The Man Behind the Tumor

Can you see the man behind the tumor? A man who knows pain, who knows persecution...together we can give him hope. In everything there is hope!

Do you know what hope looks like? Take a look at this woman's face as she is told those sweet life changing words, "Yes, we can help you!" It is as though you can see the relief roll off of her shoulders as hope invades her every sense.

The screening day was a success! Many were scheduled for their free surgery. Many heard those sweet words giving them hope! Let's pray for those who were given this amazing news but also lets pray for those who were not as lucky. It is heart wrenching when not everyone can be helped, it is an unfortunate reality to this situation. God sees them and knows their pain, I pray they find comfort in God's amazing grace, all sufficient love and acceptance.

Desperation

Do any of us truly understand the feeling of desperation? Living a life with absolutely no hope, no future…no life… You see, we have this wonderful promise from our Heavenly Father, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. As a Christian, no matter how hard life gets we still have this promise to cling to. In W. Africa, they don’t know about this promise. For the people Mercy Ships seek to help, not only do they have no hope but they are possibly days or weeks away from death. This is a desperation that I cannot grasp. When Mercy Ships pulls into port a new hope comes into town – a last hope. When you mix this kind of desperation together with one last chance for life…no one can tell what will happen. 

My last post was a plea for prayer in regards to the medical screening in Freetown, Sierra Leone on March 7 and 8. Many people came from all over the country seeking one last hope that someone can help them. Usually a couple thousand people show up…this year 15,000 desperate souls came to be screened. No one could have imagined the events that would happen; this has never happened in the history of Mercy Ships. As I am still in Michigan I only know what other have said about the events. 

Basically the desperate crowd ended up storming the gate that regulated flow of people. In the event the crowd broke the metal gate in a last effort to get help. Sadly a man was killed and 13 people were injured as the crowds trampled the innocent sick waiting in line. No Mercy Ships people were hurt but they did have to cancel all screening for the time being. 

Please pray for the crew that witnessed this new level of desperation and crowds being trampled by the mob. These images will never leave them and some of the crew included the high school kids there to help

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Please pray for the people of Sierra Leone as the need is obviously greater than Mercy Ships has ever seen.

Please pray for the management as they are trying to figure out how to proceed without any more problems.

 

Also – Mercy Ships will be holding a new screening this Saturday, March 26, 2011 at a more secure location. 

PLEASE PRAY for everyone’s safety!

PLEASE PRAY that everyone will be surrounded by the angels concerning them and create an atmosphere of calm and peace.

PLEASE PRAY for the Sierra Leonians as they are in such desperate need of help.

Logistical Thoughts of a Miracle

A few weeks ago a bible study I am apart of was discussing a miracle Jesus performed in John: the feeding of 5,000. We were talking about how crazy of a crowd this would have been and wondered how in the world did they have the food passed around to everyone. Two things came from this conversation: 1. Woman tend to think in logistics of a plan and 2. Jesus can handle it all. If you think of crowd control, passing out food, child care, a place for everyone to sit, etc. I imagine the disciplines were quite overcome with the task before them.

The reason this miracle came to mind is because in a situation where the “workers” can be overwhelmed with all of the tasks at hand; in the end the miracle was performed. We can get so focused with everything that needs to be done. We want it all to be perfect and run smoothly. I imagine things could have really been stressful in Jesus’ day when crowds that large gathered. The logistics of planning an event can over take our lives and easily keep our minds off of the bigger picture. But in the end – the miracle is still performed! We need to remember that despite ourselves and despite our hectic plans – God can still perform miracles all around us. We are not the reason, but He is!

Monday and Tuesday Mercy Ships is having screening days in Sierra Leone. The logistics of this event are easy to overwhelm! The crew will be filling a stadium with thousands of people. Not just people, but people who are hurting, and sick, and dying. They all are hoping to get help, desperate for healing, and this might be their last chance. Every single person is desperate for a miracle; it is as though you can hear their souls cry out for help. Thousands of people will be seeking help and at the end of the day not everyone can be helped. The crew must make their way through the lines and make life changing decisions. The reality of not being able to help everyone is grim, especially when you are face to face with those who are seeking life. The logistics may overcome, but God can still perform miracles. Pray for the crew of the Africa Mercy as they are faced with a tough and crushing week. Pray for those who are planning this event that they have wisdom and strength to get through the screenings. Pray for the crowds, that they would feel the awe-inspiring peace of God and be filled with His Holy Spirit as they wait to be seen. Pray for those who are turned away, that they know that there is still hope and that hope is in a living God. Our prayers here in the states can have an effect in Africa. Through God, our prayers can shake this little nation! No mountain is too high and no valley is too low – so pray with me for Sierra Leone and for Mercy Ships Screening Days this week.

My Crew Bio

  Nicole Pribbernow

   Writer

  Africa Mercy

 

There is a small little town less than a mile off the Lake Michigan shores called Whitehall, Michigan. I can safely say that I’ve lived most of my life in this beach resort town, so the thought of living on a ship seems pretty natural to me. While I have lived here for most of my life I have to admit I am afflicted with what my family calls “gypsy feet.” This simply means I love to travel and experience new places. I’ve had the privilege of living in Michigan, Maryland, Washington, and Nebraska in the United States and I even lived in Alberta Canada for a short jaunt. Ever since I was a young girl my heart always ached for missions. As I became a young adult though, finding a way proved to not be as easy as I once imagined. I’ve worked in a variety of settings from a Horse Stallion farm to an adhesive factory. I always excelled but was never satisfied. This is because I was not pursing the life God had planned for me. I attended college in Canada (Covenant Bible College) and am now attending an online university to follow my dream of being a writer. There does not seem to be a day in the past two years where I have not spent time writing. It has truly become a passion of mine and I pray that I can use this gift to further the kingdom of God.

For a year prior to applying to work with Mercy Ships I was living solely on faith that God would provide. This year He proved His undying love for me and His ability to provide all of my needs. During this time, He continually pulled on my heart strings, guiding me into the direction He had planned for me. The day I stumbled upon Mercy Ships no words can describe the immense pull on my heart that I felt. The more I looked into this organization I felt as though God created Mercy Ships with me in mind; almost as though He handcrafted this opportunity knowing all of my deep passions and desires. Since that moment, I have not been able to keep Mercy Ships from my mind. He has made an awesome pathway for me; a pathway no one can deny was forged by Him. After praying about this opportunity and very clear answers from God, I applied Christmas of 2010 for the position as writer. I will be joining the Africa Mercy fall of 2011 in a long term capacity.  

It is amazing to look back on life and see how God has molded me and shaped me. Every event has funneled into this moment: the moment of being able to have reckless abandonment and give it all up to serve Him. We are not all meant to be sent into the mission field and I am blessed to be called into this direction. I see God moving – I feel Him moving with Mercy Ships. As for me, I want to be where it is that God is moving and I am excited to be a part of something as powerful as Mercy Ships.

Me: nicole.pribbernow@mercyships.org

My Blog: http://mightykaleo.blogspot.com