Christmas Break

Over the break that I stopped blogging, I went on a LONG journey!  I flew to Australia and went to my brother’s wedding, spent time at the beach with relatives and visited friends and family at home.  Then I flew to Austria and explored Salzburg, Munich (Germany) and Vienna with friends.  It was an amazing time off ship.  It was very refreshing seeing family and friends again, eating ‘normal’ and new food, being able to shop, even though I couldn’t find much reason to buy a lot, to walk in the parks and enjoy the sunshine without sweating much and even the 0-5C weather in Austria, wearing more layers than I’ve worn in the past 6 years!

My brother's wedding

My early family Christmas

The Christmas lights in Vienna are beautiful!

The beautiful city hall in Vienna

Visiting Mercy Ships friends in Munich

Exploring Vienna with Mercy Ships friends

Skiing!

 

I returned to the ship one week ago.  The ship in now in Lomè, Togo, West Africa.  It has been an adjustment for me being in such a new place.  Togo and Sierra Leone are very different from each other.  Sierra Leone became home quite quickly for me and my friends.  We spent 3 weeks there before the ship arrived and so by the time the ship came we already knew the area and were ready to explore on our time off.  There are gorgeous, lonely beaches stretching as far as the eye can see with freshly cooked barracuda and rice on request at the local ‘restaurants’.  The country side is hilly and lush with green trees stretching up to the sky.  The one big downer about Freetown was the horrible traffic in the city centre that would cause horrible delays.  Often going 10km would take up between 1 ½ - 2hours!  Meanwhile, Togo is flat and sandy, with not so many trees.  The traffic is almost non-existent though because their roads are very nice.  I haven’t compared the people because the outreach for Mercy Ships doesn’t start for another 3wks or so.  I’m sure I will have many great stories to tell once the hospital is up and running.

I haven't been out to explore much yet in Lome, so i have no photos yet.  But the stories and photos will come soon!  I am excited for all the things to come this year, bringing hope and healing to the people of Togo.  The outreach will be short this year in Togo, only 5 months.  The screening days are at the beginning of February, so please keep us in your prayers!