My First Post!

Growing up I was obsessed with RENT. My friends and I were some of the crazy bunches who would sleep outside the theater all night to get the best tickets when the box office opened. I loved it. Really, I loved the concept of RENT – live life everyday to the fullest, because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Unfortunately that idea rang true for the playwright Jonathan Larson. One night shy of RENT's opening, he died of a brain aneurysm.

How uncertain life really is. I am constantly surrounded at work by kids who have to face this reality on a daily basis. The more I see it, the more it helps put things in perspective. I am so lucky to have good health and have the opportunities I do living here in the US. I get that I have been blessed and I want to give something back. So after thoughtful consideration and much prayer, I’ve decided to change things up a bit and move to Africa for a year. I’ll be going with an organization called Mercy Ships. I first heard about Mercy Ships from a friend a few years ago. I was intrigued and later stumbled across www.onamercyship.com That’s what got me – the stories of lives changed. Many of these patients that come on board are shunned in their own communities.

Some live completely unloved because they’re seen as demon possessed with their benign tumors or club feet or cleft palates or you name it…the list goes on and on. How strikingly different from the world we live in here in the US, where these same things would simply be corrected at birth.

I thought, “What a cool opportunity – to be a part of something to change that.” An organization that seeks to give these people hope and health again. To help them feel love, many for the first time they can ever remember. On top of the personal factor, the numbers are overwhelming:

·Since 1978, Mercy Ships has performed more than 1.7 million services valued at over $670 million and impacting more than 1.9 million people as direct beneficiaries. ·Some of the more notable statistics include -
·Performed more than 32,500 surgeries such as cleft lip and palate, cataract removal, straightening of crossed eyes, orthopedic and facial reconstruction.
·Treated more than 212,000 people in village medical clinics. Performed more than 183,000 dental treatments.
·Taught over 14,500 local health care and professional workers, who have in turn trained many others in primary health care.
·Taught 95,000 local people in primary health care.
·Trained local medical professionals in modern health care techniques.

·Delivered more than $60 million worth of medical equipment, hospital supplies and medicines.
·Completed more than 900 community development projects including construction of schools, clinics, orphanages, water wells and agriculture programs.
·Demonstrated the love of God to people in over 550 port visits in 70 different nations.
·More than 850 career crew from over 40 nations serve today.
·More than 1,600 short-term volunteers serve with Mercy Ships each year.

So that’s just a smidgen of what Mercy Ships is all about. I know I will grow more than I ever imagined and I’m excited to see where this next year takes me. As RENT's very own Jonathan Larson answered the question best: How do you measure life in a year? You measure those five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes best in love. Unselfish beautiful acts of love. What a cool way to spend a year. Welcome to my blog!