As I write this post, we are currently somewhere off the coast of Senegal, heading down to Togo to begin our next field service in Lome. It's going to be quite a culture shock once again after spending 6 very relaxed, stress free and fun weeks in Tenerife.
The ship was docked in Santa Cruz for some routine maintenance work and safety checks, which meant that the deck crew and engineers had a very busy time, but for most of us - it was a time where we had just a little bit more free time than normal.
But along with that, it was once again a time of great transition on the ship. Within the first 3 days of being on the Island, around 120 people left the ship - which left it very quiet indeed. From that day, we have slowly but surely been getting more and more crew joining, which has been great - but in an unusual way, kinda makes me feel like i've been here much longer than 2 1/2 months.
Within all of these new arrivals, the rest of our Gateway friends turned up, which has been great. It's so nice to have our little family back together again, share memories and make new ones along the way.
So all in all, Tenerife was a very peaceful time. I had opportunity to do some fun things, like doing a 4 day scuba diving course, going to a symphony at the Opera and times exploring the Island with friends and family - my mum was also able to come out for 10 days to visit!
But those 6 weeks are up and we are all very much looking forward to getting back to Africa and getting into what we all came here to do. It's going to be hot, dusty and sweaty - but it's going to be worth it. This ship is in the business of changing lives, bringing hope to people who have been forgotten and healing to those who have been rejected.
Let's be the change we want to see in the world!
No comments:
Post a Comment