Today is our last day on the beautiful island of Tenerife! Tomorrow we begin our four-day sail to Dakar, Senegal. Once in Dakar, life-changing surgeries will finally be performed on the Africa Mercy after nearly 2 years of waiting to return. We have LOVED this island and will miss so many things about it, but are super excited to finally be headed to Africa! We had a busy month, and here are ten of our highlights since our last blog post.
Top ten highlights from our last month here in Tenerife:
1. Celebrating Christmas
We were very sad not to spend Christmas with our family & friends back in Canada, plus Ethan couldn't come and visit us here. But, we were super grateful for spending it with our Africa Mercy family! Thank you so much to all our family and friends for sending cards and gifts - we appreciate each and every one!
2. Celebrating my 50th Birthday
It is hard to believe, but I turned 50 years old on December 27th! Celebrating this special birthday on the Africa Mercy was definitely memorable! Thank you to everyone who took the time to call, FaceTime, message, or send a gift - you all made turning 50 fabulous!
3. Celebrating New Year's Eve
Amayah got to ring in 2022 by blowing the ship horn at midnight
4. Hiking
We went on a lot of hikes here on the island. Our girls did such a great job on our hikes...and only complained a little! The weather here is around 22 degrees celsius most days here, so it is the perfect temperature for hiking.
5. Exploring the Island
We rented a little car for a few weeks over the Christmas break and had fun driving all over the island exploring a different place each day! This island is so interesting because the landscape is very diverse. The north has lots of trees (in some parts we actually felt like we were in B.C.) and the south is sandy beaches.
6. Our Little Family Vacation
Our good friends were very generous and sent us on a little vacation here at a resort on the Island. We had such a relaxing time!
7. Receiving Mail
Getting mail here was a huge highlight for us! You all have made us feel so loved and cared for. Coffee beans from my favourite coffee shop in Regina were such a sweet and unexpected surprise!
8. Quarantine
Quite a few people tested positive for Covid here on the ship and we were close contacts so we had to stay in our cabin for a week, which sounds terrible, but it turned out to be a blessing. We got to slow down life and spend lots of quality time together! The girls were very creative during this time in the cabin and made a drive-through cafe with empty boxes!
9. Walks and runs on the Dock
The port where the ship is has a nice dock to walk on and just outside of it is a really nice trail. Since we arrived here a few months ago, a group of us have been running together at 6:15 in the morning! Such a great way to start the day!
10. Teaching Araina's Class
Araina's teacher was not able to return to work after the Christmas break due to health reasons, so I have been filling in for her for the past couple of weeks. It's been great to be back teaching in the classroom - especially because there are only 3 students in the class and the other teachers are amazing to work with! In preparation for sailing to Senegal on Friday, the K-4 teachers and I have brought all the students together after lunch this week to watch short videos about some of the patients that Mercy Ships has operated on and pray for the patients that will receive free surgeries in just a few weeks from now. Here are a few of the videos (they are all about 3 minutes long) we showed the students. All of the patients in these videos are young children. If you have children, feel free to show them these videos so they can have a look at Mercy Ships' mission in action.
Satou's Story
Aicha's Story
Salmatou's Story
Jocelin's Story
Somaya's Story
We would love to hear from you, so if you feel like reaching out, you can send mail to this address:
Mercy Ships - AFM- Crew Mail
Chris (or Shae, Araina, or Amayah) Attwater
15862 State Highway 110 N.
Lindale, Texas
USA
75771-2020
Prayers of thanks:
finally being ready to sail to Senegal
lots of quality family time
opportunity to teach Araina' class
wonderful family and friends near and far
our family staying healthy
Prayer requests:
a safe sail to Dakar, Senegal
seasickness is not a problem (Chris was quite sick the last time we sailed)
all of the patients patiently waiting for surgeries
for the crew (especially the children) to feel peace as we transition to life in Africa
the Africa Mercy stays covid free
for Araina's teacher to feel better each day and can return to work soon
If you would like to support us financially, please use the link below or click on the DONATE button at the top of our website:
As always, thank you for your support, encouragement, and prayers! We are so grateful for each and every one of you who are following our journey.
With love and gratitude,
Chris, Shae, Araina, & Amayah
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