So this month is our ATL (Ask The Lord) month, and 5 out of the 7 teams are in Lome’, Togo (the other 2 teams stayed in Cape Coast, Ghana). It’s almost hard to believe that we are actually here because God started speaking to me about Togo back in Guatemala (month 1). Admittedly, I had never heard of the country prior to God telling me my team was supposed to come here… and who knew I’d actually have to use French one day (it’s the native language)!
We are doing ministry with team Increase “working” on Mercy Ships. The ship is a medical mission that travels to different ports in Africa and is completely free for the people that meet the requirements for treatment. They do anything and everything: dental to optometry to surgery (there is even a hand surgeon on board)… they do it all! Everyone has to raise support to work on the ship, including the surgeons, and people from all over the world come to help… they even have African day workers (that obviously don’t need to pay)!
It is a refreshing change from last month in that it’s not all talk and no action. The only thing we did last month was preach, preach, and preach some more, which was good, but there was little substance to what came out of our mouths (even though I know seeds were planted and it will not return void). Mercy Ships understands the importance of being the hands and feet of Jesus, and how it’s not just talking about God’s love, but sharing and actually being the love of God. They also teach Africans the importance of hygiene, etc. so instead of going in and just giving them their needs (like most NGOs do), Mercy Ships gives them the tools they need and teaches them in order to impact and change Africa. I truly feel unbelievably blessed and amazed that I have been given the opportunity to help out on the ship because their vision to see change is incredible.
So you must be wondering what our role is considering we are no doctors! Well, we are basically missionaries to the missionaries. We have all been assigned different areas to help out in, Lindsay and I bringing our skills to the galley (kitchen). We chop, peel, and cut fruits & veggies all day long… literally… Monday- Friday, 9-5! After 6 months of having to eat whatever is placed in front of my face, it was a slight shock when I was told to discard bruised tomatoes, wilted lettuce, and over-ripe pineapple! Truthfully, it was almost hard to throw it away the first few days because I thought I was wasting it… crazy what living in 3rd world conditions will do to a person, haha :/!
At first, I was beating myself up for the fact that I am in Togo chopping up quality food on a ship for Westerners while in the middle of Africa with starving children who need help. Then I quickly remembered that I’m on a ship that is actually bringing needs that I, nor people on the race, can give. I remembered that my chopping skills are actually feeding the people who are being such a blessing to those in need. I was actually starting to convince myself that ministry was supposed to look a certain way, and if not done the way I portrayed it to be, then that meant I just wasn’t doing everything I was supposed to. So wrong! The truth is no matter what I’m doing, whether that be playing with kids at an orphanage or ministering to prostitutes in a bar or teaching English in a small village or even chopping vegetables, people are being blessed by however big or small the act is.
So I am on a ship being a missionary to missionaries. Ministry may not look the way “it’s supposed to look like,” but Jesus never gave a formula for serving people or loving on them. It may seem like what we’re doing is insufficient and futile, but I’m realizing nothing is too small or insignificant in being Kingdom to people.
Bring on the tomatoes!
We are doing ministry with team Increase “working” on Mercy Ships. The ship is a medical mission that travels to different ports in Africa and is completely free for the people that meet the requirements for treatment. They do anything and everything: dental to optometry to surgery (there is even a hand surgeon on board)… they do it all! Everyone has to raise support to work on the ship, including the surgeons, and people from all over the world come to help… they even have African day workers (that obviously don’t need to pay)!
It is a refreshing change from last month in that it’s not all talk and no action. The only thing we did last month was preach, preach, and preach some more, which was good, but there was little substance to what came out of our mouths (even though I know seeds were planted and it will not return void). Mercy Ships understands the importance of being the hands and feet of Jesus, and how it’s not just talking about God’s love, but sharing and actually being the love of God. They also teach Africans the importance of hygiene, etc. so instead of going in and just giving them their needs (like most NGOs do), Mercy Ships gives them the tools they need and teaches them in order to impact and change Africa. I truly feel unbelievably blessed and amazed that I have been given the opportunity to help out on the ship because their vision to see change is incredible.
So you must be wondering what our role is considering we are no doctors! Well, we are basically missionaries to the missionaries. We have all been assigned different areas to help out in, Lindsay and I bringing our skills to the galley (kitchen). We chop, peel, and cut fruits & veggies all day long… literally… Monday- Friday, 9-5! After 6 months of having to eat whatever is placed in front of my face, it was a slight shock when I was told to discard bruised tomatoes, wilted lettuce, and over-ripe pineapple! Truthfully, it was almost hard to throw it away the first few days because I thought I was wasting it… crazy what living in 3rd world conditions will do to a person, haha :/!
At first, I was beating myself up for the fact that I am in Togo chopping up quality food on a ship for Westerners while in the middle of Africa with starving children who need help. Then I quickly remembered that I’m on a ship that is actually bringing needs that I, nor people on the race, can give. I remembered that my chopping skills are actually feeding the people who are being such a blessing to those in need. I was actually starting to convince myself that ministry was supposed to look a certain way, and if not done the way I portrayed it to be, then that meant I just wasn’t doing everything I was supposed to. So wrong! The truth is no matter what I’m doing, whether that be playing with kids at an orphanage or ministering to prostitutes in a bar or teaching English in a small village or even chopping vegetables, people are being blessed by however big or small the act is.
So I am on a ship being a missionary to missionaries. Ministry may not look the way “it’s supposed to look like,” but Jesus never gave a formula for serving people or loving on them. It may seem like what we’re doing is insufficient and futile, but I’m realizing nothing is too small or insignificant in being Kingdom to people.
Bring on the tomatoes!
