Goodbyes.....

When you arrive on the Africa Mercy you proceed straight to reception where you have your photo taken for your ID badge-jet lagged and all. Then you are required to attend the New Crew Orientation on the first Monday you are here and go on a tour of the ship within the first 24 hours of arrival. You are given a whole heap of papers to get signed and are encouraged to go on the Mercy Ship's own intranet and read the New Crew Handbook.


What nobody tells you is how fast and how deep your friendships form. We live, work and play together. We cry together, get sick together, laugh together, socalize together. Relationships are intense and often last a lifetime. They don't call the Mercy Ships the Love Boat for nothing-lol. The handbook does not cover this and does not cover the grief and loss when it comes time to say goodbye. And the goodbyes are continual. Just about every day land rovers pull away from the port where the Africa Mercy is docked. This is my little tribute to those who have left who have touched our family's-at least one of us-lives in some small or large way! Let me see if I can do this without crying......


Goodbye Nicki (above)-thanks for being my first pal in Crew Services-your story is amazing!

Goodbye Trish (above)-our first Aussie mate. Thanks for your friendship and getting us things from the galley. Goodbye Mike-thanks for all the chats on Deck 2, and Cathy-also fellow Aussies. Goodbye beautiful inside and out Sarah-hope you and Ollie live happily ever after. Thanks for all you taught me at the Dental Clinic. Now I teach everyone else-lol! Goodbye Lauren-thanks for letting me cry on your shoulder and for understanding. You are the coolest 18 year old I know!!

Goodbye Erin-our adopted daughter and sister to Jess. It still makes me laugh when I think of Jess finding your cabin and asking you for a drink. Thanks for your friendship, your smile and loving on Jess.

Goodbye Miss Danae (above)-the most gorgeous redheaded teacher ever! You are a sweet spirit and any school would be lucky to have you on staff. Thanks for teaching Jess so well. Goodbye Miss Orman (Christina)-the most wonderful science teacher and cheeleader ever. You gave Jess a love of science! Goodbye Mr Calvert (Ben) and congratulations on your wedding. The Academy was blessed through your creative PE classes and your sense of humour!

Goodbye Tvedt family-Dag (above)-thank you for your friendly, open nature and for welcoming me into the Dental Clinic. You are sorely missed by the team! Jorid (above)-thanks for trusting me with your job and for your sweet nature,  Linde and  Bendick. Fride (below)-you are a lovely girl and a special friend to Jess. She still wears your white jacket all the time, even though it is too small for her!

Goodbye Rolland family-Jenny-thank you for thinking of us first with your stuff. It is great to have you back on board, if only for a few weeks. John-thank you for the gift of your amazing photography. Joey, David and Bethany-thanks for the amazing job you did helping to run the Kids Bible Group-Jess really enjoyed going.

Goodbye to a Mercy Ships institution and our hardest goodbye so far-the Peet family. Olly-thank you for being a great friend to Andrew and for looking after him last year in Togo. We miss your sarcasm and bluntness (sort of-lol). Sally-your are one of a kind and we miss you. Thank your for your amazing friendship, your help with so many things and your no fuss, no nonsense manner! I am trying to hold up your inappropriate ledgend but you just seem to have a better knack for it than me-lol. Noah-you were like a big brother to Jess-thank you, Anna-Jess misses you so much, you lit up the ship and Libby-what a character you are-you made us laugh!

Nanita, Sally Peet and me (Jodie).

Jess and Anna Peet

The Peet family as they were leaving. Libby is from Liberia and the reason the Peets decided to leave. They had been trying for many years to gain a visa for Libby so they could return to their home country-the UK- and officially adopt Libby as a UK resident. So leaving was a bittersweet moment. As Olly put it so well in his blog , "From the day one joins Mercy Ships, one thing hangs heavy over you: the day you will have to leave." After almost eight years of service, I am sure!!

Goodbye to the Adjei family-thank you for all your help with the Boutique. Gina-you are an inspiration and we thank God for your amazing miracle, Lawrence-"God is good, all the time, all the time, God is good!!" Daniel and gorgeous Esther. Goodye Zupke family-Your time on board was short but very sweet. Thank you for the fantastic job you did with the summer program-Sam, Margo, Matt and Micah-Jess really enjoyed your company! Goodbye Jacki-another Aussie mate! See you at Max Brenner in December! Goodbye Ken and Jill-you guys rock and we really appreciated your warmth and sense of humour. It is obvious why the crew love you!

This is what it looks like. On the steaming, dusty dock anywhere from half a dozen to over a hundred crew and day workers will gather to say their goodbyes. It is aways very emotional and not a moment that is relished.

It really cuts you deep watching the kids say goodbye to friends who have, in all sense of the word, become their brothers and sisters. Above are Anna Peet and Fride Tvedt, both aged nine and best friends for years, saying their goodbyes.

Looking down at the throng from the top of the gangway.

As those who are leaving pile into the land rovers for the very last time, those who are saying goodbye line the dock so we can give our final wave. For those who have served so diligently for many, many years the ship's horn blasts cutting through the smoky air. One last tribute......

We love you-GOODBYE.................

Nope-couldn't do it without crying...