"why are you on a big ship?"

last night i talked to my nephew connor and oldest niece alyssa. connor said, "aunt nai, are you living on a big ship? but why? why are you living on a big ship?" alyssa just asked if i was on a ship yet. how do you explain to an almost 5 year old and almost 3 year old why you have moved half way across the world to live on a big ship? why you can't be there for their birthday and Christmas and why you didn't answer the phone when they called to talk to you earlier in the week?

but as to why i'm here...because Jesus led me here. it is that simple. and that difficult as well.

let me tell you about work here. for those of you at home who know what it is like to be a nurse, forget all that. yes, i give medications and take vital signs and draw blood and start iv's but beyond that, it is so different. the pace is so much slower. the focus is different. the focus isn't on getting tasks done but about building relationships with the patients and throwing the tasks in somewhere in all that. we start and end our shifts with prayer. if we take a patient to the operating room, we sit down and pray with the patient and o.r. team before they go back to surgery. a morning shift consists of early morning cares followed by morning devotionals led by our translators and counselors. it is not at all unusual for the patients/translators/counselors and us staff to sing and dance during devotionals! (i have learned some great african praise songs) then we play a Bible movie. afternoon shift starts with those who are able going out on the dock or deck 7 port side to enjoy fresh air. then we may do a craft or another movie followed by dinner and evening cares. night shift is even more slow b/c the patients are usually just recovering so not a lot of tasks to do in the middle of the night.

i cannot express well how much the atmosphere of prayer and the praise in the middle of my shift thrills me. so different from home. and i wonder how we get along at home without it.