*** CURRENT - 2020 - If your interested we're making some REALLY TERRIBLE videos based around food and family over at tyronebcookin.com . Our plan is to get better as we do more. LOL!***
[JULY 2019] THANK YOU for following our journey these last two years as our family served with Mercy Ships! We appreciate your prayers, encouragment, financial support...We are so grateful for you partnering with us! -- We are now back in Alabama trying to transition back into our community. ~ The Barton Family

Sunday, April 7, 2019

The Food Service Department is like "Controlled Chaos"

I thought a picture of delicious dinner rolls from the bakery
would draw you in! If you're reading this, it worked!
Wow! We apologize. We let the whole month of March slip by without an update newsletter.

For those of you who have been praying for us, it has been a good month! Everyone stayed healthy, the boys had great days at school, and our jobs went well. The hospital and hope center has been moving right along. Helping people in and out of surgery, recuperating, and chaplaincy sharing the Gospel.

Stephanie has recently been working more because a patient, baby-girl (not her real name) had some complications. It's tough when anyone struggles so hard to live, but the babies seem extra hard. -- We also had a fellow crew member that was ill with an unknown problem that needed testing and medical attention we can not provide on the ship. Pray for that family, please.

Whether it's patients we work with or fellow crew members on board there are privacy issues to respect. BUT that doesn't stop us from praying for the best outcome! The Lord knows...he is the great physician.

Living on board a ship of believers has its advantages in situations like this. We have our own "small group" of prayer warriors about 450 strong. Sometimes we are called to pray through ships email, community meetings, and/or the overhead Public Announcement system. I can't imagine many people back home having that happen at work?

Funny family things...Tytus and Ezra recently dressed up as animals for a Friday Jubalini day. The videos are short and funny.



One of the Cameroonian friends we have here on board, Martha, brought the boys some jackets. We picked them out a little big since they won't really be able to use them till Fall. But they look great!

Look at those handsome boys!
IN Food Service we have crazy loud music, impromptu dance parties, and sometimes a lot of what I like to call "Controlled Chaos"! Every year gets crazier and different BUT I wouldn't trade it for anyone else's job. The picture below is only a quarter of my full crew. We have uniforms but we like to find local fabric and celebrate on Friday showing our unity with matching clothes. This has a set of flatware, knife/fork/spoon in the pattern with bold colors. If you look close everyone has their own style. A Pullover shirt, chef coat, zipper shirt, button down with collar...different ways they used the pattern or had the shirt styled. It brings us together but also shows each persons individuality. I serve with 40 other people in my department. Most of them are from Africa.



Being the Food Service Manager I often have or build great relationships with most of the 40 people that are rotating in and out, long term, and day crew. -- Some people on the ship may think I (Tyrone) am probably anti-social or introverted outside of work. I assure them THAT is not the case. I, we (my wife and sometimes even the kids) have great relationships with people in our department. And when we are off work we carve out time for our family. Sometimes in this setting its hard to invest time in everyone. (this is where one of those "setting boundaries" and/or saying "no" books and training comes in handy) Community can be hard y'all! But we love it!

Potato Patrol

I have a shirt that matches this hat too!

I have known John since 2007-08? When we were in Liberia...he's still here serving on the ship!

Had a nice dinner out with some of our crew.

Can't remember if we were going Rastafarian or Pirates this day...I needed dredlocks either way. 

OH MAN! I forgot about this video...I posted it on Facebook a while back but if you haven't seen it you might find it entertaining. One of the rotating cooking teams decided we should do a gift swap (around Christmas) and we drew names. I drew Jemima from Ghana (interesting fact, her older brother was my best man in my wedding back in 2006). In the video, I played that classic *trick where I put the actual gift inside something, inside something else, then inside a package to wrap. My wife will probably "kill" me for sharing this but...


Yeah, we have fun like that!

*[gift certificate dollars inside my old sock, inside an empty coffee creamer, inside a Ziploc bag with rotten plantains and peels, inside a nicely wrapped box - in case you were wondering. LOL]

I'll end this newsletter asking that y'all pray for my wife BECAUSE I plan on taking all these shirts home and wearing them ALL. THE. TIME!   (oh yes, I have plenty more!)

**If for some reason the videos have not worked for you, let me know.

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2020 UPDATE: We are back at tyronebcookin.com doing cooking posts on our blog and our Youtube channel Youtube.com/tyronebcookin.