Aurevoir Lome!

After six wonderful months, the Africa Mercy lifted its anchor and we sailed away from Togo.  As we were getting ready to leave, the captain made the announcement and he prayed for this country and for our journey. His prayer was full of gratitude and love for this place; he said the words that were stuck in my throat, the words that my sadness did not let me express.

Tonight as I gazed up to the sky, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and enjoyed the Milky Way, the Northern Cross, the constellation of Cassiopeia, Jupiter, a UFO (it really was), and amazing shooting stars, I look back at what we left in Lome, and the lives that were touched, and changed by this big white floating hospital. So many stories, so many challenges, so much heartache, but even more beauty. Friendships that were made, on and off the ship, places we discovered, the things we learned, about others, about ourselves, about God and his wonderful mercy, his unconditional love and how He has chosen me, ME! The smallest of all, to be his servant, to be part of his perfect will.

Northern Cross

Togo has changed me, confronted me, surprised me. I have laughed, cried, danced, loved. There were times when I was ready to give up, and then the loving mercy of my Father gave me strength to keep going. Sometimes I felt lost, sometimes I felt I belonged, trying every day to remember that, even in those moments when I though I couldn’t go on, I am right where God wants me to be, and live up to the call I have received.

Thanks to all of you that support me financially, I couldn’t do this without you. May your generosity and kindness be rewarded, may God open the heavens and pour down his blessings over you. Thanks to all of you that are constantly praying for me, I can feel your prayers; I can see your prayers becoming real in my day-to-day life. Thanks for your calls, your emails, your Facebook posts, for taking the time to chat with me and talk about nothing and about everything. Know that when I’m at my worse I think about y’all and it brings comfort to my heart.

Today, I saw Togo for the last time, and South Africa is on the horizon. I don’t know what is waiting for me at the end of these two weeks of Atlantic Ocean, but I have great expectations. Today I realized, once again, that everything has an end, and that is good, because an ending is just an indication of something new, something different, and those endings and beginnings are what make us who we are, and no one can take away from us those real things that we have lived so intensely.

Taken when I was having dinner

I hope that in your life you leave “your Togo” with a grateful heart, even if it’s sad, then enjoy the majestic Ocean and the beauty and peace that it brings, and once you get to your new port, I hope you have an open heart to receive what is waiting there for you.

* More pics at the end.

Entrando a mar abierto

Despues de seis maravillosos meses, el Africa Mercy levanto su ancla y salimos de Togo. Cuando estabamos preparandonos para salir, el capitan hizo un anuncio y dijo una oracion por este pais y por nuestro viaje. Su oracion llena de gratitude y amor por este lugar, expreso las palabras que mi tristeza tenia trabadas en mi garganta.        

Esta noche, al contemplar el firmamento en medio del Oceano Atlantico, y disfrutar de la Via Lactea,  la Cruz del Norte, la constelacion de Cassiopeia, Jupiter un OVNI (de veras que era uno) e increibles estrellas fugaces, puedo volver atras y ver aquello que quedo en Lome, las vidas que fueron tocadas y transformadas por este gran hospital blanco flotante. Tantas historias, tantos retos, mucho dolor pero aun mucha mas belleza. Los relaciones que surgieron, dentro y fuera del barco, los lugares descubiertos, las cosas aprendidas, sobre los demas, sobre nosotros mismos, sobre Dios y su maravillosa misericordia, su amor incondicional y como ha decidido escogerme a mi, A MI!! la mas pequena de todos, para servirle, para ser parte de su perfecta voluntad.

Cruz del Norte

Togo me cambio, me confronto, me sorprendio. He reido, llorado, bailado, he amado. Hubo momentos cuando queria rendirme, y luego la amorosa misericordia de mi Padre me daba Fortaleza para seguir. A veces me sentia perdida, a veces sentia que pertenecer, tratando cada dia de recordar que, aun en esos momentos donde no podia mas, estoy exactamente donde Dios quiere que este, y vivir a la altura del llamado que he recibido.

Gracias a todos lo que me apoyan economicamente, no podria hacer esto sin ustedes. Que su generosidad y bondad sea recompensada, que Dios abra los cielos y deje caer sus bendiciones sobre ustedes. Gracias a todos los que continuamente oran por mi, puedo sentir sus oraciones, y veo como sus oraciones se materializan en mi dia a dia. Gracias por sus llamdas, sus emails, sus mensajes en Facebook, por tomarse el tiempo de chatear conmigo y hablar de nada y de todo. Sepan que en mis peores momentos, pienso en  ustedes y encuentro consuelo.

Tomada mientras cenaba

Hoy vi Togo por ultima vez, y Sud Africa esta en el horizonte. No se lo que me espera al final de estas dos semanas de Oceano Atlantico, pero tengo expectativas enormes.. Hoy me di cuenta, una vez mas, que todo tiene un final, y eso es bueno, porque un final es solamente un indicativo de algo Nuevo, algo diferente, y esos finales y esos comienzos son los que nos convierten en quienes somos, y nadie puede robarnos esas cosas tan reales que hemos vivido tan intensamente.

Espero que en sus vidas salgan de “su Togo” con un corazon agradecido, aunque traiga tristeza, luego disfruten de la majestuosidad del Oceano, y de la belleza y la paz que regala, y una vez que lleguen a su nuevo puerto, espero que tengan su corazon abierto para lo que les esta esperando en ese lugar.

TOGO

View from the bow/ Vista de la proa

Peace/ Paz