here we go (?!)
I’ve never really been much of a blogger.
There was a time, maybe back in middle school, where I thought I was super cool because I had a xanga with about 4 followers. And again, in college when my friend Elizabeth went on a blogging kick and dragged the rest of us along with her, and all I ever had to write about was my melodramatic nursing school woes. We won’t count either of those endeavors.
Missions has always been something near and dear to my heart. My sophomore year of high school, I went on a school-sponsored trip to Paraguay where we worked with a partner elementary school and participated in various outreach opportunities in the community. I went to Costa Rica with my church the summers after my Junior and Senior year, and to volunteer at an orphanage in Honduras with the camp I worked at in December of 2012. For a long time, I’ve known that I wanted to explore something a little longer term.
I graduated from Clemson in the spring of 2012, and ended up with a job in the area. It was never my intention to stay in my college town, but after some weighing and praying through different options, I became convinced that God was calling me to stay, against everything I had planned. My sister had just completed her freshman year at Clemson, and the girls in the small group I was working with at my church had three more years of high school, so I always had three years in the back of my mind. I’m so, so thankful that it worked out the way it did, and I’ve truly loved the three years I’ve spent at OMH.
Last April, I was talking with one of my supervisors at work who had spent time working as a missionary in Africa. She was the first one to suggest Mercy Ships to me, and I specifically remember my first reaction being something about no way and pirates. But that night, and for a long time afterwards, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. Fast forward to August, when I took a leap of faith, asked a few people to fill out reference forms, and mailed in an application.
Which brings us to right now, almost a year later, after a lot of waiting, and even more prayer, where I have a definite date of service as an ICU RN beginning November 8th, 2015 in Taomasina, Madagascar. It’s a thirteen week assignment, plus travel time, so I’ll be back sometime near the end of February.
I’ve been so encouraged by the support I have received so far. Seriously. Everything from asking questions and showing genuine interest, to giving input when it comes to fundraising ideas, and even in the case of some, expressing some concern about safety, Ebola, and just like me, pirates. (For the record, Africa is a BIG place, and I’ll be essentially as far away from West Africa while in Madagascar as I am in the US. And piracy isn’t really an issue until you get much further up the coast of East Africa. Trust me, I’ve googled) I’m confident that this is where God has called me for this next season of life, and am excited to finally see it becoming a reality.
The most frequent question I get is about the financial implications. Mercy Ships is a nonprofit that relies entirely on donations. The outside support they receive goes directly towards providing entirely free medical care to thousands of people in some of the poorest countries in the world. That includes everything from lab work and CT scans to medical supplies, upkeep on hospital equipment and even patient meals. Most positions on board are on a volunteer basis, so yes, I am expected to raise my own support. I do plan to do some type of fundraising, I’m just not quite sure what and how that’s going to look quite yet, but I will post updates as soon as I get that up and running.
Thanks again for all of the love and support I’ve received so far as I start getting things together to go. I plan to update this site relatively frequently as things start to come together. There’s a comment link below, and an “Questions?” box up at the top of the page if you have anything to ask - I’d love to hear from you!
Sarah