Like a teenager who opens the door to hear all her friends shout “surprise” and surround her with hugs, kisses and gifts, is how I feel right now. God is the one behind my door and with what I imagine, is a grin on His face, holding out to me a present that has been on my heart for 10 years.  

It’s amazing what can happen in a short amount of time.  I received an email asking me to return to the Africa Mercy medical ship to fill in for someone who needed to take a leave-of-absence. My heart’s response was an immediate “yes.” The next day, I was notified that my Office Manager position in Denver miraculously ends simultaneous with the onset of the call to service.

It has been 10 years since I left West Africa and the work of Mercy Ships. 10 wonderful years with my husband Guy, kids, grandkids, moving from Canada to Colorado. Still, in the back of my heart was a place left for the people of Africa and all my family kept hearing me say, “some day I want to go back.”

I will be filling in assisting in Medical Capacity Building, a series of medical courses available to medical personnel of the country of Guinea, Africa.  The first course is Paediatric Anaesthesia (note the spelling difference than western hemisphere) and the second is Neonate Resuscitation.

Then at the end of May, I will fill in on the ship in Reception, greeting visitors, being the person to point (just like the work position I had in the U.S.).

God’s gifts come in big and small ways! “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

My dear husband, Guy, will be keeping the home fires going while I am away (and keep rooting for the Winnipeg Jets hockey team!)