Linda Atwood's Global Mercy Journey

A Night in the Sahara Desert Three Camels in the Sahara Desert  The Sahara is the world's largest and hottest desert with over 3.6 million square miles. It covers most of North Africa. "Even the wilderness and desert will rejoice in those days; the desert will bloom with flowers. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and Joy!  ~ Isaiah 35: 1-2 ~ Walking in the seemingly endless Sahara sand and spending a night within the simplicity of my desert tent reminded me of various biblical stories.  My thoughts shifted between the Israelites time in the Egyptian desert to the early Christian era when desert fathers and mothers traveled to simplify life.  Powerful quotes from desert fathers birthed from a time when people searched for a simpler life focused on prayer and meditation. A few quotes include: "We cannot solve problems with the kind of thinking we employed when we came up with them". "Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die to...

 Saturdays and Sundays in Senegal   The House of Slaves is located on Goree Island, 3 km off the coast of Dakar, Senegal. The structure was built in 1776 and acted as a stopover where enslaved African people would be processed and shipped away. The House of Slaves is now a museum and memorial to the victims of the Atlantic slave trade. The captured men, women and children lived in rooms where there was no place to lay down due to the many people put in one cell. The blue door stretches to the ocean with passage known as the "Door of No Return". After leaving their African country there was no way to return home. Over fifty percent of the people taken from their homeland died within the slave house or after being sold during transfer to other countries. From the 15th to the 19th century, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. The House of Slaves continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation. In 1978 Unesco d...

  A Community Excursion to Share a Meal with a Senegalese Family   On Friday, March 10, 2023, a group of 12 fellow crew members, and Abdoulaye, an interpreter working with the Global Mercy ship during the Senegal field service, traveled to a region of Dakar called Yoff. The excursion involved visiting a Islamic sacred place and then sharing a meal in a Senegalese home. The Mercy Ships day crew, Abdoulaye, provided a communication and cultural bridge to enrich our visit. Our experience included an education tour of the sacred Layene Mausoleum with the help of the Imam (prayer leader, spiritual advisor, expert in Islamic Law) of the local Mosque.  We learned about the Islamic faith and importance of the Layene history. During our time in the Layene Mausoleum we joined our Muslim brothers and sisters in prayer. The interior of the worship area was reached by climbing a flight of stairs. Despite being above ground the floors were covered in a deep Sahara sand. The perfect yel...

 My February 2023 return to Senegal for the Grand Opening of the GLM Ship Hospital The Global Mercy surgical ship arrived in Dakar, Senegal to live out her mission of providing hope and healing to nations with limited surgical capacity. Dr. Juliette Tuakli, Mercy Ships' Diplomatic Ambassador for Africa, said at the arrival ceremony: "For the first time in Mercy Ship's history, two nations will be served from one port. Mercy Ships is grateful that Senegal, in the true spirit of Teranga, has opened its border to a selective group of patients from The Gambia who will be served alongside patients from Senegal." After my many months in Tenerife, during the equipping phase of the Global Mercy ship, it is an amazing experience to return to Senegal with a fully operating hospital.  A pediatric hospital bed which is now a place for a young patient during our field service time in Senegal. Watching the patients and their families walk up the gangway is a powerful experience. Th...

  December 2022 on the GLM in Tenerife Mount Teide, a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain is the highest point in Spain and measures 12,198 feet about sea level. Teide received snow late on Christmas day which was a magical event for the Mercy Ships crew spending time away from their northern home countries.  Prior to Christmas day the crew did find festive ways to celebrate the holiday including using a new way of recycling shredded paper!  An indoor snowball fight spontaneously erupted at the conclusion of our Christmas Variety Show. The Global Mercy Ship remains in Tenerife, Spain until early February 2023 which created the need to make a "white Christmas" with the shredded paper from the ships. It was a festive surprise which challenged the housekeeping crew! The Christmas season on both our ships - Africa Mercy and Global Mercy was filled with traditions from around the world. This photo shows the Swedish celebration of the Feast pf Saint Lucy which hono...