Sailing

How long have I been here now...? About 23 days it seems. In some ways it feels like I have been here for longer than that, but at the same time I know it hasn't been that long.
Here is a bit of an update summarized:
-I have finally gotten to know my way around the ship.
-We left Cotonou, Benin on Tuesday and are sailing to Tenerife!
-I get sea sick every now and then. Its not constant, but it comes and goes. I have not gotten physically ill yet, but its difficult to find balance, so I get quite dizzy stumbling about the ship, which causes head aches and slight nausea.
-Work is good, and keeps me fairly busy.
-I fell in love with deep cleaning bathrooms (I found it oddly refreshing and felt a great sense of accomplishment after cleaning every inch, visible and not visible, of the bathrooms on ship), but unfortunately developed allergic reactions to the chemical cleaning products that I used. So no more cleaning. :-(
-I have seen glimpses of dolphins and whales, and we sailed right by a waterspout. Now that was cool.
-I am still not fully transitioned to life here. It's been rather challenging.
-I am so looking forward to spending time in Tenerife and seeing my family and William.

The Work has Begun

I began working (as a hostess on board the AFM) on Monday at around 0900 hours. I received a booklet that describes my duties are as a hostess, hours, detailed descriptions of how cabins are to be cleaned and set up for arrivals, and more. I have read through most of it now, so I think I have a vague idea of what up in my department. I welcome new crew members and guests, give tours of the ship, help crew disembark, clean and help maintain all cabins, bake for functions and new arrivals, iron, and set up rooms, food, and drinks for meetings. The list might even go on. I may be forgetting something. I have only been working for three days now, but I have done all of those things I listed except welcomed new arrivals/guests and tours. I will learn how to give a tour tomorrow.
I work from Monday to Friday, 0800-1700. I also rotate working weekends with the other hostesses. On certain days I will be assigned to be what is called the duty hostess. She is on call (has a pager) from 0800-0800 the next day, so it is a 24 hour shift. She answers calls whenever paged and completes the duty hostess tasks that are assigned that week day (such as going around to every empty cabin and flushing the toilet so that they keep functioning - don't ask me why, I don't understand the mechanics of these ship toilets). The duty hostess is also the hostess that welcomes new arrivals and gives tours. My first day to be duty hostess is December 1st, and then next weekend (Dec. 5-6) I am working as the duty hostess both Saturday and Sunday, on call for 48 hours! Woo. That's going to be interesting.
Pray for me to understand how to get around this ship, please. It is getting a little frustrating. I have been here for five days now, but I still get lost. My first tour is on next Sunday I believe, so I have to have it down by then. That is a little stressful. :-/

Well, now you know what I do on the ship! This is my ministry, and I am very happy to be here in this department. I am proud that my department glorifies God through our clean cabins and tidy beds. :-) I think its hard for some people on board to remember that ministry doesn't have to be done off shore in Africa. Sometimes we think of ministry being mostly street evangelism type stuff, or that the most important ministry is off shore in orphanages, etc. Our ministry is our job. My ministry is being a hostess on board the Africa Mercy, and I am happy to serve the Lord ironing, baking cookies, and scrubbing floors.

God is Good

I am here!

I arrived safely to Cotonou, Benin around 8:30pm yesterday. It only took us around half an hour or more to get our luggage, which thank God had all arrived with us. I know some who weren't so lucky. My good friend Alex did not get both of his checked bags back. His bag with his clothes and some other things was apparently lost.

My flights were fine. They went as smoothly as most flights do, I suppose. I am not a huge fan of flying, especially when I don't get the window seat, but it was fine. However, had I not been with Lisa when I got to Heathrow, I'm not sure I would have made it past London. I did not have the paperwork that the airport official wanted to see, regarding my visa, or lack there of. So as I said, thanks to Lisa and grace of God, I made it. Since Lisa had her think stack of paper which stated why those who work with Mercy Ships did not need a visa, I was allowed to get on my next flight. Had the papers she held specifically said her name however, I would have been in some trouble. But since they were pretty vague and unspecific, just mentioning that anyone who worked for Mercy Ships, it was all good.

Well, I have to go for now. My bunk area is a disaster. I am still trying to find a place to put everything I brought. So I have to organize! Bye for now!

Gateway Field Service: Completed

As I sit here thinking about my experience in the D.R. and my overall experience of the entire Gateway program, I am finding it difficult to put into words.
Its been amazing, to say the least.
I have learned so much, to say the least.
The people in my team and our leaders (Gateway staff) were encouraging and loving, to say the least.
Prior to Gateway, I was terrified of serving on the AFM in Africa. I knew no one. I can't even begin to describe how prepared and ready I am now to serve on the ship, and whats more, I am even excited about my service!

Here are some opportunities my team and I had while serving in the D.R.:

1. construction of expanding foundation at the Kids Alive Care Center in Ascension
2. painting a classrooom
3. our nurses caring for several people in surrounding villages (burns, infections, pregnancies, etc)
4. organizing and cleaning closets full of donated clothes and toys at the care center
5. talking to and loving villagers of Ascension (Magdalena, Anna Sylvia, Tanya)
6. construction of house in Aguas Negras
7. performing Bible skits to kids at the school (Kids Alive care center)
8. visiting and praying for Sosua (tourist beach where prostitution is a huge business)
   
9. playing a couple games of soccer against the team in Ascension
10. partnering with Sandra (community leader in Aguas Negras) to spend time with the shoe shine boys and girl's club

My highlight of the field service in the D.R. would have to be my team mates. They were so loving and so encouraging. On many occasions they would pray for me, even though I never asked for it. Thats never really happened to me before. My team mates were such a blessing to me. Unity is the word I would use to describe our team and how it functioned. The friendships we made in Gateway will last through our service on the ship and beyond.

I had the opportunity to get to know one family in Ascension pretty well. I knew Juan, Medina, Natinal, and Cindy, who were all the kids of Yani. She wasn't a particularly loving mother, but I think she worked pretty hard to feed and clothe them all. I never met or saw the father. Medina and I became good buddies, and Juan really liked me. He was the sweetest little boy I have ever met. I miss them.

Working hard in the D.R.

Hello all! I know its been quite some time since my family or any of my followers have heard from me, but internet in the D.R. isn`t particularly easy to come by. I`m sitting in an internet cafe right now, not know how long I have here to blog. We get dropped off my Stefan, one of our amazing Gateway staffers, and we are never really sure when he will come back.

Its so beautiful here. The mountains, beaches, and villages are stunning. It has been quite the cultural difference here though. After learning in the Gateway course about differing worldviews and working with the poor, I have a new veiw of short term mission trips. I wish I could explain what I mean in more detail, but this internet cafe is very loud and this boy is whistling, so I can`t concentrate very well. Forgive me if this post is not as imformative as you would like it to be.

We have been working in a village called Ascension. We are expanding the cafeteria at a Kids Alive center there, which is what they call a care center that kids go to after school. Its basically school though. They have normal classes, and a bible class and devotionals after lunch. They always give the kids one large meal a day at the school because its likely that that meal is the only one that a child will get each day. The economy not doing too well here, and many people are fighting to get money for food. So I have been shoveling rocks, dirt, and concrete most of the days in Ascension. You may not believe me, especially my parents and siblings, but I have actually been working my butt off in our construction time! I even have enlarged biceps to prove it. We also spend time with the children at the school too, performing skits and letting them play with our hair. I have spent most of my time within school grounds, but I have also spent time in the village of Ascension. Kids Alive (the school where we are working) have to accept kids who apply to go to the school, so there are a lot of kids who arent allowed in the school grounds, so we venture out to play with them and talk to their parents who own shops and want us to buy things.

Speaking of buying things, I am out of the money I brought here. Haha, it went so quickly! I am making a list of the things I have purchased currently to figure out where it all went. A lot of it I have spent on grocery trips I think. I get so hungry all the time, so I bought snacks. I have also bought a lot of things from people in Acsension and in Aguas Negras.

There is so much to say, but I cant think of it all right now. Here are some prayer requests:
-I have been struggeling with having total faith in God`s power (of healing especially)
-My physical health (allergies, stomach problems, etc)
-The village of Ascension (for jobs, health and hygeine, and motivation in the ppl to appreciate and use the land God has given them to farm)
-Sosua (huge prostitution problem in Sosua - we had the priveledge to witness it last weekend)

I have to run! Thanks for reading. God bless. Cant wait to come home!

Goodbye Texas... For Now

Guess what?

Tomorrow (well technically Sunday morning at 3am) we leave for the Dominican Republic! Time has gone by so quickly here. This week has been BST for the rest if the Gateway students who didn't complete it the week I did. So the eight of us took it pretty easy this week while the other 18 students fought fires, survived in the sea, and learned first aid and CPR. But there were still things to be done, so we didn't have all of the time to relax.

Much had to be done to prepare for the D.R. We packed many trunks full of food, towels, spanish bibles, tooth brushes, and tooth paste. We attempted to perfect the parable skits that we have prepared for the children in the school we are going to. My friend Alex and I are in charge of 2 skits each. Now I, having acted and stage managed in plays before, am having a difficult time with this task. Why? I guess because I'm used to hundreds of practices, costumes, make-up, and enthusiasm. I suppose my expectations were a little too high to begin with, so now I'm a little discouraged. Oh well! All that matters is that the kids enjoy the skits, and understand the lesson we are trying to teach them. Another responsibility I have in the D.R. is taking pictures. I was very pleased with this task. :-) I don't mind taking hundreds of pictures. In fact over the past two days I have been an unofficial photographer for the BST fire fighting and water survival practicals. I am putting all of the pictures (with Marty's help!) on CDs and giving them to those who are interested. Also, tonight I stayed up extremely late putting together the Gateway slide show to show to everyone tomorrow (Saturday), as requested by one of the staff members here. Speaking of late... It's 3:20am right now. I should head to bed. I have to finish packing and cleaning tomorrow before we leave. Its going to be a loooong Saturday.

Thanks to those of you who are keeping up with my blogs! It means a lot to me. God bless!

So Much to Learn

As I'm sitting here thinking over all the things I have learned over the past two and a half weeks, I am amazed my brain has been able to retain most of it. After completing BST, we (the 8 of us who completed the BST first) joined the rest of the Gateway students and moved into the classroom setting; sitting, listening, and discussing all day long. Although the lectures have been long, painful, and boring to get through at times, I must admit that much of what I have learned has challenged most of what I knew as a Believer. Maybe "challenged" isn't the right word, maybe it is. I don't know. What I mean is this: my perception of God wasn't right, I had no idea spiritual warfare was so real, current, and everywhere, obedience in prayer is essential, my weaknesses will never be my strengths so don't stress out over them (MYTH: fix your weaknesses! its good to be well-rounded!), conflicts need to be resolved/its okay to be confrontational when it is appropriate, and last but certainly not least, worldviews (understanding MY worldview and the worldview of those that I will be serving in the D.R. and Africa).

There is so much that I could tell you. I guess I'll give you a break down of what I have been learning each week.

I. 1st week, Faith Foundations
A. we talked about God’s character, how we view Him, who He really is, how our perceptions of God are influenced by people in our lives, experiences, tragedies, etc.
B. Kingdom Principles: taught by Dean Sherman on spiritual warfare. This was extremely interesting, important, and useful information. Where we are going to in West Africa (Benin and Togo) are the founders of Voodoo, so there is a lot of witchcraft there.
C. Principles of prayer: communication with God. We learned the basics of pray and why sometimes it seems as though our prayers are not being answered.
II. 2nd week, Personal and Interpersonal Development
A. Living on Purpose: What is our purpose? Life’s big questions. Who am I , where am I going, how am I going to get there, who will guide me, etc.
B. DISC test: We took a personality test that (kind of accurately) told us what we were like and picked out our strengths and weaknesses.
C. Conflict Resolution: how to resolve a conflict, how to approach the person, how to forgive, how to apologize; being confrontational is okay! And healthy! Don’t keep it bottled up.
D. Living and Working in Harmony: how to live in a community of 400 people from many different cultures on a ship.
III. 3rd week, Working with the Poor

A. WORLDVIEW

B. Potential of the Poor

C. Transformational Development

D. Cross-Cultural Dynamics and Communication

E. Tensions in Working with the Poor

So there you go. Some of these topics we talked about in great detail for several days, while others we covered in one day. Spiritual warfare (kingdom principles) was covered for three days because we will be dealing with this a lot on and off the ship in Benin and Togo. I have been told that voodoo originated in Benin, so these people know, believe, and live their witchcraft.

We have been discussing worldviews a lot this week, and how we as missionaries are to go into these poor nations. There are many encouraging stories like one of just one missionary leading an entire village (mind you, it took about 20 years before even seeing one person come to know the Lord) to believe in God, but there are many cases that are not encouraging. Instances where a church group or missionaries came into a village intending to do good, but leaving things worse than when they arrived. Money, buildings, and paved streets may not solve a nations problem, and yet so many times we (Westerners) go into a poor area and think money is the solution. Our worldview can sometimes hinder transformation or development from happening. We need to seek to be a learner/facilitator among the poor, not an expert/fixer.

One more thing is on my mind from what I heard in class today. I can't stop thinking about it. I am so ignorant. And the sad thing is, a lot of people are, especially kids my age. There are so many nations who need prayer and help. I live in a little happy box where I have everything I need and I do whatever I want. My biggest questions right now are: "What will I study in college? Where will I go to college? What will I do after college?", while some people (tribal Indians in Brazil) are asking themselves, "Will I have to burry my baby girl tomorrow? Why do I have to burry her? Why doesn't she have human rights? How can we end this cultural practice?". Indian parents in Brazil are being forced to burry their own child alive if it has any sign that it may be possessed by the devil, or soul-less. Signs of demon possession include not being able to walk or talk by a certain age, cleft pallets, and other physical deformities. Also, the child of a single mother must be burried alive. This issue has recently been brought to attention Brazilian gov't officials, but unfortunately many are saying that the Indians are not humans, and therefore do not have human rights. Again, we are stuck trying to define what a human is.

This concludes my post! I know... not exactly cheery. Sorry! However, I do have a really encouraging and super neat video for you to check out on You Tube. Its called El-Zabbaleen. I believe the video is in two parts though, so make sure you watch both!

Fire Fighting and Water Survival Pictures

All of these pictures are of me (or have me in them) except the ones of the life raft upside down in the process of being righted. Those are of another Catherine in Gateway, and she did brilliantly!

BST Completed

Over the past two days I have done fire fighting and water survival in the ocean. Its been rather exciting and quite challenging. Now I am done with everything, and I passed it all! I got an 85% on my PSSR exam (the first one on ship terms, regulations, and general emergency stuff), 100% on my CPR, AED, and First Aid Exam, I passed the fire fighting exam but I'm not sure what % I got (it wasn't as good as the other exams), and I got 100% on my water safety/survival exam today.

Yesterday we began the fire fighting practical at 7am and ended around 11:30am. I completed the search and rescue task in which we (my partner and I) searched a smoke filled tank with little to no visibility and after finding the victim (165 pound dummy named "Buck") were required to move him and then safely exit the tank, put out two class B fires (one liquid fire, one gas fire), put out a class C (electric fire), and lastly control a class A fire inside a tank. The hardest tasks were the ones that included the SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus), which was the search and rescue task and the last task; controlling the class A fire in the smoke filled tank with little visibility. The SCBA was a little bit too big for my small face, so it had to be tightened quite a bit in order to keep smoke from coming inside the mask through the gaps under my chin. Because it was so tight it ended up putting quite a bit of uncomfortable pressure on my throat. Breathing with the SCBA was very different and difficult to get used to. Its easy to panic and feel as though you are not getting enough oxygen. The SCBA, flash hood, and helmet also made it very difficult to hear directions that were being shouted to me inside of the tank. But over all it was a fantastic and exciting experience. When Rachael and I were inside the tank with the class A fire, the temperature at the top of the room reached 1,000 degrees. It was insane.

Today at 4pm we left for Tyler for our water survival practical and We finished arounf 8pm. We began with a test to see if we could remain afloat (treading water) in water without any floatation device for one minute. This was ridiculously easy. Second, we learned how to don a type 1 PFD (pretty much your classic life jacket) and had to don it correctly in under a minute. Easy. Third, we were tested on our ability to jump ship (or step off a diving board) correctly with a PFD on and swam 6 meters in them. Fourth, we learned how to get into a life raft while wearing a PFD. Not as easy as it sounds. :-P Fifth, we learned how to toss the emergency sea anchor from the life raft. Sixth, we learned how to properly don an immersion suit (enormous red suit showed in the picture) in under two minutes. Donning an immersion suit is not easy. I was wearing the smallest one available, and the suit was beyond way too big for me. But nevertheless, immersion suits are quite incredible. Their bouyancy is fantastic, and the insulation, even better. Very important for survivors. Seventh, we jumped ship in the immersion ship. My chest and head didn't even go into the water after I jumped! My body sprung back up out of the water almost as soon as I hit the water. The suit has to be the most hardcore PFD ever made. Then we practiced huddles and trains, which are excersizes that keep large groups of people stranded in the water together and/or warm. Eighth, we got into the life raft when wearing the immersion suit. Again, kinda difficult. I wish I could describe what wearing the immersion suit was like, but I don't think I can. Lastly, each of us were required to flip over an over turned life raft, which weighs A LOT. You had to climb onto the underside of the life raft (which is of course now exposed, so this isn't that hard), grab the ropes underneath, and pull (fall) using all of your weight. If done correctly, the raft should flip upright on top of you as you fall into the water, which is some what terrifying. But I did it, amazingly! It took me longer than everyone else because I had to try a different method than the others due to my small stature, but I did it.

Pictures!

In the first picture I'm wearing a SCBA, self contained breathing app. Its the mask and back pack with a super heavy air tank on the back.

In the second and third picture I'm showing off Rachael's rigid splint that she did on my arm!

In the fourth picture I am giving compressions in CPR.

I meant to post these last night, but I forgot... So here are some pictures, actual evidence that I've done what I said I have! More pictures will be on my Facebook!

Classes Have Begun

Hello everyone! I see I have two followers now. This is very exciting! Well tomorrow is Wednesday, and the week will be over before I know it. I have already learned so very much! I am also begining to acquire a bit of a British accent from my sweet room mate, Steph. I find myself wanting to say "Brilliant!", "Thats rubbish", trousers, and all sorts of cute Brittish sounding things like, "Well I've just been from dinna, but in a bit I think I'll...", and so on. I can hardly imagine what the ship will be like, with up to 30 different cultures on board or whatever the number is. But the point is, there will be so many different people with different customs and accents. How exciting.

In case you're wondering what I have been learning in class, I'm going to fill you in! Its not all too boring, in fact some of its quite fun and interesting.

Yesterday:

1. Ship's Structure - Hull, Decks, Bulkheads, Main Vertical Zones, Watertight subdivisions, and Compartment Numbering Systems.
2. Types of possible emergencies on board - medical, fire/explosion, man overboard, collision, stranding or grounding, hull failure, then of course, foundering/sinking.
3. Seven Steps to Survival!
4. Your Initial Actions - Recognize, Report, and Respond
5. Emergency Response Plans
6. Muster List
7. Emergency Signals - What does the General Alarm sound like, what does the Abandon Ship alarm sound like
8. 24 hour Clock - what ship goes by. dang!
9. Shipboard Hazards - Slips trips and falls, head injuries, falls through openings, eye injuries, burns, chemicals (Looking forward to living in such a hazardous place! ;-) )
10. PPE (personal protective equipment)
11. Enclosed Spaces - many of these on board (tanks, chain lockers, cofferdams, ballast tanks, duct keel)... very dangerous, people die in them. lack of oxygen, hazardous chemicals present
12. Interpersonal Relationships on Board, Team Building, Communication
13. Pollution - sources of marine pollution (oil, chemicals, garbage,sewage, plastics)
14. MARPOL Convention and Pollution Prevention
15. Crew Rights and Responsibilities

Today!

1. Adult CPR and AED -Using the Check, Call, and Care system in all medical emergencies. How to care for conscious and unconscious victims, or choking, or blocked airway, and cardiac emergencies.
2. First Aid - Soft tissue injuries (closed wounds internalbleeding, open wounds, lacerations, avulsions, puncture, burns of all types, severed body parts), injuries to muscles, bones and joints (learned how to make anatomic, soft, and rigid splints!), sudden illnesses (strokes, seizures, fainting, diabetic emergency, poisoning), and heat/cold related emergencies.

Wednesday/Tomorrow

FIRE FIGHTING!

And the Training Begins!

I'm here! I left Dripping Springs around three o'clock today, and after a five hour long drive I finally arrived in Van/Garden Valley, Texas. Its basically Van, but the address for where I am is Garden Valley, Texas.
As soon as I arrived I was welcomed warmly and invited to a family's house for dinner, and later another family's house for dessert. The girls here are so sweet! There are many other girls here that are my age. Theres Annie, Rachael, Annie, Kristen, and Steph.
The people here are from many different places, and have fun accents. One of my room mates is from Midland, and the other is from England.
Anyway, its midnight here and everything starts early tomorrow morning, so I should go and get some shut eye. Night!

I'm going to Africa!

As some of you may know, I finally graduated from Dripping Springs High School a few months ago. Now on to the next big, exciting adventure in my life! I am taking a year off from school to serve on the Africa Mercy (AFM) for seven months in Benin and Togo, West Africa with an organization called Mercy Ships.

I decided to serve with Mercy Ships in the fall of ’08 after talking to my dad about my future. I was stressing out about choosing a major in college. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. What career would I choose? I have many interests: nursing, photography, entomology, and others. Dad suggested that I take some time off to figure things out, and said I should look into Mercy Ships. I went to their web site and immediately fell in love with what they do and how they serve God. I then filled out an application to serve on board the AFM, their “state of the art” hospital ship, and was accepted.

Mercy Ships, a global charity, has operated a fleet of hospital ships in developing nations since 1978. Following the example of Jesus, this organization brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide. If you’re interested in learning more about this organization, go to www.mercyships.org, and check out the great videos.

On board the AFM, I will be serving as a hospitality hostess, although my position may be subject to change. I will work in whatever non-professional position that needs to be filled, whether it is a server in the kitchen or a member of the salad team. My work schedule will be similar to a 40 hour week work schedule. On my time off, I will have the opportunity to participate in off-ship outreaches to places in need, such as orphanages. I am very excited to serve God on the AFM. I look forward to working in whatever position I am put in. I hope that during my time on the ship I will be able to bless others and show God’s love through my service.

I begin my training in Tyler, Texas on September 13th and will be gone until November 5th, then I leave for Africa on November 18th. So, only 12 more days before I begin this crazy adventure!