Yesterday at 13:00 we left the port of Conakry, Guinea, West Africa. The Africa Mercy was docked there for 10 months.
According to the United Nation’s Human Development List of 186 countries listed according to its development (level of education, access to healthcare and income per capita) Guinea is 178. In other words Guinea is on the list of the 10 least developed countries in the world.
During our Gateway Course at the Mercy Ships head office in Texas, I prayed for Guinea. It felt a faraway, distant unknown prayer for a country I knew very little of and a people I didn’t understand. I kept saying to myself that of all the countries in the world, God chose Guinea for me to visit and that this country is really close to His heart.
When we finally set foot in Conakry, Guinea on 25 October 2012 I was met by a wave of humidity and heat that felt suffocating, garbage lying everywhere and odours that were difficult to sometimes even identify. My rosy coloured view of Guinea quickly evaporated like mist before the West Africa sun.
As the weeks and the months passed my discomfort slowly grew into a feeling of growing familiarity. I did not feel quite as threatened by the seeming chaos around me. I started to get to know the people of this country, their struggles and their joy, their courage and perseverance to keep trusting God despite very difficulty circumstances. I started envying the joy they have that is not based on what they own, how much money they earn or if they have any security with regards to tomorrow. I learned that they yearn to truly just spend a part of my life journey with me, for me to visit their homes and share a meal with them. They yearned to experience the joy of fellowship with me. Through their lives I learnt once again, that life is really all about relationship. Relationship with God, myself and others.
And as the Africa Mercy pulled away from the dock yesterday a piece of my heart stayed behind in my beloved Guinea. A country that I now understand is truly loved by the Almighty God, Creator of the whole earth. I earnestly prayed for God’s Spirit to remain with the people I have come to know. Their country is tormented by tension, turmoil, unrest and selfish ambition. I know now their struggle and because I have come to love the people, it is hard to say goodbye again.
As the Africa Mercy sailed out the port of Conakry, captain Tim prayed a last blessing over Conakry on the overhead intercom system as we sailed out. People all along the shore were fiercely waving us goodbye. The three tug boats from the port that escorted us out, put up a parade with sirens, as I have never heard before. The whole of Conakry along the shoreline knew the Africa Mercy is leaving after their announcement! It was their way of saying thank you and saying goodbye. It was their way in essence of saying thank you for loving on them for 10 months.
What touched my heart so completely is that it wasn’t the patients or day workers waving us goodbye. The port has restricted access and once our hospital operations finished, the port was closed to them and they could not enter anymore. All the people waving us goodbye so fiercely were people we never directly helped. They were rough and tough men working in the port, observing our operations over the past 10 months. It made me realize again that God’s love is the greatest gift of all and it touches even the toughest, roughest hearts.
One of our last patients to disembark the ship was a Muslim man. Due to the extent of his surgery, he had been staying on board the hospital for a number of weeks. As he was escorted down the gangway, some of our crew were busy pulling down one of our big white off ships tents, that was used as the outpatients department, in preparation for the sail. While he was observing this, he commented: “It looks like Jesus is leaving Guinea.” We know that the Africa Mercy might be leaving Guinea, but His Spirit will remain with them.
So on our second day of sail en route to the Canary Islands, my heart is once again touched by the vastness and might of the God we serve, by His loving ways, His provision and above all His compassion for the people He has created that so often are not interested in knowing Him. May He be honoured by the hearts in Guinea that has discovered His great love.
My prayer for you is the courage to sit still enough long enough at His feet till your heart is completely convinced of His great, unfailing, faithful love for you.
Blessings from the vast expance of the North Atlantic waters amidst the dolphins, the whales and the flying fish... See you all soon.
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