Some of you have asked what our daily lives are like here on board the Africa Mercy. So, here's basically what we do all day!
The kids go to school from 8:00 til 3:20 with an hour's break at noon when we eat lunch together in the cabin and the boys practice piano. (I'm teaching them, which goes pretty well most days!) The Academy's curriculum includes all the usual subjects plus Bible. We love that at school they get to learn about God's love and plan for us, as well as getting a great quality education!
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| Zaden's class wearing the colours of Benin |
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| Ashani scootering on the dock after dinner Yes she dressed herself :-) |
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| Daniel and Zaden playing games with patients in the ward |
Kevin and I are very much enjoying serving the crew by working in the Chaplaincy department again. At the moment there are 4 full-time chaplains on board, and 3 part-time (we mums/moms work for most of the time our children are in school). According to official documents:
The focus of the Chaplaincy is to provide and facilitate pastoral care for all Mercy Ships personnel.
Our goal is to help create an environment for each individual to live in a biblically healthy manner in order to fulfill their purpose in Mercy Ships for as long as the Lord has designed.
Our belief is that by being objective, safe and impartial we can influence, encourage, shepherd, teach, counsel and mediate in both proactive and responsive ways."
For our Chaplaincy team, this involves a number of different things, including:
- planning, coordinating and carrying out our weekly Community Meetings and Sunday services
- coordinating Community Groups, youth and children's ministries on board
- debriefing crew after traumatic or stressful events
- walking with crew through crisis - whether that occurs on board or with friends & family at home
- counseling (individuals, couples, pre-marital)
- listening, praying, coaching
- providing resources (books, Bible studies, Bible reading plans)
- organizing retreats
- leading departmental devotions
As for the two of us, a lot of our time is spent in counseling couples and individuals. We are so thankful to have taken the excellent counseling school with YWAM earlier this year, as it equipped us in many ways for this season.
We feel privileged to walk alongside people as they allow God to work in them, as He draws them closer to Him (and each other) and transforms them into His image. This can be a painful process at times, and it is often hard to be vulnerable and admit our weaknesses or points of growth. When people come to us to share what they're struggling with, we are on holy ground.
Over the course of a year, around 1,000 crew members come to serve on the ship (usually about 450 at any given time). We want to help them to serve effectively so that we can all bring hope and healing to the people of Benin, but also help them find God's hope and healing for them personally during their time on board.
Over the course of a year, around 1,000 crew members come to serve on the ship (usually about 450 at any given time). We want to help them to serve effectively so that we can all bring hope and healing to the people of Benin, but also help them find God's hope and healing for them personally during their time on board.
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| counseling crew members |
My (Rachel's) main focus in Chaplaincy at the moment is also to coordinate the counseling offered by all of the Chaplains on board, helping to provide resources as needed, giving In-Service counseling training for the Chaplaincy department, and liaising with Mercy Ships' Head Counselor at the International Support Center in Texas. This is a role that is definitely a steep learning-curve for me, but one that I feel honoured to be in. I'm learning a lot on the job and feel as though I'm in a really great internship with excellent supervision. :D
On that note, I am thinking and praying about whether (or not) to pursue further education in counseling during this season. There are many online programs that have the potential both to equip me further to serve the crew on board now, and also to qualify me to work in the counseling field outside of Mercy Ships in the future. The information available about different programs is overwhelming, and I am seeking clear guidance about this. Any prayers would be welcome!
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| Visiting patients on the ward |
Thank you for your prayers!
We would love to hear from you and find out what's going on in your life - please drop us a line either by email or via FaceBook!
