Life on a Boat

Hello friends!! I'm finishing my sixth week on the Africa Mercy (AFM). It's hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. This week I thought I'd take you for a "tour" of my current home and fill you in on what it's like to live on the world's largest civilian hospital ship.

The AFM formerly existed as a Dutch rail ferry Dronning Ingrid. Mercy Ships acquired the vessel in 1999 and retrofitted it to serve the surgical mission. Since it is a retrofitted ship, it's got some wonderful quirks. Many laughs have been shared because of the oddities. 

The AFM generally has about 400 crew members living onboard from up to 60 nations. It is equipped with single cabins, couples and family cabins, and shared cabins (with up to 10 beds per cabin). I share a 4-birth cabin with some amazing humans. You may remember a picture of my cabin from shortly after I arrived. It has far more life with my sweet roommates!

Meet the roomies!

 


Out to Coffee:

Left: Reinskje - hailing from Canada. She was my first roommate to arrive

Middle: Rachel - from USA. Not a roomie but a God-given friend.

Right: Me



Sunday Morning Church:
Left to right:

Me
Tammy: USA 
Lily: France
Holly: USA - Also a roomie!






Coconuts at the beach:

Right: Mary - USA, roommate 







Now how about that ship:

This ship has eight decks. Deck one is the engine room. Deck two is cabins and the gym. I live on deck two with many of the other nurses. It's quite the place! We lovingly call it the belly of the ship. There are no windows or private bathrooms on deck two. Speaking of bathrooms, our toilets and showers work on a suction system similar to airplane bathrooms. It took some time to not be startled every time I flush the toilet. Deck 3 houses the hospital. There are four operating theatres and five hospital wards onboard. The hospital is fully staffed with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, radiology techs, lab techs, and biomed. Decks 3 and 4 are more living quarters.

Decks 5 and 6 are where the majority of ship life occurs. Deck 5 houses the dining room, ship shop, cafe (we have a Starbucks onboard), library, reception area, and many of the ship offices. The food here is amazing! The galley staff spoil us a wide variety of options each meal. Mercy Ships has partnered with organic farmer Willie (a Frenchman) to provide the ship with fresh vegetables and eggs from his local organic farm. In past field services, access to fresh produce has been limited so we are truly blessed to have Willie provide for us! There is also a baker onboard, so we have freshly baked bread available every day.

Food line




Dining room




  












I often spend mornings before evening shift with a in the cafe with a cup of coffee and my Bible. Inevitably, sitting in the cafe will lead to lots of chats with friends. It's a great place to spend time and connect with others. 





Deck 6 has a large meeting room known as the International Lounge, midships (a lounge area for relaxation, games, and puzzles), crew kitchen, the laundry room, and the Academy (internationally accredited school for the kids onboard).

Laundry

International Lounge
























Deck 7 houses our seafaring crew and part of the Academy. It also has outside areas on both sides of the ship. If you've had a call from me, it's been from one of these areas on deck 7. Every afternoon, our patients make their way to deck 7 starboard side (right side of the ship) for an hour of fresh air. The hospital has no windows so sunlight is a precious gift. During "deck 7 time," the hospital chaplaincy team leads games, singing, and some epic dance parties. 









Finally, deck 8 has the ship cranes and the pool - yes there is a pool onboard! The sun here is intense, so I don't spend much time at the pool. The port views are incredible from deck 8 and the pool.




Port views:

Starboard views

Port side views - the neighbors are always changing

I hope this gives you a taste of my home. It's a dynamic place. There is always something to do or someone to spend time with both at work and outside of work. There are Bible studies, African dance classes, prayer groups, and card making classes to name a few. 

Prayer Requests:

  • Quick and complete healing for patients following surgery.
  • Opportunities and boldness for intentional conversations with those around me.

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