Hello Ship, it's nice to finally meet you :)

Despite the frequent pinching of my arm and rubbing of my eyes, I am writing this blog from the fifth deck of the African Mercy. A small troop of girls and I are typing away on our respective laptops in this air conditioned lounge, and to my left are two large portholes overlooking the guard post keeping a watchful eye...is this real life??

After two days and three flights, we were welcomed at the Conakry airport by a dozen smiling Mercy Ships crew members with Land Rovers, ready to deliver us to the ship. We rode through the city at night, taking in as much as we could in the dark. Traffic was as I remember African traffic to be - a fluid chaos free of street lamps or stop signs, full of potholes and puddles, and always good for an adrenaline check. Thankfully we arrived at the docks in one piece and walked the gangplank to the place that will serve as our home for the next four months.

So far we've been onboard a grand total of 24 hours and, without sounding like I'm jumping the gun, I already love it here. Truly. Everyone greets you with a smile, some introduce themselves spontaneously, probably knowing what it feels like to be new to this working family. And a large family it is - as of now there are nearly 330 crew living here, with another +20 to be added next weekend. They seem to have this community down to a science, and have filled this week with various orientations and trainings to show us the ropes (pun intended a little, hehe).

We spent today getting settled into our cabin, setting up logistics onboard (finances & internet), and learning the lay of the land. This ship is pretty amazing. There are eight floors/decks, several staircases, and even more ways to get turned around. Apparently blue staircases and red staircases differentiate the bow from aft (yep, learning some ship lingo too), but I still have to double take down certain hallways. There is a large dining hall, a meeting lounge, a "town square" in the center of the ship and a variety of unexpected excitements - a small library, a hair dresser, and even a coffee shop (bet you can't guess what it is). What I've been most impressed with is the way community is so valued and encouraged. They literally fling opportunities at you to get involved as ship life gets rolling. And the all-crew meeting tonight ended with worship in both English and Guinean-French, which put the biggest smile on my face.

Sorry this is short, but I really need to attempt sleep. It's past 11pm local time, I am currently wide awake, and they want us up at 7am...this may be a process :) But we are so thankful to be here, sleep or not. It's been a long time coming.

A time to uproot

I've always taken issue with finality. 

Ask anyone who knows me well and they'll tell you - I don't like having no choices left. I like to believe that possibilities are endless, that choosing one road doesn't negate another, that if I change my mind I can go anywhere and do anything. 

I hate feeling trapped.

So now, as we pack our bags for this long-awaited journey, 

I can feel that familiar recoil in my stomach. 

My hands tremble a little as I zip that last suitcase shut. 

This is it.

We will get in the car, and this whole thing will be in motion. 

In fact, the dominos have already begun to fall, 

there is no changing where they will inevitably lead us. 

So my insides panic a little. 

Instinctively. 

And my mind battles a mile a minute 

to ward off the myriad of fearful questions 

that could undermine the years of purpose that have led us here:

What if we get there and it's horrible?

What if I miss home?

What if we're not ready?

What if I don't really want this?

But my heart already knows.

There is no turning back. 

My soul embraced this path long ago, 

and the coming to fruition is all the more beautiful

because it is frightening.

It is decisive.

It is final.

I know in my "knower" that this is our time to uproot, 

to leave all that is familiar and home-like,

to allow this miracle to happen. 

We are meant to encounter the suffering.

We are meant to see the hard things.

We are meant to rub our hearts raw on the aching parts of this world. 

And it could ruin us, in the most beautiful ways. 

So while my tears betray me, my heart beats loudly for a place we've never been and a people we've never met. There will always be a home to return to, but right now is not the time for us to plant. 

Right now is our time to uproot.

Thank you to everyone in the Northwest who made time to see us before we left! We miss you already. While onboard the ship we will have internet, so you can bet I'll be blogging about our journey! 
Please keep us in your prayers, and if you fancy writing, we would love to hear from you!
Patrick & Emily McHenry
Mercy Ships IOC
M/V Africa Mercy - Surgical Ward
PO Box 2020, Lindale TX
75771-2020 USA

Precious days in the Pacific Northwest

Sorry for my recent silence: August has been full in all the best of ways :)

A little over two weeks ago, my husband and I packed up our lives for the third time this year and began the long journey from East coast to West. We left Baltimore on the first and headed north, making a much-anticipated visit to our dear friends in Connecticut. After many laughs, good meals, conversations, and yes a few tears, we aimed toward the Pacific and away we went!

The mighty Jeep

We set a pace of about 7-9 hours of driving a day, which turned out great! The first day took us through New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio - Lots to greenery, a fair amount of other drivers, and plenty of road tolls. (Cleveland is awesome, ps) The next day we swept under the Great Lakes through Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Land became increasingly flat, traffic came to a halt outside Chicago, and then we hit farm country as far as the eye could see. Still interesting, but less varied for sure. The next day however, it began to really get sparse...Minnesota turned to South Dakota, the state that never ends (isn't that supposed to be Montana?). No green as far as the eye can see. It was beautiful prairie, and the sky was about as big as it gets, but driving into it felt slightly daunting. 

South Dakota expanse

We made a few side stops in SD, including Wall Drug (for my dad) and Mt. Rushmore, which made this the longest day of our journey. The next day we crossed into Wyoming; slightly more dry, slightly more depressing, lol. Thank goodness for the Olympics. Watching all the prime time American golds was our end-of-the-day treat :) The following day we entered Montana - TREES!! We spent one final night in Missoula before arriving in Spokane on the sixth.

You'd think after six days and a few thousand miles on the road that we'd both be over this whole traveling thing, but since arriving in Washington we've just kept going!

The road hasn't affected us one bit...

First stop: Spokane! Not much has changed here, but this endears it to me all the more. I love that I can still walk the same streets of the South Hill to my favorite coffee shop and find the same treats. I love that we can drive ten minutes in any direction and find a friend's home. We've enjoyed a few lazy days and fellowship-filled evenings. It's not hard to see why this town holds a special place in our hearts.

You know where I am, Spokane

Made a pie with this lovely lady!

Rolled around with these two sillies

Shared a porch with this great couple!

Next stop was Kennewick, where my parents live. We got to play with our new Jeep (which I lovingly refer to as our Transformer), taking the whole top off or the first time - now that's big kid fun :)

Daddy Creek!

With them, we made a quick trek to Vancouver to visit my grandfather. He showed Pat his B17 replica, and told us his plans for building a model train track around the top of his game room. This man is in his 80's and still at it. *Love 

Gpa Creek, Daddy Creek, and Hus-man :)

Shortly after, we made our way over the Cascades to visit the Emerald City. Every time I go to Seattle, I wish for a moment that I didn't have to leave. It's all so inviting - the beautiful city, the water on all sides, Rainier to the south - and of, course the people. We were blessed to stay with our friends, the Houghtalings, and see many whom we've missed in our travels. We got to have breakfast with and hug a fellow traveler from Baltimore (she loves Seattle now too!). We wandered thru Pike's Place, taking in the smells of fresh flowers and the catch of the day. We savored clam chowder while sitting on the pier. We went out and played trivia with a bunch of Pat's friends - all great guys, all poor historians, lol. And one fine day we took a ferry to Whidbey Island with two of my favorite ladies, exploring its many beaches and Deception Pass. I'm gonna be honest - I miss this.

Miner - rock skipper extraordinaire!

Connolly - delightful as ever

Hiking around Deception Pass.
Must have seen something deceiving...

On the island, looking west

In short (or length, rather) - we have been soaking up every corner of Washington. 

And now it's time.

In a week, my husband and I will be traveling to West Africa, where we will live and work for four months. It's strange to say that 'out loud', but we couldn't be more excited! Two years in the making, and the long awaited moment is nearly upon us. Go time... 

(For a recap of that story, visit my past posts here and here)

I know this last week is going to go by much too quickly, but I'm so glad that we have these moments at all - that we can soak up these people and places and take them with us in our hearts. God knows what waits for us on that ship, and I'm so thankful that He's given us this time of repose before the big leap.