A beautiful sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.
Leaving our dock in Tenerife behind. The last view of land for the next 9 days.
Today we set sail for Benin, West Africa, to spend the next 9 days at sea. This trumpeter on the dock bid us farewell to the tunes of "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace". Quite a moving departure. 
Sweet Lodgings
Caught up in a sandstorm at Las Teresitas Beach
The Tenerife Polar Bear Club
Lynn and Ginger take the plunge! 
When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth. 
One of the great joys of this experience is meeting, living and serving with people from 35 countries aboard the Africa Mercy Ship. Multiple languages are heard being spoken and one can dine with a Norweigan, Nepalese, Nigerian and Nebraskan all at the same meal. I'm enjoying learning all sorts of new words and expressions. Jane from Ireland referred to our walk into town for a meal as a "wee dander into Tenerife Town." I learned that operating rooms in England are referred to as "theaters" and bathing suits "costumes". Terry from Australia assured us we would see some "fabulous abscesses" in Africa. I've started a quote book because these words and phrases simply must be recorded and remembered.
Under the inspiration of Ralph Macchio, we nocturnal, jetlagged nurses stripped, mopped and waxed the floors of the dining hall. In the words of Mr. Miyagi, "Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe, very important." Breathing is very important in this line of work, Mr. Miyagi, but may I suggest taking the wax off before putting the wax on and only breathing in through your mouth?
From Boston to Frankfurt to the Island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain! At last this seagull has landed and begun life aboard the Africa Mercy Ship.
Amazing to be reunited with my friend Ginger here in the Canary Islands of all places! We met over 4 years ago as fellow nursing students in California at a training program on caring for the spiritual needs of patients. At that time, we discovered we shared a common dream: to serve as nurses aboard a Mercy Ship one day. Today this dream has come true, an example of God's faithfulness. Ginger will be working as an operating room nurse while I will be working in the patient ward.
This airplane safety instruction placard had me laughing out loud just before takeoff. While flat-heeled shoes ARE acceptable, high heels will not be tolerated as they will puncture the inflatable slide/life raft. All of this becomes even all the more funny when explained in German.
Greetings! Thank you for visiting! I have created this photojournal to share my adventures with you while serving as a nurse with Mercy Ships aboard the Africa Mercy ship in Benin, West Africa.
