Surprise, I'm home!

The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, but so full of great memories. I was blessed to have my mom come out to the ship to visit. I have always thought it would be cool to have someone from my family come to the ship and experience it firsthand. When my mom first mentioned it, I didn't really think it was going to happen. But, it all worked out for her to come and she was able to spend time with me on the ship for about a week before heading into Freetown to work with an American teacher who was doing a teaching conference for local teachers.



There's something about experiencing the ship for yourself. You can explain to someone what it's like and show pictures and all, but actually meeting the patients, observing surgery, working on the ship, and meeting the people is another story. Needless to say, the days my mom spent on the ship doing all of those things was the big highlight for her.  I really enjoyed seeing her interact with the patients in A Ward and the Hope Center, experiencing "African church" for the first time, and singing on worship team with me. The kids called her "Beyonce's mom," which she thought was funny. Many of the patients also didn't believe she was old enough to be my mom, which we laughed about since I'm the fourth of five kids.

Enjoying the sunset from Deck 8



So, the whole trip was quite an experience for her and I was so thankful that she could be there to experience it all with me. But, what she didn't know was that I was going to surprise her by coming home with her! I had decided a couple months ago that I wanted to fly home for my cousin's wedding, but had debated whether or not to disclose the secret to my mom. In the end, my cousin and I decided that it would be best to keep it all a secret and surprise everyone when I showed up (I really like surprises and he's really good at keeping secrets). I had told quite a few people on the ship that I was going home with my mom, but that it was a surprise and everyone kept saying "Really, Becca...How are you gonna keep it a secret when so many people on the ship know!"...But, I prayed that my plan would work and threatened (well, strongly warned) my friends not to tell (or "I go beat you"). There were several times that friends slipped, but their words were vague enough that my mom didn't catch on.


There was quite a bit of planning that went into the surprise. I had to cover all my bases and yes, I even had to lie (sorry mom!)...The day that I left, one of my friends picked up my luggage from my cabin and carried it out to the Landrover for me (of course, it had to be one of the ones I wasn't riding in so that my mom wouldn't notice). I had also bought a bag "for my roommate" when my mom and I were in the market since my roommate was leaving on the same flight to head out for vacation. Being the good friend that I am, I even offered to carry her bag for her (of course my mom didn't know it was actually MY bag, not Mekenzie's...once again completely clueless!)...I also had to get around checking out at reception and turning in my key without my mom seeing. So, I had my friend conveniently "call me down to the ward to start an IV" right at lunch time (which was right before we were supposed to leave)...Needless to say, I checked out and had my packed bags waiting in the car for me without my mother blinking an eye.

Since my mom's never been to the ship before, she didn't realize that no one takes the hour-long ferry ride across to Lungi unless they are going to the airport and actually flying out...she thought I just wanted to come along for the ride...at this point, I was pretty amazed that she still hadn't figured anything out. In fact, there was a part of me that thought she knew and was playing along and pretending that she didn't know anything.

Riding past the ship on our way to the airport



So, we made it across to Lungi with all our bags. My mom started getting sentimental and saying goodbyes...which was when I finally said to her "Mom, I have a confession to make. I lied to you." She was a little shocked and said "You did?" with confusion. "Ya Mom, I didn't ride the ferry for nothing. I'm coming home with you," I told her. She was laughing and crying at the same time and I finally felt a sense of relief that I could let out the secret and stop lying.

The truth comes out...

She was so happy that she cried :)

Ok, so I just want to say that I do not endorse lying and yes, my mother was a little surprised that I could lie to her so well (I attributed that to all the games of Mafia that I've played)...But, in the end we were all happy because it meant that I got to surprise my Mom and the rest of my family and friends.

The trip home was great and I even got to spend my 6-hour layover in Chicago with one of my best friends who was on the ship last year. Surprisingly enough, I didn't even experience culture shock when she took me to the mall...I guess you just get used to switching between Africa and the states after a few times :)

We even got free gift cards for doing a survey



The last two weeks have been great and I am so thankful that I was able to go home for Jared's wedding and for a little vacation. I was also really grateful to be able to spend some time with my nieces and nephews, who are all growing up fast! I was bummed that I couldn't be home longer, but prayed that God would multiply the time that I was there and help me make the most of my time...He definitely answered that prayer by giving me quality time with so many people that I love!

I had lots of pool days with the kids

I knew I wouldn't get to spend much time with Jared at the wedding,

so I visited him at the station and even got to do a ride-along with him

The wedding was beautiful and I was so grateful that I was able to be home for such a special day in Jared and Julie's lives. It was also a great reunion with lots of extended family that I hadn't seen in a long time.

Me and my cousin with his beautiful bride





A couple of days before I left, my 2-year old nephew asked my sister, "Is Aunt Becca taking her car to Africa?" to which she said no. He responded in surprise and said, "So she's walking to Africa!" She had to explain that I have to fly in an airplane to get back to Africa. So later on, we found Africa on a map and showed him where I live now. It's always hard explaining to the little ones where exactly I'm going and why I won't be back until after Christmas (I had to tell my niece that I'd bring her back cool toys so that she didn't burst into tears)...But, by now they have learned that Aunt Becca always comes home...and it's not so bad saying goodbye as it was the first time I left.

Together with all my nieces & nephews at the wedding



 My visit home was a great surprise for everyone and even though it's always a little bittersweet saying goodbye, my heart is in Africa and I'm excited to see all that God has in store for the rest of this year!

Back to Africa I go