Taking a chance to see more of Madagascar by hitting the road and travellung via public taxi-brouse.    

Stopping periodically on the road to lift up the front seat and fix a smoking engine, and then continuing on until the next "Fiddle with the Engine" stop.

Couldn't fit everyone in the frame, but there were at least 30 people in that 12 passenger bus at a time.  The back seats were taken out so that the people in the back could stand, allowing more room for more people to squeeze in.

A girl selling coffee and juice.

Narindra and friends visiting Antonio's hometown, Fenerive-Est.

Jean Gloria's family.  Gloria is a Malagasy day crew and works in the galley with me, and is one of my very good friends.  He brought his familly onboard to visit the ship, and it was such a privilege to get to know them all.

Totos (featured in the last blog-post) and his newborn son.  His english name is Ryan.  

       Mercy Ships works with local schools, orphanages, and many other organizations that are positive for the community.  The Semato Deaf School is a place where love and grace live together.  The teachers there express a huge drive for the students' learning and well-being; fueling respect where it is lacking, and giving hope for a future that may seem hopeless.  The students are wonderful.  A Bible lesson, some extensive and surprisingly in-depth crafts, and outside games all centered around one important thing: that those children are loved.  All that our job consists of is showing this love, in Christ's name, in Mercy Ships' name, and in the name of humanity.

So then, is it not your job to do the same?

       You don't have to go to Africa.  You don't have to leave your city.  And with social media, you don't even have to leave your computer.  In your daily life, you can show love.  As a human being, alive, it is your choice to show love.  As a man, a woman, a teenager, an employee, a student, one who votes, one who is oppressed, one who has friends, one who is hated, one who has opinions on everything or nothing, no matter who you are, it is your choice to show love.  I really can't tell you the incredible amount of times that I fail to this simple task that my God has commanded me to do.  So please, do what I countlessly fail to do, and love.

      P.S. - Third picture, a boy named Harena shows off his craft that he made.  He's hardly able to walk due to a medical condition in his foot.  At the top of the paper cross we wrote "Jesosy" for Jesus, and on the hands and feet we wrote "Fiainana," "Lalana," and "Fahamarinana" meaning Life, Way, and Truth.  Don't tell anyone, but that kid's my favorite of them all.

A standard "Pus Pus"

A better looking "Tuc Tuc"

Our youth got the opportunity to visit the Logos Hope for dinner, games, and a chance to learn more about the young people of a ship with the same idea and principle as their own.  We had a blast.

The youth, leaders, and Logos gang playing frizbee alongside our friend 'The Indian Ocean' before some pizza and smores!  I'm really bad at frizbee, but the youth are amazing.  They pick up for my slack.

I love every one of these guys.  The girls are pretty cool too.

My Liberian co-worker/friend Al (left on the floor) and I visiting Toto's family.  Toto is a part of the Day Crew working in the Galley, and he invited us to hang out for a day.  In the picture is his wonderful wife and her father (in the yellow).  Toto is kneeling next to Al.

Toto's home is part of the structure on the left.  This is the road leading up to it.

A Globe in the Logos's Crew Library

       Happy New Years everybody!  (Fun Fact: New Years is celebrated and cherished even more than Christmas to the Malagasy people).  The top photos were snapped offhand and are the two main ways of transportation in the cities and villages of Madagascar.  Scooters are used as well; but they don't even compare to the vast number of Tuc Tuc's in Tamatave, let alone the number of the Pus Pus.  At the cost of 500 to 1,000 Ary Ary (15 - 30 cents USD) for a ride across town, it's a bit cheaper than the taxi's back home.

       The Logos Hope and the Africa Mercy have become instant friends.  Not only have I been given the opportunity to meet some more amazing people, but our youth have too!  The two ministry ships collaborated to host some fun "get-to-know-you" activities for the youth, and it's been a great time for everyone.  

       The setting of the picture with Toto's family is indeed his home; two small rooms made with wood and sheet metal.  I've had the privilage to see three other Malagasy homes besides this one, and so far, this covered the most cubic feet of them all.  That amazes me.  Toto and his family are incredibly kind and wonderful people, and it is was an honor to be invited to get to know them even more.  

       During a few hours visit to the Logos Hope, I stumbled upon a globe of the world.  As I looked at it's many borders and colors and found the spot where I am right now, a feeling of immense wonder took hold of me.  The thought of God moving me across the entire globe, a whole 12 inches away from home, to be a part of a ministry serving countries in Africa takes my breath away.  This Earth has so much in it: Religion, Culture, Natural Beauty, Adventure...  and an 18 year old who never even thought of much outside his hemisphere is able to experience a small part of it!  I can not give enough thanks.  I can not give enough praise.  I can not give enough.  I have been given so much; I can not give enough back to God, to my parents, to the Malagasy people, to everyone who prayed for me and supported me financially through this journey.  I have been given so much.  That is what truly amazes me.

 My friends Freerk and Jemima (Guianese, but she has family in Norway, hence Norwegian flag) and I in front of both the Africa Mercy and the Logos Hope.  As the Logos docked into port today, at least 200 Mercy Shippers stood waving and cheering from the dock, and more from across the water on the ship.  We've been excited for their arrival for months. 

A Candle Light service in the warehouse on the dock, celebrating Christ's birth through singing and dancing, including some patients who were in the wards on the ship.

 A special Christmas party for all of the Malagasy Day-Crew!

The Galley Day-Crew.  I love every single one of these crazy people with all of my heart.

Adorned with Santa hats, the Galley Day-Crew are (as always) the most jolly of the lot.

       Merry Christmas y'all!  The Africa Mercy is celebrating this special time of the year with all sorts of multi-cultural festivities and open love for Jesus and His holiday.  Today, the day before Christmas Eve, the Logos Hope docked in port right beside the Africa Mercy.  We have all known that this floating library, which provides books and evangelism to nations in need of both of these all across the world, would be arriving one day in Tamatave.  Boy did this day come up quick!  Everyone on the ship is super excited, and the few weeks of the Logos' stay will be packed with the two different crews befriending and learning more about each other's service of hope through Christ.  

       There have been several holiday festivities over the weeks, ranging from an Australian driven Candle Light service to the Holland tradition of Sinterklaas to Norway's celebration of Santa Lucia Day, which consists of beautiful voices and a crown of lit candles!  We also hosted a Christmas party especially for the Day-Crew, where I witnessed some of their own traditions and songs.  The Galley Day-Crew, whom I have grown to love so much, had a blast singing and dancing in the dining room. Their joy that afternoon was so overwhelming to me.  The gift of seeing such people, some of whom live in absolutely terrible conditions, dance and sing in a community of family-like love is truly an emotional gift greater than any I've ever experienced before.  

       Thank you so much, everyone who is reading this, for being interested in the mission that Mercy Ships has to offer.  The Christmas season on the ship has given my mind so much to ponder at present and for future Christmases, when I look back and remember the incredible service that I'm so blessed to be a part of.  When I remember the astounding joy of my Malagasy brothers and sisters, shining like the sun through such dark clouds of rain.

Despite the lack of posts in recent weeks, life still goes on in the Africa Mercy's galley.  

BBQ cookouts on the dock - grillin' like a villain. 

Say hello to three cooks who helped prepare a Thanksgiving meal for 400 people.  Family holidays away from home are bearable only because of family like these guys.

One of the first passages of the Qur'an.  Islam is not as big in Madagascar as it is in some West African nations, but it is still a small part of the culture here.

Kikiss' uncle and I.  This guy can speak Malagasy, French and Arabic fluently, without nearly as much access to schooling as I 've had, and yet I still struggle to speak a few words outside of my first language!

Kikiss and his uncle.

A passage from Job, seen in a small shop where some friends and I had a bit of coconut milk and coffee.

       The past month has been stock full of happenings.  I moved to a different galley team, and while this brought heartache to me for leaving some of my pals, it also brought opportunity to work on the hot side and get to know a different set of amazing people.  The hot side of the galley is where we prepare everything that needs to be cooked or heated and is something that I have aspired for ever since arriving on the ship.  The co-workers on my new team are just as incredible as my old team mates, and getting to know them and their service has been a huge pleasure.

       On one of my days off from working I went biking through town.  I came upon a large group of men playing a game.  They invited me to play with them for a bit with the help of a man they called "Rasta", who spoke some English.  We could hardly understand each other, yet I somehow found out that his name is Kikiss, that he is Muslim, and that he wants to learn more English.  We agreed to meet a few days later. When the day came, Kikiss showed me around town while we practised his English and my Malagasy.  Then he introduced me to his Uncle.  He lived in not much more than a shack, but it was more than what most Malagasy people have to call home.  His uncle read a passage from their Qu'ran in both Arabic and Malagasy for me.  I was deeply reminded that day of who some of the people whom I am trying to serve here really are; how they live, what they believe, and what Mercy Ships means to them.  I'll be looking forward to learning more about the Malagasy culture with my new friend Kikiss.  

       The passage in that little shop in the last picture, a shop among dozens of other huts on the road, and hundreds of little shops in town, is from Job and in English reads, "Oh that I may have my request and that God may give me what I want."  I have seen that God is answering this prayer in many people's lives through Mercy Ships.  That is why it is such a blessing for me to be able to work alongside the men and women of this ship.  Isaorana anie Andriamanitra ary ny vahoakany!  Thanks be to God and His people! 

 The 18 Year Olds of the Africa Mercy!  From left to right, Ivar, Ingrid, Me, Emma and Lars.  Ingrid and Lars are from Norway and were only here for this past week for a school trip. Just a week with those two created relationships for me that I'll hold onto for years to come!

 The best breakfast is a late breakfast.

 "Coconut Macaroons" and a bonbon (cream soda) is a new favorite combo.

 Camping on the beach at Mahambo  =  A good nap!

 My sister will be jealous of this; mangoes are a huge part of my diet here on the Africa Mercy. 

       This past week has reminded me that I'm going to be here for 8 more months, and that a lot of other people are not.  The topmost picture is of all three 18 year old crew, with two more amazing 18-year-olds as well.  Even though these two friends only came for a week, they have made an impact on my time here very much.  An abounding persona of service and humility in people who are my own age, instead of in friends who are older than me, was a good change and greatly encouraged me for the months ahead.  

       The second picture is of me and my friends, Jenny and Juan.  Juan has been a huge friend to me these past 2 months.  We've been through many adventures together, some of which are illustrated in the last 4 pictures!  He was here for the last field service in Madagascar, so he showed me all around Tamatave.  He has been a genuine mentor and friend to me.  

       Juan left the ship this morning, and I had to say goodbye.  His time on the Africa Mercy, at least in the foreseable future, is up.  One of the first of many hard goodbyes to come.  More importantly though, he was the first of many good friendships, both present and future.  I have a curious thought that many of my friends on the Africa Mercy will be the lifetime sort.  So when I think of it that way, then simple moments of "goodbye's" are hardly anything compared to lifetimes of adventure. 

There are a lot of families on the ship.  Consequently, there are some awesome kids and teens too.  A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to be a youth leader, and I've been having a great time with the youth on board since then.  I'll continue to work with them for the rest of my time here!  These pictures are of Thursday night, when the youth gang visited the Hope Center.  The Hope Center is really a "Ward Center", where most of the patients stay, before and after their surgeries.  We visited them so that we could hang out with the children there for a couple of hours and play some games.  It was a wonderful time, and it was so good for us all to see personally how much the ship and its crew are affecting these Malagasy people.

The Hope Center is holding approximately 90 patients right now.  There have been over 100 patients treated surgically, and over 1,000 people treated in the dentistry, this past month.  It's such a blessing to see first-hand the miracles happening every day from this service.  I know that I'm going to have an amazing time with the youth in the coming months!  They really are some great kids.