AMAZING!

Hello!!

It's been almost two weeks on the ship, and I have so much to tell you! I decided to organize this post so that it can include as much information as possible, as you will see later, it is not so easy!

1. English

From the moment I got on the first plane, the spanish language disappeared around me. I was ready for that, and I was able to get here without any problems. It has also been "easy" to communicate with the people who live and work on the ship, some words I must ask if I am pronouncing them well, I have also asked the correct use of some things. When I wake up and at the end of the day it is quite funny to talk to me in English, because I can not put together coherent sentences! It's funny and everyone here is very understanding with people who do not speak English as their first language.

It may seem strange, but the only moments in which I have felt lost, have been when someone here speaks to me in Spanish. Apparently my brain can only think in one language at a time, and the first time someone spoke to me in Spanish, I was literally blocked and my eyes almost shed tears!

Several people here speak Spanish or want to practice it, and the truth is, it has taken me a while to make the change in my mind when they talk to me. Fortunately I do not have that problem when I talk to my family! Little by little I have managed to have short talks in Spanish here.

2. Life on the ship

I think we all have a different rhythm, and here every day I have explored a little more about life on the ship, I have found places where I have been able to spend time with God, and I have also spent hours chatting, watching movies, and going to other places out of the ship.

The first days I just felt safe in my room, every day I "risked" to get away a little more to know the different areas of the ship, and little by little I feel calmer.

I am learning to live here, I am getting to know and adapting to my new home, the kitchen, the living room, the back and front patio, and my work ... all in one place, and all shared with many people (more than 400 ... from 40 countries!)

God has provided people with whom I can talk and be honest, share our feelings, pray together and laugh a lot !!

I have met people from many countries, I have heard incredible stories and I have had the opportunity to share mine too. It is incredible to know that every person that is here has been brought by the power and will of God, for each one of us He has provided everything  we need and much more !! There is a feeling of collective gratitude and that for me has been very special!

3. Douala

I have left the ship a few times, I have not been as explorer as I should ... hehehe

I have gone twice to the Hope Center, which is a place where Mercy Ships has patients waiting for their surgery or recovering from it, I attended to a Sunday service and also a ministry visit that the organization has there. There is music, a bible story and a craft. It is amazing to receive so much love from people who do not know me, since we arrived there the children and adults come to hug us and play with us !!

I also went to see the ministry that Mercy Ships has in a school with blind children. It was quite hard for me to get to a public school with very simple conditions and see blind children for the first time. However, they welcomed us with great joy and I enjoyed sharing with them in a very different way than I was used to.

I also went  for lunch to a restaurant with a group of girls, afraid of getting sick with the new food ... and indeed, I have had a few days in which I do not feel completely well, but God has let me feel His presence and it has not been anything serious.

4. Work

I already started working in the hospital (30 seconds away from my room), and like every first time, I was nervous and wanted to learn fast and do everything right. Work here is very different from what I was used to before, here I have the opportunity to do many more things with my patients, and I have enjoyed learning them and serving them.

God has placed His hand on me, guiding me and helping me to learn everything that is done in the hospital, all nurses here have been a blessing, they have been patient with me and although I still do not have time for everything that needs to be done, I love to pray for my patients, accompany them to the Sunday service in the hospital, to Deck 7 to sunbathe, dance and play with hospitalized children and let them hug me and kiss me. Smiling and giving love with my hands has been my best weapon, because I do not speak French or other native languages of some of the patients. I feel that God is filling me with a love and joy I did not know until now.

It has also been impressive for me to see how quickly patients recover. With surgeries that include their brain, face and throat, I expected a slow and painful process, but in a few days children and adults can walk, eat and smile!!

I have seen quite large malformations and injuries, but God works in an incredible way in every surgery and every hour of recovery.

5. How God astonishes me - Confessions from my Heart

I have spent the first 12 days on the ship, there was a lot of expectation, a lot of emotions and I did not know what I would find here.

Well, God has been good, and I think He has done a miracle in me, because He finally helped me get off the emotional roller coaster I was in. In fact I think I did not know the feeling of peace and security that I now have, I do not know how many years I had been living from my emotions, it's really exhausting !!

But God is good, and the whole process that He started 20 months ago has borne fruit, and being on the other side of the world, knowing nothing and nobody, He has filled me with peace.

I have posted some instagram photos, but thinking about how to tell you what I have lived here made me feel overwhelmed. I think it is part of the adaptation process, to decide how to tell you about this new life that I now have! Although I have not been as active in social media as before the trip, you can be sure that I am immensely grateful for all your support and prayers, every message you have sent has filled my heart with joy and encouragement.

On the other hand, I am learning to share all the spaces. ALL OF THEM. I share a room with 3 other girls, including the bathroom :) It is important to think about others, and I thank God for giving me this opportunity, I had been living alone for 3 years and it is a good time to think about the welfare of others and not only mine.

Finally, by the grace of God, by His power and His mercy, and by all the support and affection of each one of you, I can tell you that I am convinced that this is the place where I should be. I love seeing how each personal, spiritual and work experience in my life is being used by God so that I can serve here, not only in the hospital as a nurse, but outside in each visit to the ministries that the ship has, and here with each person I can make smile, listen and hug.

I miss my family, but God has filled my heart with peace and joy, and I do not feel alone.

In addition to all the prayers you have done for me, I want to ask your support  by praying for God's guidance for my future. My decision is still to serve Him full-time, and I want Him to continue guiding each step I take, and in this case, the one that follows after March 31, 2018, which is when the period scheduled to serve here ends. I am attentive and willing to do what He wants !!

"For I hold you by your right hand, I, the Lord your God.

And I tell you: "Do not be afraid, here I am to help you." (Isaiah 41:13 NLT)