Sorry for the quiet blog - I hope to have more to write about soon! I've been in Texas now for a week, and it seems like saying goodbye to Seattle was soooo long ago!
This week we had two different types of seminars. The first three days of the week was called Foundations of Mercy Ships, or FMS. This was an overview of the history of Mercy Ships, the vision, the different departments, living on the ship, transitions, etc. It's more focused on people who are considering joining Mercy Ships, not necessarily those of us who have already committed, but I got a ton of great information out of it, and seriously, the more that I hear and learn about this organization the more excited I get about being a part of it!!
Don Stephens, the founder and president, came to share the vision and future of Mercy Ships, and this got me really jazzed. There are plans in the works for a new ship, built from the ground up, of approximately the same class and slightly larger than the Africa Mercy. This is so exciting, as all of our ships to date have been retrofitted older ships, this would mean we could get everything we need for an ocean-going hospital ship! (like, not a flat bottomed ferry like the Africa Mercy.... boy she rocks out in the open seas!) They are also in talks with the government of the Congo to potentially build a river barge hospital to go up the Congo River. It's just a really exciting time to be a part of this organization and I really hope that I can be a part of those new projects, too!
The last two days of this week were a support-raising seminar. It was full of great info that I wish I would have had six months ago when I started raising support, not now! But anyway, it also confirmed to me that I have done some things very well, and can definitely work on some other things! A huge thank you to all my supporters out there!!
So that was this week. It was a bit tedious to be sitting in a classroom all day every day, it's been awhile since I've had to do that! Wednesday night we had our weekly Walmart run, which was fun, especially for those non-americans who hadn't experienced a Walmart before! Thursday night was field service prep - we met as a team to discuss our three weeks on the ground in Guinea before we join the ship. I'll write more about that later. Friday we had a barbecue out at a staffer's house nearby - we're very scheduled up!
This morning I forced myself up and out for a run, and after the first (awful) mile, it was great. I was reminded that I really do love running, that it makes my body happy and my heart healthy, and I need to keep doing it. So, I will try to get out there on a regular basis. I went out on Sunday and Monday this last week, but not since then; for some reason I've been excessively exhausted, perhaps it's the climate change, or the change in diet, but anyway... I need to make it a priority.
This afternoon we're going to the East Texas State Fair in Tyler (this is not the big state fair in Dallas) which should be entertaining, if nothing else. I'll try to take some pictures. Dangyra (Lithuanian dentist) really wants to see some cowboys. I don't think she'll be dissappointed.
Until next time - Krissy
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