Our first week in Texas

Our first few days in Texas have been hot.  The temperature range is similar to Singapore at present about 24-32 degrees and we did have a tropical style downpour one day. The pool has been well utilised by all!

The course proper was due to start with an orientation on Saturday so people kept arriving up until late Friday night.  On Saturday we met our course group of about 30 people.  We had some fun ice breaker games to start with and soon we were getting to know each other.  We are living in the family dormitory; there is also a women's dormitory.  I will post some pics soon.  There are two other families with children in our dorm; Corne and Petra from The Netherlands and Oebele and Deborah from The Netherlands and Germany.  Harry is in his element with Corne and Petras eldest daughter, Charlotte who is 5. Even though she is still learning English, they are having a wonderful time playing together. They may also be in the same class in the ship school, the Mercy Ships Academy. The kindergarten teacher, Katie, is also on course with us so three quarters of their class is here - only one other child is already on the ship! Harry has transferred his undying devotion to Miss Katie - sorry Mrs Delucia.

Some of the children who live at the International Operations Center have joined the "kids on boarding" program here so Jack has made friends with Ethan and Mark with Mimi. Unfortunately, neither of these kids will be joining the ship this year. However, there will be plenty of other kids to get to know when we get there.

This week Mick has been doing the Foundations of Mercy Ships and Personal Support Raising courses which I did three years ago. There has been a lot of information to take in and he has likened it to "drinking from a fire hose". Instead of redoing it, I've been working in different areas here.  I spent a morning packing patient care kits for children in the ship hospital; a morning in the kitchen and scullery, and a morning in the warehouse. I think I am back in the kitchen tomorrow again which I really enjoy. It's great to compare how Mercy Ships does it with the way the Navy do it at home.

We also went to Cowboy Church last Sunday.  It was a new and different experience.  The church building was setup like a barn, there was a saddle at the preachers podium and the music was very country and western.

We have our cabin number - 7219, that is on deck 7 down aft - and our flight details to Tenerife departing Dallas 23 July and arriving late on 24 July via London and Madrid. This will be another long day of travel. We also have our Mercy Ships email addresses - mick.dunne@mercyships.org and tammy.dunne@mercyships.org And we have been given details of how to send us snail mail.

At the IOC until 23 July:

Mick/Tammy Dunne - Onboarding Course

Mercy Ships

PO Box 2020

Lindale, TX 75771-2020

USA

Onboard the Africa Mercy after 23 July:

Mick/Tammy Dunne - AFM - (Container OR Crew Mail)

PO Box 2020

Lindale, TX 75771-2020

USA

For articles over 1.5 oz (42 gm) we will be charged US$0.55 per oz (approx US$2.00 per 100 gm) for them to be forwarded to us in the crew mail but no extra for them to be forwarded in the container. Containers are sent about every 4 weeks and take about 8 weeks to get from the IOC to the ship in Congo. So please mark any packages for the container.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Tammy and Mick