We're Back!

 We are back in Sierra Leone! 

First a little wrap up of the past few weeks....

We left the ship in mid-June, has some great family time to rest and enjoy being together and then met back up with the ship in Cadiz Spain. The Global Mercy (our ship) had been undergoing maintenance and was finally ready to welcome us all back on board!

Thankful for all the people who worked on our ship while we were gone!

It was completely different walking up to the ship this year compared to last year. This year it was like coming home. Not "home home" as the kids call it (Auburn) but still home. We were excited to see friends, sleep in our beds and get back to work and school. There are a few new families on board, so it has been good to welcome them and help them getting their footing in their new adventure. 

Berdien and Hanne (from the Netherlands) with Sadie and I while we were sailing into Freetown

We left Cadiz on August 3rd and sailed until August 12th through some beautiful yet rocky waters. I personally saw dolphins, flying fish, a sea turtle, a shark and a whale! Our last day at sea was the kids first day of school. What a busy day! 

At sea sunrises and sunsets are unreal! 

We are now back in the routine of school and work. In a crazy set of circumstances including the science teacher leaving unexpectedly at the end of the last school year I am stepping into teaching 6-8th grade science onboard! It just 3 mornings a week and will leave time for me to still be in the hospital doing physical therapy. It will be fun to serve the ship in a completely different way and use some science facts that have been stuck in my brain for 20 years! ha! 

I found this book in the science classroom. Not my favorite part of science!!

Patients will start coming in the next week or so. Right now the gangway is being set up, mooring lines tied and crew that didn't sail here are flying in. Its exciting to be starting afresh, cleaning the hospital and getting ready to transform lives. Mercy Ships social media has started to have some of the pictures of my patients from last year, so now I can share them! 

Check out this "after" picture of my girl Aminata! Those once bowed legs are SO straight. Even better news is that her and her auntie accepted Jesus as their Savior while here. PRAISE GOD!!!

Thank you for partnering with us so we can do this transformative work. It is an absolute blessing to be here watching lives transform and being a small part of God's big picture for the world. 

J^2, L, S^2