ABOUT

Welcome to my blog.  My name is Wendy; I hail from Wisconsin, I'm a proud 2001 Whitworth University alum, and I lived in Houston, Texas for 11 years prior to moving to Africa.  The catalyst for this blog is my service with Mercy Ships, the world's largest non-government hospital ship. The ship houses approximately 400 volunteers (doctors, nurses, engineers, writers, project managers, etc) who enable the organization to provide free medical care to the forgotten poor. The ship has many of the things you would expect to find in any small town...a bank, a school, a hair salon, even a Starbucks! At any given time, there are 40-50 kids living on the ship. I  teach math to all the students in grades 6-12.

I am a math teacher at heart. Teaching is not just my occupation, it is at the core of who I am and who God made me to be. I love math so much it's a little strange.

I believe our good God is at work redeeming our broken and hurting world and I want to part of it. Jesus is my faithful Lord and companion on my journey, and although I wish for a family of my own, I am learning that God alone is all I need because He is the only One who can meet all my needs.

Why Mercy Ships? Every 7 years I try to take a "Sabbatical Year." I quit my job in order to rest, to volunteer, to travel, to seek God's direction for my life...to do things I might not have time for while working full-time. I spent over a year exploring ideas for how to spend my Sabbatical.  I was looking for a place where I could live in community, use my gifts as a math teacher to serve others, and have some new experiences. I read everything I could get my hands on about Mercy Ships and their mission resonated with me, specifically their desire to follow the model of Jesus in caring for the poor. So in the summer of 2015 I joined Mercy Ships. I spent a year in Madagascar, followed by a year in Benin. I recently extended my commitment for a 3rd year which will be spent in Cameroon.

When I'm not teaching I like to read, ice skate, play Ultimate Frisbee, camp, hike, journal, play board games, swing dance, and play with my dog, Sophie.