I'm have arrived!!

Hello all,

I have arrived. Myself and 17 other new crew members got here last night about 9:00 PM which was only 30 minutes later than anticipated. It was snowing in Paris so the plane had to be de-iced. After customs, which took forever, we where taken to the ship. We had one interesting moment when we lost the lead car, a road we where trying to take was blocked, and our drivers did not know how to get to the ship, but then the lead car found us. For those of you who have never been in an area with a lot of scooters, that means that we dodged and tried to avoid running down multiple vehicles. The scooter are actually used as taxis and have a name which of course I have forgotten. According to Tim (our driver who has just started a 2 year stint on the AFM) it was much better than when they had driven to the airport a few hours earlier.

Speaking of names, I am trying to be good with names, you know how they say to connect the name with something? Of course I am "my Bonnie lies over the ocean", then there is Ragnar...a young dentist. After the 4th time I asked for his name, he said remember rags. Well then I couldn't remember the last of his name.....it was late which I will use as an excuse but truly, I have a hard time with names...he reminded me that the first of his name was ra and the last was ar. Thereafter as we were introduced to people...being my helpful self...I would tell everyone how they could remember his name. Marlee became Sur la Mar (which means on the sea) and Lee which is a ships term, Annette became A Net, again a ship connection....and on and on.

We have the weekend off, then things start heating up Monday. I have orientation...multiple orientations...meetings, setting up the wards, etc. Next Thursday and Friday are the screening days. I am of the understanding that at that time all of the surgeries for the entire outreach will be decided. Please pray for all that come. There will be some that cannot be helped.

Living on a ship will take some getting used to (as I'm sure my cousin Pam who served in the Navy can attest to). As I sit here, the ship is slowly rocking back and forth. Earlier today I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not....but no..it definitely moves. We are only allowed 2 minute showers so you get wet, turn off the water and soap up, then turn on and rinse. I'll need to remember starboard, lee, aft, etc...I would explain the terms but have forgotten them myself already...seems I'm doing a lot of forgetting! I will have to learn to be much more orginized than is my nature as there is such little living space. Horror of horrors, the captain inspects each room at least once a week so they must be shipshape all the time. I can do all things through Christ: )

I had to be up before 9 this AM and must bless my roommates for awakening me otherwise I would have missed breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is served until 9 on Saturday and lunch materials are placed out at that time. I went to bed at 1AM last night after being awake for 36 hours (following a short sleep night). And then of course, couldn't fall asleep. Ended up taking Benadryl. Thanks goodness, the bunks are very comfortable and once I fell asleep had no problem remaining that way. In fact, I wonder if my roommates hadn't been trying to wake me up for awhile before I finally got up as I dreamed that I needed to get up and go to breakfast before I became conscience. There is room for 6 in my room which is just down the deck from the hospital wards....are we talking shortest commute ever!! There are already 3 crew plus myself. Tomorrow Linda from the UK arrives and she will be sleeping over me in the top bunk. I'll try and post pictures later. I have to register my laptop with IS before I can use it on the ship so am not sure at this time how to get pictures off my camera and on the web....more learning.

God is good all the time.....