This is how my journey to Africa began.......

In June of 2004, I felt a distinct calling to serve God in third world countries through medical missions. I began speaking with other missionaries and old college friends until I haphazardly stumbled upon Mercy Ships. I am not really sure, in the beginning, why I began investigating medical missions, but I know that peoples lives can be drastically changed by providing basic medical needs.

So off I went and began the application process with Mercy Ships and was accepted pending a health physical, which I thought no problem. But at the age of five I was diagnosed with Petit-mal Epilepsy. My entire life God blessed me with having such a mild form of Epilepsy that it rarely affected my life. One day a medical representative from Mercy Ships called me and said my application had been denied due to my health history. She went on to explain that Mercy Ships health standards were very specific in excluding people with health histories of seizure disorder. At that moment, I remember my heart sank, I was totally confused, disappointeded and upset because never in my life had my epilepsy prevented me from doing anything. I thought because of my epilepsy I was in a position where I would never be able to serve with Mercy Ships.

As always when God closes one door he opens another....ONE YEAR LATER

In July of 2005, I received a call from Mercy Ships. This mercy ship representative went on to explain that from our 10 minute conversation a year ago God had prompted her heart to begin lobbying on my behalf to serve with Mercy Ships. As a result, Mercy Ships now reviews potential volunteers with significant health histories on a case by case basis. Long story short, I will be serving as a volunteer for 6 months onboard the Mercy Ship Anastasis in West Africa from January through July of 2006. Mercy Ships is the world's largest non-governmental organization of hospital ships, the Anastasis currently the largest operating in the fleet. Since 1978, Mercy Ships has performed more than 2 million services, with a value of 250 million dollars, and impacted over 5.5 million people. The organization follows the 2000 year model of Jesus, & brings hope and healing to Africa's poor. The blind see through cataract and other eye operations. The lame walk through orthopedic operations. The mute speak through cleft lip and palate operations.