.

I’m loving my new role assisting in the Kids & Care play therapy program here on board the Global Mercy. Several mornings a week, I’ll join the Kids & Care team who look after the non-medical needs of the kiddos who can be in our hospital ward for months of recovery after their very complex surgeries. The Kids & Care team includes school teachers, parent educators, play therapy and music therapy teams to help provide wholistic care for the families as the kids undergo this major life event and walk through the long recovery. It’s possible for kids to be here 6 or even 8 months in cases where their homes would not have access to physical therapy, wound care and other specialties needed for a complete recovery.

Today, I sat with 6 kiddos, all of whom are wearing full plaster casts from toe to hip on both legs after reconstruction of their bones to correct severed bowed legs or knock knees. They are in wheelchairs with the legs extended straight out in front of them and I was amazed at how agile they have so quickly become at whipping their chairs about, maneuvering around obstacles and practically creating bumper cars as they crowd around the tables where we’ve set up the play therapy program. I had to keep from laughing as these tiny little kids, casts weighing more than their body weight yelled and waved and forced their chairs around one another with determination.

Our team leader animatedly read a book out loud to the kids (today it was “Grumpy Monkey”), but she had to work hard to be heard over the din. Crying wildly from her position on the other side of the room, one little girl who can’t be older than 6, was fighting the therapist, her mom and the nurse who were trying to get her out of bed and up on a tiny walker to practice walking across the room. This little darling had her surgery 6 days ago and just looking at her, the poor thing has got to be so uncomfortable. I know she has been making great progress with her rehab, yesterday insisting that she walks even further than the therapist encourages. But it hurts. I literally can not imagine how sore and pained she must be in so many parts of her body as the struggles to move the casts, hold herself up on the walker and struggle every step forward. Still she persisted through the tears and fought for each step as the team cheered for her, sang with her and danced across the room with her.

At the same time, the rest of the patients moved on to our art project of step by step drawing a cutie monkey! I helped the little ones balance a clipboard on their lap, or stretch to the table as they followed our instructions and were delighted when a monkey appeared on their own page.

I was pleasantly surprised at the way many of the kiddos were mesmerized by the process, worked intensely on their own paper and really seemed to lose themselves in the joy of creating. A hush fell over the area, little sweet girl, had stopped howling and joined the group, care-givers hovered over their kids, helping them along or handing them crayons as they colored in their own grumpy monkey (although most of them decided their monkey would be happy). A few minutes of peace, snatched out of the busy, difficult daily challenge of such tremendous effort, were a privilege to witness today. I’m so thankful to have a tiny part in this story.

In the New Mexico desert, I’ve enjoyed moonless nights where the stars blaze through the dry air while a gentle wind whispers across the rugged landscape, almost suggesting the breath of God. Whether it was the warmth radiating from the earth or simply the comfort of standing on solid ground instead of a ship rolling five degrees every minute, that darkness always felt alive—but never threatening.

The darkness on the voyage was different.

One night I stepped onto the aft deck of the Global Mercy. As far as I could see in every direction...I couldn’t see anything at all. Where the sky should have been—nothing. Where the ocean stretched to the horizon—nothing. Even the ship’s exterior lights were extinguished.

The ocean has always made me feel small. That night it made me feel insignificant.

Fear urged me back toward the safety of the ship, but wonder drew me forward until I was standing at the rail, staring into a void I couldn’t actually see. In the desert, you can carefully walk in complete darkness. Out here, one careless step beyond the rail would be instant game over.

Was this like the beginning described in Genesis:

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Terror and wonder.

But that was weeks ago. So much has happened since then. Here we go!

The sail was epic. The ship rolled far more than I expected, but after the first day we all found our sea legs. More unsettling was bedtime. Every minute or so your feet would end up higher than your head for a couple of seconds before the ship rolled back the other way. Laura said it sometimes felt like the ship might simply flop over.

The crew was also racing the ship to Ghana. We logged miles on the walking track, rowing machines, and stationary bikes to see if we could cover the distance before the Global Mercy did. At 13 miles per hour, it wasn’t quite as crazy as it sounds.

Then came the desperate plan: a few of us would close the gap with a 50-kilometer bike ride. (Spoiler alert: the ship still won. Maybe we should have tried some math!)

Challenge accepted. Someone confidently estimated it would take an hour and forty-five minutes.

Two and a half hours later...

Success. But if you don’t spend much time on a bicycle, I have two words for you: saddle sores.

As we approached Tema, I had the opportunity to join the bridge team for our arrival. Watching them maneuver roughly 30,000 metric tons of ship into its berth with what seemed like inches to spare was mesmerizing. It felt like a movie scene that deserved a dramatic orchestral score playing in the background.

The Port of Tema is a logistics wonder. We are docked at the center of the harbor complex, so the Global Mercy is surrounded by massive container ships, bulk carriers, and stacks of containers five high stretching for miles. Trucks stream in and out without pause, loading and unloading ships that seem to be replaced by another before breakfast.

I did a little research on our new home. Tema is the principal seaport not only for Ghana but also for Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. It is the seventh-largest port in Africa by cargo volume, handling more than 20 million metric tons of cargo each year and welcoming over 1,400 commercial vessels annually.

Sometimes we take dinner on Deck 11 and watch the sun set behind the giant cranes while hundreds of trucks unload the hulls of our temporary neighbors docked below. It is surreal. Beautiful. Amazing.

We will provide hope and healing for thousands. But this port provides for millions.

We have experienced some glimpses of Ghana. Our priority when we arrived was standing up a modern hospital, not experiencing the local culture. We have had the opportunity to go ashore several times, but mostly to shop for things we needed. In many ways, Ghana reminds me of the Mexican border cities of my youth in the 1980s. There is real hardship here, but there is also a positive energy.

Our first impressions of Ghanaians. They don’t typically strike up conversations, even to make a sale when you walk into a shop. But if you signal that you’d like to talk, they are warm, welcoming, and happy to share. My early impression is that showing respect may be more important than making an immediate connection—but we are still learning,

Laura will write more about our experiences in Ghana soon. She has traveled much more widely than I have and will probably be able to describe the culture with greater insight.

We have already participated in two welcome ceremonies onboard, hosting government officials who spoke about the partnership between Mercy Ships and Ghana to improve healthcare. Hierarchy is clearly important here. We found ourselves adjusting seating arrangements and even the speaking order during the program to accommodate unexpected VIPs.

But these relationships are far more than ceremonial. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport have made significant investments to help bring this hospital to life. The waived fees, logistical support, and services they have provided represent an extraordinary contribution to this mission.

We are not western saviors, but world partners.

Then, finally, the first day of surgery arrived. Getting started in Ghana has been particularly challenging for our crew. So much has gone amiss—from shipping container problems, to broken equipment, to missing medical paperwork, to an influenza outbreak onboard (which took me out for five days). At times, it has felt like there is an enemy actively trying to keep this mission from happening.

But the answer was always the same: prayer, prayer, and more prayer. We faced each day leading up to our first patient like joyful warriors.

On Tuesday, we completed our first twelve surgeries—eye surgeries and pediatric orthopedic procedures. And I remembered the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:

“The blind receive their sight and the lame walk... and the poor have good news preached to them.”

It is good to follow the 2,000-year-old model of Jesus.

Very good.

More to come.

Decided to go with an adventurous theme, (see Kid Report #2) but I wasn’t sure about the rest. But the way it’s worked out is quite providential.

My very room consists of four things: two bunks hanging from the wall that can be pushed up if someone’s not sleeping on them, a bookshelf and a wardrobe, both attached to the wall. Sadly, there is no window but the one in my imagination.

I will be demanding the top bunk. (Oh wait, no roommate!) At first, I decided to have the bottom bunk put away, but then I realized that I didn’t have space for all my stuff, and I wanted a place to sit, so I let it down as a couch, and shoved my additional items under the bed.

For the “couch” we purchased a pillow at IKEA in the Canary Islands, and there were some things donated from families leaving the GLM to families arriving. I found the perfect pillows to match the one from IKEA among them.

Like a Proverbs 31 wife, my mother had already purchased furnishings, food, and fancies from someone leaving the ship. These awaited us when we arrived. Among this plunder, there were a few stings of decorative lights. I hung these up in my room, in addition to the ones I had brought.

Here is a video I made of Mom reading a sailing liturgy as we left Spain. We found it in Every Moment Holy, vol. 3 and we have really enjoyed reading this and other prayers in it. Some of the authors are classics, like St. Francis of Assisi, and some are modern, like Andrew Peterson. We highly recommend the book and enjoy the video:

Hi, Louie here!

What is something you are enjoying about school on a ship?
I like that every day that there is a new ship in port the that we get to look at. 🛳️

What is something difficult about school on a ship?
They give us a lot of homework but not as much as home school gave us. 🤣

What is something different or interesting you have seen or experienced in Ghana? We went to a fancy restaurant and it took an hour and a half to get our food. But when it did get there it was so good!!!!! I had 🐟 ’n 🍟!

What is God teaching you?
To have patience.

What is something you enjoy about the ship?
The hair salon. (It’s the best!!!)

HI Maverick here.

The ship is Massive, twelve decks! There are five staircases (not counting the exterior stairs) and three elevators! Our cabin is small but comfortable. There is a coffee shop on board which is defiantly not a Starbucks. The coffees are 50 cents!

We are meeting more families from places like France and the Netherlands and New Zealand. we sailed from the canary islands to Ghana.

This ship is no cruse ship - it rocked from side to side like crazy! We got to go to the bridge while its sailing which was really epic. The captan is really cool.

Now we have been in Ghana for two weeks. We started school when we were sailing. We have homework which feels weird because when we homeschooled when you were done, you were done - even though all the work was homework. 🤣

Here is some more!

What is something you are enjoying about school on a ship?
The PE class.

What is something difficult about school on a ship?
The homework is easy but takes a long time.

What is something different or interesting you have seen or experienced in Ghana?
I drank coconut juice out of a coconut!

What is God teaching you?
How blessed I was in Roswell.

What is something you enjoy about the ship?
The presence of people, deck eleven, the lounges, the food, the bridge, the library, the walking track - and the fact that every day there is a new cool ship next to us!

😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

#6-10 are things I’ve never dreamed I would do.

1. I made cookies: Feeling so accomplished, I took the written safety test and got authorization to use the Crew Galley, where we can cook and prepare food at our leisure (as long as we abide by the very strict safety and cleanliness rules). I started off slowly with “no bake” cookies as my groceries are very limited and the cooking must be done while the ship is rolling back and forth, so I has hesitant to get into anything too complex. Using items available to us in the “Ship Shop” and the cookies I whipped up, we hosted our first event for Communications Team.

   

   .

2. I did the laundry: Our Crew Laundry room as 16 sets of washers and driers, and an efficiently organized system of signing up for a time slot to get your loads in and out. We are only half-staffed during the sail, but I understand the time slots are strictly observed once we are full, which makes sense with 650+ people on board! Mercy Ships provides all the soap and housekeeping even cleans the laundry room once a day. All I have to do is make sure I am on-time for my slots, and clean out the lint filter every single time.

3. I exercised: The gym is quite large and well-stocked. It is located down on Deck 2 which is in the deepest part of the ship I am allowed to go. It is strange to think that I am exercising under-water. There are times it’s a bit unsteady when I’m doing some kind of exercise as the ship is moving, something is suddenly lighter or heavier, depending on the roll - it’s always a good core workout to keep you balance.

4. I fed my family breakfast: This week I headed down to the Galley before 7 and collected a tray of food for the whole family for breakfast, bringing it back to our cabin so the kids could eat at home before running off to school. Just yesterday I discovered i have missed a great perk for the families, I am able to put in an order at the Galley and they will provide cereal, milk, yogurt and some other basics for the families to have in their cabins for breakfast. I’m hoping to make use of that in the future weeks.

5. I cleaned the bathroom: Still the worst chore no matter where you are. :-). Several interesting things, though: because of the way the sewer works, there is a certain chemical that we have to put down the toilet, sink and shower every two days, it’s easy to remember because it very quickly starts smelling… Also, there are cleaning caddies provided, full of cleaning supplies for your cabin that I can check out in the laundry room anytime! Handy! Once a month our cabin will be inspected by the Ship Captain and the head of Housekeeping! We will get a report on the safety and cleanliness, so I am especially cleaning the bathroom this week as our inspection is coming up Tuesday.

6. I “Secured the Cabin”: Seas have been very rocky this week and it is not uncommon to slide around in bed as the ship rocks back and forth over ocean swells. If a stray water bottle makes it to the floor, it can roll around loudly all night, or worse yet, an un-secured LEGO creation falls off a table and shatters!

7. I attended a Country Briefing: Mandatory for all crew to attend Thursday we had both a security briefing and a cultural briefing as we prepare to begin our service in Ghana. Did you know in Ghana it is very rude to use your left hand to greet someone, hand something to someone or eat? Jacob the leftie might struggle with this one.

8. I Signed Crew Articles: We are all required to sign a maritime document that basically binds us to the captain of the ship as our legal authority and him to us as responsible for our safety. We have been charmed and so thankful that our first ship Captain is Captain Perez who has sailed for Mercy Ships since 1985 and we are part of his final sail. He is wise and kind and very serious about taking care of the ship and crew. Maverick particularly has bonded with him and just this evening answered a question in our cabin with the phrase, “I talked to the Captain about that and…

9. I attended Moms Meeting with 11 moms from literally 9 separate countries!! Just absolutely astounding to sit at a table with such a diverse group of moms, yet who all are undertaking the same challenge of living and serving on a ship together. I am delighted with the cultural deluge of learning.

10. I Raced the Ship: Our journey from Las Palmas, Spain to Tema, Ghana is about 2600 nautical miles. We have a goal to walk/ride/run those miles as a crew before we arrive in Ghana = race the ship! The crew have all kinds of creative ways to get people out moving during their free time including yesterday’s “Cinnamon Roll Stroll” where anyone who put in 5k Saturday morning got a free cinnamon roll! You better believe we did it!

We arrive in Ghana tomorrow!

It’s quite a lot of movement. We are been rocking side to side in varying degrees, but fairly strongly and consistently since our departure from the Canaries on Friday. Our cabin is on Deck 9 (out of 11) and so the first few nights I laid in bed feeling like we were an inverted pendulum.

Others who have sailed with the ship before ensure us that it is “not usually this rocky.” After about 36 hours none of us seem to be suffering any serious motion sickness.

The Captain let us all know today in his weather report that mid-day we would see a shift in the wave pattern and start taking the waves front to back instead of side to side, and that has proven true. As I write this we are doing bobbing up and down more than swaying side to side.

Sunday morning we had our community worship service outside on big veranda area on Deck 11. Normally it is a jungle gym, swings, trampoline play area for the kids, but when everything is pushed aside, there is room for the 300ish of us to worship in the incredible sea-breeze. It was absolutely heavenly - people from so many countries, languages, backgrounds all singing at the top of their lungs surrounded by nothing but sea on all sides. Amazing!

Today Penelope and I volunteered for several hours in the Galley during the lunch rush. During the sail, the galley runs on a skeleton crew and depends on others to get all these meals on the table and dishes done. We really enjoyed meeting some of the kitchen staff. It was hard and dirty work, but fun to see how the galley works to feed so many people so quickly over and over again… without a Sam’s club to run to if they are missing an ingredient.

Tomorrow the kiddos will start school at the Mercy Ships Academy (https://academy.mercyships.org/). Tonight we went to open house and got to see the classrooms, the library and visit with the teachers, the kids are excited but also a little nervous.

Louie will have 4 total in his class of 6th graders (French, Dutch & Scottish classmates!), Maverick has 6 (Swiss, Kiwi, Dutch, American), but his class is 7/8 combined, and Penelope will only have 3 in her 9/10th class. They have the same group of teachers, rotating subjects for all of the jr high and high school classes, and it seems like there is a lot of flexibility knowing they are supporting kiddos coming from many varying educational situations. They boys are nervous about “getting Fs” and I’m embarrassed nervous humbled to know people are going to see where I failed as a homeschool handwriting teacher. Stay tuned for updates about how it all goes!!

The Captain of our ship has been an absolute delight. He is 74 years old and has Captained every Mercy Ship that has ever sailed, and we have the privilege of sailing with him on his final voyage, he will be retiring after he gets us situated in Ghana. He is a wonderful, kind, warm man, who literally runs a “tight ship” but invites us all to visit the bridge anytime it is appropriate, visiting with the kids and answering all their questions so generously. He leads a prayer group every morning at 7am, and even volunteered in the galley one day this week when the Second Officer was running the Bridge. What a gift for all of us to sail under his leadership.

We have many things to be thankful for, and so much more I want to share. We’re missing bike-rides to Grandma’s house, friends, cousins and our favorite comfort foods (and drinks!), but the Lord is so kind to us and the sunsets over the ocean remind me of the desert - flat and barren with a HUGE sky!

A Liturgy Before Sailing

by Malcolm Guite

O God of my beginnings who’s Spirit
breathed upon the face of the deep,
I thank you that your breath still moves
upon these waters as I being this day.

O God who rested after his creation,
I thank you that I have this day free of labor
to sail my little boat,
to delight in your creation for my re-creation.

O God who gathered all on board an ark,
bless my little boat and all who board her.
Oh Christ who stood with Peter in his board
and said, “Launch out into the deep,”

now come on board with me
that I too may launch our into the deep
and know I always float upon the surface of
your mystery.

Now as I sail, sail with me,
with me in calm and storm,
and even as your waters lift my boat,
lift and sustain me.

You have told me that the wind blows
where it wills, and I know not whence it
comes or where it goes, so as I trim my sails
to this day’s wind and set my course,
may my soul’s sails be filled with breath
of your Spirit that I who am borne by water,
blown by wind, may also be
born again of water and the Spirit.

And lastly, Lord,
at day’s end when my sails are furled,
and I am home in harbor,
may that home-coming sing of the greater one,
when I shall reach your heaven-haven,
out of the sway and swing of the sea,
harbored with my savior in the heart of Love.

Amen.

Track Global Mercy here

We will keep you updated as we have Internet! Thanks for your prayers and support.

It is utterly overwhelming to see this shipyard, all of the activity and the millions of details it takes to run this ship and the others that are docked here, both in and out of the water!

Today our ship was “bunkered” which I am learning means “fueled up” as we set sail for Ghana on Friday. I am told that they loaded 18,000 TONS of diesel fuel onto the ship today.

Our cabin is on the 9th deck. As we are in a shipyard, however, there are plenty of other ships and buildings at eye level, so I don’t really feel like we are up so high. I imagine that will change soon when I look out and see only open sea.

The cabin is lovely - just exactly like the YouTube videos we watched about it! We have three small bedrooms, just big enough for beds and a built in wardrobe, but it is amazing how many nooks and crannies they have built in to make storage abundant and take advantage of all space. I should have paid more attention to all those IKEA set ups where they maximize tiny apartment spaces!

The other families and crew have been wonderfully helpful and offered lots of tips and tricks for settling a family onboard - almost as soon as I realize there is something helpful we need, someone has offered me one or told me where to find one.

The windows are my favorite part. We have two windows, one in the living room and one in our bedroom, they are 5ftx5ft squares on the starboard side of the ship, which is facing west at the moment, and they bring in lovely afternoon sunset over the city and hills of Gran Canaria.

The first two days on board have been a flurry of activity - after arriving Sunday night, we attended the weekly mandatory “all-hands” meeting on Monday mornings at 7:45. In the meeting, the Captain and the Managing Director address everyone on board about the week. This week has to do with preparing for the sail - we expect to be at sea from 07 August until 17 or 18 August.

We also attended a New Crew safely training, Ship Tour, Families Orientation and probably other things that are blurring together in my mind at this point. I still can’t get 4 staircases and 12 decks straight, but thankfully there is always someone asking if I need help when I am standing in a corridor confused. The kids have got it down of course.

My favorite spot on board at this early juncture is the Deck 11 terrace, which is called the Monkey Deck. It is in the front of the ship (the Bow) and just below and in front of the Bridge. The sea-breeze is lovely, the view is currently of the long canal, lined with ships and ship rigs headed out to sea, which I assume we will traverse through when we depart on Friday. I’m hoping to sit out there and sip some coffee while we are sailing next week, but we will see what the days hold!

The children have their first day at Academy on Tuesday the 11th. Apparently “sail school” is a special brand of “first week” aboard!

I am feeling hopeful and thankful and oh-so-tired! I have encountered so many encouraging, kind and remarkable people, it’s just a joy and an honor to join this team. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it more fully when my body catches up with my mind and heart. Thank you for all of your love and prayers. I feel we are standing on the shoulders of our deep, precious community of family and friends. We love you.

I’m almost done here in Texas!!! We been doing manual labor for the past week.

On some of the days, us boys got to drive around a gator with a trailer and pick up sticks! It got crazy when the trailer was full, and we didn’t want to sit on the sharp sticks, and all 10 of us piled into and onto the gator.

It is also hot, humid, and sunny. Even if you take a casual evening stroll, you will still be sweating a TON! Imagine what hours of midday labor in that weather will do to you. Then multiply it times 10 preteen boys. Yikes.

As you can see, I’m having quite the time here. Louie out.

P.S. We have a mouse problem in the cabin and the little thief is eating all of our M&Ms!

Hi, Maverick here.

We just are just one day away from the Global Mercy. As we are spending time with kids from Europe, I have been noticing differences in our cultures.

For example they call cookies “biscuits”, French fries “chips”, real chips “crisps”, and popsicles “ice lollies”. English muffins are also apparently not English nor muffins, according to the Brits.

And as I mentioned before, they call soccer football. Why do Americans call it soccer? I must admit that football makes sense.

Be careful when talking to Brits about pants. They call real pants “trousers” and when they say “pants” they mean underwear.

Shockingly, my new friends have never seen the desert! That seems crazy to me because desert has been my entire life!

Also, I have learned that, on New Years, sometimes Norwegians ski while holding torches!

That’s all from Maverick! My new friends are cool, but I still miss you.

Penelope Reporting.

I feel unsettled. It’s a feeling that is sometimes painful to cope with, and so I am very excited to get onto the GLM!

Ever since I learned that I was going to live on a ship for the next 2 years, slowly my life has been consumed with preparing. A lot of that involves moving things (furniture, home, habits, myself, ect.) around and getting them ready to move.

I would have been acquiring more friends, things, habits, and activities, essentially building myself a life. (As people, especially young people, do usually.) But instead, I’ve had to focus on getting rid of things, and getting untangled from activities and commitments. That’s led to me feeling lots of confusing emotions.

Thanks to some awesome parents and an even more awesome God, I’ve been able to cope with my emotions, and been able to have some fun. (see picture) It also helps that I’m living among a bunch of like-minded Christians.

I think of myself as a plant. I have been uprooted, and now they’re keeping me floating in shallow water. I can’t grow many roots (connections), and I need nutrients (habits). I’ve been sitting in water too long. But soon, so soon, (on tomorrow!) they’re going to transplant me to some soil, and I’ll be able to put down roots and get nutrients once more.

I can’t wait!

Penelope out.

This mix of cultures made for some fun and lively discussions! In this camp/college style environment we bonded quickly with our cohort from around the world. Most of our colleagues from the basic training carried over - so we had that in common - but spouses and a whole batch of others joined the On Boarding. Not everyone was bound for the Global Mercy - our housemates, and a handful of others were headed to The Africa Mercy - a smaller, older vessel that is the second ship of our fleet. Some were staff members with roles here at the International Support Center or other positions around the world.

Some of it was a little to touchy-feely for my personal taste, but I am confident it will all be useful at some point during our Mercy Ships journey. My big takeaways:

1. The organization and current CEO are actively fighting against mission drift. This to me shows maturity in leadership.

2. The caliber of volunteers is excellent. These are very accomplished people who have deep character and integrity.

3. Prayer is a cornerstone of the culture. This dependence on God, I think, represents a deep humility at an individual and organizational level.

Now we are chomping at the bit to get to the ship. There was a week delay in getting the ship ready for families in Spain, so we have this in-between week where we are just helping the grounds crew here and some local charities. Tomorrow - final packing for the ship.

In a couple of days, East Texas will be a memory.

Hi! Maverick here.

As we have been at the Mercy Ships Training center, one of the things we have been doing with our new friends has been watching the FIFA World Cup.

Our roommates are from Norway and they are huge soccer fans… I mean FOOTBALL fans, and their team won against Brazil for the first time since 1998 and their whole country went wild!

They like to watch any world cup game that is on in the dining room, where they show the games on the big screen. We often follow along and watch.

The World Cup is somewhat fun to watch but I still much prefer watching American Football. Even so, it has been great cheering for America. Unfortunately, they lost last week against Belgium. C’mon.

It has been fun watching the World Cup with my friends but I can’t wait until NFL season starts to show them OUR football!

Hi! Lewis here.

One thing about our cabin-mates is that they love football (soccer!!)

Oskar plays back home and I have enjoyed playing with him in the gym. The gym is bigger than a basketball court and you can play pickle ball, basketball, soccer, American football, ping-pong, air hockey and foosball.

It’s fun. The only problem is that it is VERY hot inside and we get very sweaty.

Since the FIFA World Cup is going on right now, we have been able to watch a bunch of the games. Watching all of this “football” (soccer!!) has helped me learn how to play it better.

I haven’t played much soccer in the past, but now I’m having a (foot)ball!

Penelope Reporting.

On the 4th of July, I sprained my ankle.

We had drove to see our cousins during the weekend. We played Ultimate Frisbee, a game I love. I was diving for a disk in the end zone when I took that nasty fall.

Luckily, there was a nurse playing on the field, and so he got it wrapped up, my little cousins comforted me and held my hands, and my parents drove me back to my cousin’s house.

When Dad alerted some people here at Lindale that I had sprained my ankle, immediately they were able to provide me with some crutches, so Mom and Dad didn’t have to carry me and I could be a bit more autonomous. A doctor here was able to look at the injury and help me with it.

Certainly in all things God works for the good of those who love him, and although I don’t know his exact purpose in this, I trust Him, I can see his mercy so clearly.

I have never sprained my ankle before, but here and now! In a place where, at the time, I had no commitments but to hang out! Where there are dozens of nurses and doctors! Where my meals are made for me!

I see God’s grace so much. One week later, and I would have to manage Kids On-Boarding with a sprained ankle. One week earlier and I would have just got here and not been able to meet new people.

Now I am on my feet again, although not 100% better yet. I am so thankful for God’s grace and provision, and all the wonderful caring people he’s put in my life to help me through this!

That is what my fire partner and I found when we plunged into a shipping container filled with smoke and fire. In our bunker gear—firefighter suits—and SCBAs—breathing apparatus—mobility was difficult. We made our way through the smoke and found the fire.

Spraying above the flames, we created cooling steam that descended onto the fire. The air at the top of the container was superheated, and you could feel it getting hotter as the steam pulled heat out of the air. Of course, being July in East Texas, we were already plenty hot and sweaty before we entered the burning container.

Once we demonstrated competency, our instructor sent us out and the next group came in.

Outside, we stripped off our bunker gear and hydrated.

When I signed up to serve with Mercy Ships, I was most worried about possibly having to learn French. But it turns out that if there is a fire aboard a ship at sea, there is no fire department coming to save you. So we all have to be certified in basic firefighting.

One of our instructors, a five-foot-flat, 30-year Mercy Ships veteran named Marcos, told Laura in his thick accent, “I will test them with fire and water and send them back to you better men.”

Water survival was the next part of basic training. Nothing too challenging: tread water for 60 seconds, flip over a life raft in the water, and climb into that same life raft.

But then came the survival suit.

Designed to slow down hypothermia, the suit had to be donned in under two minutes. Then we had to jump off a platform into the water and link up with the rest of the team.

Legs first while sitting on the deck. Then my right arm, which is my non-dominant one. Then pull on the hood. Then my left arm.

At this point, your hands are inside giant mitts—and you still have to zip the thing up. This was comically difficult and would have been impossible without the oversized zipper handles designed for the mitts to grip.

With the face mask Velcroed shut, all anyone could see were your eyes. It was likely the hottest, sweatiest, and most claustrophobic experience I have ever had.

We looked like a line of Gumbys—or maybe Teletubbies—waiting to jump into the water.

At last, it was my turn. I jumped, hoping the water would relieve some of the heat inside a suit meant to be worn in 30-degree weather, not 80.

When I came up, I was disoriented. The entire suit is buoyant, so every part of my body was trying to rise to the surface at once. I guess I looked panicked because another instructor grabbed a handle on my suit to stabilize me.

I was certainly flailing as I tried to find some balance.

Finally, I rolled onto my back, used my giant mitts as oars, and linked up with the team.

Thankfully, I was right. The water cooled the suit—and me inside it—to well below the melting point it had felt like while standing on the deck. Still, I was glad to shed that outer layer when we finished.

I enjoyed the challenge of my trial by fire and water, but it also seemed strangely disconnected from the mission of Mercy Ships: to follow the 2,000-year-old model of Jesus and bring hope and healing to the forgotten poor.

But we cannot have a ship without a trained crew. And without a ship, we cannot sail a hospital into ports in Africa.

Even more amazing—and perhaps a little crazy—were the people subjecting themselves to this brutal seafarer training.

These were hospital nurses, schoolteachers, and administrators. Most were not exactly ideal firefighting recruits. I was mildly scared of some of the training, but some were truly terrified.

One person did not even know how to swim!

Their courage to step far outside their comfort zones and face their fears was truly inspiring. I have seen people overcome some amazing challenges in order to grow themselves—on a challenge ropes course, for example.

But my fellow seafarers were doing this so they could help others who desperately need healing and hope.

Once again, I am humbled to be here with these amazing people.

Up next: Onboarding

The day after camp was over, we finalized our packing, met with our business leaders (another wonderful team!), picked up the last of our mail from the new tenants in our home, said some last (hard) goodbyes and hit the road towards Arkansas to pick up our kiddos from beloved Cousin Camp where they had spent the week we were at RFK camp. A quick visit in Siloam Springs and some more (hard) goodbyes later, we headed to Lindale Texas (by way of a lunch stop at a certain Pirtle Farm in Hitchita, OK) and the Mercy Ships International Support Center.

Our arrival and first week here has been such gift. We are living on a beautiful, green, 270 acre campus that houses Mercy Ships US headquarters, warehouse for procurement and shipping of most all medical supplies for the ships, as well as training facilitates for the hundreds of volunteers they launch to the ships each year. Cabins, pool, gym, dining hall with wonderful food, coffee shop, meeting rooms (with a piano) and lots of East Texas piney trees, the hospitality and kindness of the staff here has truly reflected to us the mercy of Christ.

We are living in a darling cabin where we have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms to our selves, and share a living area, kitchen and dining room with another family. Our housemates are an absolutely lovely Norwegian family we are delighting in getting to know! Dr. and Mrs. met when they both served on Mercy Ships as single volunteers 15 years ago, and they are now returning to the ship with their children. It is a wonderful testimony to the ministry and culture of Mercy Ships.

We have been learning so much about Norwegian culture - a place that could not be more different than our dry, hot desert life. It was a joy to celebrate with them as Norway won a huge World Cup game this weekend - we reveled in their country-pride and “ROOOOWED.” The Mrs. and I have found we have already found such encouragement in meeting one another and finding ourselves to be very like-minded despite the tremendous geographical differences, our citizenship of heaven prevails. Although taking her for her first visit to Wal-Mart was hysterical. It did leave me wondering why DO we have hundreds of kinds of body wash? And what is the point of having one that is “Crumbl” cookie smell?!? Everything seemed so much larger seeing it through her eyes.

This week, Jacob is attending Basic Training for the crew of the ship. He will be official ship crew, which means he has to have a basic level certification in fire-fighting, survival swimming and other safety protocol. Today we had the pleasure of going to watch the field-exercises as all of the in-coming crew put their classroom knowledge to work and practiced putting out fires and dragging bodies out of smoke-filled rooms. Jacob looked great in the full fire-gear, I’ll make sure and attach a picture. One thing that amazed me was the others in his class are a variety of ages and stages in life, including many young ladies, several older ladies and men from all over the world, but all of them had to push through this uncomfortable practice so that we can all serve aboard the Mercy Ships. I teased them in the lunchroom that the mothers and children are all counting on them to save us if there is an emergency…but it’s really no joke! If there is a fire on the ship, no-one can call 911, the crew have to become the fire-brigade!

During Jacob’s basic training, the children and I have a lot of flexibility on campus, with our primary focus being to connect with the other families, support Jacob in his efforts (save us!) and various details related to our service. We have packed up and inventoried some boxes to put on the container to the ship, met members of the US based Communications team that will work with Jacob in a professional context, and worked on our European geography with all our new friends! I’m tremendously thankful for this time to catch up on things left undone from all the transition, and also to get some much needed rest. Every time I visit the dining room I am teary with gratitude for the people who are planning, preparing and cleaning up our meals. I am sure I will tire of other people’s cooking, but right now, I am so grateful.

I’m sure the kids will and have shared about the pool, learning to play futbol, and the hot humid heat, but are days here are blurring together as we are extra tired from the heat, the transition, and all of the new relationships and cultural lessons.

We also had the treat of seeing my family as my sister’s family is visiting Texas from Congo and my parents traveled over to see them for the July 4th holiday as well! Today we toured them around the campus and said our final goodbyes to Grandma and Grandpa! We have lived in walking distance of my parents since Penelope was born, and for that we are eternally grateful. I know they will enjoy some peace and quiet without my kids rushing in their door every morning to deliver the newspaper or ask for breakfast. ;-) If you’re reading this from Roswell, please feel free and pop in on therm, mom is always good for cinnamon toast.

"Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21. Truer words were never said. Our lives are reminding us of this daily.

I love you all so very much.
XO,
Laura

Hi, Maverick here!

We are at the Mercy Ships training center in Lindale TX!

A few days ago, after a long drive from Arkansas and many missed turns, we pulled into this beautiful (and also AWESOME) campus.

We are living in the same house as family from Norway. Unsurprisingly, we are having a blast with them. And guess what? They are big soccer fans, but they call it FOOTBALL.

We also made friends with some boys from the UK who are going to the same ship as us. (Hooray!)

There is a great pool here where we play with our friends every day. Our dad brought a lot of LEGO so we made an EPIC LEGO city with our friends. (We are really living the life!)

We eat breakfast in our cabin (the thoughtful hospitality team filled our cupboards with breakfast food) and we go to a big dining room for lunch and dinner. The food is GREAT.

I certainly miss Roswell but I am DEFINITELY having fun. (See picture)

Hello, Lewis here.

We are having a great time here in Lindale!!

As Maverick mentioned, we are cabin-mates with a family of Norwegians. They have two AWESOME kids named Oskar (11) and Matilda (9). But they are going to the other ship, The Africa Mercy. Sad. ):

But for now, we are having a great time with our new friends at the pool and the gym. Now I have to get to playing. Watch out Lindale, here comes the Roebucks!

It’s me again, Penelope.

I’m having a ball at the Mercy Ships Training Center!

It’s like camp, only better because we have our parents, the food is (REALLY) good, I get my own room, and there’s less competition for the showers. Only problem is that there’s no Braum’s.

We’re able to hang out with our new friends while our Dad goes to training. And even when we have to go to training, we’ll still be able to chill with them, just while learning how to live on a ship. Win-win. I don’t think it will be necessary to stage a rebellion against our instructors.

I’m generally not one for pools, but the one here is great. Yesterday my friend Matilda showed me how to open my eyes underwater, which is actually really cool.

We also played a game of monkey in the middle, which apparently they call piggy in the middle in England and/or Norway? Those of you who know more please comment.

Altogether, living it up here in Lindale. I’ll see you in the next one.

Hello, this is Penelope.

I suppose this is what they call melancholy. It’s quite dual.

We are with our cousins in Arkansas. A week ago was the last day I’ll see Roswell for a very long time. A week ago was the day we started preparing for months ago. I felt remorseful. I felt tired. (I almost never take naps, and I took one that day. That tells you a bit of the extent.) Soon, very soon, we will leave even these last shreds of familiarity in Arkansas and training in Texas, and go to Ghana.

Despite all this, I feel and felt VERY excited. I love change, adventure, and unknown variables! (See my last post - adventure and danger have been my imaginative life for a while, now will be my actual life - I’m pumped!) I’ve spent my life reading and writing books, and watching and making movies portraying adventure. Now, I will finally get a true taste!

So, melancholy seems to be this bittersweet mix of sadness, longing, excitement, adrenaline, and remorse.

Who knew melancholy was so great?

P.S. For those of you keeping up with me, I’d like you to know that I was able to get Braum’s froyo. It was super delicious. If you haven’t been, read this to understand my tragically sad romance with Braum’s:

Hello, it’s Lewis.

Cousins are great! We’ve been with them for a week now, after driving up in our uncle Lucas’ COOL Tesla (which did most of the driving).

We’re having a blast! Not only do we get to play board games and talk with them, we also like to make movies and books, which doubles the fun.

We call them the Arkansas Roebucks, and now they’re calling us the Seafaring Roebucks. I am going to miss them a lot. Hopefully we will be able to see them on the ship.

But in the meantime, let the fun continue!

Hi! Maverick here!

It is only a week or two before we go from our cousins’ house to the training center for Mercy Ships in Lindale TX. I’m SO EXCITED!

There we will meet people from all over the world that have volunteered to go on either the Africa Mercy, the smaller ship, or the Global Mercy. In case you don’t know: that’s the BIG ship we’re going on! I hope we meet some lifelong friends there!

Penelope, Lewis and I will have two weeks of classes with other onboarding kids. We’ll learn about third world countries and how to prepare for the big change. Then on August first… we’ll be flying to the ship!

I can’t wait!

Hi! Maverick here.

One thing AWESOME about serving overseas is FLYING!

From a young age I’ve always loved traveling by plane. It’s fun to see the ground zip by and eat the snacks the stewardesses serve. Getting up and walking around IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY is also fun! (Unless I’m on the tiny jet that flies Denver to Roswell. TURBULENCE!)

The longest flight I have been was 5 hours with no meal. Lame-sauce. That will change soon because the flight from DFW to Frankfurt Germany is going to be 9 hours long and will serve 2 meals. I know some people think airline food is “meh” but I have never met a meal I didn't like!

Also EPIC, the plane we will be flying on: Airbus A340-300! 2 aisles, 208 feet long, 197 foot wing span, and nine restrooms (Maybe I will try each one?)

I will take a picture from the Atlantic so you can see the EPIC-ness yourself. But in the meantime check out the sweet diagram below:

Hello, it’s Lewis.

How do you say goodbye to a town that you have lived in for your whole life?

I turned 11 today, and that marked the eleventh year I’ve lived in Roswell. Most all my friends live here. My house is peak!

And even though we travel here in the USA often to visit family, I’ve only been out of the country once, when I was 4. I’ve never been away from my home for more than 3 weeks! This trip - 2 years.

Many tears shall be shed. I am excited, yet sad.

Hello, Penelope here.

I’m pumped to decorate my room on Mercy Ships with MAPS.

If you look around at my current room, you might think that the owner loves pink! In my defense, most of the decorations I’ve had for around a decade.

But now I am fourteen going on fifteen - and I aim to show a very different side of my personality when I decorate my new room on the Global Mercy. (Pink, you will always have a special place in my heart! #NeverChange)

I think maps will show the imagnative side of my personality. Picture this: You walk into my closet-sized room. The walls are lined with maps of countries that seem familiar, and then blend into some you’ve never heard of before. Some in beautiful color, others simple drawings. Oh the places you can go in my room if you are willing to imagine: From the might of Minas Tirith to the waters of the Caribbean, the peacefulness of The Glipwood Township to the hustle and bustle of New Orleans, The mysteriousness of Memoria to the heat of Congo.

The great thing about imagination is that it doesn’t take any room in my suitcase. Speaking of which - excuse me while I go pack.