Spread the Love

Hello, friends!

Today’s blog will look a little different than usual and possibly a little shorter as well. Why? Well, that is due to Ruben and me being completely swamped in wedding preparations.

Yes, you read that right! We are getting married this summer!

 

 

On our trip home in December Ruben proposed to me in one of my favorite places near his hometown in the Netherlands and we had a lovely time with his family and visiting his church where Ruben gave a presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on the ship, we celebrated Christmas with our ship friends and welcomed the new year in style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruben tried surfing for the first time in his life and he did really well!
Guess this will become a sight more often …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyways, times are busy, and there’s always something going on but we are doing well!

In April we will be home for some more wedding preparations and are looking forward to having a break from the busy schedule here on the ship.

I will leave you with a thought that I wrote down this morning, that comes straight from my heart as Ruben and I will be extending our service with Mercy Ships for at least two more years.  In the link below you find a video that Kat Sotolongo, one of our very talented Videographers, put together and was what prompted my thoughts this morning.

Spread the LOVE

 

When I first started working with Mercyships in 2015, it completely changed my view on Patient care.

I had never experienced the impact it made to show respect and love to a patient that had been outcast from their home because their medical condition was perceived as a curse by their families.

I remember exactly the first time I realized this when I held a ladies’ hand in Madagascar that was suffering from a Fistula that she had developed during childbirth. She was in labor too long, the child got stuck in the birth canal and died in her womb. The birth process had left her leaking urine for over 20 years, all due to the lack of access to timely, safe and affordable surgical care.
Her family had sent her away because they couldn’t stand the smell and she wasn’t able to work hard anymore.

She was living as an outcast, having to just survive for all this time, every single day, being completely deprived of any support or social contact.

When I held her hand that day before her surgery, her tears flowed like a waterfall and her eyes regained a spark of hope.

On this day this beautiful lady received so much more than „just a surgery“. I will never forget her shining face when she received new clothes and we celebrated her return to society. There were tears again, but this time they were pure joy.

That day she got her life back, after over 20 years of pain and suffering.

I am so thankful to be a part of this amazing organization and am looking forward to what the future holds!

Women celebrating at an OBF Dress Ceremony.
Hospital chaplain Clementine Tengue dressing one of the OBF patient for the ceremony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pictures do not show the lady I was talking about above, but another beautiful story behind a beautiful face…