Pictures from Congo!!

Here are some promised pictures....hope you enjoy!!!

I made it!!!

Looking off the top deck

Those are ship related pictures, now I'll share some from my adventure today. Other than screening day I've had orientation which is fine, but I'm free this weekend and so I went out hiking with some friends today. 

This morning I got up at 7:15 and we left the ship around 8 am and walked to the port gate with the other 9 people that wanted to come. At the port gate we met up with a day crew worker and she was extremely helpful. 

The day crew are local Congolese people that know French, English, and the local African language that have been hired by Mercy Ships to work as translators and other various jobs. I wouldn't be able to do my job without having them here!!!

Anyway, she went and negotiated a price for a taxi and we all piled in for the 45 minute drive out the the gorge (where we hiked). It was an interesting group that went, there were 2 Germans, 1 from Switzerland, I think 3 from England, and 4 from the US, plus our local day crew worker. 

Looking down into the gorge

There were some steep steps at the top going down...

At one point we passed an ant train...it just keep on going

looking towards the top after hiking down

during part of the hike the vegetation look like we were walking through a jungle

and then it would look like this

We ended at the beach, this is 3 crew members, our day crew member, and then the taxi drivers assistant 

the back seat had the 3 coolest people! :)

driving down the road

Needless to say we had a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the day. I even remembered to put on my sunscreen and bug spray!!! 

I'll have to share more about screening day another time. 

First Impressions

As promised, here are my "first impressions" that I wrote in my journal last night. At the time I wrote this I was on-board little more than 24 hours. They aren't ordered by priority, it's just a list of thoughts.

1) Really, really, need to learn French!!!
2) Once I learn French things will be more fun in town :)
3) I really think I'll like it here, there will be challenges but overall, once I adjust to differences I think it'll be a really good experience.
4) How am I going to remember names?!?!
5) The people on-board all seem extremely friendly and helpful! 

I arrived Saturday night, got checked in and received my Mercy Ship ID and orientation schedule, after that I unpacked and went to bed. Not an overly exciting first night, but I was exhausted from traveling and so I didn't mind. 

Sunday morning I was so mixed up on the time and so I felt like I didn't know if I was coming or going, but living in zombie-land with jet-lag. So it was in this state of mind that I received a tour of the ship, what's even more surprising is that it actually stuck and I've been able to find my way around without getting lost. You just have to remember some key factors to know where you are and after that it's a simple matter of know which deck you need to go to. 

After the tour some of us decided that we wanted to walk into the city which was fun. Basically, we walk for what I'm guessing is 1 1/2-2 miles out from the ship then turned around and walked back. It was nice to get out and into the sun and not let myself sleep!

It was during that walk that I realized how beneficial learning French would be without it is impossible to communicate to some people who start talking to you. Luckily  I was with a couple people who had a limited knowledge of French and so that was helpful. How cool would it be to work at learning the language and then being able to practice it? If I'm going to be here for a period of time why not try and then be able to actually talk to the people here.

There will be several challenges, like when I need personal space (hasn't been to bad so far), or making sure that you get up on time (that's gonna be hard!!), and adjusting to "ship showers." For the most part, I'll be fine with ship showers because I don't take long showers. A ship shower consists of: 
- water on, get wet
- water off, wash up
- water on, rinse off
- exit shower and proceed as you normally would.

I still haven't figured out exactly how many people are currently on the ship other than a general number that is a little over 500...that's a lot of people! But so far, everyone that I've meet has been really friendly and helpful and so it's great!

Sunday night I was actually able to sleep all night (not as long as I would have liked, but at least it was overnight). Then Monday morning (today), was the first day of orientation and so I basically got to sit and listen to what I'll get to do/need to be aware of. 

This week is a week of final preparations and training all of us newbies :) except for Wednesday. Wednesday will be a very different day...that is our screening day. My understanding of screening day is when everyone lines up and will be escorted through several different stations where we will find the patients that can benefit from the services/specialties offered.  

I'm assigned a job for the day, and so I'll be out there interacting with a lot of people. I would ask, that you also join me in praying for this day. 
1) That the patients who need our help find us 
2) that those whom we can't help accept what they are told
3) that during the long day and in the heat those of us from Mercy Ships be able to love the people we meet, keeping a positive cheerful smile.

Please know that all your prayers are appreciated, and I wouldn't be able to do this without your partnership in prayer. 

Last little note here and then I'll wrap this up, I have some pictures that I was going to upload but the SD card drive on the computer isn't working and so I'll have to wait or figure something else out...sorry, hopefully I'll be able to do that in the next couple of days (not Wednesday). 

From Fairview to Point Noire

As my last blog stated I received my visa less than 24 hours before walking out my parents front door. My last night at home was busy with packing and family stopping by (which I loved)!

I did decide to try and sleep for a little bit before leaving, even though I would have been able to keep myself busy. When I started to feel sick from lack of sleep and stressing over making sure that everything was completed I decided I needed to relax and try to get some sleep.

As it turned out, just as I was nicely falling asleep it was time to wake up...of course I wasn't ready for that but I made myself roll out of bed anyway. Once I was up I didn't feel any better and apparently I didn't look to good either because I was asked "are you okay?" Before getting in the car I took a couple Dramamine to help with the nausea and dizziness plus it makes me sleepy. I crawled into the backseat with a pillow and blanket and went to sleep while my parents drove me to the airport.

During this drive, I was told that they stopped twice to pick up something that I forgot to get earlier...and then they also had to stop for a traffic jam. I was out for all of this. Sleep was amazing!!!

After getting check in I said goodbye to my parents, went through security and then on to my departing gate. We boarded, and then got the joyous pleasure of waiting on the Tarmac for another 15 minutes because Newark was behind.

Made it to Newark, and had a couple hours to hang out. Well, they weren't willing to give me free Internet service so I opted to do some journaling. While sitting there writing I started thinking, crazy how that happens. Anyway, I started to realize some things.

One, I think part of the reason I wasn't feeling so good before leaving was actually more nerves than I wanted to admit. I left Lancaster and all my friends, my support networks and normal routines to move up for an unknown amount of time, to pursue a completely new opportunity with lots of unknown factors. I think with all that I've gotten myself so worked up and stressed out about trying to figure out all the what ifs...it's not like I'll be back in 2 weeks.

While I was thinking about all that I started praying for peace in my heart and mind, during this whole process of applying, and raising both prayer and financial support, while waiting for last minute paperwork to arrive God has shown me His faithfulness.

What I don't understand about myself is how do I for get that so quickly? Instead of trusting Him I'm worried about what I can't control.

Through all the stress and worry, I made it safely to my destination with my luggage. My last flight from Germany to Congo had 20-30 new Mercy Shippers including myself. It was fun because we all started to meet each other before we ever arrived at the ship.

Today is full of orientation and preparation for screening day (which will be explained at a later time). My goal is to work on another update this evening after orientation and share some of my first impressions, what is happening and of course a picture or two!  :) 

Quick Update

This will be a short update!! My visa came through at 12:30 Thursday afternoon and my flight is scheduled to take off Friday morning at 11 a.m. It's now 3 a.m. Friday morning, I think I finally have everything packed...and am working on a few last minute details. 

This next part may sound similar to some people...but I need to leave for the airport in 2 hours. Wonder if I should take a quick nap or just stay awake? Sleep sounds amazing right now! 

That's all for now. 

Learning To Let Go

I don't even know where to start!!! So much has been happening the last couple weeks. To start...I left my apartment in Pennsylvania and moved the car full of stuff that I decided to keep back to my parents place in Michigan. 

The first few days back in my home state I spent catching up with my extended family that I haven't seen in years. It was great to see everyone and learn what is happening in their lives too. 

During my time there, I had make what may seem like a crazy choice, but I decided to take a huge step of faith and jump into this new adventure. My acceptance to join Mercy Ships happened 5 weeks prior to my departure date. That doesn't give me much time to figure out where the finances are coming from, purchase a ticket, and get everything accomplished before leaving the country for 10 months. 

Long story short, I had to make the decision to buy my plane ticket even before I had the funding figured out. Basically, this opportunity has been a real growing process!!! I had to quit my job before I received my official acceptance, don't have a lot of time to prepare everything, and then having to purchase my place tickets before I have the financial support.

From the beginning I felt like God was going to be teaching me something. Well, I know that I've struggled with letting go of control and trusting Him. Before I had to take that jump, as scary as it was, I really felt that through the people around me God was telling me to trust Him to provide. 

Once I decided that I was going to trust Him and jump everything is happening so fast!!! I've received enough financial support to pay for my plane ticket and the first 2 months of my crew-fees on Africa Mercy. God is proving His faithfulness and just how awesome He is. It blows my mind, I don't know where all the rest of my support is going to come from, but I know that God is in control and He will provide. I'm not saying this is easy! Everyday is a challenge of letting go of my desire to control what happens. 

If I'm honest, I thought I had this all figured out and everything was going to be great...well, that may not be the case. Since I purchased my plane tickets Mercy Ships office has been working on securing my visa for me and they have run into some complications. I'm praying it will be worked out smoothly, but it's not something I can control, so I have to let go and trust that God has everything taken care of. 

Why did I ever think that learning to let go was going to be easy? Somehow, I think that lesson is going to be continued over the next 10 months. It is not going to be easy, but I keep thinking to myself 'God isn't going to leave me or stretch me more than I can handle even if it seems that way.' 

As I am writing this blog, and summarizing what has been happening I thought of a song that I haven't listen to in years. I was reminded of 'Awesome God' by Rich Mullins. God is showing His awesomeness!!!!  

The Dream

My dream as a child has always been to travel the world. While I'm traveling I want to experience the culture, to mingle with and learn about the people of that country. That dream has shaped my life. 

I believe that God has called me to nursing so that I can use that skill to demonstrate God's unconditional love the poor and forgotten around the world. That is why I'm so excited about the opportunity to partner with Mercy Ships during their stay in The Republic of the Congo. 

By offering free health care and restorative surgery they have given hope to the hopeless and loved the unlovable. This is why I'm so excited to join them in their mission. 

To learn more about Mercy Ships please check out this link: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50152297n  

Since this is a volunteer position, I need to raise my own support for the 10 months that I've committed to and need to raise $630 for expenses per month. If you would like to support me please go to: http://mercyships-us.donorpages.com/crewmates/JenniferHandrich/

Your financial support and prayer allow me to serve the people in the Republic of the Congo while demonstrating God's unconditional love. Each and every penny of your support and each and every prayer is another demonstration of God's unconditional love. May you know and experience God in new and deeper ways as you join me on this journey.

1 Peter 4:8-12: "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's grace: whoever speaks, as one who speak oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies - in order that in everything God my be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."