The end is just the beginning!

Thank you! You have prayed, gave, encouraged, and/or showed your support by being there to listen.

For the last two years, we have been with Mercy Ships serving in West Africa as a family! A  year before that we prayed, made plans, completed tons of paperwork, and had several medical appointments (and shots). You made that possible.

We are thankful that we were able to complete our original commitment. But we know that our time is over with Mercy Ships for this season of life. We shared (earlier this year) Ezra needs some educational help beyond what the academy can provide.

Transitions are hard. We came back to Alabama in June sad that we could not continue but in some ways happy the decision was clear. Continue to pray for us! We struggle with all the changes in returning to the states and all the changes still coming. Our family was living in a community with a 500 square foot cabin. Eating meals together in the dining room, bumping into each other in the halls, at work, fighting for a spot on the list in the laundry room...But now, we are struggling to find a good balance again. Thank the Lord for family & friends!

God has answered prayer BIG! That's something we continue to learn. Because our minds are limited, we often limit what we think is possible with God. That's a mistake.

Remember the last newsletter list of prayer requests? Every one of those ANSWERED, and WOW were they answered.

We would like to describe a few answers to prayer:

• Securing employment - The jobs we secured? Wow, great timing and seem a great fit for us.
• Finding Residence - We are so happy to be skipping the apartment and going straight to a house. Why? It removes another transition which is healthier for all of us.
• Buy a vehicle - Truth is, we didn't actually buy a vehicle. A family gave us one for free!

Once again, thank y'all for partnering with us! Continue to pray for our family as the transitions are very hard on our boys and we are feeling the struggle as well. Big feelings, big emotions, uncertainty...nothing is "for sure" to them anymore. BUT having family, friends, and returning to a place they used to live for most of their young lives helps. We all process in different ways.

Please feel free to ask us any questions and/or share your feelings with us! We would love to hear from you! - There are future plans being made for a few local "shares" as soon as we can stabilize our lives a bit and find some routine.

Important Information - Please Read!

As our 2-year commitment with Mercy Ships comes to an end we need to share some important information with you. We will soon to return to the USA. We will be back in Alabama in June. [if you get our newsletter then you already received this information - Thank you!]

Our support processing will continue until July 17th. We humbly ask that you would continue to support us until that time. **

If you don't currently support us and feel that you could send us a one time gift, this would be a great time to do it. This will help us with extra expenses during our reentry/reintegration.

When we came to Mercy Ships we sold our house and gave away most of our belongings.

At that time we had no idea how long we would stay! Those of you who have moved before know it takes a modest amount of money to get started all over again. Including the price to fly a family of four home from Africa. -- When we leave from Conakry Guinea we will leave with our luggage allowance, 2 bags a piece.

Continue to watch for our newsletters as we finish our time with Mercy Ships. There is a lot to process. A lot to do. It seems surreal the time is almost done. Here are some points we would love you to pray for:

• Finishing well and safe travels home
• A time of rest to process before jumping right back in...
• Securing employment when we return
• Finding Residence (House/Apartment)
• Getting the boys registered in school
• buy a vehicle
• The general costs of setting up a household starting over

Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We appreciate you so much. Stay connected we're not done yet!

Much LOVE from our family...
Tyrone & Stephanie, Tytus & Ezra

** For those who have the money deducted, Mercy Ships will stop deducting as soon as our account deactivates on July 17th. For those who send in each gift by check and the "one-time" option online, July 10th would be a good time to send the last gift. Then it will process before our account is deactivated. **

Your Gift is Tax Deductible!

Mama Bear (Stephanie)

I have a mug that I drink coffee in every morning. It is the perfect size, the handle is sturdy, and in white letters with a pink background, it says "Mama Bear". I ordered it almost 2 years ago when we first got to the ship. It was a time when I needed to advocate for one of my boys in a big way. I felt the Lord guiding me and giving me discernment for when to allow other people to lead my son and when I needed to stand up as a Mama Bear. I love that mug!

In January I met our precious Crainiofacial patients in screening. They were born with abnormalities in their skulls/face. Four of our 14 cranial facial patients were born with part of their brain, fluid, or meninges outside of their skulls.

I have gotten to know the 4 patients very well. They all have had ups and downs. Two of our patients have had some complications and have spent the majority of 10 weeks post op in D-Ward.

Zanaib (Zaza) was barely 4 months old when she had her first surgery. She was tiny, frail, and had a large sac of fluid and brain tissue protruding out the back of her skull. Her mama came here from Sierra Leone to save her child's life. She has loved her baby so well. 

Zaza and Mama

I have watched her take the good news with smiles and 'thank God". And the bad news with a bit of mama bear protection. She has watched me draw blood from her baby and do so many necessary things to her baby that caused baby Zaza pain or discomfort. As a mom myself, I get it!! At times she would be visibly upset at the discomfort I was causing her. When things are settled and her baby is doing well she smiles shyly and plays sweetly with her now chunky 6 months old. 

Precious little girl!

Zaza needs your prayers! Her healing is not over. Please pray for her this week especially that the team would have discernment of exactly what to do next for this precious daughter of the King. 

Please remember Zaza in your prayers! Her healing is not over.

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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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New Year, New You?

We are a month in...How is everyone doing with their new year resolutions? I (Tyrone) have never been one for new year resolutions. Usually, I try to install change right away when I see problems or improvements I want or need to make. My one sentence advice (I know you didn't ask for it...) "Try not to make the same mistakes this year that you did last year and we will all be better for it!". 

This is the time of year that Stephanie is busy with the craniofacial program on board. At one point, in the beginning, they weren't sure if she would be able to work in the hospital. Being a PCG (or primary caregiver) is a full-time job in itself and can restrict any "outside" work potential BUT YET...

Her ID is labeled "PACU Nurse" but her title is Craniofacial Coordinator. How's that for being the PCG? We exercise a lot of flexibility (with each other) as her job requires more work and availability. But we have always been a family, a duo, that can jump in and do what it takes. Sure, they still want their mama more, but that's usually how it goes, right? -- I am very proud of my wife! It's important to me that she finds fulfillment in what she does.

Hospital Chaplaincy shares the Gospel with the patients. Incredibly 80% of the world, cannot or does not prefer to learn from reading. We are an oral society. Considering this Mercy Ships loves to use Simply The Story.  In addition, we use sim/secure digital/memory cards (for use in cell phones) loaded with audio Bibles and Gospel songs spoken/sung in local and tribal languages. -- Let's say you're in a country with many local and tribal languages. That doesn't mean you can read or write every language. The one electronic device that everyone seems to have in Africa is a cell phone. What better way to share the Gospel than to offer free resources to utilize this tool?!

It's hard to keep up with EVERYTHING but if you go to our Bartons On Board facebook page we post updates on everything from patients to prayer points!  https://www.facebook.com/BartonsOnBoard

For those who love all the details we also have the field service statistics PDF:
Mercy Ships Africa Mercy Statistics Guinea 2018-2019

Thank you for your continued support! We appreciate that you motivate, encourage, send personal notes & cards, and pray for us! You are such a blessing!

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Year End Giving?

If you are considering giving at the end of the 2018 calendar year, we would love to have you partner with us as we continue to serve by bringing hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor on the hospital ship, Africa Mercy.

Click the picture, use our donation button, or click the link at the end of this post for more details!

To read about our progress in Guinea CLICK HERE for a full report!

We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and an exceptional year! As we get ready to go into the New Year we are so thankful for your prayers and support! Whether it was a financial gift, a word of encouragement, and/or the occasional email or letter, we appreciate you so much!

Thank you for partnering with us!

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Who you say I am

Sometimes I feel like I can see my life from almost an outsiders perspective. The few times this has happened it has a theme and I feel like it is a gift. Let me explain. Everywhere I go on the ship I hear Hillsong's "Who you say I am". It has so much truth! "In my father's house, there is a place for me. I am a child of God, Yes I am!!"

These words have echoed in my head for the last month. A month that consisted of hard meetings that have decided that we will go home after this field service. A month that many patients had complications and outcomes that are less than desirable. A month that had so much sickness in our family. Friends this has been a HARD month.

But it also has been a month of God reminding me that I am chosen and not forsaken. When things are hard I can remember who I am. Simultaneously my boys are obsessed with a Pete the cat song called " Just gotta be you". They listen to it a lot. Hearing them sing "You'll never be happy being somebody else no matter how hard you try. Walking around in another cats clothes will only make you cry. You just gotta be you!" Ezra likes to walk to school listening to this on my phone. One day he restarted the song and sang and danced his little heart out in front of his 3 classmates and teacher. I have never been prouder.

No matter if we are a patient with a tumor, a mom, or a child in school shouldn't we live in light of who He says I am and just gotta be you?

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The Struggle

Our family recently struggled through another round of viruses. We are better now. Only Tytus is still struggling with a cough. His cold type virus aggravated his asthma. While moving his nebulizer the cord caught on a drawer handle and I dropped it. It was not repairable. We brought out our old nebulizer and borrowed a transformer to run it (it was 110v and the ships is 220-240v). After a week the transformer burned out. We were offered another one to use. It burned out in 10 minutes. At this point, it seemed as nothing could go right for the better part of a month.
BUT God is good, patients are being healed, and the Gospel is being shared.

Our small group (on the ship) is dwindling as more of our group has left. It's sad to see our long-term friends in Mercy Ships leave. And It can be hard to adjust to new people in a personal setting. We enjoy studying the scriptures together and how it effects (affects?) our prayer life and passion for other people.

Stephanie and I are also using our "Mark journals" sent to us from Summit (our home church). I love the format of having the scriptures/book of Mark as part of the journal. That way we have the "word" and the journal as one unit. You read the scriptures on one page and journal on the opposite page (no cell phone app needed). We also follow along with the Sermons through podcasts.

Tytus and Ezra both have "Sunday School" on the ship from 6pm to 7pm on Sunday night. There is also church service on board starting at 7pm. You can also attend churches locally. That is why our services are at night, so people can experience a local church. Although for local services you may need a translator AND be prepared to spend the majority of the day away from the ship. We aren't there yet with the boys. Church in a foreign country can be a long process. Sometimes full of uncertainties for small kids. Bring lots of snacks and be prepared for awkward and embarrassing moments with your kids. There is also Ward church held every Sunday down in the hospital for our patients and that is open to the crew.

The hospital has been busy. Sometimes all we have to do is look outside our Cabin window to feel joy. Right now the dock "waiting" area is a happy place. Full of kids playing and running all over the place and mama's running after them. They will receive life-changing surgeries. Some will be so young they won't even remember. But their families will.

Each new field service brings its own challenges and we are definitely feeling them and working through it! -- Please pray for our family, the hospital team, and our precious patients!

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Field Service & Family Life!

Mercy Ships is back in Guinea for their fourth visit! Early in the morning on the first day of screening, many people had already been in line for hours. Most are waiting to see a nurse and hopeful for a surgery that could change their lives forever. By the end of the day, volunteer nurses would evaluate over 6,000 people.

It takes many volunteers to make this happen(not just nurses). Crowd control, security, chaplaincy, offering water...feeding the crew.

Both of us have been to screenings in the past. It can be overwhelming. We have seen mothers lift their babies over their head and passed forward until they are at the front of the line. They fear their babies will not be seen! -- Sometimes the screening reveals issues we cannot help. Those are gently told "no" and offered counsel and prayer.

I know a couple of things...(Stephanie)

Docking in Conakry Guinea

So, here’s the thing. This is our second field service on the Africa Mercy as a family and I feel like I know a couple things. I know what food to buy and freeze from Las Palmas to keep our family happy. And I know that I can not approach this new field service the same as last year.

While we were home I read Katie Major’s second book “Daring to Hope”. Her first book documented her life as she moved to Uganda, founded a ministry, and adopted 13 girls. I thought her second book would follow suit and document her falling in love and having a biological son. I read her book on the beach, in coffee shops, and lounging at book stores.

I was exhausted from the 10 month field service. I navigated parenthood amidst 450 people while being a contributing member to community, and overseeing the crainiofacial program. I left Cameroon depleted.

During my “me time” I sat in comfortable chairs as I dove into Katie’s book. I was thinking it would be a light and fluffy love story, I was very wrong! Instead I found myself weeping at the aforementioned beach, coffee shops, and book stores as I read an authentic story of how to find hope when life is hard.

Back On Board! Shipyard.

Back on board! We have been back on board for awhile now. If your wondering how it is during *shipyard, well, its a contrast!

On one hand we are in a shipyard where all that is going on is hard work. It's not like a nice port downtown or dock by the beach. Dirty filthy work going on everywhere. Work that needs doing.

But on the other hand we are in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. And it's beautiful!

Shipyard is full of challenges and projects that need to get done. We have had no AC for a few weeks and maybe not for a few more. We have had scheduled times of...

Sharing the Good News!

By the time you read this, we will be in Huntsville Alabama. We spent some "down time" with family in Florida before returning to my (Tyrone) hometown in Alabama. The boys had a special treat from Grandma and Grandpa. Tytus and Ezra went to Lego Land! (We stayed behind to rest!)

During our time in Alabama, we will be sharing with friends and family about our work on the Africa Mercy. We appreciate all of you and wish we could visit with everyone across the globe!

WOW! How do we share a year of family life in 20, 40, or 60 minutes? It seems an overwhelming task. But we are excited to bring the stories, events, and lives that you have been a part of!

For those of you who are on Facebook and/or want to hear more frequently about the work that is being done, join our facebook page... https://www.facebook.com/BartonsOnBoard/
Please, like and share the page, or any of the posts. It's public.

The Ship is in a Time of Transition

Mount Cameroon in the background!

The ship is in a time of transition as the end of this field services is coming. The energy has changed from being full steam ahead to wrapping things up. We have 4 weeks of surgery, 5 weeks of the hospital being open, and 6 weeks until the ship leaves Douala. And then we (The Barton family) board a plane to the US for a time of restoration. It feels weird. My patient, Adama, still has a lot of healing to do in 5 weeks but our family is also very ready for a break!

The hospital is still going strong. Every day around 10:00 a.m. the day-crew chaplaincy team comes thru the ward. They specifically come to share a “Simply the Story” (oral storytelling method that involves interaction and participation) Bible story in French. 

Our patients hear the gospel every day. Their journeys really are about physical and spiritual healing. One of the things I like to do is watch as the brand new nurses experience this for the first time. As the patients hear the gospel, then sing and dance to the very loud drums, the nurse's eyes fill up with tears and I can almost see a thought bubble appear that says “This is why I am here.”

Birthdays on The Ship!

One week has passed and I think I have finally recovered from Tytus’ Birthday party. It was the first kids birthday party I had to plan and I wish someone had warned me. Birthdays are a BIG deal here.

Tytus’ actual birthday was on Friday, March 2nd. He received little gifts throughout the day. Our door decorated with balloons and banners. Mr. Fred bought him a Fanta (orange soda) at the cafe. Twice serenaded with the "Happy Birthday" song. Once by Tyrone’s
dining room and galley team, and once by the crew after ringing the Birthday bell. It was so fun to see my son so celebrated he soaked it up! His sweet self loved it so much.

I was told "God is at work!"

Stephanie & Julienne

I find myself thinking frequently about you, our supporters, our friends and family. I sincerely want you to feel a part of this great thing we are doing here in Cameroon.

I want you to know... 

• Your prayers and financial support is the reason why people are being healed from the inside and out. 
• Our patients come in broken. The love poured over them and the gospel they hear is as much a part of their healing process as surgery. 
• Before and after pictures remind me this ship that brings free, safe surgery is a weird and wonderful place to do life and raise our kids!

I also want you to know that the last 6 months have been full of challenges. Let's be honest, it has been rough!!!

Giving Blood, Sweat, & Tears at Work!

When someone uses the term "Blood, Sweat, & Tears" we get the idea of hard work. For sure, if you work in Food Service you are WORKING HARD! I guarantee it. You will sweat, at least at some point. Tears? There are pounds/kilograms of onions to peel and prepare each day. Blood? Hopefully not! Unless you have agreed to be part of the ships blood bank for patients. Then I most definitely hope you get to give blood!

Mercy Ships has a unique blood donation system. They only use whole blood that contains plasma because they can’t separate it on the ship. The crew on-board the ship are literally a “walking blood bank” because there is no means of storing blood past 72 hours here on the vessel.

On the Africa Mercy they test every donor’s blood before the need arises. This allows the lab to call crew members immediately to start the process of donating blood.

Did you know what Encephalocele is?

Victory

If you have ever heard about the amazing work that Mercy ships does you have heard about facial tumors, cleft lips & palates, plastic surgery for burn patients, obstetric fistulas, and eye surgeries to name a few. Mercy ships does a lot of things but did you know we do crainiotomies? No? Me neither until serving on board in 2008. 

These patients are not the ones on the Mercy Ships commercials or websites. So most of the nurses that come are quite surprised to hear that we do crainiofacial surgery.

Merry Christmas!

This year, you changed lives. Thank you for partnering with us and leaving a lasting impact!

Who Holds Tomorrow?

Sometimes I think the reason I can't remember where I put things or remember any of my passwords is because my brain is full of song lyrics. Some days I can come up with a song for nearly every sentence I hear. The funny thing is I can't carry a tune to save my life! So I try to keep this hidden talent to myself except to the ones that love me despite my terrible voice.

Yesterday I was listening to music while I ran and it really resonated with me. All the songs were about how we may not know what tomorrow holds but we know who holds tomorrow. Song after song spoke to my heart and encouraged me to my core.

Time Keeps Ticking

Time is a funny thing on the ship. I have come to realize that time is not my own, even more so than off the ship. Community life makes that very clear. Simple tasks like doing laundry can take much longer than normal. You may see a friend that needs you to listen to them. Or a new person that needs to be shown how to use the ships laundry machines. Tyrone laughs at me when I say " I'll be right back." We both know that's highly unlikely. Time seems to both fly by, and creep, on the ship. My days on the ship are packed between kids, work, quiet time, exercise, cleaning, and relationships. The days are quick but I find myself thinking it feels like we have been here much longer than 3 months.

My time on the ward is sweet. Some days are full and others I leave early. It depends on if the nurses need any help with complicated dressings, lab draws, or other tasks. Some days I spend tidying up the ICU or spending time with the patients playing games or cuddling a baby.