Our First Month

It’s been just over a month since we arrived aboard the Global Mercy here in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We really had to hit the ground running especially for me (Curtis) and my job. (Yes, I’m going back to my birth name in this new setting. Perhaps I’ll share that story later.) My boss was here on board the vessel for just two weeks with me before he had to depart. This meant having a crash course of long days trying to learn the specifics of ministry within Mercy Ships. This is a unique maritime international organization with many processes and procedures to learn.

Karin’s role in the Academy starts just after the first of the year and classes will resume the second week of February. In the meantime, she has been working in the Ship Shop which provides basic supplies for our crew. It’s been a great place for her to begin meeting all of our new neighbors and crewmates. She’s even been able to get to know her Kindergarteners and their families.

It’s been a whirlwind for sure but we are thoroughly enjoying this new assignment from God. The people and cultures we are getting to know are all so special. The work of Mercy Ships here in Africa is significant on every level and desperately needed. Here are just a few of the highlights so far.

We now live on board the Global Mercy (GLM), the world’s largest civilian hospital ship. She’s 570’ long (that’s 170 meters for those of us living in the metric world) and is 12 decks high. Learning our way around definitely took a few days. The GLM hospital has nearly 200 beds and 6 operating rooms. Currently we have about 500 crew members living on board from 40-50 nations of the world.

Of course the GLM is docked in Sierra Leone’s only industrial port so at any given time there are 3-6 cargo ships moored along the seawall with us. Most of these ships are carrying either rice, flour or cement. While there are cranes on the ships, most of the labor is done by hand with hundreds of laborers who load the beat up old trucks. The cement hovers in a cloud over them and their dark skin is literally grey by the end of their shift.

The city of Freetown is a surprisingly small geographic area but densely populated with more than 1.6 million people. In our 5 or 6 times off ship our first world vantage point has been challenged everywhere we turn and our hearts have been broken over and over again. In the future I will begin writing about “the things I didn’t know that I didn’t know.” First world realizations about third world problems. In spite of significant struggles, the people of Sierra Leone are beautiful, humble and warm. We look forward to sharing with you the things that we are learning.

One week after arrival I was installed as the Senior Chaplin for our vessel. (To watch my installation message check out the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvoQH00HO9Y) This is a role similar to being a Lead Pastor of an international church. Some aspects of the work are very familiar such as the joys of pastoring people and leading a spiritual community. At the same time, there are other aspects that are brand new to me and there is much to learn. We have particularly enjoyed getting to know people and learning their stories. There is a real sense of confirmation of God’s calling for us in this season.

These are just a few of our early experiences serving Jesus on board the GLM. As I write, we are just 5 days from Christmas. While we will miss our friends and family dearly, we have also been blessed by the opportunity to take in the Christmas traditions of other nations. Earlier in December we were privileged to celebrate Sinterklass with our many new friends from The Netherlands. It’s the Dutch take on Santa Claus based off of the story of Saint Nicholas. Part of the celebration involved kids running around the ship throwing cookies and candy at others. They even fill your pockets and hoods with treats! We’ve also participated in our first Scottish Christmas Ceilidh and the Scandinavian Christmas tradition, Santa Lucia.

From Karin and I both here in Africa, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!