How did we get here?
When Matt and I were on a mission trip in Belgium this past summer, I was up in our dorm room Facebooking (is that even a word?) with Jessica while Matt was taking a well deserved nap. Ads for Mercy Ships kept popping up on my Facebook feed. As quickly as I deleted them, more would creep in. Ugh, what is this even about? Eventually, curiosity…or….something else, got ahold of me and I clicked on the link. That’s it. That’s how we got here. From that first click I felt an immediate pull, a connection, a clarity. I knew that this was something I needed to learn more about.
When Matt woke up I showed him the site. I thought he would give it a glance, most likely to appease me, and that would be that. Nope. He was very intrigued by what he read and saw. Because we were currently on a missions trip, I think we were very open to explore what missons work might look like in our future. Matt and I both admit that we’ve had trouble hearing (or listening) to God’s purpose for us. But something was different here. While serving at the Continental Theological Seminary we were blessed with some new friends, Doug, John, and John’s wife, Shawn. The ways in which these three souls serve God is inspiring and humbling. In the short time we were there, they each mentored us, prayed with and for us, and helped us move forward with more clarity. I was struggling with how to really know if what I thought God was telling me was really God’s voice, or my own voice. Doug shared some words of wisdom and said, ‘Marci, God knows your heart. If he is placing something on your heart, and the posture of your heart is pure, you can’t go wrong.’ He told us to go where God is already working and the purpose would become clear. Doug’s words were much more eloquent, but you get the point.
By the time we left Belgium, Matt and I had both already applied for positions on Mercy Ships.
So what exactly is Mercy Ships?
Mercy Ships is a global faith-based charity that provides free medical care and surgeries to people in need. There are currently two ships in operation, the Global Mercy, and the Africa Mercy. Both ships are fully operational, state of the art, floating hospitals, and are almost entirely staffed by volunteers! From surgeons and nurses to teachers and chefs, and everything in between…everyone is a volunteer.
Th Global Mercy has a crew capacity of 641. That’s 641 people who volunteer to spread hope and healing across the world! Matt will be working in administration and I will be teaching 2nd grade in the International Academy (teaching children of the volunteers). Matt and I will be serving on the Global Mercy for 2 years.
We will blog more specifically about all things Mercy Ship (what are we doing with our home? cars? What do we pack for 2 years? What about immunizations…?) in future blogs, but in the meantime, please feel free to check out the link below. Would also love to answer any questions you may have. You can leave a comment, or email me at marcimurray88@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: As with anything else, this blog reflects our own views and aren’t necessarily those of Mercy Ships.
Our 2nd Season 
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