Here in Liberia

I have arrived on the Mercy ship here in Liberia! It's cozy and nicer than I expected. I am still adjusting a little to the time change but I slept pretty well last night. It's neat to look outside the window and see the ships going by. We just had a nice tour of the ship. And now I am sitting in the internet cafe.

I'm going to unpack and get settled in my cabin, so hopefully I can update with pictures later!

Well, I am still in Belgium for another day. My flight was delayed 24 hours and I am safe and sound at Sodehotel (not the same I stayed in last night), and I get all my meals until tomorrow, at least everyone was nice and even checked my bags early so i don't have to carry them around.

I met a very nice couple here who are also headed to the Mercy ship, and their room is on the same floor as mine.

Well, got to go for now! Thanks to everyone who is praying for me!

Well I arrived at my hotel in Brussels, Belgium. It was a long day and a half of traveling so far. A stretching experience to do it alone... and a learning experience... I will never bring 2 heavy carry-on's again! And with no wheels at that (duh des), Its too much work! My flight out of JFK was delayed by 1 1/2 hours. So I felt a little rushed in London, catching my connecting flight- but I made it!!

I did not know that they served dinner on an overnight flight! I was trying to sleep and they kept asking what we wanted to eat. I thought there would be more sleeping. Needless to say I am here in Belgium and the hotel is very nice and cute in more of a downtown area... so I "can see Belgium" a little and sleep. I am ready for bed. I am 6 hours ahead of NY time while in Belgium.


Well I will head out to Liberia tomorrow- one more flight! Yey!

50 pounds each

Well, my bags are finally packed, and weigh in about 50 pounds each (we'll see when we get to JFK how accurate my grandparents bathroom scale is)... my stuff is finally settled in at my grandparents house, and I'm ready to get this show on the road. :)

We are planning on getting to NYC a few hours early which should decrease the stress level, and then take an airport shuttle to JFK. :)

I thank God for facebook! I've met 2 girls so far that recently arrived on the ship and they've been able to give me some tips for packing and just reassurance as to what to expect! One of them is will be my roommate and she is from Rochester, NY.

I finished my online orientation, and in the future, I will try to edit my pictures for all of you out there who are not in the medical feild. It's very intersting to me to learn about the different things out there.

I am tired from packing but I hope to write some more in Belgium, if not, you will hear from me as I settle into my cozy cabin space aboard the Africa Mercy! :)
I would like to leave you with a quote by Henry Scougal:
" Never doth a soul know what solid joy and substantial pleasure is till, once being weary of itself, it renounces all property and gives itself up to the author of its being."

That being said, I want to enjoy this journey! :) God is my keeper and in Him I will trust!

Getting Ready

FYI: Donations to my work on Mercy Ships can be made online now on the Mercy Ships webpage. This is the direct link https://secure.mercyships.org/webinfo/staffsupport and I am listed there, Desiree Cabot. So far, God has provided $2,965 to fund my trip! Thank you to everyone who has contributed, and thank you to everyone who supports me in other ways!

As an update, my initial budget was anticipated to be $6,200. Total amount needed now: $5,200. :) That puts me at about 57% of my budget. More than half!

I've been doing an online orientation for Mercy Ships and it's pretty neat. I think I am going to learn a lot... Some things I've found interesting so far, is that Honey is sometimes used on wounds on the ship, we teach patients how to mix their own saline using boiled water and salt. Noma is something I've never heard of before, but apparently it is a disease sort of like gangrene that effects the mouth and nose. It usually affects children age 2-5, and is usually found in malnourished children or children with other sicknesses such as malaria, TB, ect. If the person lives, they have disfiguring scars, that are not only cosmetic but can also cause problems eating, ect. Here are some examples from sources other than mercy ships:

Another patient I read about was a boy who lived in Ethiopia as a street child. He had been attacked by a hyiena when he was small. His head was disfugured, and a european who found the boy in Ethiopia brought him to the Mercy Ship where he had reconstructive surgery.

I think this trip is going to change me, and help me look at the world as more than what we see here in the US. In some ways, we really have no clue about the rest of the world. We do not know how good we have it.

In other ways, we still have human suffering... I see it in the hospital here-medicine does not have all the answers, even when money is no option and the best of the best hosptials are accessable. Bad things still happen. We live in an imperfect world. But I know that in the midst of it, God wants to reveal His goodness to us.

Here is a great video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZI2gOBvBHk about God speaking to us through all the things in our lives.

In 9 days I leave for Africa!

Wow! I'm so blessed! This weekend God just provided for me in miraculous ways financially. I'm so thankful! It was really encouraging to spend time with my friend Lisa and her family, and to see my friend Liju before I leave. All my friends have been so supportive. Thank you!

And this morning, I spoke with the woman who has been coordinating my stay on Mercy Ships. It was so nice to talk to her in person. She reassured me a lot about what to expect when I get to Liberia. She is sending me my visa, which I was getting a little nervous about over the weekend, as I only have 1 1/2 weeks left. Some emails were getting lost somewhere, but at least its all good now.

I arrive on the Mercy Ship on a Friday, so I will have the weekend to sleep/ adjust to the time change. I will be 4 hours ahead of NY time. I leave NY on Aug 27th and arrive in Liberia on the 29th.

This week I am packing and moving, and praying!

Peace

As I start to pack up my room in preparation for moving out, it is becoming more real that I will be leaving soon. I've started shopping for things I will need overseas, soap, hairdryer, personal products, ect. I've gotten my antimalarial pills. I've cancelled some doctors appointments, and I have 8 days of work left.

And I have a strange peace that God is taking care of everything. I can't help but talk about God in these blogs. I'm lost without God. I don't deserve his love for me, but I can feel it. He is alive and he is the one leading me to Liberia. At first glance, it may appear I am a great humanitarian or I am a good person, but my motivation is the Love of God! God is not pleased with me for going on a mercy ship or serving the poor, he is pleased with me because I believe in and trust in his son Jesus, who died for the sins of human kind. But God delights in doing good to people and it will be cool to see people getting needed surgeries. It's going to be so cool to live on a hospital ship in Africa! Anyone want to come with me?

Thank You to everyone who has supported me so far, with words of encouragement, financially and in prayer. I am sooo grateful!!!