When new becomes normal

We first arrived in Antananarivo on July 29th and stepped aboard the Africa Mercy for the first time on July 30th. As October wrapped up, so did the first three months of our time with Mercy Ships. As a family, we’re experiencing the transition from something new and exciting into something that feels routine in some way or another. However, there are still many new experiences for us, including looking forward to our first sail to Durban, South Africa, in December for an annual maintenance period required by maritime regulations. As we get further into November, we’re struck by how unusual it feels as the weather gets hotter and more humid, there are no changing leaves around us, and the days aren’t getting shorter. But even as things begin to feel more routine, God still uses us or reveals to us new ways that we are part of his work, bringing hope and healing to the people of Madagascar.

All three kids passed their first big testing milestone in the Academy in October, writing their first midterm exams. Dara, Ivan, and Callahan are all working hard to keep up with regular homework assignments, projects, presentations, and classwork. It’s a big step up from the work they’re used to. They have each given several presentations to their classes now, where they have taught their classmates a topic. The rigorous standards of the Academy are a challenge that the kids are stepping up into, each learning new habits and processes as they adapt. We go through moments of heavier and lighter homework loads, and the kids are learning the difficult time management lesson.

But it’s not all work. The Academy has twice visited a local international school – run by one of the largest mines in Madagascar for their employees – to join the kids in playing games, experiencing their classes, and engaging in conversation. Just this weekend (the second in November), the Academy junior high and high school students went off-ship for a three-day retreat at a nearby hotel. Their packed schedule included plenty of social and play time, devotions, bible time, and hopefully some sleep. Outside the Academy, the kids get lots of activities, such as playing playground parkour tag on deck 8, swimming, and weekend Nerf wars on decks 5 and 6. They’re also building new worlds inside their favourite video games with their friends as their screen time allows.

Rachel has started a new role in supporting the Hope Center manager with her work. She ensures there is enough cash for the Hope Center to operate, manages the timesheets for over 50 Hope Center day crew, and is soon tackling the challenge of scheduling day crew once we leave for the annual maintenance period. She travels to and from the Hope Center a few times during the week and plays a part in keeping patients coming to and from the ship to get their surgeries. Hannah, the Hope Center manager from Canada, is grateful for Rachel’s help in her role. Rachel also spends Friday mornings at the Hope Center as part of a group sewing period pads for Malagasy women. They work alongside patients and caregivers to teach them how to sew reusable sanitary pads. Many Malagasy women don’t have the resources or access to basic women’s health needs, and this outreach is another small part of the non-surgical ways Mercy Ships addresses healthcare needs.

Within IT, things continued with a routine not too different from what Dan is used to back home. A new member joined our team early in October, and they fit in with the rest of the team rather quickly. One of the main ongoing challenges is keeping the ship connected to the internet. During the day, dozens of MS Teams meetings and consultations with doctors off-ship use our internet connection. At night, staff like to connect with family with video calls or unwind by watching a streaming service. Our options in Madagascar are limited, and the slow speed is a frequent complaint to IT. Our ship has four connections to the internet, plus satellite internet, and most North American homes have more than double the speed all 350 people on board the Africa Mercy have to share.

However, God provided an exciting opportunity through our service provider. Somewhat randomly, the chairman of the board and other senior executives of a major French telecom company, Orange, were touring the port of Toamasina. They gave us 30 minutes with the group, during which we shared our mission and how we used their internet to serve our host countries and left them with information about potential partnerships. Please pray that God will grow the seed we planted in the executives and board of directors since Mercy Ships relies heavily on companies like Orange and has no partnerships in place. The trip was a success, and the executives quickly engaged with our senior leadership with many thoughtful questions.

Sundays have begun to establish a routine of their own. On most days, when we’re all healthy, we get out to the Hope Center for their service. Occasionally, when a family friend is speaking, we visit a small Baptist church in town. Three vehicles from Mercy Ships full of people went on that Sunday, filling the pews. It’s a local tradition that guests sing for the church, so we filled the front stage, formed an impromptu choir, and sang It Is Well With My Soul. At the end of the service, the pastor presented a financial gift and blessing to a member of the church who had lost a family member that week. Then, they invited us out to visit the wake of a church member who had passed at their nearby family home. Both are Malagasy traditions when someone dies in their church. Rachel went with some of the group and the Malagasy congregation. The deceased is displayed in the home for three days as part of the tradition while the family mourns them.

Despite our field service’s slow start in Madagascar, surgeries began in earnest when the hospital opened. The hospital had all four operating rooms running for two weeks during October and three during that time. We even had an opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of the other Canadians on board. The Africa Mercy provided hundreds of surgeries across multiple disciplines and is wrapping up our cataracts field service at the beginning of November. Our surgical schedule will wind down again soon to ensure the patients who received care have time for healing and recovery before we depart for our annual maintenance in December. There are so many amazing stories from our patients as they celebrate their new lives. Before we get to one, we ask for continued prayer for health and strength. Dan (and others) have experienced frequent illnesses that are going around the ship. As we look to sail, pray for the IT and Hope Center teams as they begin packing up the ship. We ask that God continue to remind us of our calling here and reveal himself in marvelous ways.

Patient Story

Alphonsine, a grandmother of twelve, had been living with a goiter tumor for 20 years of her life. Her husband left her during that time, and the hat-making business she relied on for her livelihood was suffering because this goiter hindered her mobility and caused shortness of breath. In 2022, her heart sank when yet another similar bump began to grow on her jaw. “I couldn’t even afford food,” she said, “so I never considered going to the doctor.” Her community doctor instead informed her about the free and safe surgeries that were being offered by Mercy Ships. Inspired with hope, Alphonsine embarked on a four-day trek to where the nearest patient selection was taking place, in the remote countryside. Not long after, she burst through the doors of the HOPE Center in Toamasina, Madagascar, and immediately handed HOPE Center Facilitator Cathy Ferraiolo one of her hats as a token of gratitude for the surgery she was about to receive. Disembarking the Africa Mercy after her surgery, Alphonsine was filled with joy. “I can breathe normally, I can eat normally! A lot of people have swollen bumps in my village, some old, some young. When I go back home, I will tell everyone in my village about Mercy Ships, especially those who have this condition!”