...i won't let my love grow cold...

It's been far too long since I last wrote… I do feel horrible about that…but let me give you a general overview of life in the last 4 weeks…


 I was sick…along with many other crew members…So many of the crew were plagued with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, that the captain ordered a mandatory “diarrhea” survey to be completed by all crew members, to determine the cause of the diarrhea outbreak ( a small scale epidemiological study- I really wanted to help count the data and look at the trends causing all the “crap” and use my knowledge from my tropical disease class to help solve the “diarrhea disaster”, but I didn’t have enough free time to volunteer to help in the epidemiological study). The results from the study are still pending, but with prayer, increased hand-washing, prayer, and more prayer, the “poopy” situation has improved.

I took worm medicine…felt better for a few weeks, worked too much…and have felt totally tired again, but I won’t let my love grow cold…

Our water situation has improved. Restrictions were lifted shortly after all of you started praying after my last update. We did not have to cancel any surgeries; we acquired drinking water, were able to resume normal water requiring functions on the ship, and we had enough water during the “diarrhea disaster” to flush toilets to our hearts content!

I have been feeling tired, but I won’t let my love grow cold…

The power and air-conditioning on the ship have been cutting in and out many times in the last month. The port we are currently sitting in is filthy! Although I have a coveted window in my cabin on the ship, the view out my window is less than exciting. What I see is far from a tropical paradise, with crystal clear water, instead all I see is wave after wave of trash, rubbish, plastic bags, medical waste, an occasional wooden fishing boat, and innumerable objects of filthiness floating past! All of the filthy debris has managed to repeatedly clog the ventilation and engineering systems on the bottom- outside of the ship, resulting in power outages and blocks in the ventilation on the ship! Our ship divers have been working daily and hourly to keep the ship in operation. In past outreaches, being on the dive team was a side-job, requiring only a few hours of volunteering per week, this outreach; diving has become a fulltime job & we are in an urgent need of more divers. I cannot promise views of tropical fish or coral reefs to would-be-potential divers, but I can promise adventure, so if you know any certified divers that are crazy enough to come to Sierra Leone to dive in E-coli infested water… for His glory…send them my way.

I have been working too much…I am tired, but I won’t let my love grow cold…

Sierra Leone celebrated 50 years of independence! The patients decorated the ward with paper chains in the colors of the Sierra Leone flag; we wore blue & green scrubs in honor of the celebration, and went all out in craziness, celebrating Independence Day with our patients & translators!

I got sick again, spent more time in bed, on the toilet, and near a bucket, didn’t eat a real meal in over 72 hours… and felt tired, but I won’t let my love grow cold…

Jesus is RISEN! He is RISEN indeed! I celebrated my second Easter onboard the Africa Mercy! It was a special week, reflecting on God’s incredible passion & love demonstrated in Christ’s death & resurrection!

Many crew members and nurses have had to suddenly leave because of unforeseen circumstances at home. Two of my nurses left and upon their arrival home, their beloved mother passed away. Another one of my ICU nurses was life-flighted home because of cardiac arrhythmias. Our receptionist hurried home because her father became ill, upon her return home, he passed away. Three crew members’ grandparents have passed away. And our phlebotomist just had to rush home this past week because of an ill family member.

Orthopedic surgeries for the 2011 Sierra Leone outreach are officially finished. My last little casted children are being discharged home with brand new legs and the ward beds are filling up with plastic surgery patients.

I have been tired…I have been too tired to write… My perfectionism has kept me from writing because all my creative juices are gone and I hate to post updates when I have no creativity. I have been too tired to go to the beach or to explore Sierra Leone on my days off. I haven’t gone off the ship since Easter. In the past month, I can count on one hand the number of times I have gone outside, even though, outside is only a few steps away every day.

May 12th we celebrated international nurse’s day! I love being a nurse!


God is my strength…an ever present help…when so much goes wrong..or not the way one may have planned..it is tempting to give up…to stop caring…to throw in the towel...A book I like to refer to daily says “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…” (Matthew 24:12) Caring hurts…Loving people always involves risk…Human nature says to self protect…and in this protective mechanism, we may let our love grow cold… we may start looking out for number one…But I declare…that I will refuse to let my love grow cold…in the heat, when I am tired, with stomach cramps, without showers, when things happen that I don’t understand, in the dark without electricity…I won’t let my love grow cold… I have been working…maybe working too much…and that has made me tired, but I won’t let my love grow cold…