T minus....

 The countdown to Ghana is on! I leave August 22 which now that it is August feels even faster approaching.

The pile of "I want to take this with me" continues to grow. Not just things for myself, but special items for friends on ship. The kids want to send me with some American candy and notes to their friends on ship, with hopes of getting a note back. I'm happy to be their mail carrier. 

But more than the 23 kg of luggage I'm thinking about what else I'm taking. Not to get to emotional/romantic/spiritual, but preparations go far beyond the packing of stuff. What mindset am I bringing? How is this departure different than the one 2 years ago? How can I bring my best self to really serve the people of Ghana and the cultures of the ship to the best of my abilities? I know more of what I am getting into, but also have to be prepared for the unknown of a new team, new country, new daycrew, etc so am I really that knowledgable?

Speaking of- Prayer requests!

1. The ship is on its way from Las Palmas Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) to Ghana. Pray for a safe voyage. For a celebration from the country of Ghana as they arrive. All passport/visas to go through. We are a ship of approximately 60 countries with so many different immigration requirements. Pray it all goes smooth.

2. Many volunteers (like myself!) will be flying in not long after the ship arrives. Pray for connections to be made, bags to arrive, and more visas to be approved. 

3. Pray for Jeff and the kids. They will be about 2 weeks into school when I leave. Pray for good routines to happen quickly and everyone feeling "settled". Pray for a job for Jeff that is flexible while I am gone. 

4. Pray for surgeries. Guided surgeon hands. Brave kids and caregivers to trust us.

A few essentials I had to complete before leaving...

Good pizza. Anyone from the ship knows, this is luxury. 

Blackberry picking. Fresh fruit continues to delight us, even a month later.

Went to see an A's game! 

Haircut! Over a year without one, so this was NEEDED.

Home!

We have been home for a few weeks now and are finding a new rhythm to life. When we think about what we were doing, where we were, who we were with even a month ago it all feels overwhelming and different. 

Bit of a life update:

We are back in our house with all of our things gathered from storage (thank you friends!). Kids are getting excited/nervous about school starting in only a few weeks. Jeff is interviewing for jobs. I’m already setting some things aside for my return to Ghana. We have had more “welcome home dinners” than I can count. We have bought $1,000+ in groceries restocking everything from salt and pepper, ketchup and flour. It’s finally feeling real and like home again. 

The culture shock is real, that’s for sure. Standing in a grocery store and seeing 50 different kids of cereal after only having access to 3 is a bit wild. Kids will say things like “what would ______ say if they could see this?” talking about our Sierra Leone friends. We say other crazy things like “the sky is so blue!” (Pollution is terrible there). 

Both kids and us have been staying in contact with friends from around the world. Lots of texts received at 3am saying hi to kids and showing pictures of people settling back into their lives. It’s always good to see but also hard to be reminded of our old life we loved so much. 

In only 3.5 weeks I return to Ghana. I’m excited to see friends again and use my skills to help new people and a new country. 

Prayer requests: 

1. My flights/visa/bags as I go to Ghana. Lots of logistics involved! But also pray I am useful, helpful in physical therapy but also pointing hearts to Jesus. 
2. Kids transition back to American school. They were at Mercy Ships Academy with 4-12 kids in a class from around the world. Public school in California will be a big adjustment. 
3. Jeff’s job interviews. Pray he finds the best job for his skills and has the hours/flexibility need while I’m in Ghana. 
4. All of our hearts as we stay in contact with friends from around the world, but need to make roots here as well. It’s a lot. 

The big things (moving our things to our house), small things (encouraging hugs and texts) to the unexpected (checks in the mail!) have all been such a blessing. Thank you doesn’t see like enough. We are only able to do what we do because of you. Really. We are being the hands and feet but you are the powerhouse behind it. Thanks for letting us serve the least of these. 

Please continue to reach out with questions, encouragement and hugs. Love you! 

J2, L, S2

This is not even all of the bags we had!

We were all jealous of Sadie's ability to fit under the arm rests in the Madrid airport!

People ask "How does Jeff fit in Economy seats?" He doesn't. 

First trip to the library in 2 years! JOY!

First ice cream cones at "Burger & Cream" on a Tuesday night. 

Restoried

There's a word that keeps coming to my mind: restoried. 

Not restored but restoried. I think I was introduced to it by the Lectio 365 Bible app a while back. It's not that God gives you back what you lost. He rewrites the story.

We mess up. We call ourselves failures, write ourselves off as irredeemable. But that's not how he sees us. As we've been packing up, moving home, and trying to settle in, I've been sitting with the difference between being restored and being restoried. Restored just gives you back what was. Restoried hands you something new.

We've moved home but it's not the same. It's the same house. Same city. Probably the same friends, the same church. But, in a very real way, we are starting over.

I hope I've shared this with the family more than once, because my initial instinct was to think we're just going back. But Pocahontas had it right (yes, the Disney version): "you can't step in the same river twice." We've been gone two years. People moved away. People moved in. Nothing slots back into place like we never left. It won't be normal. It won't be the same.

So as we've prepared to return home, I've found a new word: we're starting afresh. That's helped, because I am walking on the same sidewalk. Sleeping in the same house, and even on the same mattress tonight as two years ago (so very comfortable. I've missed it). But if my focus was to return — to get back to our old way of life, our old community — I'm chasing something that's already gone. I'm chasing nostalgia, or a memory. If I choose to start afresh instead, I get options. I can pick back up the things that were good, healing, worth keeping. And I can also let some things go, just because I did them before doesn't mean I have to again. I can stay open to God saying, "I have something different." He can re-story my life.

I found this line from the app as they quote John Koessler: "Sabbath forms rest, by which we are not so much restored as restoried." One of the prayers that came with it:

Father, restory us today. We stand at the crossroads and ask for the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16). Root us in the faith of our fathers and mothers, as we engage your word today. Jesus, maker of tables and teller of stories, create in us a new imagination, we pray. Invoke in us greater celebration, and grant to us new language with which to sow your eternal word into a tired world.

When I sit with that, I can let go of the old story — the old home, the old community, the old way I looked at life — and reach for something healthier. Something new. I'm open, not closed off.

A new story frees you from all the old entanglements. You stop feeling like you have to do it the way you did it before, just because that's how it's always been done. You get to imagine instead. Explore. Restorying changes us. Not just what happens next, but who we are and how we see ourselves.

Microstresses

While I (Jeff) lived on the ship, I thought about the concept of microstress. It's probably a common and popular word in today's vernacular. But over there, I kept thinking about how nothing in and of itself was necessarily overwhelming or too much. It was just all these little things, all these aggravations, that sometimes made it hard to function effectively.

So what do I mean by that?

Every day, you have to (should) take a malaria tablet. For some people it's fine. For others it upsets their stomach. For others it has worse side effects. Sometimes you have to switch from one tablet to a different one — maybe you take a daily tablet, or a weekly tablet. Maybe you tried the weekly tablet and had hallucinations, so you had to switch to the daily. Maybe the daily tablet caused poor sleep. Mine were mostly ok. My stomach was mostly fine, but I could tell it was off. That's 20 of the last 24 months. That's quite a bit of time to have your stomach be mildly upset.

But more than that: did your wife take her malaria tablet? Did your kids? Have your kids taken it recently? You were off ship — oh, you know what, just yesterday I saw a mosquito flying around on ship. I wonder if that mosquito had malaria. I just got a text from a Sierra Leonean who has had malaria many times letting me know they haven't gotten back to me because they've had malaria for several days. Ouch. Okay, did I take mine already today? Maybe I took it twice. I really don't want to overdose on malaria tablets, but I also don't want to get malaria. I don't think one of the kids took their malaria tablet every day this week — better double-check, better watch them take it this time. I'm going to set a reminder on my phone to watch them swallow it tomorrow morning. This kid's prescription bottle is pretty low. This kid has an almost-full bottle — I wonder if they're not taking it, or maybe they're taking it from their sister's bottle instead.

What's another English word for...I don't remember that word. We speak a much more literal English most days. There are people I can speak to in colloquialisms, or clichés, or metaphors, but usually I have to end my statement or question with "does that make sense?" Were there any words that were weird or difficult? I wonder if that person understood me. How could I say that in simpler English? Maybe I used an Americanism. Maybe I used a cliché. I wonder if the British word would land better here, more people would understand it than the American word.

See, all these things are just microstresses throughout the day. And then you add on top of that: the organization has its headquarters in America, the ships are in Africa, many of the volunteers are European. You have this confluence of different cultures. The ship is registered in Malta, so technically we're in the EU and their rules. But most of the leadership is American. But we're serving Africans. Actually, West Africans. Actually, Sierra Leoneans. What's the culturally appropriate way of approaching this situation, or that thing?

I sent an email to the bank and haven't heard back. Oh right, I need to call them — they don't really respond to email. How do you greet them again? Do I say it in English, or is it better in Krio?

I heard a patient isn't doing well. That's a bummer. There's nothing I can do about it. Three crew members each have a financial difficulty, and there's only so much I can do, because next week it'll be someone else with a difficulty. This guy's dad died, and he needs to travel this week to bury him, but he doesn't have enough money.

What do you do when you drive through Freetown and see a bunch of beggars? Some of them are missing arms, or legs. Crippled, in a wheelchair. That person looks blind. I wonder if they actually are. They're begging anyway. What do you do?

I'd better not have a salad, because that's uncooked — better just eat cooked foods, unless I want to get sick again.

Getting cabin fever. We need to get off ship. But it's going to be exhausting, because of all that traffic, and the kids are tired of driving through Freetown and standing out with their blonde hair. What else to do? This country has so many needs — it feels like a bottomless pit.

This crew member has worked 60 or 70 hours this week. I wonder how I can help them. Some of these people have insane hours. Some of these people have good boundaries. And sometimes there's just stuff happening in the hospital all the time, and they really need to be there to save lives. What do you do?

What do you do?

Different Waves

As we prepared to join Mercy Ships and come to Sierra Leone almost two and a half years ago, we had many goodbyes and "this will be our last..." in America. Now, we're doing it all in reverse. We are saying goodbye to this beautiful country, courageous Sierra Leoneans, deep friendships, and our home for the last two years, which is this ship. We waved goodbye to that chapter of life.

Waving goodbye to the Pacific (January 2024)

Two years ago we waved goodbye to the Pacific Ocean. Soon, we will wave goodbye to the Atlantic. We're going to miss this. But we're also missing our beloved, sweet, and chilly North Coast. 

Soon, we will sail to Gran Canaria island in the Canary Islands (off the coast of Morocco), be there for about a week, and then fly back to America in early July. I (Jeff) will not appreciate the rocking of the ship, but I will still love and enjoy the vast, deep blue. We will receive the ocean's waves. 

It has been a joy. A blast. A beautiful time. We're thankful for how the Lord has led us, bumps and bruises notwithstanding. So now we will wave goodbye to this chapter of life.

Sunrise on June 8, 2026

I captured this beautiful sunrise early a few days ago. With rainy season here, much of the dust, smog, dirt, and haze has disappeared and we can, once again, have amazing sunrises and sunsets. We can also breathe more healthily, too. Perhaps a sunset is more appropriate for this type of blog post with saying goodbye. But I woke up early and could enjoy the beautiful soft blues, yellows, greys, and deep burn oranges. 

There are many goodbyes: to the people, culture, food, patients, port, ship, sunsets, friends, and more. Waving goodbye is difficult. We're grateful for the waves — all of them.

Ghana🇬🇭

This field service has been very different for me professionally than last. 

Our first year I had to learn everything about rehab at Mercy Ships. I learned how to get more range of motion from hands after surgery. How to put on and take off a cast. How to read X-rays a bit. How to document in a new system. What the difference between Ricketts and Blounts disease is. So so so many things!! I honestly felt like a new grad from school learning to much. 

This year I have taken on a new role now that I am experienced.  I have been training new PTs as they come in, shadowing them and helping them to learn the ropes, as well as doing more admin to keep the department moving smoothly. This has been such a blessing. I have always loved teaching and PT and this has been the perfect combination of both. It has also been a huge blessing to my boss to have another pair of experienced eyes, ears and hands in the rehab gym. 

Next year the ship goes to a new country (Ghana) with a new rehab team leader and new day crew to help with translation and exercises. That is a big change. My current team leader (Kate! Love her!) is coming back to do some handover for the first few weeks and then will be leaving Mercy Ships. Because we have seen how vital it is to have a second person doing the mentor/training of PTs and daycrew I have also been asked to come back for a few weeks to get the department up and running. 

So what does that look like? 

Early July our family will fly back home. We will settle back into our house. Get our stuff out of storage, etc etc. Kids will start back into school the first 2 weeks of August. Then Jeff will stay home with them while I fly to Ghana! I have zero reservations about Jeff and the kids doing amazing back home in California. Once I am home I’ll settle back into my old job again. 

How can you help?

1. Pray! Pray for my hands to be helpful. For the kids and Jeff to settle in well as I am gone. For new jobs for Jeff and I.  For safe travel. So much to pray for! 
2. Financially we are ok for a bit but we will let you know. :) We have been volunteering the past two years, living on donations and so far God keeps providing. Biggest thing is for Jeff to get a job in the first six months we are back (see above. Pray!!). 
3. Check in with Jeff for practical help. Bringing kids to school or activities or anything else is always great. 

God keeps opening doors and we keep taking steps of faith and that’s what me going to Ghana for a few weeks is. Another step out in faith we could not have predicted! 

Thank you for being there for our family every step of the way. 

J2, L, S2

Faces and Names, Not Numbers

It's both easy and hard to explain what I do here at Mercy Ships. I work in Rehab doing physical therapy with around 55 kids with bowed legs and knock-knees. Bam. Done. But that explanation takes away humanity. One of the reasons I got into physical therapy in the first place was to really get to know my patients and their stories. It not just kid #1, #2 and #3. They have names, histories, struggles, goals, and futures. 

Here are some faces, names and stories to help you understand my world here in a new way:

This is Emmanuel. He is a FIRECRACKER! He turned 4 this month and is one of our youngest patients. He is from an orphanage, not too far away, so his caregiver here is not his mom/dad/grandparent like most patients, but a worker from the orphanage. Not long ago he put a crayon down his cast so we had to change the cast before more of a wound formed under there. He's a classic little boy who likes rough play and wants to be hung upside-down by his ankles and be ticked until he falls over. 

This is Momo. He came to Mercy Ships with his granny. He has skeletal dysplasia (think dwarfism). He was very shy in the beginning but now has the sweetest biggest smile when he walks into the rehab gym. His granny always shakes my hand and smiles, not knowing any English but I can tell trying to convey appreciation. 

This is Mariama. She is missing her two front teeth which is the cutest thing ever! She used to hide behind her mom when she came into Rehab. And when we asked her to do much of anything she would scream not in pain but of fear. She has come to trust us and will now play any "game" (aka exercise disguised!) we want her to. 

This is Isha. She is 10, but emotions of a pre-teen for sure! Isha is sensitive as they come... devastated by criticism but proud as can be at compliments. As soon as anything gets hard, the tears come. She has learned a lot about perseverance and grit since her operation.  Isha is very creative and artistic and would like to color pictures and come up with little stories about animals more than anything else. 

No list of patients could ever be complete without my guy Alimamy. We normally pass patients around quite a bit between PT's, but this guy has been mine every step of the way. I did he pre-surgery assessment, saw him stand for the first time, and taught him every exercise he knows. Alimamy came to us scared of his own shadow... I wish I knew more of his story before coming to us, but also can make some guesses. He only knew fear of adults and would cower to any raised voice. He did not want to walk or stand in the beginning and would let the whole deck know with his screams when he saw me coming. He slowly, and I mean SLOWLY, learned to trust me. I had to be super consistent to get to where we are at now, which is big smiles and high fives in the hallway. His mom has learned to parent without threats and hitting, giving him love and encouragement instead. Not just straight legs, but his life has truly changed because of coming to Mercy Ships. 

To end, here are more cute faces to make your day. Please know each one has a story I have had the privilege to know and love: 

This are my BABIES! My heart has grown by 55 each year of being here, and hopefully you see all their beautiful faces and understand that in a whole new way.