Good plans

Today it is exactly six months ago that I left my home on board the Africa Mercy, Mercy Ships’ current hospital ship. If you have met with me in the past six months, I probably told you about my experiences and about how much I love and miss life on board the ship (and the friends I made there). Well, time has come to share some great news with you: in six months, I’ll be back on my favorite ship in the world!

Mercy Ships is an international, faith based organization that aims to bring hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor. They (currently) do this by offering free surgery in the poorest countries of West Africa. My plans to come back to the AFM started when I had just started my first field service, last February. Before I knew, I fell completely in love with the ship and her community and I knew I wanted to stay way longer than the eight weeks I came for. I got the chance to extend my time on the ship, which I happily did, but after a total of eleven weeks the time had come for me to leave the ship and go home again. At that time, I was already planning to come back during my summer holidays next year, after what would have been my first year of university. At some point I jokingly said I would not go to university at all and instead come back to serve on the ship again. Little did I know…

The first few weeks away from the ship were hard. I found myself thinking about the ship and my friends most of the time, I would even dream of the ship at night. But slowly I started to get more used to the idea of having to wait at least a year before I could go back and I found peace in knowing that I would somehow see my best friends from the ship again at some point. I then started preparing for university. I was working at a restaurant in town to save up some money, finished all the application paperwork and started looking for a room to rent. It was when everything was working out, when I felt God leading me away from university. Suddenly, it felt as if it was wrong for me to go to university now. Mind you, I was really looking forward to going to university after the summer, but it felt like I shouldn’t be focusing on university right now, rather on going back to Africa with Mercy Ships.

So I did what I thought was right, I reapplied to Mercy Ships, as a long term volunteer this time. I had worked as a housekeeper and hostess last time and I had decided that I wanted to work a job that needed a bit more thinking. I applied to the position of media liaison, but was rejected for multiple reasons (all of which I completely understood and agreed with). I then applied to the position of receptionist, but was rejected for that one as well. This time I didn’t agree with the reasons they gave me. They actually suggested for me to apply to a more practical job. Should have been clear to me what to do, but I really didn’t want to work a practical job, so I gave up and stopped the application process. There was one problem, however. In the middle of the application process, I had given up my university application as well. Now that I couldn’t go to university in September and also had no plans with Mercy Ships, I was forced to take another gap year and had no plan at all. That was when the email about Germany came and when I ended up here  (check my last blogpost).

At that point, I was so done with Mercy Ships that I didn’t even want to think about going back short term this year. It took me some time, but after a while, I started thinking about Mercy Ships again. Multiple times, I found myself looking at the job descriptions of hostess as well as housekeeper. I started thinking back at how strong that feeling of going back to Mercy Ships had been, last summer. I realized, that although I had given my yes to God, I still wanted to do it my way. In the back of my mind, I think I have known all this time that maybe God wants me to go back in a short term practical position now. After a good conversation with my “host mom” here in Germany, I took the final decision. The next day, I applied to the position of Hostess. I finished my application on Saturday and the next Monday I was greeted by an email from the Mercy Ships office, asking if I could come a certain period. Within a week from applying, I had my unofficial acceptance letter. I can’t tell you how much of an affirmation that was. All the problems I had earlier when I applied to the roles of media liaison and receptionist compared to how easy the process was this time. (If you have served with Mercy Ships, or been through the application process, you know how long it can take sometimes.) It is now three weeks ago that I applied and all that’s left for me to do is book my flights and collect enough money to pay my crewfees.

On the 12^th of April, I will be joining the Africa Mercy in Dakar, Senegal, as a hostess. I will sail with the ship to the Canary Islands, where I will leave the ship on the 15^th of July. I am more than thankful and excited for this new chapter with Mercy Ships and I truly can’t wait to board my plane. But I am even more amazed by seeing how God has been at work in this whole process. He has taught me so much, His plans are good.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)