Monday Morning Minute

Every Monday morning we have a mandatory “All Hands Meeting” at 7:45am for all ship crew. You have no idea how thankful I am that there is Wi-Fi in the cabins now and if I have come off a night shift or late shift the day before, I can tune into the meeting from my cabin. Most people do not want to see me at 7:45am, so it is a good thing for them, too. Many people ask if I skip breakfast as I do not go to the dining hall in the morning. I am not a morning person, so waking up to 300 plus happy people at that early hour of the morning  is not my thing. I am very blessed that my husband brings me breakfast in the cabin every morning. Years ago, I “tried the breakfast thing in the dining hall”. There are a LOT of morning people on the ship and cultures who are EXTREMELY perky in the am. I am not one of them. I used to try to go to the dining hall. I would sit in the back corner at a table for 2. I would move one of the chairs away from the table, clearly showing it was now a “single table.” I would plop my giant Bible down in front of me to show I was having a personal quiet time, obviously demonstrating I wanted to be alone. But, it never failed, some concerned citizens would come ALL the way to the back of the dining hall to “check on me” or make sure I was okay. The blessing of living in a community. I just don’t do well waking up to 300 plus people. 

I thought I was older and wiser this time around on the ship and I actually made it to the dining room the first week or two we were here. I was pleased with myself for being a proper adult now and going to breakfast like the rest of the crew. That stopped when my body clock switched to this time zone. Dustin, thankfully, supports my bad habit and brings me food.  Years ago, I was very blessed by my dear roommate, Jane from Northern Ireland; she would bring me two pieces of cinnamon toast every morning wrapped in a napkin so I did not have to brave the dining hall with perky people.  She’d hand it to me in my bunk and say “here’s your breakfast, Americano.” Now, back to the EARLY morning meeting that I can attend from the comfort of my cabin thanks to Wi-Fi.  I’d say that is the ONLY reason I am thankful that there is Wi-Fi in the cabins. When I lived on the ship years ago, there was no Wi-Fi in the cabins. You had to go to the internet café or mid-ship area on the ship to use the Internet. In fact, all those years ago, there were only maybe a handful of people on board with a personal cell phone. There’s a funny phenomenon that happens when we put down devices and live in community and connect to those around us. Instead of the “virtual world” on a device in front of us. I digressed again, sorry, back to the mandatory meeting. This meeting is where important information is communicated such as safety concerns, arriving and departing crew, challenges/opportunities for prayer, updates on our water situation, pertinent information to our mission and purpose here in Madagascar. We start each meeting with a Morning Minute”. This past Monday, our Morning Minute was brought to us by the lovely Roxana Cruz, she is our Chief Medical Officer on board. Roxana joined the ship at the same time Dustin and I came. We are blessed to have her here. She signed up for 2 years of volunteer work. She will be here until August 2027.  She came to us from Texas and was the CMO/Chief Innovation Officer for the Texas Association of Community Health Centers for years before joining Mercy Ships. I loved what she had to say and she gave me permission to share it with all of you. My additions to her Morning Minute are in green. 

Monday Morning Minute

 

“Last night, our sister Irene (a lovely Chaplain from South Africa) spoke of different kinds of prayer: prayers of intercession, prayers of repentance, prayers of adoration…

I wanted to continue today’s Monday Minute with that line of thought about 'prayers of adoration', because as I see it...

We are here in adoration of God, our creator, our Father and through our faith we are able to manifest that adoration in and through our daily activities on the AFM (Africa Mercy).

Personally, I consider these to be prayers of adoration

Last night’s message also carried the importance of relying upon each other, as a community.

With this, I would like to reflect on a short verse from Colossians 3:23

 

“…Whatever you do, 

                Do it from the Heart

                As something done for the Lord,

                and not for people….”

 

Just to reiterate here, we are so fortunate to manifest our faith and adoration as a community on the AFM and to do things from the Heart.

 

As we near the last 3 weeks of surgeries on board, we can reflect on some stories and share some of both joys and difficulties that we have experienced, as individuals and as a community.

For this, and as a team effort, I spoke with our lead nurses last week and asked if I could bring and share some of the patient experiences that came to mind during our Field Service (2025)….

 

Last year there were 3 Siblings, all malnourished and scheduled for surgeries during the 2024 field service (MGD) here in Madagascar. Due to last year’s Orthopedics Block cancellations, which was related to the delay in the protocol’s finalization, the AFM had to postpone their planned Ortho surgeries. Mercy Ships does not just “show up” in a country and decide we want to help give free surgeries. Years of planning go into our ship’s location. We have to have a presidential invite and there are numerous MOU, Memorandums of Understanding, written between Mercy Ships and the government for us to be present. I helped with this process when I went ahead of the ship in Guinea 2012. Last year there was a major delay in getting some details finalized with Mercy Ship’s protocol with the Madagascar government. 

These 3 siblings were given treatment for one year, along with other children who had been scheduled for surgeries-- while the AFM was away the treatment was: with nourishment, Vitamin D and Calcium. When the AFM returned for the Madagascar 2025 Field Service, all three patients were re-scheduled and had their surgeries completed successfully. During that period of time, other children whose surgeries had also been cancelled were found to be so significantly improved with the nourishment and vitamins that were provided during AFM’s AMP (Annual Maintenance Period, when we move the ship out of water for required maintenance in South Africa or Spain), helped in their healing, such that many of them actually did not need surgery! This finding was truly a miracle that resulted from what was done from the heart of MS (Mercy Ships).

 

One particular patient story stood out to many of the nurses in our pre-op team and in the wards, which ended in a dance party of celebration. This patient’s surgery was cancelled (1st time) during the field service of 2024 (MGD), due to the delay in the protocol. Then, upon our return and during our current field service (2025, MGE), the patient’s surgery was scheduled and postponed again: 3 times, with cancellations due to:  insurrection and surgeons unable to be on the ship (flight cancellations and delays) and the GI bug on board (which reduced our ward nurse staffing by 40%, at one point). When the patient was re-scheduled (this was the 4th time), this patient asked to be the first case of the day, because he was fearful that another cancellation would occur. This situation breaks our hearts! I have been crying tears in my cabin for being unwell and not being able to work at times. God and I have been wrestling this one out. I did not come ALL the way here to get sick and miss shifts. The night before surgery, our nursing staff witnessed him in deep prayer before the surgery and then once again, after his surgery. He FINALLY got his surgery. Post operatively, in the wards "he danced so hard, he made himself nauseated"…they had a dance party of celebration! 

 

Finally and more recently (during MGE 2025), we use the alphabet letters to differentiate what year of field service Mercy Ships is in a country. If it was the first field service we were in Madagascar, we would write/say MGA, second field service, MGB, third MGC. Therefore, this is the 5th field service Mercy Ships has been to Madagascar. Not always consecutive years in a row. A few weeks ago, we had to make a hard call for many patients: After arriving and preparing for various planned surgeries, there was a Chicken Pox outbreak at the Hope Center.

We had to send a busload of patients back home because of this chicken pox outbreak, and for 11 patients and caretakers as well as our own crew and staff, this was heart breaking.

Having to send them home for 21 days in order to avoid having them in quarantine at the Bethany HC, this is when I went to the “chicken pox hotel” as well as to avoid the potential of exposing others. Despite all of this, we were so glad to welcome all of them back for their surgeries, all eleven children with their caretakers!

 

At every instance, when we have our Lord present, we have success —sooner and later

 

I want to close with another verse from Colossians 3:11

“…Christ is all the matters, and he lives in all of us….” 

…and that my friends is a good AMEN.”

Thanks for reading and joining in on a Monday Morning Minute behind the scenes snapshot of life here. PLEASE keep praying for all of us who want to see more success in the tangible manner with completed and continued surgeries. We are in the middle of another gastro outbreak and praying it stops spreading ASAP. A number of crew are fighting the spreading respiratory infections as well. Some have noted we live in a Petri dish. It is true. We have had a handful of nurses out sick again and I am trying my hardest to stay healthy as well. Thanks for praying.