A ridiculously crazy story - by Rachel

I read this a few days ago, about Jesus' disciples who, after he died, were "invited to breakfast on a beach after facing deep grief and disrupted hopes":  Jesus told them that "what they feared was the end was really a new beginning."  (From Returning Well by Melissa Chaplin)

When it became clear several weeks ago that our time on the Africa Mercy was rapidly coming to an end, that this was not our plan and that we had no idea what the future held.... it definitely felt like The End, like deep grief, and like disrupted hopes.  We knew that this bend in the road came as no surprise to God but the disappointment, confusion, pain and grief were real.  They still are.

But in the midst of it all we have been so aware of God's presence with us, taking care of us, attending to our needs and sorting out the details. 
And he's done it through.... people. 
Many of you have given to us with ridiculous generosity, making it possible for us to pay for our flights, purchase a vehicle, and move into a rental house.  
Kevin has been well cared for both in the UK and back in our home town in Washington - with lamb dinners, bacon-wrapped dates, free mattresses, visits from friends, and much more.  
Wonderful and supportive friends are taking care of the kids and me on the ship. 

And here's a CRAZY story that for me sums up the extravagant love of God expressed to me through wonderful human beings: 

Soon after Kevin first went to the UK in October, before we even know we would soon need to figure out how to get our stuff back to the US, I 'happened' to see on Facebook that a team of people from our small town in Washington State were coming to Cameroon to help set up a health clinic in a village called Bawa.  (You can read more about this amazing initiative here.)  

Wait - WHAT???  What are the odds of that?  

But, not only were they coming from our small town to Cameroon of all places, they would also be flying in and out of Douala airport which is a 15-minute drive from the ship, and they would also be bringing suitcases loaded with supplies for the health clinic, thus leaving Cameroon with... you guessed it, empty suitcases. And this would all be happening in the 6-week window between us deciding to leave, and actually leaving the ship.   

So on Saturday two gutsy, adventurous and compassionate ladies from Ellensburg traveled all day from Bawa to Douala, got stuck in traffic, made it on board the ship by the skin of their teeth for a quick shower and a bite to eat, and then flew out that night with not one, not two, not even three, but four suitcases packed to the hilt with our belongings, that they are taking right to our home town.  

God is in control, and He is taking care of us.
We "know" that, of course we do... but it's pretty special when He demonstrates that to us in such a specific and ridiculously unlikely way.

As well as this being the End of something, it is also a Beginning.  Of what, we're not sure yet, but we're going to find out.

He Makes Me Lie Down - by Kevin

In mid-September I remember writing that I felt like a boxer after a 15-round fight.  I was being hit from all sides but felt like I was winning because I was still standing. The blows kept coming and on September 29th I resigned my position and asked if I could travel to England to recover.   

I was physically and mentally spent.  I had had 4 consecutive illnesses and lost 8 lbs in 23 days, 6% of my body weight.  As you all know I did not have 8 lbs to spare.  It is extremely difficult to be away from my family, but the ship is a front-line ministry, it is not designed for rest and recovery.  I do not understand the fullness of the situation but I feel certain that Jesus is a good shepherd and He is making me lie down, and He is restoring my soul (and body).

 I was a bit over-focused on my responsibilities and was neglecting my relationships.  Like a sheep too focused on his grass quota.  Head down, keep going.  The shepherd knows that the healthiest position for the sheep is lying down.  So the shepherd takes his staff and puts the crook around the sheep's neck... and twists it, forcing the sheep to lie down (or have its neck snapped).  It doesn't sound loving, but it is.  

I've been well look after in England by Mercy Ships friends, and family. I'm staying with Rachel's folks and Jenny is an amazing cook who is determined to fatten me up.  I'm not clear how the future will unfold but I know that Jesus is watching over me and my family, and He is a good shepherd.  

Since writing the above, we heard yesterday that I have been medically cleared to return to the ship, so I will fly back to my family next weekend.  We are all very relieved and thankful. Thank you all so much for your prayers, support and kind words.

I found out yesterday that my dad suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke this week.  He was found unresponsive and remained that way until his death yesterday.  I called the ICU yesterday and he was on "comfort care", receiving a morphine drip.  There was nothing left to do, his brain was not coming back.

When I was saying goodbye to him last year in Denver I knew I would never see him again on earth.  I was almost out the door of the nursing home after taking my dad out for a cheeseburger and Starbucks, and God spoke to me very clearly, "Go back and tell him how much you love him".  So I returned, bent down and looked him in the eyes and we exchanged "I love you".  He fought with amazing strength to keep his independence and freedom.  In less than 2 years he suffered a heart attack, a major stroke that left him unable to walk without a walker, open heart surgery replacing all FIVE vessels, femoral bypass surgery x 2, and a broken hip.  

We lived in New Hampshire when I was a child.  The state motto is "Live Free or Die".  That was my dad.

His suffering is over.  No more broken mind, no more broken body. 

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death and mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

-Revelations 21:4

Please pray for my mom Sandi, my brothers Steven, Brian and Tim.  Also for Rachel and I as we help our kids process this loss.   Thank you.

In his hands,

Kevin

First things first- by Kevin

Time: it is the one currency that we can not truly save.  Sometime it passes so fast.  Since our last post on July 9th we have slept in 9 different beds, changed countries 5 times (including Rachel and I dashing to the U.S. to keep her Green Card), and become Diamond Shellbacks* by sailing through the 0-0 (crossing the Equator and the Prime Meridian).  God has shown himself in the big things (finding us new renters for our house) and the small (playing on grass).

*^{The rarest Shellback status is that of the Emerald Shellback (USA), or Royal Diamond Shellback (Commonwealth), which is received after crossing the Equator at the prime meridian,[7] .}

The reading plan Mercy Ships is working through is called "First Things First" from Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well".  And he has "added unto us" during our transition time, and these pictures are proof of His faithfulness: 

        Walks with Papa and Grandma (and Perry)

Ashani's first attempt to pick spinach leaves was a bit too vigorous as evidenced by the entire plant coming out of the ground (to Grandma's shock)

Spending quality time with my brother and nephew

Playing "500".  Clash of the super competitive Buzzard  and Yangas clans (many bruises but no broken bones).

Time with just "us"

                                                           Worship on the bow

                    Catching up with our classmates. "On-boarding class of June 2016" (best class ever)

Following God is not all unicorns and rainbows.  Sometimes its just the rain.  Cameroon gets over 12 FEET of rain a year!  We prayed to see more green this year, and we can:  We can see grass and trees from our dock space which will be home for the next 10 months.   

The Cameroon government gave us a generous dock space with a view of trees!.

The crew can walk and run through the port (which is a nice change that we really enjoy), and we even have a small area to play soccer and volleyball.  Rachel's favorite part is that we are docked on a tidal river. We can't go for walks in the forest, so God brings the forest to us: When the tide comes in it brings large amounts of the mangrove swamp which we get to see floating past our window.  Such is the kindness of God.  :D

Surgeries will begin Sept 5th and the ship has been buzzing with everyone in start-up mode, including us:  We have a couple of new team members in our 6-person Chaplaincy department and I have been getting my head around my new role as Senior Chaplain and all that that entails.  

We appreciate your prayers as we find our pace and the "unforced rhythms of grace" to sustain us for this 10 months, so that we can serve the crew well.

Click here for ways to partner with us through your giving:

http://www.ellensburgwellspring.com/yangas-family/

Faithfulness - by Kevin

I sometimes take God's faithfulness for granted.  I just don't think about it, until something goes wrong, and I need him to do what I can not.  The ship is now in ship yard and as you can see by the pictures we are in dry dock (dry = no water)

To meet the safety standards she must come out of the water every two years.  This year it was not a moment too soon.  As we arrived after our 11 days sail a pipe that uses seawater to cool the engines burst and water came rushing into the engine room.  God was Faithful to hold it together, otherwise we would have been adrift at sea until we sorted out the problem.

During dry dock children under 18 can not be on the ship for safety reasons.  So Mercy Ships finds housing for us.  This year God was faithful and 3 hotels offered us free room and board for the 3 weeks we would need.  It turned out to be a win/win because there was a press conference that shed a positive light on the shipyard, the hotels and Mercy Ships.  Our family was asked to be part of the fun.

I've continued to work on the ship and recently have been promoted to Senior chaplain for the Cameroon field service 2017-18.  Rachel and the kids have enjoyed the hotel to the fullest.  It is close to the ocean and we have all enjoyed the sand and sea...God is faithful.

There is so much work that is done during this time and some volunteers come specifically to help during this season every year even though it is loud, dusty and hot (no AC).  The doctors and nurses are often the ones who end up on the videos or photos with patients, but it takes a huge team effort to allow this ministry to bring free surgery to some of the poorest people on earth.  We are thankful for our supporters who are part of our team that allow us to serve with Mercy Ships.  Tomorrow we start 3 weeks of vacation to see family and friends and prepare ourselves for serving in Cameroon for 10 months starting in August.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

The Yangas clan

Making It Count - by Kevin

I don’t want money or fame. Like most of us,  I want my life count for something.  That is one of the main reasons I chose to follow this Jesus fellow.  He made people’s lives better.  It was not always butterflies and rainbows:  He used a whip to clear the temple, he let his anger motivate him to right a wrong.  I believe most, if not all of the worlds poverty is avoidable.  God is not the problem; I am.  I am selfish and self-centered and don’t want to give up my comfort.  

Mercy Ships is a small example of what can happen when people put aside their ways and follow the example and leadership of Jesus.  People get loved, the sick are healed, the lame walk.  I have seen it with my own eyes.  

Ashani and her class spending time with the patients on Deck 7

We have finished our 10 month field service to the country of Benin and we performed 1957 surgeries on 1793 patients.  The dental team did 15,109 procedures on 6992 patients, and the list goes on.  It’s not even the numbers that truly matter, if we did not do these things in a loving way.  We strive to not treat people as numbers, but as people that God loves, and values and cares deeply for; and so must we.  

Zaden MC'ing one of our shipwide Community Meetings

As a nurse what excites me most is our Medical Capacity Building program.  The focus is helping to develop the nations medical skills and capacity to care for their people so that one day Mercy Ships will no longer be needed.  The mentoring program included surgeons, anaesthesia providers, midwives, nurses, and every skilled person needed to perform safe surgery: 88 mentored, 1,874 students in all. 

With My friend Miguel and I made a short video of our time in Benin, which you can view here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cci4Nn_sPtM

If the link does not work just go to youtube.com and type: Yangas and Kamara Benin 2016-17.

Daniel playing soccer with recovering patients at Mercy Ships' "Hope Center" during his week of Work Experience

It is a privilege for us to be a part of the team that is Mercy Ships, and we look forward to continuing to serve as the ship will head to Cameroon, West Africa in August.

love, 

the Yangas family

Easter in Community - by Rachel

Easter on the Africa Mercy is a really special time, and many crew who have experienced it before look forward to Holy Week as a chance to immerse ourselves in Jesus' journey.  (With some egg-related activities thrown in along the way.  And most likely some Veggie Tales too.)

As Chaplains, it is our team's privilege to coordinate many different Easter events during this time, so that's what's been keeping us busy for the past weeks:  3 Easter services (Good Friday, Sunday Sunrise, and Easter Morning), 3 movie nights, 1 craft afternoon, 1 Open Cabin evening, 1 Easter Breakfast, and the Maundy Thursday events (more about that later) - all with the help of other crew and volunteers.  We also had an amazing Easter Sunday lunch put on by our Food Services department!

On Thursday we transformed one of our function rooms into the Upper Room...

which included the 12 Stations of the Cross and Communion, and the opportunity to come and find some solitude and stillness all weekend long.

There was a foot-washing station on Deck 7.

The International Lounge became the Garden of Gethsemane

...followed by a place to contemplate what Jesus did for us on the cross on Good Friday

...and then a place of celebration and praise as we filled the cross with flowers on Easter Sunday morning!

It was such a special time.  (Although I'm not sure if Kevin wants to see another palm branch for a while!) We were thankful to have time to experience all of these different aspects of Easter as a family and as a community.

I want to finish with this quote by David Janzen about community life, which we have found to be so true in our work and lives here on the Africa Mercy:

“There's no getting around the truth that community
life regularly brings out the worst in us. Yet what better place can there be for our weakest parts and crankiest moments to happen than among those who love us deeply? Living in community is the choice to lie down on God’s operating table and open our hearts to the Holy Spirit's healing through each another. It is an invitation to spiritual surgery . . . using and submitting to the "surgical tools" of gracious truth-telling and patient listening. God's strength is made perfect in our weakness.” 

May we all experience the depth of His healing and love through each other as we choose vulnerability over perfection.

February, The longest month -By Kevin

Living in the north (above the 47th parallel) I was finding it more and more difficult to survive the month of February.
The cold and darkness seemed never ending and it felt like it was seeping into my bones, pulling me into a foggy funk.  Here in Benin it is quite warm and sunny, but I still find that February seems like it's never ending.  When will spring come?  When will the flow of patients end? We have been working here for 7 months, the pace is fast and steady, the finish line months away.  We have helped thousands of people and our gangway will stay open for thousands more till the end of our field service in June.  Some of us are getting tired and even coffee is not helping.  Our greatest strength is our diversity and unity, but this begins to fray as our strength weakens.  

Following Jesus together we create tremendous amounts of synergy.  Synergy is the combined power of a group of things ( or people) when working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately.  Most of you know what synergy is but I found a cool illustration. 

 “One of the largest, strongest horses in the world is the Belgian draft horse (I’m not sure why such a small country needs such a big horse). Competitions are held to see which horse can pull the most and one Belgian can pull 8,000 pounds (3636KG). The weird thing is if you put two Belgian horses in the harness who are strangers to each other, together they can pull 24,000 (10,909 KG) pounds. Two can pull not twice as much as one but three times as much as one. This example represents the power of synergy. However, if the two horses are raised and trained together they learn to pull and think as one. The trained, and therefore unified, pair can pull 32,000 pounds (14,545 KG), four times as much as a single horse.”  

I think its an amazing picture of what the body of Christ can do when we work at being unified and pull together.  

I love being a part of Mercy Ships because we all pull together and thousands of peoples' wounds are healed and lives forever changed.  The question is, how do we keep our unity when God had made us all so different?  What do we do when the winter drags on, we are tired and there is no time or place to rest?  When I get tired I get selfish, but Jesus recommends that I do the opposite, 

“ This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another.( John 15:17Amplified Bible)

How are you going to love unselfishly? Unselfishly means: generously, charitably, and helpfully.  The way I see it, God’s love is a fuel that I need to love others, but I must make room in my heart by surrendering.  We all need God’s help to love so we must surrender our wants and needs. Instead of looking inside, I look out to those around me.  We can seek ways to encourage one another and unselfishly seek the best for one another.  So this week I have challenged myself and encourage you to think of a person who you would like to value more and love better. Then surrender to God’s love.  God and us loving and pulling together.  Let the synergy begin.

This is "little Kevin"   -not all of us can be Belgian draft horses :-)

During the Celebration of Sight ceremony last week, this grandma who had had a successful surgery on board was praising the Lord: she was blind, but now she could see!  She even put her cane down so she could get "jiggy wid it".  God is good.

Thank you for your support and prayers as we continue to pull together to show God's great love.

The Yangas Clan