Madagascar Mercy Ships Moment #8 - Getting to the ship

Thank you so much for traveling mercy prayers!!! Everyone should be happy to know that I've safely arrived on the Mercy Ship in Madagascar around the expected time on Friday night the 15th, after traveling several days on uneventful flights and a long bus ride from the capital city of Antananarivo to the port of Toamasina. The bus ride alone is always epic, so I'll post a few pictures from the 8+ hours of slowly winding through the green hills of Madagascar. Even though the scenery along the way can be amazing, it is always a relief to finally see the Africa Mercy at the end of the journey...and that will be home for the next few months.

                                          Epic bus ride highlights:

Zebu working hard...

Multi tasking mother...

Half-way point "rest stop"

And home sweet home :)

Madagascar 2 - I like to move it, move it...

Happy New Year 2016! So I realize my last blog post from the ship abruptly ended in the middle of the Madagascar mini series I was attempting to write...and just in case you were anxiously awaiting the remaining 8 episodes, I have good news for you! Mercy Ships has accepted me to serve on the dental team once again, starting January 15, 2016. The Africa Mercy has returned to Madagascar for a second field service, so I have the privilege of re-visiting that amazing country...and hopefully finishing the blog series this time around. My job on the dental team will be similar to last year as I will be doing both dental assisting and dental hygiene at the dental clinic in Toamasina with the addition of cleaning the teeth of volunteer crew in the tiny clinic on the ship. I'm really looking forward to re-connecting with the Malagasy day crew and friends on the dental team, as well as exploring more of the beautiful country during my stay. Since leaving the ship in April, my friend Karen and I did some traveling in south east Asia, experiencing the countries of Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia before returning to the USA. During the summer I working in Ohio and then moved to the Washington DC area for a 3 month dental hygiene job in Arlington, VA. God provided the temporary work at just the right time to make things possible for me to serve with Mercy Ships again this winter and spring! Also along the way, my friend Karen got MARRIED to an awesome guy from Sweden and is living there now, so I already have another country to visit on my way home from Mercy Ships this time. I'm excited to see what God will do during the Madagascar 2 Mercy Ships field service and would appreciate your prayers as I prepare to leave the US once again, joining the fantastic dental team to show God's love to the Malagasy people by helping to meet their dental needs one patient at a time.

Ready to get back to work with the Mercy Ships dental team :)

Karen's beautiful wedding!

Karen is off on the adventure of married life in Sweden, while I return to Madagascar...

Africa Mercy International Film Festival Movie

It's finally here! The movie you've all been waiting for is uploaded to this blog and can be viewed by anyone with access to youtube. So enjoy An Ordinary Day at the Dental Clinic and join the Mercy Ships dental team for a few minutes from the comfort of wherever you happen to be watching... Click here to watch the movie!