Welcome to the IOC

I have been at the IOC for a little over a week now. You may be wondering what the IOC is and where I am having classes every day. I am devoted this blog to you curious ones :)



The IOC (International Operation Center) is in East Texas on 400 acres of land. The property has many buildings but consists of mainly farm land. In fact, while on a tour of the property, we were assigned to herd in some cattle. It was quite fun, as long as you watched where you were stepping. 

Our group herding cattle (photo compliments of my roomy Jen!)

Welcome to the Family Dorms! The lower level is the housing for all Gateway participants. Behind our dorm is the International Lounge, this is where are classes are held every day. The upper levels are staffing offices.

I am welcomed with a sign and a personal verse. I have 3 roommates and we are all from the US.

Here is our little kitchen in the dorm. We have breakfast in our dorm room and other meals are provided at the Oasis (another building).

The lounge in our dorm is quite comfortable and has a Michigan style fireplace. I don't think we will be needing to use it since the weather is in the 90's (F).

Our lounge. This is where we all gather after a long day of class and sit on our computers or watch movies together.

Yes, Texas has trees! If you can't tell, it is very dry from the drought.

Welcome to the International Lounge. This is where class is held during the week.

Flags from many nations hang above us during class. I now belong to an international environment with at least 40 different nations represented.

As one of our activities this week, we had to describe the worlds view of God. We were given posters to illustrate this. As you can see above, this is the loving Father perception.

Santa Claus was my groups topic. It's amazing how the characteristics of Santa Claus really can corralate with our thoughts of God.

My favorite poster! A lot of people think God is like a Dictator. As you can see from the illustration, God is saying "Obey me or DIE!" as lightning and fireballs are falling from the sky. Yes, people see God is a dictator.

With this exercise, we had to write all of the feelings we've had toward God on sticky notes and place them on this scale. One side is positive and the other is negative. What are some of the feelings you've had toward God?

After sitting in class for 8 hours a day, we are all feeling a little bit sore. Here we have a group message during one of our breaks.

Welcome to Texas!

People have flown in from around the world to participate in Mercy Ships training program called Gateway. Countries represented include US of A, UK, Germany, South Africa, Australia, and Norway. I am amazed by my fellow crewmates; their excitement and zeal for serving the Lord fill me with even more energy for this journey. Last week I made my way down to Garden Valley, Texas and after two days of travel, I finally made it here. I was instantly surrounded by my classmates and have felt at home ever since.

The first excitement of our dorm includes the local wildlife trying to give us a warm Texas welcome. 

Yes, we saw our first scorpion in our dorm lounge. It created quite the uproar, as everyone was excited and petrified of this little creature. Later that night, sitting in my bed, I said to my roommate “I am so glad the scorpion wasn’t in our room!” Only to then look over and find a scorpion right next to my bed on the wall. After a cry for help, the entire dorm (almost) came running in my room to the rescue.

After a few minutes, we managed to wrangle Mr. Scorpion with duct tape.

So far, class has been both amazing and intense. It is hard to find words to describe this week. We have had class on faith formations and spiritual warfare. God has carried me through the tough schedule so far and helped me to gain a lot from these long study hours. I am generally in class from 8 am until 4:30 PM and on Tuesday we had a planning session from 6 – 8 pm. During this evening class, we are starting to plan our 2 week field service in West Africa away from the ship. I am excited to get more information about what we will be doing and will outline this in another blog.

I can’t thank you enough for your support and encouragement. 

Stay tuned! Future updates are sure to include Nicole: The cow herder, international diversity, silent retreat, and a REAL Texas BBQ :-D

Prayer Requests: 

Inevitably, I arrived to Texas and my fall allergies kicked into high gear. I have been struggling all week with congestion and coughing. It has been difficult to stay focused and have energy while having to fight these symptoms. Please pray for guides help though this time of healing.

Please pray for Texas. The drought here is still quite severe and there has been a "no burn" ban in the area. This has the potential to affect our training as we won't be able to have our firefighting practical. Please pray that the rain will come!

Mosquito Nets

In West Africa, over 3,000 children die of malaria every day¹; 1 out of every 5 childhood deaths is due to malaria.²  Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds in West Africa. ²  The disease can cause anemia and jaundice and, if not promptly treated, can cause coma, kidney failure, or death.

To make matters worse, the West African rainy season that begins in June will cause flooding that will aggravate the problem, since standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry the disease – according to Robert Agyarko, UN Children’s Fund Specialist on Malaria for West Africa.  In Freetown, Sierra Leone, it is estimated that between 60% and 70% of mosquitoes are malaria carriers.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that malaria can be controlled, and even prevented, using anti-malarial drugs, insect repellent, or mosquito nets in sleeping areas.  UN Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, reports, “Mosquito nets are still the most effective tool for preventing malaria in West Africa.”

Mosquito nets are infused with Permethrin, a long-lasting insecticide that acts as a barrier to prevent mosquitoes from penetrating the nets.  It drives away the mosquitoes and kills the ones that land. 

Unfortunately, only 40% of households in Sierra Leone have an insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN). ²
St. Mary’s Church in Olveston, Bristol, United Kingdom, is taking a stand against this deadly killer.  They have donated £5,000 to Mercy Ships for the distribution of mosquito nets at the HOPE Center in Freetown.  This land-based facility houses patients who are awaiting surgery and those recovering from surgery onboard the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy.

When the patients are discharged from the HOPE Center, they will each be given a mosquito net and told how to use it properly.  They will also receive additional information on how to prevent malaria.  This promising strategy will make a difference in fighting this deadly disease.

¹ WHO 2003 Africa Malaria Report     ² WHO 2010 Africa Malaria Report

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell

Final Days

I sit here (with most of my goodbyes said and needs purchased) surrounded by piles of stuff. My last week home consists of a full schedule and the need to conquer packing. I’m faced with a situation I have never known before. I will not be home for 2 years, and where I am going does not have a Meijer or Walmart down the road. The real kicker is the fact that I have a 16” wide closet and a bunk bed for my new living space: that’s it. Therefore, I have piles of stuff that have made the cut. This is everything I am bringing to West Africa. I am now faced with how I am going to pack. You see, there are several avenues my belongings will travel and I have to pack things accordingly. I will have a carry-on bag for the flight, one or two checked bags for the flight, and a few boxes that will be sent on the shipping container. The boxes will contain the items I won’t need for 8 weeks. It is so hard to know what I will need during this time. Over the 8 weeks, I will be training in Texas and on field service away from the ship in Sierra Leone. Needless to say – I have a lot of work cut out for me as I pile, organize, and pack for this new adventure. 

I can’t help being filled with awe when I think about how God has paved the way for me. There is no doubt; God wants me to go to West Africa. His plans always prevail and it fills me with so much courage knowing He is directing my way. I am more excited than I can possibly convey. Thank you everyone, your support makes this possible!