These questions have been swirling around my head for a few weeks but this week I was really confronted with them. On Thursday we had community meeting where the topic was living incarnationally. In discussing it with a fellow crew member I was explaining that the speaker had emphasized the importance of really trying to get to know the people you are ministering to; see their country, learn their language, and immerse yourself in their culture. No one will want to listen to what you have to say if they can't see that you are making an effort to get to know them. So after I had mentioned those points my friend turned to me and said that I wasn't doing any of that, I never get off the ship and I need to get out more and explore the country, go to the market, and interact with the people. I hate to say it, but they were absolutely right. I do stay very close to the ship. I usually get off in the morning when I run, on the weekend to go into town and stroll around, and to go to church. I hardly interact with the Malagasy day crew that are on board, and unfortunately HR doesn't have any day crew in our department. I was trying to convince myself that it was enough for me to minister to the crew, that is how I am serving the ship. However, there is just a little part of me that is pushing back, and convicting me to do more. So how am I going to rectify this? I certainly can't be presenting myself as a missionary when I am not even making a concerned effort to know, and care about the people I see everyday. Well, as soon as Mercy Ministries starts up, I will make sure I sign up right away! Mercy Ministries are extra-curricular outreach programs that are arranged by the ship. The coordinator told me that they went to visit an orphanage that may be a prospective opportunity. They had to take a 45 minute boat ride to get there. It sounds like a trek, but a very worthwhile trek. Although that is wonderful, my heart doesn't long to play with children, rock them to sleep, and be silly. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to hang out with kids but it is not really my gift; I am scared of accidents, temper tantrums, and being hated. For some reason, having a little kid dislike me is so much harder than having an adult dislike me. All that to say, I hope an opportunity to minister to adults becomes available! I think I could also start sitting in the dining room to eat again. I have been avoiding it since we got into the full swing of things. It can be quite loud and very crowded, and it mimics your worst high-school cafeteria nightmares. Terrifying. I think that is what I will try this week. Breaking into a huge group of Malagasy people might be mildly difficult so I might need some prayer for that. I will report back next week on how that goes.
Lychee (also spelled litchi)! It is lychee season in Madagascar. What does that mean? Well, for the past week or so I get whiffs of sweet smelling lychees when I am sitting outside on deck 7 or 8. I thought I was going nuts until someone explained that the ship beside us was loading pallets upon pallets of lychees to be deliver to Europe or Dubai (unclear which, if either, was the correct destination). A few people from the ship were even fortunate enough to receive a tour of the lychee factory in town and got a HUGE basket to bring back to the ship.
Last night the group I was with in Texas went out for dinner for a birthday celebration. The restaurant was a bit outside of town and right on the beach. After enjoying a great dinner and catching up with may people I don't get to see all that often, I went out to look up at the starts, hoping I would have a good view being away from all of the lights. Oh, speaking of lights, the power went out in the restaurant! It was only for a few minutes, but it was just another reminder how much I love the peace that come with complete darkness. Anyway, I went to look at the stars, and although it was very dark, it was also very cloudy. However, I was determined to take in the peace of the moment so I found a space between the clouds and took focus. Well, that space continued to grow until there was a pretty decent space where you could clearly see a ton of stars. In that moment I just asked God to help me love everyone around me as much as he loves us. I know that is a big prayer, but if Joshua can ask the sun to stand still and be heard, it doesn't hurt to ask. As numerous as the stars in the sky, are people on this planet. How can He possibly love them all? That is not something my mind is equipped to understand, and the more I think about it the more confused I make myself. While I grapple with that I will just do my best to love the people around me, by seeing their value and appreciating all they do, who they are, and what they will become.
For those of you who have heard (or haven't) about the plague outbreak in Madagascar here is a statement released by Mercy Ships:
"On Nov 21 the WHO reported that an outbreak of Plague in Madagascar. The first case, a male from Soamahatamana village in the district of Tsiroanomandidy, was identified on 31 August. Since that time a total of 119 cases of plague have been confirmed, including 40 deaths. Cases have been reported in 16 districts of seven regions. Antananarivo, the capital and largest city in Madagascar, has also been affected with 2 recorded cases of plague, including 1 death.
A national task force has been activated to manage the outbreak. With support from partners – including WHO, the Pasteur Institute of Madagascar, the “Commune urbaine d’Antananarivo” and the Red Cross – the government of Madagascar is putting in place strategies to control the outbreak.
This outbreak report has received world-wide press attention.
Plague is a bacterial disease caused by Yersinia pestis, which primarily affects wild rodents. It is spread from one rodent to another by fleas. Humans bitten by an infected flea can develop the disease. Plague is endemic in many parts of the world including the Western United States. The United States has an average of 7-10 cases of plague a year.
Plague is easily treated with antibiotics, but can be highly lethal if left untreated. Plague may occur in three varieties.
Bubonic plague is the most common variety of the disease. It's named after the buboes (swollen lymph nodes) which typically develop within a week after an infected flea bites.
Septicemic (blood infection) plague is a rarer form of the disease that can occur as the first symptom of plague, or may develop from untreated bubonic plague. This form results from bites of infected fleas or from handling an infected animal.
Pneumonic plague is the rarest form of the disease and may develop from inhaling infectious droplets or may develop from untreated bubonic or septicemic plague after the bacteria spread to the lungs. Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person. Only 2% of the cases of plague in this outbreak in Madagascar have been of the pneumonic variety.
Plague in the developing world is a disease of poverty (people living in close proximity to rats) and the diseases high death toll is the result of lack of access to healthcare.
Individuals can reduce their risk of exposure to plague by avoiding close contact with rodents or flea infested animals, by using insect repellent and not handling dead animals without proper protective equipment.
Mercy Ships current infection control and patient screening practices should prevent any cases of plague embarking on the Africa Mercy. The hospital is also equipped with appropriate medications to treat any cases of plague that might occur.
The current plague outbreak in Madagascar is not expected to have an adverse effect on Mercy Ships operations or place personnel at any increased risk.
Mercy Ships is carefully monitoring the situation and will make programmatic adjustments if necessary to protect staff and crew."
On that note, have a great week and thank you for reading!
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