Week 16: Stories of Grace & Truth

Over the last couple of weeks, our chaplaincy team has been talking about grace and truth. How Christ was both of these, and that we often lean to one side or the other (I think I definitely lean towards truth more than grace), but that actually we need to be 100% full of both of these. This week I was really blown away by how God is with us, even in the little things - He is always faithful. I wanted to share some of the stories where I have seen grace and truth at work.

Ready for anything - this week we had an
at sea muster so we would know what to do if
the ship started to sink when we were at sea.

//As I have continued to attend the same church here, I have slowly learned the stories of some of the people in the congregation and each time I found myself praising God for His goodness and how we can do good with His guidance. One beautiful, smiling girl named Prisca (around 10 years old), lost both of her parents last year and so, another couple in the church who don’t have kids, decided to take her in. One 40 year old lady is a widow, with her husband having passed away 8 years ago, and she has been raising her three teenage girls by herself. Despite everything that has happened, she is full of joy and very involved in the church, helping to teach one of the Sunday school classes. There’s another feisty little girl named Erica, who has blown me away with her leadership and love for the other children. When we played Frisbee, she made sure everyone got a turn. If ever someone is crying or upset, she will come alongside them and encourage them. She’s probably 12 years old. The pastor of the church (who is a woman) became a widow recently, and the church has stepped up and supported her now that she doesn’t have another source of income. I have been so encouraged by how much Christ-like love I see in the church, examples of taking care of widows and orphans (literally), encouraging each other, sharing what little they have and praising God together.//

//Fantala, the cyclone that caused us to be at level orange for two weeks, has officially dissipated. I love that the response from the captain and the managing director has been to give God all the glory, thanking Him for saving us from this and praying for those who were affected. In the end, no surgeries were cancelled!//

//One day, I was really struggling with the idea of staying for another two years, when I walked by the café. A lady who I respect very much, came up to me and said, I saw that you are staying for another 2 years, that’s amazing! And proceeded to give me a very big hug. That really touched me and I felt like that was coming directly from God, telling me to stop doubting myself.//

Our advance team will be heading to Benin soon 
to help get things set up before the ship arrives.

//About a month ago, I was down in the wards with a media team and one of our day crew started talking to me. She’s a lovely older lady and she told me that she was a translator. She shared with me that she had served aboard our last ship, the Anastasis, when it was here in Madagascar in 1996. When she heard that Mercy Ships was coming back, she was eager to come work for us again. I think this is such a powerful testament to how much God’s light shines in what we do. Our advance team shared with us that the people of Benin are so excited for us to come! Even people who are not directly affected by our services, can’t wait for us to come and help their people, to help lift up the whole medical system and most importantly, to bring hope.//

The little girl who stole my heart.

//The other day, I was pretty frustrated about some work stuff and definitely not focused on God. I went down to the wards to talk to someone about something work related, and as I was walking down the hallway, the cutest little baby girl with a cleft lip walked right in my path. She looked at me and lifted her arms up, the universal sign for, pick me up! So I did. In that moment I realized that I had completely lost sight of why we were here. I got overwhelmed by the little, unimportant things. That all disappeared as I played with this little girl. God put her in my path right when I needed it. I picked her up and we danced and sang and laughed. We played with string and balloons and she refused to let me put her down. After about 45 minutes I finally handed her back to her mom and made my escape. That was one of the most joyful moments I have experienced in my time here.//

//One of our vision trip guests a few months ago, had just had surgery to remove an internal tumour and she postponed a second surgery so that she could come here and see the ship. She volunteers her time to help her national Mercy Ships office continue to grow. That’s some amazing dedication and it was so clear that God had really put this mission on her heart.//

Outdoor movie night with these beauties - Molly & Whitney.

//This week has been very prayer focused, and let me tell you, I absolutely needed the reminder. In our Bible study group, we are discussing the book of Daniel and most of the discussion that night revolved around prayer, asking if it really mattered if multiple people prayed for the same thing. I think the overall consensus was that, yes it does matter, maybe not in terms of whether or not God will change His mind, but in terms of this idea that we are fighting a spiritual war and there are other forces at work that we cannot see. On Friday night, one of my friends bounced into our office (which she has never done before), and told me that one of the restaurants was playing a movie called War Room that night, and I should come. So I said sure, having no idea what it was about. It turned out it was an absolutely amazing movie about the power of prayer, and the idea that we are fighting a spiritual war. It’s called war room because that’s what the lady calls her closet where she prays, where she does battle. If you haven’t seen it, I would definitely recommend it! And then on Saturday, there was a prayer seminar by a lady from the IOC who is very much a prayer warrior. She spent the first hour just sharing stories in her life of how God has spoken to her and her life journey with Him. It was unreal. I was sitting there in awe of Him and all He does with our brokenness, if only we can submit it fully to Him. It was also a good reminder that it often takes years for prayer to be answered, and that we need to be patient and wait for His timing.//

//Many of us have been thinking about what will happen to our 300+ day crew when the ship leaves. I have talked to several of them and they aren’t exactly sure what they will do. Mercy Ships as an organization has done a lot to help prepare them for this, but God decided to use the crew themselves to reach out in a big way. Two of our crew have been holding business classes, teaching them how to research markets and make business plans, etc. They have also started a microfinance operation, helping them get these businesses off the ground. So far they helped one person build a hotel of sorts, to rent rooms out. They helped someone else buy three cows and build a barn and fence to start a milk service. God has really put this on their heart and so they have decided to stay in Madagascar after the ship leaves to continue with this training and financing. We took up an offering to provide more funding to the operation and I am so encouraged to see how God is using us in a small way to take care of His children.//

//A few days ago, I was struggling with my confidence in my ability to do my job well, and if I can really step up and lead when we get to Benin, when I saw this: http://www.alionthego.org/#!SIMPLY-DEVOTE/cmbz/571a2f7b0cf2b05e61f84af9. My friend Ali wrote this and it meant so much to me. I never realized that my passion was that obvious to others. The picture she captured was me talking to a girl named Larissa, who is always on the street selling peanuts. She is such a firecracker, incredibly bright and fiesty, and I love our verbal exchanges as she tries to explain to me why I need to buy peanuts. I give her money and tell her I don't want the peanuts, and still she tries to convince me that her peanuts are delicious. I know that she can do so much if she is just given a chance.//

//Last week, one of my day crew friends was going to have to walk home because his bike broke on the way here. So instead we took him for ice cream and drove him home. He lives so far! Every day he bikes 45 minutes to get to the ship. When we got there, he invited us to come and see his home and his family. He has a beautiful wife and an adorable 11 month old baby boy named Samuel. For my friends and I, it was definitely an eye-opening experience, and a blessing to be able to see where they live. It is one small room, with a bed taking up most of the space. They also had a tv and a small desk with a computer on it. One of my friends made a comment that really stuck with me. She said that that home was about the people, not the things in it. That is more true than I can even explain.//

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14

Her proud mama looks on as Fifliana tests out her
new straight legs!