Thank you Beaumont Home Care

Well, God is so good and faithful...I am filled to overflowing with gratitude!! A huge thank you to my place of employment - Beaumont Home Care for your incredible support and encouragement. Yesterday my co-workers sent me off with a wonderful brunch and prayer time. Thank you chaplain Dennis Cole for your beautiful prayer. Thank you to all of my precious co-workers for rallying around me and supporting me. For praying for me, for encouraging me. Thank you for the VERY generous contribution to my Mercy Ship fund. All of your well wishes are appreciated. I will miss you all in the next few months - but I will be back soon. Each of you have played a part in getting me to Africa - thank you for sending me and I pray I represent you well.

So, my time of preparation is rapidly coming to an end and very soon I will get on a plane. I am spending these last days wrapping up final preparations and taking care of as many details as I can. I am heading to Grand Rapids this weekend - to say goodbye to my beloved West side friends. Also looking forward to a little rest and relaxation before I head out. Next week I am planning on final packing and spending time with my family - especially out on the lake fishing with my dad.

What will I be doing?

Friends,

The time is getting short and very soon I will be heading off to Liberia. I cannot believe that after all this time of dreaming and praying that it is finally here. I am so busy these days trying to wrap up all sorts of details. God is good though, because I have peace that everything that needs to get done will - and the rest can wait. I cannot wait to get there!! I cannot wait to finally see what I have been planning and dreaming for all this time.

So, I thought I might explain a litte bit of exactly what I will be doing in Liberia. From what I know, I will be working mostly as a ward nurse. The ship has 4 different wards or wings with different types of patients. Most all of the patients are on board the hospital ship because they have had some sort of surgery. For the patients that are children they are mostly recovering from surgeries like cleft palate repair, or tumor removals. Women patients have had surgeries to repair damage done during the child birth process or from rape. Other patients have also usually had tumor removal surgery, eye or dental surgeries. There is virtually no health care in Liberia so if you are a citizen in Liberia and you have some sort of ailment it usually goes left untreated. Many tumors that develop on patients faces are a result of no dental care. The tumor forms from an abscessed tooth that goes untreated. These tumors can grow very large and disfigure faces. Not only do these ailments cause physical problems, but they also cause social issues for those that suffer as well.

I will be working 8 hour and 12 hour shifts on the ward providing nursing care to children and adults. I will get 2 days off in a 2 week period and I will work days/afternoons/nights - whatever is needed. From what I have read I will receive 2 shifts of orientation to the wards and then on day #3 I will be on my own.

Visit mercyships.org and click on "stories" to read about peoples lives that have literally been changed by the healthcare received on board the ship.

Thank you again for joining me on this journey. I look forward to sharing many stories of amazing people that I meet in Liberia.

Krazy Karaoke at the Kubo...

What a wonderful and fun night at the Royal Kubo in Clawson. Last night was the Karaoke Fundraiser- and what a huge success!!! There are so many people to thank, I am filled with gratitude beyond words. I know you are probably tired of me saying that - but it is true. God's goodness has truly filled me to overflowing - because of you! Many many thanks to the amazing people at the Kubo, especially John (aka Paul) for taking such good care of us. We had a great night of food, drinks, plenty of karaoke and dancing. Thank you to the Kubo for your incredible generosity. For letting us make ourselves at home, for all the extras, and for cutting us a break. As I think of ALL the amazing things that happened yesterday - I could blog for days. But, I will spare you, and just share a few of the wonderful things that happened.

First of all, as of today I have exactly the amount needed to send me to Africa. It is an overwhelming feeling to know that God provides for us so well - through your generosity. It is truth that God loves and cares for us. When you step out in faith - God will more than meet your needs every time.

First, I must thank my precious girls who have supported me from the beginning of the whole Mercy Ship adventure. Thank you Jordon, Liv, Kate & Kendra for pulling this whole karaoke night together. For the planning, logistics, decor, ideas, etc. We all know I could not have done this without you!!! Thank you for believing in me and for supporting me in so many ways.

A BIG thank you to those of you who "worked" the event. No one worked the crowd better than MC Doug. With his cute hat and red tie - he was a true master of ceremonies and master of all rap songs that can be karaoked. Thank you to Kathy, Alli, Sarah, Tracy, Carrie & Virg for working the sign-in table, etc. Thank you Mark & Bart for all of your behind the scenes support. Also Alli & Dave for capturing all the great moments on camera. On second thought, once I see the pictures I might not be thanking you- but nevertheless I am grateful for capturing the memories.

And a huge thank you to the people out at the Waterford Hills race track. What an amazing story - my brother surprising me by fundraising on my behalf at the race track where he races his mustang. Thank you to the amazing people out at Waterford Hills Racing who raised over $1,100.00 on my behalf. Most of these people I do not even know - but I cannot wait to meet you when I return in August. Go to this link http://waterfordhills.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=4866#4866 to read the post my brother put on the Waterford Hills bulletin board that stirred the generosity of so many. I am blessed beyonds words that God gave me you for a brother, Bob!!

Also, there were two amazing stories of people coming all the way from Florida to join us at the Kubo last night. My parents friends Rose & Norm- I am proud to say they are now my friends as well. They live part time in Florida - and flew home early- changed their flight from Tuesday in order to be in town last night to be at the Kubo to surprise me. How amazing is that?? Who leaves Florida early to come to Michigan? Some wonderful people - that's who. And our beloved Kathy - who recently moved to Florida, but made it home to go camping with our small group and rock it out at the Kubo as well. Kathy thank you for coming home to us...even if it was just for a long weekend. Thank you for making this night very special by your presence.

And I cannot forget my amazing co-workers...all my nurse friends from Beaumont. I LOVE that you guys came and partied down...and some husbands too! Ok, so someone paid to get us to stop singing- but what fun it was while it lasted. Thank you Linda for making MORE jewelry and selling it too - and for bringing friends with you! I know we were all tired at work this morning - but it was worth it.

And a thank you also to the two guys sitting at the bar that were not a part of our "party". They contributed at least $20 to get some people to stop singing! The people of Africa thank you!!!

I do want to thank EVERYONE that came out to the Kubo. What a great night of fun and celebration. I love that we could come together to have so much fun and that in doing so we are loving people on another continent. By sending me to Africa, you are a huge part of God's love displayed to the people I will meet and care for while in Liberia. It takes a community of people to make things happen and I am so grateful to God for you!

Well, please stay tuned as I will post some pictures of the karaoke night - some pictures to surely make you laugh.

Love you all,
Jen

Pressing On...

Well, I can hardly believe that a dream of a lifetime is about to come to pass for me. I am excited, scared, excited, nervous, mostly excited and honored to get this opportunity. I feel like I have a lot of little things to get done in the next 3 1/2 weeks and then the real fun/challenge will begin. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me in so many ways. Especially my friend/co-worker Linda who has been making jewelry and selling it and contributing 100% of her profits to my mission. Thank you, Linda!!

This coming weekend is the blow-out karaoke/dance party fun fest fundraiser. I hope anyone and everyone can join us at the Royal Kubo!

This week I have also spent some time wrapping up some loose ends - reading my Mercy Ship info and all the fine print to make sure I haven't missed anything. Heading back to the Travel Health clinic one more time (hopefully).

I am looking forward to a short camping trip this weekend with my beloved girls of my small group. How wonderful to take a break from the hectic-ness that is going on right now to enjoy friends, nature, and have some time to be in solitude and prayer. Girls -I am looking forward to it!!!!!

Africa Mercy

Well, I have just one month to go before I head out to live and work aboard the Mercy Ship named the Africa Mercy. Everyone has been asking me what will life be like living and working aboard a ship. I have seen some photos of the ship, but really I haven't had a good idea of exactly what I am about to embark on. On the Mercy Ships website I came across a really great video tour of the ship I will be on. If you are interested in viewing the video click the link below. The video is about 17 minutes long, but is well worth it. The video is hosted by Don Stephens - the founder of the Mercy Ships organization. The video shows all the main parts of the ship including living quarters and the hospital area. It also really conveys the heart of the mission of Mercy Ships - to serve the poorest of the poor by following the example of Jesus Christ.

Click on this link to watch a fantastic tour of where I will be living.

I hope you will take the time to watch the video. Everytime I watch it I get tears in my eyes - I am so excited to get to partner with such a worthwhile organization. And, let me just say thank you again to all of you - for your support of me and the Mercy Ships. Thank you for partnering with me to follow the example of Jesus Christ - to love others.

Typhoid, Tetanus, and Yellow Fever too!!!

Hello friends,
Just checking in to let everyone know the progress of my trip preparations. I am now completely vaccinated against such things as Yellow Fever, Diphtheria, Pertusis, Menigitis...the list could go on and on :) Thanks to the Interhealth Travel Clinic at Beaumont for their knowledge and skills. I am now able to go almost anywhere in the world for the next ten years! Also this past week I have finalized my itinerary and purchased my plane tickets. So no turning back, which is a good thing because I am only getting more and more excited. The karaoke fundraiser events (one in Clawson and one in Grand Rapids) are also planned.
My thoughts over the past few weeks have been all over the map. I have been anxious, excited, worried, calm - all in a 24hr period. But mostly, I have this immense gratitude for everyone of my community of friends and family that are rallying around me to get me on my way. Also, my thoughts have been on the people of Liberia that I will get to work with. People that have endured years of civil war that has ended only within the past 5 years. People that are survivors on a level that I cannot even comprehend. I consider it a privilege and a gift to be able to serve them. Thank you also for being a part of serving Liberia with me. Jen

Wave of Gratitude...

Well it has been a long time since my last post. Thanks to my good friend Tracy, this blog has gotten a much needed makeover! I am filled with immense gratitude as the journey to the Mercy Ship has reached warp -speed. I have less than 2 months to go before I head out and so much to do. So, it is with a grateful heart that I say thank you to all of my friends, my family, my co-workers who have offered support, encouragement, and practical help. So many people are stepping up to the plate to make my dream a reality. I could not make this happen without you. I thank God that He allows us to join Him in the work that He is doing in this world, and I thank God for providing me with a community of people that have gathered around me to make this happen. Stay tuned for many more details and stories of my road to the Mercy Ship. Love, Jen