Our 2nd Season

When we learned about Mercy Ships it may be odd to hear, but we both knew it was right for us immediately. Within a week we had both researched the open positions (click here) and applied. And the more we heard, the more we wanted to know!

Enter Carys Parker and her Mercy Ships Vlogs. First, Carys has an amazing story. I’ll let you learn it from her, but essentially she was brought to a Mercy Ship as an infant and stayed there with her family until she graduated from High School. Her mother is a chaplain and her father is one of the surgeons. A few years ago Carys decided to create a series of YouTube videos about all things Mercy Ships. There are dozens of videos, from what to wear, to food onboard, to what the cabins look like. She interviews crew and introduces so much of the mission through the words of others. It is an OUTSTANDING effort and has brought so many to Mercy Ships and answered SO many questions.

There are also a series of excellent Podcasts called New Mercies. They come from Mercy Ships and document stories from people who have served or are serving on board the Africa Mercy or Global Mercy. Interestingly, Carys was one of their guests.

There are other YouTube videos giving perspectives like what the cabins look like, etc. But basically, we devoured everything we could find (if you have time for just one video – watch the 60 Minutes Story by Scott Pelly).

This “education” was invaluable for us to contemplate what changes we would have to make should we be accepted to serve. Due to the nature of the positions we were applying for we knew that it would likely be long-term (in our case a two year commitment). That meant our life was going to undergo enormous transformation. What about our house? Should we sell it, rent it, leave it vacant? We were also homeschooling our granddaughter Aniyah. Would she go to Africa with us? Other things included our sweet German Shepherd Mac, our cars and campers. What about medical insurance? And we learned that volunteers don’t just work for free, they pay their own way and even pay to live aboard the ship.

We will go through each of these in upcoming blogs. And I am sure there will be other topics to discuss as we continue on our journey to the Global Mercy Ship!

Disclaimer: As with anything else, this blog reflects our own views and aren’t necessarily those of Mercy Ships.

January 14, 2025 / Union Gap, WA / 15:48 PST