Christmas, Sailing, and Snow

Over the Christmas holidays things had been laying low as the school was closed and several people were away. Since I remained on the ship over the holidays, I saw people come and go, as some crew members departed while new crew arrived. Now that the Africa Mercy is on its way to Togo and Mercy-Shippers around the world are preparing for the field service, I thought it would be nice to hear how some people's holiday was. I've asked about ten random people to answer some questions about their Christmas break.

Some people were able to go home during the holidays. Melissa Strimbolis, the ship's Ward Clinical Educator, for example, enjoyed spending the first Christmas with her family in Pennsylvania since 2006.
Esther Both, a ward nurse from the Netherlands, took great pleasure in her nephews and niece jumping on her bed the morning after she arrived at home. "...the best alarm clock I ever had!" Both explained. When asked what she did not particularly enjoy, Esther said it was having to say goodbye to her friends and family after a wonderful three weeks with them. "I caused some local rain at the airport," Esther joked.
Academy Student Alanah Palmer enjoyed spending Christmas at home in Canada with her friends, cousins, grandma & papa, aunts & uncles, etc. Coming from the snowy Ontario, Alanah adjusted well to the heat of Togo when she and her family arrived in Togo ahead of the Africa Mercy three weeks ago.

Some crewmembers, like our Dining Room Manager Mary Lou Malsby, did quite some traveling over the Christmas break. Malsby visited Florida, Kentucky, and Georgia, where she visited friends and family. In particular, Mary Lou enjoyed seeing her grandchildren.
Tim Benson, from Australia, visited Turkey, Bulgaria, and England. When asked for a highlight of his break, Benson replyed: "On Christmas day my brother and I met up with an Australian family in Bulgaria and we went and played a game of cricket in the park behind the world's second largest statue of Mary holding baby Jesus."
The Yangas family traveled to England to visit parents and grandparents. They spent most of their holidays with Rachel Yangas's brother and his family in Zambia. When asking chaplain Rachel about her time, she said she thoroughly enjoyed visiting her brother's family in their current home. Her sons also learnt some useful life skills, as five-year-old Daniel caught his first fish.
Susan Parker and her family of four spent a week in Switzerland making more than enough snowmen and learning how to ski.

Sarah Adams, the Speaker Co-ordinator from the Mercy Ships UK office, enjoyed taking some time off to spend with her friends.
IOC Graphic Design Co-ordinator Jennifer Willis spent her Christmas at home in Texas with her family. Though she had pneumonia a week before Christmas, a special experience with her son compensated for the illness. When Jennifer told her son that "things were a little 'tight' this year and...I would not be able to get him as many gifts", the twelve-year-old eighth grader selflessly replied, "Mom it's ok, I know Christmas isn't about the gifts, it's about celebrating Jesus' birth, and being with family."

Leah Fiechter, dental sterilizer and former receptionist, remained on the ship in Tenerife for the holidays. She thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas Day brunch, as did many others who were aboard, like former Chief Engineer Pete Johnson. A number of crew, including Lindsay Howitt, enjoyed exploring Tenerife, hiking the Teide and strolling along the beaches. Shelly Davies' children Luke and Megan made several visits to the big local park. Naomi Myers from South Africa enjoyed celebrating Spain's Three Kings' Day, "seeing the 3 Kings on their camels, Roman soldiers on horseback and some soldiers walking with their flamed torches" was really a highlight for her and her family.

As the holidays have come to an end, we remember the fun relaxing times we had with friends and family in various nations around the world. And as the Togo outreach has come to a start, we look forward to six months full of new exciting experiences that God has in store for us.
Out of the fourteen people interviewed, ten saw snow over the holidays (from blizzards to flakes)