Going Home

Wow! Three months really went fast!

The weekend before my scheduled return to Snohomish I had the opportunity of spending a few days with my dear friend Bunmi who lives in London. She graciously put me up in her flat and we got to do the touristy thing by riding the hop on-hop off bus around London. It was awesome to see the sights. I loved the Tower Bridge and seeing Parliament, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westmister Abby and St. Paul's Cathedral among many other places. Unfortunately we did not have time to visit each place, it would take at least one to two days to see each one, but I enjoyed being with Bunmi. She was in our Crossroads class and had been a fellow Crew member aboard the Caribbean Mercy. We attended a birthday party for a Nigerian friend, managed to get lost on the way, but I enjoyed seeing London at night. At the party there was a dear lady who prayed for me and prophesied over me - a new experience! And it was a great blessing .

I returned to the office for one last day to make sure the new Purser was OK and had no questions for me, wrapped up my emails, said my good byes to the office crew and took one last look at the Africa Mercy. The ship is amazing. It is very close to completion and will hopefully be on her way soon. Please join me in prayer for her swift completion so she can relieve the Anastasis in West Africa.

I am home now after an uneventful flight from Heathrow to Seattle. This was a welcome contrast to my original arrival at Heathrow on August 10...

It took me 6 days to re-adjust to the eight hour time difference, but the weather was just about the same as I left in Hebburn - cold, gray and rainy - and dark by 5 o'clock. I have enjoyed our fireplace, sleeping in a big bed, went and got a chili cheese dog, and have had a blast with the grandchildren. I've attended a Silvertips hockey game and enjoyed the Seahawk's win against Green Bay on Monday night football - in the snow even! Yep - it has been snowing and freezing for three days now.

Our area of Washington is not used to the snow and ice and it has caused major problems. I am fortunately, not working at the moment so I have enjoyed just staying home!

AND! Saturday I'm off to Mexico for a week's vacation. I am so looking forward to the sun shining and some warmth. Then - it is back to work!

Thank you all for your prayers and your encouraging emails during my three month stint as the Purser for the Africa Mercy. It was a wonderful experience and I so appreciated the opportunity to meet up with dear friends from former Caribbean Mercy days and meeting new friends for future adventures.

Blessings to all!