Pepsi Miracles

When God asks you to go somewhere, you go. Or you don’t. Anyone know the story of Jonah in the Bible (Jonah 1-4)? Obeying God often requires sacrifice. Sacrifice looks different for everyone. For example, I don’t mind living in a 257 square foot ship cabin with a 6 square foot size shower where the shower curtain clings to my legs. My favorite foods from home, shopping access, cooler weather, changing seasons, access to a car, my garden, or my own home, are not essentials for me. I sometimes dislike sweating, but it’s not really that big of a deal for me. My parents raised me with roots and wings, as I’ve heard my mom describe to people over the years. Does that mean I don’t care about family bonds, friendships, or my job in the USA? Not at all, but as great as those things are, they are not imperative for me. For others, sacrificing those things and relationships would be terribly difficult and unthinkable. 

Dustin has been faithful in following God’s lead to temporarily leave behind the electrical business he has been growing. Dustin has left the comfort of our home in Idaho. Dustin has left the church family he has been a part of since he moved out on his own after college graduation. Dustin has left his parents and siblings. Dustin has left the food he loves.  Dustin has left the routine he enjoys and the familiarity of life in Idaho. Dustin will miss a hunting season. Those things and relationships were on the forefront of his mind when we discussed leaving for Africa. I assumed those were the things he missed most.

I just asked Dustin what he felt he has sacrificed to be here, volunteering as an electrician with Mercy Ships, so that others may have hope and experience healing. Dustin’s first response, “Pepsi!” I knew that was something he missed, but I sure thought he would talk about leaving our house and business first. And apparently, for today, Dustin has a LOT of thoughts. He just informed me:

1. “I miss carpet, my high arches aren’t a fan of hard wood floors” (there used to be a thin carpet in the cabins years ago, but now it’s a faux wood floor, which is far easier to clean and sanitize). 

2. “I miss air temperatures I can control, our own thermostat.”

3. “I miss a full-size refrigerator and freezer.”

4. “I miss a decent sized shower and being able to shower longer than 2 minutes” (water is a scarce resource on a ship, you cannot take a 20-minute shower as you may like at home. We are expected to “ship shower.” Get wet, turn the water off, shampoo, lather, soap up, rinse with water, turn the water off, apply conditioner, turn the water off, and rinse again. I joked with Dustin that he can take a 20-minute shower, it’s just the water can only be running 2 minutes during that time frame. He was not impressed). 

5. “I miss being able to do laundry whenever I want” (we are each allowed one, 1-hour load a week here. The machines are front loaders and small). 

6. “I miss thicker walls between neighbors” (We’ve never lived in an apartment, but we share all the wall-bulkheads with our neighbors now. We can hear our dear neighbor coughing and have been praying for her the past few days, we hear another neighbor snoring). 

7. “I miss our bedroom and kitchen on the same floor” (We live on deck 4, the dining hall is on deck 5, and if we want to cook for ourselves with a few basic ingredients we can buy from the ship shop, or items we find in town, the crew galley is on deck 6). 

8. “I miss real cinnamon rolls” (Dustin did not think what was labeled a cinnamon roll in the dining hall was a cinnamon roll. To be fair, it was very different from anything we may label as a cinnamon roll in the USA. It tasted lovely, I believe it had cashews in it and I did not taste the cinnamon in it at all). 

9. “I miss Pizza Hut Pizza.” 

But, at the forefront in his mind is missing his “drug of choice,” Pepsi. 

Before taking on this adventure together, Dustin and I discussed that in my world travels to over at least 38 countries, there’s rarely been a Pepsi sighting.  In 2004, I was on a mission trip in the jungle in Guatemala where there was no electricity, running water, or access to medical care or supplies. Yet, out of nowhere, peeking out from beyond the canopy of green jungle vines, I saw a giant red semi-truck with the familiar Coca Cola logo floating down the river on a barge.  In some of the most remote locations in the world, some would call; ‘God forsaken corners of the earth,’ out of nowhere appears Coca Cola. But, rarely, if ever, have I seen the elusive, Pepsi species. 

Dustin is serious about Pepsi. He has a shirt that reads “in case of emergency, my blood type is Pepsi.” Before leaving Seattle for Dubai, we purchased two, 20-ounce Pepsi bottles from the vending machine to last Dustin on his travels. He drank one before we left Seattle. But, to our surprise, we had a Pepsi sighting on our flight from Seattle to Dubai! Dustin didn’t have to break into his precious reserve on that 14 hour plus flight. We were pleasantly astonished to have another Pepsi sighting on the airplane from Dubai to the Seychelles and on the flight from the Seychelles to Madagascar! We entirely forgot about the other Pepsi bottle in my carry on until we landed in Madagascar. We have no idea how that 20-ounce bottle somehow passed, unnoticed, through the security screening of my backpack in Dubai! Dustin was thrilled to have a Pepsi in Madagascar with him. 

When I was up at 3:30am standing on the bed, eating pizza, and singing “the Song of the Cebu” I put the stowaway Pepsi in the little hotel fridge for Dustin. Hours after we had checked out of our hotel room Dustin asked for his Pepsi. At that moment I was horrified, I had put the Pepsi in the fridge for him and forgotten. I lost his beloved Pepsi. We were still at the hotel, but I knew the room had been cleaned for the next guest. With little faith, I approached the hotel receptionist and informed them we left a Pepsi in the fridge and wondered if it was possibly still there. Against all odds, the hotel staff found our Pepsi unopened and still in the fridge!

Our Pepsi sightings and the unexpected reunion with Dustin’s stowaway Pepsi were “extraordinary and welcome events,” for Dustin, “that are not explicable by natural or scientific laws and are therefore attributed to a divine agency” which Oxford dictionary via Google, defines as a miracle. It might be a stretch for some to relate these events with Pepsi to a miracle, but not too big of a stretch for God, who is attentive to every detail and delights in giving gifts to his children (Matthew 7:11). Dustin thanks God for his Pepsi miracles. 

Where the Heart of the Africa Mercy Beats

A peek into the work Dustin is part of on the ship as an Electrician. 

Video credit to Mercy Ships' Communication Team. 

God has designed each and everyone of us with unique gifts to participate in this world. We need one another. No one is more important than another. We cannot function properly without one another. 

1 Corinthians 12:12-30 and Romans 12:3-8. 

The ship could not function without ALL our crew. God bless each and everyone of them. 

There is a place for you if you every want to serve here!  

Do not let anyone tell you that you do not have a purpose or that the skills you have been given in life are not enough. 

You are enough!

Cabin Sweet Cabin

 

Our Cozy Bathroom	Yes, I can sit on the toilet, rinse my feet in  the shower, & wash my hands in the sink all at the  same time! Thankful for running water, clean water,  toilets, toilet paper, and hot water. Luxuries many  in this country, and the world do not have.
Our Cozy Living Room	Our Library Next to Our Living Room
Our Mudroom	Our Kitchen- We are VERY blessed to have a fridge in our cabin. I did not have a fridge in my cabin until I lived on the ship over 4 years in the past.
Our Wardrobes next to our Bedroom. SO blessed to each have a Wardrobe. When I was on the ship before, I shared half a Wardrobe for 3 years! It helped me become very efficient in organizing and packing. To this day, Dustin will tell me something won't fit in the trunk. I tell him that it sure will!	Our Bedroom
Our Office	Dustin wanted to be in a picture, so here he is relaxing in our living room.

Let Your Faith be Bigger than Your...

One of my favorite quotes over the past number of years has been “Let Your Faith be Bigger than Your Fear.” If any of you know my personal story and God’s healing in my life related to struggles with mental health, clinical anxiety, and depression, you know how much this quote resonates with me. I even have part of the quote on my medical alert that I wear on my wrist at all times. One of my very first friends from when I was serving with Mercy Ships in 2008 actually made a sign for my husband and me that says that quote. She gave it to us as a wedding gift in 2018. May I interject here, that some of the best ships are friendships! A favorite quote of any Mercy Shipper. I am still very good friends with people I met on the ship 17 years ago! Also, how am I old enough to say that? My friend made the sign from old barn wood, painted it, and applied vinyl letters to the sign. It hangs in our bedroom in the USA. 

When we were preparing to head to the ship, I was thinking of ways I could decorate our cabin, to make it feel like “home.” I wanted items that didn’t weigh too much to pack in a suitcase or take up too much treasured suitcase space. I asked a friend to help me make vinyl lettering of the quote. I knew I could stick the vinyl to the ship walls without causing damage and have an easy decoration. In the hurry and scurry in the days leading up to us leaving the USA for Africa, I did not get a chance to look at the vinyl lettering my friend completed. 

I was excited to put the vinyl on the wall in our cabin, but thankful and blessed that we have a window in our cabin! Note, for my entire first 8 months on the ship in 2008, I did not have a window. Those cabins hold fond memories for me and were excellent for night shift sleeping, no light at all. We even joked that our cabins were in the “womb.” Deck three is located near the water level and close to the ship’s Ballast tanks. Ballast tanks are compartments on ships filled with water (ballast water) to provide stability and balance, control buoyancy, and adjust a ship's draft (credit to Google for that definition). In those cabins we could hear a gentle sloshing, a calming circulation of the water back and forth, like a womb. Even though I have no memory of my time in the womb, in case you were wondering. Anyway, back to the current story at hand. Windows are a prized possession on the ship. I thought the window would be the perfect spot for the vinyl, above our bed here in Madagascar.

I carefully placed each vinyl letter on our little, but amazing, cabin window with a view of the dock/port and was disappointed when I realized my friend made a mistake in printing the vinyl and I had a quote that read, “Let Your Faith be Bigger than Your Your.” The word “fear” was missing from the quote. I thought about writing to my friend and asking her to snail mail us the word “fear,” but then thought about what can happen to mail/packages coming across the ocean. I don’t want my container ship with my mail to be hijacked by penguins (reference to the movie Madagascar) so I opted out of that idea. We are only here until the middle of December, at this time, and the snail mail may not even make it to us. 

I had already placed all the vinyl lettering on the window except for the last “your” and debated taking it down. Then, my husband, Dustin, pointed out an excellent truth. He read the quote again.. “Let Your Faith be Bigger than Your..” and he said I should fill in the blank. I was confused for a moment and then God reminded me. “Let me/Your Faith in Me, be more than just your fears. Let me be bigger…I am bigger…” God wants to be a part of my life, all of it, not just my fears.. He is bigger than my failures, disappointments, addictions, pain, regrets, unfulfilled dreams, hopes, insecurities, needs, desires, and fears… He is bigger than YOURS as well…

5 Thoughts From Dustin

If any of you know my amazing husband, you know he is an extrovert and a man of MANY words. Thus, I asked him if he’d be willing to write updates to keep all of our friends, prayer warriors, supporters, and maybe just curious internet prowlers updated on what God’s doing in our lives as we serve for 3.5 months in Madagascar with Mercy Ships. His response, “No!” I know sarcasm is not detected in written form, but for those of you who REALLY know my husband, you know he is an introvert, a listener, a quiet, gentle, humble man. As he says, he uses a verbal “filter” a lot. Many of us would actually benefit from more of that practice, myself, included. Thus, he won’t be writing our updates. But, I have asked him every few days for “5 thoughts” just so I know how he is doing and can see a glimpse into how he’s coping and processing this adventure of a lifetime. Some days, his five thoughts are more like two or three, other days, there are seven thoughts, but I’ll take it. So, here are some thoughts from Dustin (in black) my extra information in (green) 

August 30th (after I woke Dustin up at 3:30am jet lagged and standing on the bed singing “The Song of the Cebu”) 

 1. Why are there so many people in the streets? The streets have people waiting for taxis, walking, pushing carts, carrying babies, “normal life” in Africa. 

 2. Tired. 

3. Seychelles doesn’t sell seashells down by the sea shore. 

4. Madagascar is pleasantly cold right now. We are below the equator and thankful for that. We are moving into spring- then summer. It’s mighty humid, but not as hot as West Africa. 

5. Dubai was hot. It was toasty, felt like “112 *F” at 10pm! 

6. I would 100% not be doing this without you! 

7. I have no more thoughts. 

September 1st 

1. It’s hotter. 

2. I’m tired. 

3. I’m going to lose weight. We are not going hungry, there are plenty of food options, just not the routine foods Dustin would chose to eat. 

4.  “Don’t you remember, I said I don’t have very many thoughts?” I told Dustin, “I thought you didn’t have very many WORDS.” He said, “Don’t you remember, when a guy says he’s not thinking about anything, it’s true. We have a ‘nothing box” in our heads.” 

5. That shower is pretty small. 

6.  I hope I like who I’m working with. 

7. I hope you stop waking up at 3:30am-4:30am 

September 2nd 

1. My team sure has a different work ethic. There are 5 electricians on board, from 5 different countries. Dustin is getting a basic intro to the maritime electrician role. I’ve explained to him, that he doesn’t want to be busy, that would mean something is wrong, and a serious problem for a hospital ship. Dustin is a handworker, he did work on our dishwasher when he had influenza and did electrical work in our house with pneumonia. He does not like to sit around. 

2. I hope my closet-workroom isn’t hot like this all the time. 

3. Apparently sharing food is a thing. I asked Dustin if he put food on the table near his co-workers. He sure did. In many cultures, food is for the community, eating all out of one bowl, or pot. His cashews were enjoyed by others, which surprised him. 

September 5th 

1. I cut my own hair. Some of Dustin’s hair is getting longer than he’d prefer already. We have an open crew need for a barber/hairstylist, if anyone is interested. I’m trying to convince Dustin to grow a man bun. He is reluctant. 

2. I may have to drink a Mountain Dew ☹ In the 7 years I have been married to Dustin, he has drank a regular Pepsi almost every single day. He’s now on 7 days without a Pepsi or caffeine. There has been no Pepsi in sight. 

September 8th 

1. It’s hot. 

2. People REALLY have a different work ethic than me. 

3. Not the pace I’m used to. 

4. Lots of nice folks in town, except, apparently those causing trouble that we’ve heard about.

5. I can’t believe I couldn’t find the gym. Our ship had 8.5 decks, you can get turned around a bit at first. Dustin tried to find the gym when I was at work and he couldn’t find it. Nor did he ask. ☺

September 12th 

1.The rain was nice. ….

I’m waiting for more thoughts… Five minutes later I ask Dustin for more thoughts. I said, “I need more thoughts, Luv.” He said, “You do?” 

2. There is a secret staircase in the ship. It’s STEEP! 

3. Stupid Smartphones. 

4. I didn’t get to see the dance this morning. There is a celebration of sight on the dock when our eye patients take off their eye patches and dance for joy when they can see! Dustin was hopeful to see this glorious celebration of the literal moments of the blind seeing, as the Bible says will happen in Jesus’ name, but it was raining today and they moved the celebration of sight inside the port warehouse and Dustin missed it. I would have showed him, but was in a training session for upcoming surgeries. 

5.  I should have waited for my lunch; they have chicken strips now! 

 I asked Dustin to just rate his current view of life on a scale from zero to ten. He said, “You mean the food? “ I said, “No, in general, life on Mercy Ships.” I noted zero means you hate it, ten means you love it. He gave it a 4/10. For reference, he rates life at home 10/10! ☺ I am so proud of Dustin for being obedient to God to come and serve with Mercy Ships. It is a sacrifice to be here, but more than worth it.

Flights 1-4 Photos!

Wide Awake & the Song of the Zebu/Cebu

There have been MANY technical difficulties and I am NOT a tech gal.. Praying this posts to share what God's up to here.

August 29th

We landed, phew! Only one more flight to go! Four out of five flights were complete! Dustin and I were in AFRICA! I was more than ready to get to the ship. Dustin was more relieved to be off of planes for a few hours and thankful Mercy Ships was providing us with a hotel on the layover and we would not be spending 24 hours in the airport. Camping is one of our favorite pastimes, but not “airport camping.” Which we had the pleasure of doing in the Seychelle Islands for 8 hours on our layover when we were refused entry into the country; even though we had already paid for and had multiple email and Whatsapp notifications of approved visas. The water looked pristine in its aqua colors, but only observed by us during landing and takeoff. Oh, well. God must have had some reason he wanted us to “airport camp” for that layover.

I was prepared to be smacked in the face with overwhelming heat and humidity upon landing in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Just as I experienced landing in Monrovia, Liberia in 2008, the heat in that country felt like it had physical hands and oppressed me for my entire 8 month stay there. What a refreshing relief for my body to be met with a lovely breeze and cool air. Madagascar, being situated in the Indian Ocean, below the equator, means I have landed during their “spring” season and we are heading into summer. I am assured the heat will come, but for today, I am thankful for cooler weather. 

We made our way to the hotel Mercy Ships provided for us on the 24 hour layover before catching our 5th and final flight to the ship. Our driver zipped and weaved the very familiar, white, Mercy Ship’s Land Rover around corners, potholes, and people. We arrived at our lovely hotel and were given an allotment of money for meals in the hotel restaurant. Dustin and I lugged the luggage that had arrived --one bag was missing in action--into our hotel room, and ventured to the restaurant for a “real meal” versus the airplane food we had eaten for almost three days. Please note we were not ungrateful for the food we had on the airplane, when many in the world do not have food, just extra thankful to sit at a table to eat a meal. 

We perused the menu and I did my best to decipher the options. There was a mix between English and French words in the menu. Potentially a few Malagasy words mixed in, but I am not certain. We could have octopus ceviche and pickles, seafood pot pie, crispy goat cheese with cashew nuts, honey, and thyme sauce, roasted bone marrow with fleur de sel and grilled bread, the fish of the day, and a variety of other dishes. We turned the page and Dustin’s face lit up to find the page with pizza options. There was pizza with duck, seafood pizza, margherita pizza, options for pork or chicken ham. I laughed wondering what the heck chicken ham was. I don’t laugh out of disrespect; I just love the uniqueness of the world and seeing new things. Not so sure, this picky Kansas/Idaho girl likes to “taste” new things, but I am entertained with new things. There was an option for pickles on the pizza and then I giggled with glee to see Zebu as an option on the menu. Dustin settled for the meat pizza, without the zebu or duck, and asked to hold the pickles. I settled for the margherita pizza, keeping it safe with cheese and tomato sauce. 

I settled into bed extremely early and was thrilled to be comfortable with the temperature in the hotel room. I was not going to need to pull out some of my “missionary” tips and tricks to deal with the heat to finally be able to fall asleep.  I know the fastest way to beat jet leg is to stay awake until a “reasonable” bed time in the country you have landed in, to adjust to the time zone changes quicker, but I did not care. I needed bed!

At 3:30am, I was wide awake and my mind was singing loudly, “Cebu! (Cebu!) Cebu! (Cebu!) Achoo moo  moo, achoo moo moo, achoo moo moo, moo moo!”  Thanks Joel Stark, my youth pastor, when I was younger, for introducing us to “Veggie Tales” and therefore, the “Song of the Cebu”. The song came out in 1998 and here I am in 2025, singing it at 3:30am! So, what else would I do now at 4:00am in Madagascar, but use the hotel’s Wi-Fi to Google if a Zebu and a Cebu are the same thing. They sure are! A Zebu is a type of cow with a fatty hump found in Africa and Asia. I giggled again. 

Dustin had stayed up much longer than I had and was snoring away next to me. It was surreal to be back in Africa and not sweating to death! I thought of our lovely dinner and grabbed my leftover cheese pizza from across the room. Dustin stirred next to me wondering what I was doing. I was wide awake and stood up on the bed singing the Cebu song and ate some leftover pizza! I smiled ear to ear. I was excited to be on this new adventure and with my best friend, husband.

 

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

“Today is the day,” a dear friend of mine texted me early in the morning on August 27th. I texted her back and said, “Thank you! Thank you for praying! I don’t feel like going to Africa today.” She texted back, “That’s the best quote ever!”

I moaned. I wasn’t joking. It was daunting, exciting, terrifying, and terrific, all at the same time. I was REALLY in the car, on my way to the Boise, Idaho airport headed back to volunteer as a nurse with Mercy Ships. I was on my way to the Africa Mercy, the very ship I had lived on previously for 5 years. I was headed to the country of Madagascar!

I reflected on the fact that I was not 26 years old anymore, the age I was when I first ventured to Mercy Ships and served eight months in Monrovia, Liberia to “test” out the waters as a missionary nurse, before I sold everything I owned in New Hampshire and volunteered with Mercy Ships for five years. Things felt different. I am only 12 years older than when I was last in Africa, but for some reason my body does not tolerate trips around the world as much anymore.

I was dreading the four days of travel ahead:               

A two and half hour drive from Twin Falls, Idaho to the Boise airport…

Boise to Seattle, a one hour flight.

A five hour layover in Seattle…

Seattle to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, a 14 hour 40 minute flight... My mind wanted to panic at the thought of being trapped on an airplane that long. The longest I’d ever been on one plane before was a 15-16 hour flight to Australia.  

An eight hour layover in Dubai…My mind replayed too many negative cultural stereotypes about terrible things that could happen in that country, out of its proximity to “hot zones” in the world.

Dubai to the Seychelle Islands, a four hour and 35 minute flight…

An eight hour layover in the Seychelles.

Seychelle Islands to Antanarivo, the capital of Madagascar, a two hour and 45 minute flight..

A 24 hour layover in Antanarivo…

The last hour flight to Tamatave, Madagascar…

Then the FINAL 20 minute drive to the Indian Ocean where the ship is ported…

It was exhausting thinking about it.

I remembered how disoriented and sick I felt just traveling 24-36 hours between Liberia and the USA in 2008; Benin and the USA in 2009; Boliva/Chile in 2010 and the USA; London, England and the USA in 2010; Sierra Leone and the USA in 2011; Togo and the USA in 2012; Guinea and the USA in 2013; and finally the Republic of the Congo and the USA in 2013. Yet, at the same time, I was SO thankful for how LONG it took me to get “home” as it helped me somehow process a small portion of ALL I had seen and been through, versus my friends who landed in Europe after the 8-9 hour flights from Africa and had an hour train ride and they were home. But, how in the world, was I going to tolerate the trip ahead?

My parents graciously listened to me expressing my cacophony of emotions. I thanked them for not being cheeky and saying, “Well, you don’t have to go to Africa today; you won’t be there for 3 days anyway!”

I have always loved to travel and enjoyed every travel experience I have been gifted to have. Well, once I get there and my experiences with anxiety don’t get the better of me and after I complete the overwhelming job of packing. I am not a fan of packing. My soul was conflicted and disgusted with myself noting I couldn’t decide which pair of shoes to pack. “Geesh, Laura, I thought to myself,” remember those people you know by name in Africa, that don’t even own one pair of shoes.”

“Should I bring my orange, pink, teal, yellow, and black glasses frames? Oh, maybe the purple, too,” I contemplated.  “What the heck is your problem, Laura?” I said to myself. “Remember all the patients you cared for that have never had access to one eye doctor, or were once blind and now see because of groups like Mercy Ships?”

I tried on different skirts and shorts that were long enough for cultural sensitive standards where my “KNEE-ipples or KNEE-eavage” wasn’t going to show, pronounced just like nipples or cleavage, but replacing the “n” with the word “knee”.  The term we coined when in Africa years ago, noting sensitive areas of the body differ per culture. Breasts supply nutrition, so it was not uncommon to see topless women in the market, or town. Yet, the knees were sensitive areas and not to be shown.  I was frustrated that I have gained weight, thanks perimenopause, and a number of my clothing items don’t fit anymore. Yet, then I was reminded, what a gift it is to have clothing and more than one item of clothing to choose from. And to have food, in abundance. Then I was mad at myself and my entitled country for the diseases we have that are caused by obesity, yet at the same time discouraged at the despair and suffering many have related to diseases of poverty, starvation, and lack of access to clean water. No wonder I was already exhausted before starting the epic journey across the world to Madagascar. I already had whiplash, just trying to pack four suitcases.

My friends had asked, “Are you ready, are you excited for your trip?” I felt a little numb, it’s been hard to even formulate what emotions I was feeling or am feeling. It was “different” this time. Serving as a missionary nurse was all my heart beat for in the past. I felt incomplete if I was not in Africa. God had to heal me, take me deeper, and redefine my identity in Him, when I had left Africa and it appeared I would never go back. I have honestly been content, comfortable, and no longer pined for Africa. I was happily married, had fulfillment in my nursing jobs, and had found a place to serve God in my church. I didn’t NEED to go to Africa. Yet, God had opened the doors to take my sweet husband, Dustin, and me there. We were willing. We felt God was calling us to go. I don’t ever want to step where God has not directed. I don’t ever want to be content and, too, comfortable. So, sometimes that means going where you may not “want to” on a certain day or time. Yet, with God’s loving care and providential hand, he took us the extra LONG way to Africa. Those 3 days of travel before landing at our first location in Africa, sure gave me a different perspective. I may not have wanted to go to Africa on August 27^th, but by August 30^th when we landed in Africa I was sure READY to be there.  

The Beginning in the Middle

The Beginning in the Middle

It is hard to decide when my story actually began and considering, I have just celebrated my 41st birthday; I know my story did not just begin. I have contemplated and pondered writing my story for many years. Friends and family have encouraged me to write a book.  I do not know if what I am writing will turn into a book, or how much I will write, but we are starting from where I am today.  It is almost exactly 15 years since I stepped onto the warm soil of the African continent to serve with Mercy Ships, in Monrovia, Liberia. I have walked many miles in the past week; miles down memory lane. I have let myself relive sights, sounds, passions, pleasures, and pain, from some of the best years of my life in Africa, onboard the Africa Mercy, working for free and paying to work as a volunteer nurse.

I believe God is a good God and working all things together for me because I love him” (Romans 8:28) and I am fully aware in my heart I plan my course, but the Lord directs my steps (Proverbs 16:9). So it is hard to pinpoint where my “story” actually starts. God is the author and my story has had some great plot twists. But, to not get stuck on technicalities and in the interest of time, I will quit trying to determine when my story started and just start the beginning in the middle.

                                                                                                                              June 24, 201

                                                                                                                        Email file from 1156 hrs

 

JoJo and Ashley,

Hello! Great to hear from you! Thanks for your interest in Mercy Ships and for thinking about featuring a number of us TWU nursing grads in an article. Awesome! So sorry for my delay in writing responses to your questions... I will do my best to answer the questions you asked- without writing a book. J I will also throw in a few details you may care to know or not know…J I may have trouble getting the exact type of photo you requested because I am currently off the ship-working at a mission hospital in the bush- and will be here for the next 2 months- until I return to the ship again in August. I can send you a few of the best photos I have- hopefully one of them works. Sorry, most of them have patients in them- because I don’t often pose for photos by myself.

1. What made you decide to serve with Mercy Ships?

I don’t even recall how I first learned of Mercy Ships- but I first applied to work with Mercy Ships in 2008. But my call to missions started when I was about 10 years old. I was listening to some missionaries speak at church- I heard their accounts of interactions with people in foreign lands, I saw photo after photo of the needy, hurting, poor, desolate, and broken. I heard tales of how God had transformed the lives of people in remote tribal villages. I heard the missionaries speak about the rustic environment they lived in, where there was no running water, no air conditioner, bugs so big they had lips, no cars, extremely hot weather, and no hospitals, or official roads. As the missionaries showed more photos from their time overseas, a song played over the church sound system. The lyrics to the song described the life of a Christian who was comfortable with his current life situation; he didn’t want to leave his home and his life of luxury. In the song the man begged God to let him stay where he was. Over and over he said, “Please don’t send me to Africa… I don’t have what it takes; I don’t care much for gorillas or snakes… Please don’t send me to Africa where the natives are restless at night…” The words of that song echoed loudly in my mind, I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly, but that song did something to me. I contemplated, how horrible it was to have to do things I didn’t want to do. I thought. “I hate being told what to do; I don’t want to be like the man from that song. So I flippantly said, “God, you won’t make me go to Africa…I don’t want to be like the man in the song, I will be willing to go.” I thought I would be smarter than God….:) But that is when God started moving in my heart to go overseas.

Throughout the years, I heard many missionaries speak; saw their pictures and slideshows. I browsed through their information booths with intrigue. My family hosted missionary families for weekends in our home. The concept of missions was always in my face, but I didn’t mind it at all, there was actually a tender place in my heart toward missions. Every time the topic of missions arose in conversation, I would perk up and remember the “Africa song” I heard years before and I thought about the flippant commitment I had made to go to the foreign mission field. Somehow that glib commitment I had made earlier was turning into a real commitment, one I was developing a growing passion for.

Soon my greatest fear was what if God asked me to stay- to stay in Canada or America…and he didn’t let me go overseas…I surrendered my life to God either way. I enrolled in nursing- knowing that even if foreign countries wouldn’t let “missionaries” in-they would almost always let health care workers in…I thought in that manner- I could be a nurse- missionary-under-cover- taking care of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of my patients…After graduating from TWU in 2005 I started seeking out mission organizations that were looking for nurses. I happened upon Mercy Ships and was very attracted to the organization because they required a minimum of two year experience as a nurse, so I didn’t have to stay in North America too long- I could go overseas very soon. Mercy Ships’ motto is “following the 2000 year old model of Jesus Christ, to bring hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor” echoed my heart’s desire and passion; to provide holistic medical care- and offer eternal hope at the same time. In 2008, I was accepted to serve for 8 months with Mercy Ships (my test period to see if I loved the work or not)..I love it! I am now in my 5^th year of service with Mercy Ships! (Random info if you want to know more… I served with Mercy Ships in Liberia 2008 as a ward nurse, Benin 2009 as a Charge Nurse & Team Leader-Nurse Manager for VVF (Vesico-Vaginal Fistula Patients), then took a break in 2010 to study tropical diseases in London, England, and joined back up with the ship in Sierra Leone 2011 as Orthopedic, Plastic Surgery Nurse Manager/Team Leader, Assistant Ward Supervisor& interim Ward Supervisor. In Togo 2012 I was a Ward Nurse Clinical Educator & Assistant Screening Coordinator-Triage Nurse. I served on land as the Advance Medical/Hospital Liaison spring/summer 2012. In Guinea 2012-2013 I took the role of Screening Coordinator- Head Triage Nurse- this is the position I remain in… We are next headed to Congo- Brazzaville!)

2. Why is the work you're doing significant to you? The work I am doing is significant to me because I get to see lives changed daily, not only physically, but eternally, and that is what really matters. Mercy Ships provides the perfect platform to deliver tangible hope and share eternal hope at the same time- to those who would be interested. We don’t take advantage of the vulnerable state of our patients- but it is so awesome to be able to tell my patients I am there- working for free & paying to work- because there is a God who loves them and has not forgotten them. And there is nothing like seeing the mama of a cleft lip baby- smile and kiss her baby when he returns from the OR- knowing she has been given life back- she will be able to return to her village- showing her baby wasn’t actually cursed..Or seeing a patient that had a football sized facial tumor removed look in the mirror for the first time…

3. How has this experience impacted you? This experience has changed my life! I am happily, forever ruined for the normal. I don’t know how I would ever return to North America to nurse again. There is something so amazing about working with nurses from over 36 different countries, hanging our IV bags by magnets on the ceiling, asking the German nurse on shift with you to confirm the medicine you are giving because the label is only in German because that is where the meds were donated from. Where else can you tie a baby on your back during your shift with African colored cloth and carry on with your work of taking vital signs and doing assessments. We put stickers and scripture verses on each other’s report sheets, dance and sing with our patients, sometimes have to use 5 people to translate one message to our patients, and make our own enema bags when none our available. I don’t plan on leaving mission nursing any time soon.

 

4. What is one life lesson you find yourself learning? After a few short weeks aboard the ship- I learned or was reminded once again- that God is the true author and giver of life and death. Although the ship delivers first-world medicine in impoverished areas and we have the great benefits of a lab, x-ray, CT Scan, 6 operating rooms, a well supplied pharmacy, excellent surgeons and doctors from around the world, we don’t have all the tests, equipment, and accessibility to ALL the materials and interventions we have in North America…I found myself- saying-, “if only we had this…if only we could call this doctor…or we could give this medicine for weeks”… thinking we could save more people….but in reality- in North America- we are no more in control of life and death than anywhere else in the world- we just fool ourselves into thinking we are because we can prolong life longer- or try 5 different medications, or change treatment régimes, we don’t run out of options fast…all our efforts make us “feel” better- like we are doing something…and we are- but overall- I have been learning over and over- that we do the best we can- love fully- use all the medical knowledge we have- but the Lord gives and the Lord takes away- & I praise his name.

5. Any advice for current nursing students or recent grads? To all current TWU nursing students- Keep up the great work! Push through those long hours of lab and classes! The opportunities of where your nursing can take you are endless! Once you become a nurse- you can go anywhere and do anything- even if you don’t speak the local languages- it doesn’t matter- you are nurse- and the love & care you can give- will break all language barriers world-wide! Dream big! And go get your dreams!

God Bless,

Laura Ziulkowski RN BSN

 

And that’s the beginning from the middle…

 

 

 

 

Pray for Brazzaville Screening Day

*Safe travel & general safety at the selection site- (A group of Mercy Shippers & I are headed out the door in a few minutes for a plane ride to Brazzaville- the capital of the country we are currently in- for a screening/patient selection day tomorrow)...The crowd at our main selection day here in Pointe Noire, a few months ago was estimated to be 6000 plus people...It is predicted the crowd in the capital city could be larger. Much preparation and planning has gone into preparing for this day- and we seek extra prayers for safety of the patients seeking treatment and ourselves...

*Excellent communication, understanding, & harmony between Mercy Ships’ team, government officials, patients, and translators...

*Good weather, sufficient water & food for team (it is rainy season, VERY HOT, & VERY sticky)...

*Quiet, orderly gathering of potential patients (that our potential patients would be patient)...

*Only referred, ticketed patients would seek screening (to limit crowd size we have changed logistics for this selection day and pray all goes well- that those we truly can help will make it to us & those that we cannot help- would not come)...

*Good traffic management of people, vehicles, & materials (that the local taxis we are arranging for transportation would be on time- running well, and all that)...

*God would guide choice of patients for surgery (we focus on those we can help, but as always there are those we cannot help- my team and I are responsible for the  glorious deliverance of the word “YES” for hundreds, but also pray for strength & grace as we cannot help everyone)...

THANKS FOR PRAYING!