Field Service Update

Happy MIcah Day!

We celebrated Micah's adoption day yesterday with dinner at the Buffalo Tap.  It was eighteen years ago on March 30 that she legally became ours!

Prior to our family dinner, the two of us got the congratulatory $1.00 large soda from McDonald's and went shopping at NordicWare, Kohl's and Target.  Depending on who you talk to:

• Micah will tell you our best deal was at NordicWare where she found the food coloring she loves that is peanut/tree nut free; or
• I will tell you that finding her a new pair of work pants at Kohl's was our best deal, especially when we started out with a $50.00 pair of pants that were on sale for $27.00 and then we got 30% off of that price and only spent $20.00 for them! 

Thankful Thursday!

Never mind that today is Saturday and Thursday was two whole days ago!  I mentally wrote this post on my drive home Thursday and finally have a chance to actually post it today.  Enjoy!

This past week, I've been working for ISD 196 teaching twelve thirteen- through sixteen-year-olds how to be swimming instructors, specifically Water Safety Aides.  Driving home today, I was so thankful that:

• Caroline (my co-teacher) was able to come in to work today when I needed her. She got the call that her grandmother wasn't long for this world right after we finished First Aid.  Noah was able to come in and lifeguard for us as we went to the pool.  Sabrina came in when she finished her class to teach with me.  Caroline got to go say "good-bye" to her grandma.
• The two girls who said they weren't able to get in the water today because they didn't use tampons had a definite change of heart.  It must have been my statement:  "If you WANT to work here, you WILL use tampons."
• Thor's melt down came AFTER he said this class helped him to understand that he really didn't want to work with children EVER!  
• I learned a new fun song that I can use at the Y: 

"Row, row, row your boat

gently down the stream.

Ha! Ha! I fooled you!

I'm a submarine!"

Hope for Ernest

This post is reblogged from "Ainsworths in Africa" - another amazing story from the good ship Mercy!

Ernest’s eyes tell of a pain and sorrow beyond his years due to his tumor that has been growing for over a decade. At only 27 years old, Ernest has spent his prime hidden from the world, simply ‘waiting to die’: “I was making everyone uncomfortable” said Ernest, “so I would just stay home in bed all day, alone with my suicidal thoughts.”

When news of Mercy Ships arrived in his village, Ernest believed he had nothing to lose. He left his wife and five year old son and made the two day journey alone, in an attempt to save his own life: “Many men from my village have tumors but they were too scared to come to the ship. They told me I would die”.

 

After the long journey, Ernest arrived at the ship dangerously ill with his tumor actively bleeding. Doctors aboard the Africa Mercy made the decision to admit him for a blood transfusion before the wards had even officially opened.

Soon the hospital began to fill with other patients who had made the brave journey to the ship. When well enough, Ernest himself received what 5 billion people around the world are unable to access – safe surgery. Following the operation, Ernest began his time on the wards recovering from his enclosed, saddened former self into a confident man no longer consumed by his own darkness. You could see the transformation in his eyes before you even knew his story.

Volunteer nurse, Kirsten Murphy (USA) monitored him on the empty wards the first night he was admitted: “I remember his persistence. I remember his new-found hope. I remember the huge grin that spread across his face post surgery when he realised he was handsome!”

Now, when he returns home, Ernest will be able to be the man he’s always longed to be; the husband he feels his wife deserves; and the father he wants to model for his son: “Before, life was very difficult for me. I can’t wait to go back to my village and show those who doubted that Mercy Ships has given me new life.”

After more than 10 years of weight hanging from his face, Ernest’s burden has been lifted and he no longer carries the shame and embarrassment that once threatened his life.

“When I came here, my life was already over. Now I have everything in front of me.”

Bake-You!

Speaking of that God nudge, neighbor Cindy sent me an e-mail today.  "Can I bring you a pan of rolls for breakfast tomorrow?"  Easy answer - YES! 

She wanted to say "thanks" for helping Kent when he fell off the ladder in January and she'd rather bake than write a thank you!  We'll take a "Bake-You!" any day!

P.S.  Kent is doing great with just a few lingering concussion issues.  Glory!

That God Nudge . . .

Feeling that God nudge as I was perusing my junk mail yesterday, I sent this picture to the Academy Principal on the good ship Mercy yesterday -

 

He wrote back today, "I have ship Sunday school this Sunday.  I can use this."  To God be the glory!

Testosterone-Infused CPR!

I taught CPR for the Professional Rescuer at the Y today.  I had two women and six men, or one child care staff, one sales person and six youth sports!  The energy in that room was amazing!  If I said, "Count louder!", the baritones did!  If I said, "Compress deeper!", everyone did!  It was a hoot and a half!  The front desk staff couldn't quit laughing when I walked out with both eyes crossed, gasping for breath, saying, "Too much testosterone!"  They were big guys and they were a blast!    

Whoops!!!

Ever since Micah was little, if we had potato chips for supper, Sam "hid" the bag on the chair between he and Micah.  When she finished the food she needed to eat first, she could take the bag and have some chips.

Tonight, Sam placed a bag on the chair between he and Micah and when Micah finished what she needed to eat, she grabbed what she thought was chips from the bag.  The look on her face when she bit into SPINACH was totally worth it! 

Thankful Thursday!

It may already be Friday and what I'm so thankful for may have happened on Wednesday, but I spent all day Thursday being thankful for it so I think it counts . . . let's take a look.

Believing, for some unknown reason, that God truly wants Micah to attend a Christian college next year, that's what we checked out when we went college shopping - Christian colleges.  She fell in love with North Central University downtown and will be going back for a visit with Sam this coming Tuesday, sort of to finalize that "Yes!  This is where I want to go!"

With me only working part-time at the Y, I knew I needed to find some extra hours to cover that private college differential so that "college debt" would not become Micah's middle name!  She got some awesome scholarships, but she was still short. 

The first job I considered, I didn't really want.  I couldn't even call to see if it was available.  Then I discovered it had been and it went to someone else and all I felt was relief.

The second possibility I heard about, I never bothered to look into because I really didn't want it.  So I grabbed some extra hours at the Y (with Sterling Academy) and thought about teaching night lessons, too.  That didn't happen because I really didn't want to.

Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon, just forty-eight hours ago.  I went to a meeting that I thought was one thing and ended up being offered a job so wonderful that it fit me to a "T" that I haven't stopped smiling yet.  Since I have a few more details to work out before I announce my plans to the world, let me just say how thankful I am for this position that truly was created with me in mind!  To God be the glory!  And stay tuned . . .

 

Heroes come in all types . . .

Today's post is reblogged from Kathy Shearon's blog, "Be More Heart".  She is currently managing the blood bank aboard the Africa Mercy.  Which reminds me - we're scheduled to give blood next on March 30.  How about you? 

To the overeager donor who will just not leave me alone,

To the nervous donor who is deathly afraid of needles but just wants to bless,

To the donor who is simply at the right place and at the right time during an emergency,

Thank you.



There are many things I love about my job here on the AFM.  One of my favorites is managing the blood bank to ensure we have enough donors at the right place and time to support our surgeries.  I will not go into the nitty-gritty — though some may find how I manage an excel spreadsheet with our always changing crew thrilling, most will not.  This program is the perfect way for our non-medical crew to make a tangible difference in the lives of our patients.  The beautiful thing is donors come in all shapes, sizes, ages and professions.  They all share a heart to help our patients.

My friends and I joke that my super power is knowing the blood types of the crew.  I do admit this skill has come in handy when a large case has exhausted our current list and I must wander the ship looking for our next victim– I mean willing– donor.  This post is not about any of these things, however.  It is about how cool God is at bringing who we need at the right place and the right time to meet our blood usage needs.  Not only does he make the staffing of this place work, He also cares about the little (but important) things.
Take this story for example:

This past weekend we had a patient go back to surgery to try and clear up a raging infection.  She has a rare blood type (AB pos which only about 4% of our donor population have) but in the blood banking world I would be able to easily find units to pack instead of using whole blood.  Especially on a weekend when most of the ship is ashore.

Hold up — What exactly do I mean by packing units?  Well as you may or may not know blood is made up of cells, platelets and a liquid part called plasma.  When it is allowed to sit over time the heavier particles (the cells) fall to the bottom of the container and the liquid part (the plasma) is on-top.  At home blood banks store blood separated by components (red cells, plasma and platelets).  We do not have this luxury on the ship so we mostly give whole blood units (meaning the patient gets it all in one go).  We can also “pack” a unit of cells if we have had it sitting on the shelf for a day or two (collected units are good for 35 days refrigerated).  This has been a huge blessing for patients who have rare blood types that take multiple units.  It also helps us not exhaust our donor blood supply.

Back to the story.

I get the call from the OR that they want a unit of whole blood for this patient.  I pause and then explain why this would be challenging on a normal day and almost impossible on a weekend.  I then offered that I had units I could pack from our current stores.  Luckily, the anesthesia on the case said he was the right blood type and that he would be right down to donate.

How cool is that?  If he wasn’t on call this weekend and if this patient went to surgery another day this story would have played out differently.  For lab staff I am the one here currently that is most comfortable drawing blood so if I wasn’t on-call this weekend this would have also changed things.  This is one small example with how perfect God’s timing is and His faithfulness in the little things here.  Little things can easily become big things so I sure am glad He has them too!

So thank you to all my donors that have already donated, thank you to those that were willing but we didn’t need at that time and thank you to those who have yet to donate in the upcoming weeks.

 

We are at 130 units donated for Cameroon and counting…

 

 

 

540 Miles to Go!

I just finished swimming 1800 miles today.  That means if I were to swim from Duluth, MN to the Atlantic Ocean via the Great Lakes, I'm almost there!  Five hundred and forty miles to go!

Role Reversal!

Just last night I said to Matt, "If you're leaving for the weekend, I want your clothes picked up, your trash in the trashcan, hang up your coat in the closet and vacuum your room!"  He did it all.

After work today, I had four piles of stuff around the deck and Matt was lifeguarding.  Do you know what I heard?  "Mom, pick up your stuff!"

Thankful Thursday!

Today I am thankful that my butterfly stroke is REALLY bad!  Oh, I can teach it, but my demonstration leaves a lot to be desired.  Read on . . . 

With the group from Sterling Academy, I've been doing a stroke a day.  With six Red Cross recognized strokes and eight days, it's doable.  Today was butterfly day and my supervisor Barbara graciously agreed to hop in the pool and teach the butterfly with me.  

Since the boys are now going first, I thought in the wee hours of the morning, "Wouldn't it be great if I could take Jack while Barbara takes the rest of the boys and give him a private lesson?"  Jack is pretty much a non-swimmer and afraid of the deep end.  Barbara was fine with that IF Jack wouldn't be embarrassed or feel left out.

The problem is Sterling has some pretty strict rules - the girls have to wait until the boys are out of the locker room and into the pool before they can come out of the locker room.  They can't be in the same pool at the same time.  Someone had to give me permission to put Jack in the same pool as the girls!

The first person I saw from Sterling today was a new mom - and she thought that would be just fine!  I wasn't going to ask anyone else!  I grabbed Jack - he was elated.  I stationed myself so that Jack was always looking at me, never at the girls, and friends, what a glorious day!

By the time we were done, Jack was able to swim the width of the pool on his front and his back and he learned how to tread water.  In one day, he was up to treading 22 seconds!  Talk about a happy camper!

And the smiles on the moms' faces (there were now four of them!) made it all worth it, not to mention the smile on Jack's face!  Today I am thankful for my quality one on one time with Jack because it made a difference in his life . . .   

Forty Minutes Late!

My first class at the Y on Tuesday mornings is with the fourth, fifth and sixth grade girls from Sterling Academy.  They're followed by the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade boys.  Until yesterday . . .

They asked that the boys have lessons first because they were taking TOO LONG in the locker room getting ready.  Last Thursday, they were forty minutes late for class!  Huh?  The boys?  Turns out the girls with all their long hair were faster in and out of the locker room!  Gotta love it!

Stolen!

Sometime before the snowstorm hit on March 5, we had four letters, all containing checks, stolen from our mailbox.  Or possibly picked up by the Sunday mail service.  We weren't sure.  They couldn't confirm.  So we cancelled our checking account and began the long, arduous process of changing payroll and payment plans.

Fast forward to yesterday.  I received a phone call from Detective Kelly with the Lakeville Police Force.  They recovered three of our four checks in a van in Eagan.  One we know they attempted to use on Monday night at HyVee, but were not successful.

Sam and I learned a lot about washing checks last night and are now working with the police department as they prosecute. 

Twenty-Nine!

Twenty-nine years ago Monday, this was us . . .

 Happy Anniversary, Sam!

Just Eat It!

Sam and I went out for dinner last night to celebrate our wedding anniversary (tomorrow) and somewhere in the middle of our meal, I got this text:  

Followed by this text: "Mom, it's expired - like by two years!"

So his math was a bit off - it really wouldn't be two years until December.  But like any good mom who has served with Mercy Ships, I responded:  "So you've lived in Africa - eat it!" 

He didn't, but it did bring back memories of my first Coke on the Anastasis - it had expired the year before!  And the cereal we bought for Micah in Liberia - it came complete with protein (think bugs!).  The best had to be the weeks of ribs - for breakfast, lunch and dinner as we waited for a food container to arrive in Liberia.  

Oh, to be grateful . . . with the good food and the bad! 

Thankful Thursday

In 2001, we attended our first parent/teacher conference as parents.  Matt was a preschooler at Small Wonders in Clifford's Clubhouse with Molly and Sandy. 

Fast forward to 2018. Last night, I attended what I expect to be my final parent/teacher conference with math teacher, Lori Winiecke, as Micah graduates from Lakeville North this spring. 

Eight of those years, we had conferences in two different locations.  There were a few teachers that we didn't enjoy, some were quite unique, most were wonderful.  

In all that time, we only had one surprise.  You'll have to ask Matt about that.   

What I am most thankful for are those teachers who went the extra mile on our behalf.  It's not easy raising two children with learning disabilities, but it can be done when everyone works together!

A big "THANK YOU!" on this Thankful Thursday for all of the teachers who invested their lives in the lives of my two precious children!

The FIrst.

Today is the very first time that Matt and Micah went to visit the F.O.O.'s (Family of Origin) without Sam or I along.  We had been invited, but we declined.  It was Kingsley's sixth birthday party at Cheap Skate (now you know why we said "no").  Our kids were excited and they had a blast! We, on the other hand, had quite a lovely meal at Olive Garden!  To which Allison texted, "Wish I could be with you!" 

An African Afternoon

This delightful post is reblogged from "Ainsworths In Africa".  George works in communications and Pete works with the vehicles.  Enjoy!  If you don't have time to read it all, at least scroll down to the car photo.  It's totally worth it!

Each year Mercy Ships hires local workers to serve in various departments on the ship. This year we have over 260 Cameroonians joining our 400+ crew, who we call ‘day crew’. In Pete’s line of work with the trucks, he works quite closely with a lot of these day crew and we have become quite close to them over the past 6 months. With my Dad visiting the ship, they were really keen for him to meet their families and see their homes – so this Sunday we thought it would be nice to visit, just briefly. Except here in Cameroon, I don’t think they have the word ‘briefly’. We left the ship at 1:30pm thinking we’d be gone for a few hours. Eight hours later we hobbled up the gangway exhausted, filled to the brim and wonderfully happy.

Let me tell you about our African afternoon…

We began with Dennis – Pete’s right hand man – and drove to his Mother-in-Law’s where his wife and kids had been spending the morning. We parked at the side of the main road, adjacent to a train track that we had to hop over. I assumed the track was no longer in use, given parts of it were under two feet of water and there were improvised ‘bridges’ scattered up and down the tracks that locals used to cross. All of a sudden I hear a horn, and lo and behold a train was approaching – stopping at every bit of wood and plank being used as a ‘bridge’ while people moved them. How they get anywhere on time is beyond me.

 

Inside we met Dennis’ mother-in-law and wife, Immaculate. We brought some sweets for his adorably wild kids, Caleb (4), Faith (6) and Rejoice (9). Of course that’s what they needed, more sugar. Joining us was also Immaculate’s older sister, Claire, their other sister’s baby Drockey and their pregnant neighbour, Tatiana and her baby, Brian. Already it was getting busy… There was also a chap asleep in a chair in the middle of our growing circle, but he literally slept the entire time so I never actually learned his name or who he was. Joining us finally was another Day Crew, Regin who works in the maintenance department on the ship.

As is custom of any African home that we visit here, you will be fed. And fed well. Forget the cup of tea and a biscuit nonsense of England – we’re talking a full on meal. Out came a traditional African dish of Achu – pounded cocoyams which make up a bowl that houses a luminous soup containing some random bits of beef – all of which you eat with your right index finger, in a sweeping motion.

The yams had the texture of the thickest hummus known to man. Dad compared it to polyfiller. And the bright orange soup that sat inside it was very runny. When asked what was in the soup, I was told it contained Limestone. After a bit of clarification, I determined it was indeed the Limestone my mind first thought of… as in, actual rock. My bits of beef were unidentifiable, about 2cm thick, dark and extremely tough. I was later told it was the skin, so basically leather. I tried my absolute hardest, but it was like eating a hot shoe. I snuck my piece onto Pete’s plate when no-one was looking. To accompany our meal, the television buzzed loudly in the background playing an exorcism show where people were vomiting blood. My mind didn’t know what to focus on.

Another thing to note when here in Africa, is the importance of eating everything you are given, lest you be considered rude. However there’s a fine art to finishing your plate – finish too early and they’ll top you up with more. After finishing our meal I washed it down with a litre of Fanta, while the boys drank warm beer – all of us feeling ridiculously full.

Onto the next destination! Our car, which left the port with 3 people, now contained 11 bodies as we took Dennis’ family, Regin and their pregnant neighbour with us to a bar to eat some street meat. That’s right, more food. Dennis very kindly treated us all to an animal of some kind that had been roasted to perfection. I ordered a coke and was brought another litre (apparently there’s no such thing as a small portion in this part of town). There to greet us was Joshua, another day crew, with his beautiful baby daughter, Heavenly-Joy.

Next up, all thirteen of us drove to Joshua’s house to meet his wife. Of course, upon arrival we were greeted with a chicken stew and fried plantains. Eat up. By this point, we can no longer tell where our sweat patches end on our clothes, as our entire outfits are sodden. I’m unsure if it was from the heat or the meat sweats. An hour or so there (and another litre of coke and beer), Regin reminded us that he still wanted to show us his house, but that he was about 40 minutes away. By now it’s already 8pm and we’d written the day off so decided we should at least see it. He ensured us it would just be to see the house he had built and not to stop and rest. Off we went, this time with Joshua’s wife too – fourteen in the car. I was stuck in the back of the truck with three grown men and three children (two of whom had begun to fall asleep on me).

We arrived at Regin’s house in the pitch black and piled into his half built house of bare bricks. Still under construction, we gathered in the central room surrounded by rubble and dust: “While you’re all here” began Regin “you might as well have a drink”. He started opening packets of biscuits and cakes and handing them around the circle. We looked like a group of dodgy characters that had congregated in an abandoned building after dark. By this point I’m nearly collapsing from heat exhaustion into a food coma. I tried to explain to the pregnant neighbour who’d joined us all afternoon that while she was pregnant with a real child, I was carrying a food baby. I don’t think she understood, especially when I told her I would be naming my unborn child ‘plantain frit’.

Back into the car we piled, ready to make a tour of the city dropping everyone back to their houses. The group officially named Pete ‘Asongo Pete’, meaning Man from Douala (the port city of Cameroon) – making me Madame Asongo.

Before we parted ways, one of them told me something I’ll never forget:

“You know the key to mastering the African way is to resist”

“Resist what?” I asked.

“Stress. And then once you have learned to resist the stress… voila! You have become the stress!”

I guess I must be becoming part of the stress, because as the day went on we learned to let go of our ‘ways’ and what we considered the ‘norms’. We went with the flow and laughed at the awkward social situations and lack of personal space and in exchange we were given a wonderfully unexpected adventure of laughter, fun and let’s not forget the food. SO. MUCH. FOOD.

Looking forward to the next African Adventure…

Thankful Thursday!

I was overflowing with thankfulness by the time I walked Annie at noon today.  It was one of those days where everything just went well . . .

• Not only did I get to the Y early enough to get a good swim in, but I got to swim next to my friend Brent who pushes me and challenges me into a good workout;
• Every single one of my Sterling Academy girls ever so sweetly thanked me for teaching them today; 
• The Sterling boys gave me a chuckle.  Creston asked when we were going to do the fly (as in butterfly) and I told him Barbara would be teaching that for us as her fly was much better than mine.  He turned to one of the two moms that brings the Sterling kids and said, "Wow!  I didn't know you knew how to do the butterfly!"  Her surprised look was most excellent!  I had to break it to Creston gently, "It's my boss Barbara."
• My Level One class came with dimples and tutu's.  They were just lovely.
• And my last class of the day . . . Never. Showed. Up.  They are siblings with atrociously bad behavior.  Even the lifeguards were relieved.  So not only was I thankful they didn't come, but I was able to get all of my paperwork complete for tomorrow and next week!  

By the time I got to Annie, all I could do was smile in the sunshine and thank God for a beautiful day!

 

P.S.  The rest of the day went well, too!