LOA...

Those of you who follow this little blog of mine may be surprised that there have been no posts regarding the ship's departure from Cape Town and the sail to Sierra Leone. And then the next question I need to answer is that yes, the ship did sail late on Valentine's Day and has not been delayed in Cape Town. But I am still here.

You see, being the patriotic South African that I am, I love South Africa. Yet I did not enjoy my time working here. I was tired, stressed, fringing on burning out and when I wasn't in the office I was always thinking about work and the long list of "Things to Do" that needed to be done. This was not healthy for me or for Mercy Ships. I had also lost a little bit of my passion and thus felt the need to distance myself from the ministry to rediscover my love of serving God through Mercy Ships - and to discover how to effectively deal with the pressures of work in a community environment.

And so I decided to take a little breather from Mercy Ships and it just made sense for me to disembark in Cape Town, my hometown. I still remain a long-term crew member with Mercy Ships, but have taken a leave of absence. This was not an easy decision to make, but it was one that needed to be made. And I am thankful that Mercy Ships were gracious enough to grant my request.

That being said, the blogging will continue here in Cape Town, but the posts may be less frequent than usual... I will return to the ship in Sierra Leone in late March, so expect more frequent posting then. Have a blessed week ahead!