Salama from Mada!

Salama means "hello" in the Malagasy language... So, hello from Madagascar! 

I've been here for 10 days and so much has happened already!

I arrived into Antananarivo (Tana) late last Thursday evening with a large group of Mercy Shippers. The airport was tiny - it took us all close to 3 hours before we made it through customs and found our bags. There were about 30 of us who had to stay in Tana for a few days awaiting the ships arrival. Antananarivo was very different from my previous experience in South Africa, which I jokingly refer to as,"Shiny Africa." The city center sits on a large hill surrounded by green rice fields, red soil & small, brightly colored huts. There really is something beautiful about it, but it's also impoverished in a way I have never seen before. When we were riding through town in taxis, the sweet pot-bellied children would run along our car asking for money and yelling "Vazaha! Vazaha!" (meaning: white person, white person). We all really struggled with the overwhelming need we saw as we ventured through Tana. It was difficult to process, but I think it was important to see. I realized that it will be really helpful to have a bit of an understanding of what life might be like for my patients.

Though tourism is essentially non-existent in Tana, we made a point to leave our guest house and explore a bit. We tried a couple Malagasy restaurants, ventured to a lemur park, visited the queen's palace and attended a local church service (Africans sure do know how to put on a good worship service!). Although we were all antsy to get to the ship and get started, this extra time ended up being a huge blessing. I had some time to rest after those long flights and really enjoyed getting to know some of the wonderful people I have the privilege of working alongside.

Our bus left for Tamatave - the city where the Africa Mercy is ported - early on Monday morning. It took 11 LONG hours to get here, but we made it safely into port just before sunset. I cannot tell you how excited I was when we rounded the corner and I got my first glimpse of the ship. It is surely a moment I will treasure forever. I snapped this photo quickly on my first walk up the gangway...

This first week has been chocked full of nursing orientation. We got a bit of a late start with the delays, so everything has been condensed into a shorter orientation period - trust me when I say we have hit the ground running, our days have been quite full. It's an enormous task to bring nurses together from all over the world and get them all on the same page - we've gone through hours of meetings on policies and procedures and unit norms. One thing that Mercy Ships values is providing a high standard of care and that has been very evident in all of our education and training this week. I've truly been impressed!

On Thursday we spent the day setting up the hospital. Everything was packed away and covered with dust from the sail, so we spent the whole day cleaning the wards from floor to ceiling, getting everything stocked and prepared for our patients. Just a little glimpse of our progress below...

On Friday, it was our turn as nurses to provide an orientation to other hospital staff members. Mercy Ships employs hundreds of local Malagasy people to serve as translators, housekeepers, kitchen staff, etc. We had a blast getting to know them and teaching them about the hospital. They graciously taught me a few Malagasy words and quickly laughed at my horrible mispronunciation... it's a work in progress, people.

{A few of my team members on cleaning day}

I've been placed on A-Ward where I will be caring for patients from general, plastic and orthopedic surgical services. I'm really excited for the diversity of patients I'll get to work with during my time here. The diseases and conditions treated by Mercy Ships are those found in abject poverty... we don't see a lot of them in the U.S. so I'm sure that I will learn a ton! The first patients will be admitted to the wards tomorrow and surgeries start on Tuesday - I could not be more thrilled to get started!

{The wonderful A-ward team after day crew orientation}

I have LOVED my time here so far. To be sure, there has been a lot to adjust to: 2 minute showers, living in a tiny cabin with 5 other people, learning French/Malagasy, experiencing a bit of culture shock, etc. With all that being said though, it has been incredible to experience the body of Christ pulling together in a common purpose to bring hope and healing to the Malagasy people. Anyone who knows me knows that I love nursing, but I can honestly say that I have never felt as passionate about it as I have here... and the patients haven't even come yet! Throughout this week the leadership team has charged us with the idea of nursing as worship - in caring for people recovering from life-changing surgeries, we get to tell them about the true Healer who loves them and in whom all hope and life is found. How incredible is that?!

To them God has chosen to make known among the [Malagasy people] the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. - Colossians 1:27

Points for prayer this week

• Pray for the hospital as we begin operations this week. Pray that everything will go smoothly with the procedures, nursing care, scheduling and equipment.
• Pray that patients and families will see God through us... that despite language and cultural barriers we will communicate God's love. Pray that they will find the true source of hope and healing.
• Pray for unity and grace among the staff as we learn to live and work in tight community on this ship

Sending love across the miles,

Jarah

p.s... If you're interested in sending mail while I'm away, here's the 4-1-1

Letters, packages, etc. will be forwarded regularly to the ship. Address all mail as follows...

Jarah Nordin

Mercy Ships AFM

Crew Mail

P.O. Box # 2020

Lindale, Tx 75771-2020

U.S.A.

A couple additional points to keep in mind...

It can take several weeks for mail to reach me in Madagascar. 

I will be charged $8.80/pound for all items shipped to me (think light!)