Hannah's life

I feel it's high time I started contributing to this blog. I don't want Ben to do all the updating on my behalf, though he is doing a great job of it.
We've been in Guinea now for a little over two days. We enjoyed a wonderfully mild sail down here, all but the last 24 for hours of it, anyway. We saw dolphins, whales and many flying fish. More than anything it was a restful, relaxing, community building time before our field service in Guinea gets underway.
Since arriving to the ship four weeks ago I have been working in Crew Services in the housekeeping department. I've spent my days sweeping, mopping, disinfecting, scrubbing and generally tidying up. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, though it was very hard work. I got to know fellow crew members I might never have met otherwise and my arms are now quite toned (we a do a LOT of swabbing the decks here on the Africa Mercy). But, alas, my housekeeping days are over.
On Monday I transferred to the hospital. Since we didn't arrive until Wednesday, we spent the first two days of this week baking cookies (given to crew services as a thank you for waxing the hospital floors) and making cards (to be given to nurses throughout the filed service as encouragement notes). Wednesday afternoon, after watching the arrival ceremony and diplomatic formalities on the dock, the nurses changed from formal wear to work wear and got down to the business of unpacking the hospital. You see, our hospital gets packed up and tied down before we sail anywhere. It's not pretty when medical equipment tilts, tips, topples and generally gets destroyed during a sail. Bed frames were reconstructed, cupboards jammed with equipment were unpacked, signs were rehung. Within one day, the hospital went from empty rooms to functioning wards! What a beautiful transformation.
I've loved being a part of this field service from the beginning. The last time I was with Mercy Ships I arrived 3 months into the field service. What a difference being here before the patients, anticipating their arrival and praying for the surgeries that will take place before the patients are even selected! I can honestly say I am so excited for these next months in Guinea. Who knows the amazing people I will meet, the incredible interactions that will occur, or the lives that will be changed?
I know God has great things planned for this field service. I feel so privileged to be a part of what He's doing here in Guinea.
Blessings,
Hannah