water water everywhere...but we have plenty to drink

As I write this blog, I am sitting on the top deck of a ship as it slices through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The sky around me is bathed in a pinkish hue as the sun sets to my left. To my right I see only endless blue water and the purple haze of sky slowly dim to a dark blue. The slow hum of the laptop’s music completes the relaxing atmosphere as Kaylee and I soak in the magnitude of the scene.

This morning at 11 o’clock, the M/V Africa Mercy left her port in Cotonou, Benin and started the week and a half long trek north to the Canary Islands. While I have been consistently amazed at how vividly I have seen God work over the past four months, I have never been in such awe as in the past twelve hours. Just four days ago, there were doubts as to whether or not the ship would actually be able to sail. Several unexplained issues arose, providing complicating puzzles for the engineers to solve. Just twenty-four hours ago, there were parts that still had not arrived on the ship. A man working for Mercy Ships in Norway flew in on the 8 o’clock flight last night in order to deliver a necessary part. Engineers spent all night replacing the piece and this morning, the ship left her harbor just as scheduled. While God could have shown His power through allowing a problem-free sail preparation, He didn’t. Instead He gave us all yet again the opportunity to trust in Him, and then gave us all the more reason to stand in awe at what He could accomplish.

Watching the ship prepare to leave this morning was quite a production. While the engineers worked all through the night last night doing final checks, the work that I personally witnessed began around 8 o’clock this morning. The fire alarm rang loudly as we practiced an at-sea fire drill. Once we were all mustered and every crew member was accounted for, we were able to pull up the gangway in order to sail. I was put on coffee for the morning, so I had the joy of watching everyone’s anticipation as the morning dragged on. Around 10:30, it was announced that we were ready to depart, so we closed down the café and snack bar and headed up to decks 7 and 8 with the rest of the crew. Leaning over the edge of the railing, we watched the tug boats attach to the front of the ship. Finally, the pilot’s boat came up alongside the ship and the pilot jumped on board to guide us out.

As we began to move with the tugs, all of the crew cheered loudly. We waved goodbye to the day workers and a few crew members staying behind as the stood on the dock. Slowly, the dock grew smaller and smaller, as we looked on to the vast expanse of blue ahead of us.

After every bit of land was completely out of sight, my friends and I headed down to the dining hall to eat lunch. At this point, I really began to feel the rocking of the ship. As I stood in line holding my plate, I swayed from side to side, hardly able to stay standing! Although most people are slightly embarrassed by the fact that they can’t stand straight, I find the teetering somewhat hilarious, and I actually enjoy it (but we’ll see what I’m saying about it ten days from now…)

After a normal afternoon of work in the Ship Shop, I realized how exhausted my body was from the rocking of the ship. I went down to my cabin to take a quick nap and ended up sleeping for over two hours! I awoke to find all five of my roommates just as tired, so I felt a bit better about sleeping through the whole afternoon of my first day of sailing.

After dinner, the bow was opened up so that we could all stand to watch the sun set. It was without a doubt the most incredible sun set I have ever seen. The sun was so huge in the sky, it seemed to envelope everything. It was so radiant, yet somehow dim enough that I could look straight at it without hurting my eyes. We all leaned over the edge and let the breeze overtake us, giving the incredible sensation of flying! Then, as we leaned carelessly over the edge, we saw flying fish begin to jump in and out of the water. With wonder and amazement, my friends and I began to discuss how incredible heaven must be. In just seven days, God created all of this amazing world. Not only that, but this is creation having been tinged by sin. Can you imagine what heaven must look like, not only being completely void of sin, but also being prepared for us for thousands of YEARS? And if heaven and earth are only the creation, how much more magnificent must the thoughtful Creator be? As I think about it, I can only laugh because it is so beyond my imagination. I absolutely cannot wait!

Now that the sun has set, I am surrounded by the pitch black night sky. The captain has chosen to keep the lights off on the top deck of the ship in order that we don’t interrupt the beauty of the night sky. My friends and I will soon lie down in order to look at the stars. I have never before seen so many stars, especially being this big and bright. Again, I can only laugh at the magnificence of the creation I am currently witnessing.

This was taken as we left the dock. Sorry it's really choppy!