Daring to dream bigger

A God-sized dream is worth every penny, every second, every pinch of energy. 

(Chase The Lion, Mark Batterson) 

When my grandfather Juan died, I asked God to give me the faith and the spiritual stubbornness that he had. In my heart there was a giant dream that I could not reach by my own means, I dreamed of traveling to Africa to work as a volunteer nurse in the largest hospital ship in the world. I started to pray and I made risky decisions such as quitting my job, leaving my family, leaving the comfort I lived in, leaving my church and my friends. 
And God fulfilled that dream. 
God brought me to Africa, and He did it through the help of more than 100 people from different countries, their prayers and donations made a dream come true.  This not only makes me happy, but has been part of Mercy Ships' dream, to bring hope and healing to countries that do not have safe surgical services for millions of people who need them. In the 6 months that the ship has been in Cameroon, 1,600 surgeries, 5,000 dental treatments have been done, and 1,000 local health professionals have been trained in safe practices so that they can provide the best possible care in their country.

Claudine - Before and after

In these 2 months that I have been working at the hospital, I have seen miracles with my own eyes. 

Patients with very complex maxillofacial surgeries and "should" have a slow and complicated recovery, actually recover quickly and successfully. Those who have complications show incredible strength and patience.
I have prayed for my patients and I have seen how God responds to my prayers, in simple things like a baby crying and calming doing, easing the pain, healing an infection, even preventing a child from being intubated and new ideas to improve the comfort of my patients. 

I know of patients who, despite receiving several operations on the ship, had to be sent home without having been able to solve their health problem, and upon leaving the ship and walking through the port, they received healing in their body.
We had a patient who needed urgent surgery on her abdomen because of peritonitis, and we did not have specialized surgeons because we were at Christmas time; one day before this patient had to be hospitalized, the mother of one of the hospital anesthesiologists had arrived to the ship to visit him and her family, and she turned out to be the specialized surgeon that our patient needed, without us knowing or even planning on it!!

Even though we are human, we are not infallible and we can make mistakes, our patients recover and return home with their lives changed forever !! 
But, none of this would be possible without the support of thousands of people who for 40 years have believed in the dream of Mercy Ships and have supported it with outreach and donations. 

I am convinced that this is the job I want to dedicate my life to, and just as #teamtutinurse was born and made it possible for me to get here, I believe that God will continue to support us so that we can see how He brings hope, healing and His Word to Africa ... "the blind see, the lame walk well, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are preached the Good News". (Matthew 11: 5 NLT)

                               

      Paul Pascal - Before and after

It takes a team to accomplish a God-sized dream

(Chase The Lion, Mark Batterson) 

The three keywords of the #TeamTutiNurse are: #pray #share #donate, and for me it is very important to always emphasize that I could not have arrived here and served in Africa without the support of each person who has prayed, shared and donated. The #teamtutinurse is the tool that God has used to bless and sustain me for several months, when coming here was just a dream. 
Being a volunteer nurse is my new lifestyle, so for this year I want to share with you how you can continue to work with me in this ministry!

1. #PRAY: These are the prayer requests that I have for this year, thank you very much for praying for me !!! 

• May my relationship with God always be my daily priority. 
• Health, compassion and wisdom for every day of work in the hospital. 
• God's provision to be able to travel to the United States and train for two months (June-July 2018) to serve long-term with Mercy Ships. For this I need the approval of the American visa, the money to travel to Texas ($ 3000 USD) and the money to pay for the course ($ 1300 USD). 
• Financial provision to serve in Guinea for 10 months (August 2018-June 2019 / $ 5000 USD) 

2. #SHARE: Tell three people about Mercy Ships and what we do in Africa, invite them to be part of #teamtutinurse! 

You can contact me through social networks and by email:

Facebook Page: Team TutiNurse

Instagram: @tutinurse

Email: tuti.nurse@gmail.com 

These are the links of Mercy Ships and my Youtube channel where you can know more!

Mercy Ships
YouTube Susy Horta

3. # DONATE: Dare to support me monthly, take time to pray and ask God how you can support me financially. Remember that each contribution is blessed and multiplied by God, He greatly values ​​your faith and your heart! 

I have been donating during my time here to support other volunteers, I can tell you that even before confirming that I was going to stay two more months here in Cameroon, God had already started to provide financially for that extra time!! He knows our needs and is happy to respond to our faith in action! 

It can seem very difficult to live without "financial stability", depending on the support of other people, but through the Bible and these last months, I have learned that we only have to walk in the direction that God indicates, and we will see how He achieve the impossible to fulfill His purpose. I'm not really depending on people, but on a God who provides in many ways !!! 
I found in 2 Kings the story of a battle in which the Israelites won despite having fewer soldiers than their enemy and being in a valley without water and without food. If they had not accepted the challenge of going to war despite the hunger and thirst they would face, they would not have seen the power of God defending them !!

"... This is what the Lord says:" This dry valley will be filled with lagoons! 

You will not see wind or rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. 

There will be enough for you, for your cattle and for the other animals; but that is very simple for the Lord, because he will give them victory over the army of Moab! ... 

The next day, as at the time the morning sacrifice was offered, water suddenly appeared! 

It flowed from Edom, and soon there was water everywhere." 

2 Kings 3: 16-20

*If you want to be part of my faith-based job, please consider donating to cover my crew fees and personal expenses. Click here https://mercyships-us.donorpages.com/crewmates/SusyHorta/ or send me an e-mail to susy.hortabuitrago@mercyships.org