so our time in tenerife has now come to an end and once again the ocean, in varying forms, is all that you can see out of the window! it certainly has been an eventful sail so far; i have only ventured out of my bed for the essentials of life - lying down being the only relief from sickness! last night inparticular we were in rough as rough seas, the ship shop took a battering with everything on the shelves being dumped on the floors, and there was one giant pancake on the floor of the kitchens - as the flour and milk spilled everywhere! but thankfully the weather system causing all the mayhem is passing through and the seas, although still with large swells are now looking more calm and sparkly rather than grey and angry!
so i've ventured out and about today; taking session in the nurses orientation on documentation and catching up on my blog writing! im sure as the days go by that we'll be treated with dolphins and sitting on the bow.
so lets catch up with the last days in tenerife...other than housekeeping by day, all of the crew made the most of being in a western culture; stocking up on chocolate and crisps, ikea shopping for storage solutions and getting their fill of mountains and beaches. None of which was essential, but all rather nice!
And i certainly did the same. the last saturday i went to the opera house, for a mini family orientated concert (the Auditorio de Tenerife was in likeness to the Sydney Opera house!) followed by the last lunch in mcdonalds with free unrestricted wifi, then an afternoon taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the park. This is what i know i will miss the most - the greeness of trees and grass, birdsong and water fountains!
the weekend before was a wonderful expedition to MASCA. Having taken the bus up into the mountains on the south west of the island, we treked down the length of a stunning, deep sided gorge, all the way to the sea. A boat - with free dolphin watching included (!) then took us out from the beach to the local town, further down the coast. it was a great day to be out and about - with a full bus based drive around the entire island included!
other things that we've been treated to in tenerife have been sangria and metre long sausages in 'metre bar', tasty icecream cones, energetic jogs up and down the long dock, sunshine and nice warm temperatures.
but before we knew it our time came to an end and a few mercyship friends waved us off from the edge of the dock. the faithful trumpeter was there too, sending us off to the shores of Togo in true style.
so as the ocean days go past - and there are alot more ahead of me, my minds turn to the people of Togo; we wait, waiting in anticipation for all that is ahead, for all that is known and unknown, waiting for the Lord to reveal, but through it all; the rough seas and the unknown - i know these verses ring like sweetness in my ears:
isaiah 40: 12,22,28.
"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted,
but...
but...they who wait for the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, then shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
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