‘God led me to give up my secure job of 24 years, to run a school on a ship for missionary kids!’

My journey with Mercy Ships started back in 2010 when I was working in a school in London. I had recently returned from working for three years in an international school in Kenya and was still adjusting to life back in the UK. The school chose a charity to support each year and, that year, Mercy Ships was chosen.

Listening to the visiting speaker talk about the school on a ship was interesting but having just returned from somewhere in Africa, it was not something I even considered would be in my future.

After visiting a friend’s church a couple of years later and hearing someone talk about Mercy Ships and then, back in Devon, having a local group called ICE (Initiatives in Christian Education) come in and do a whole school assembly about the work of Mercy Ships, I thought I should maybe investigate further!

Leaving a secure job, pension and my home wasn’t an easy decision to make

Leaving a secure job, pension and my home wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I had always heard about missionary work and wondered if it was for me. I wasn’t sure I was confident enough be a preacher or be on an outreach team, but having the opportunity to use my teaching skills to enable people to see God’s love for them in a practical way – I could see myself doing that!

The job was a volunteer position so I had to think about how and if I could raise enough money for travel and living expenses for the two years I was signing up for. This was a daunting prospect but with prayer and encouragement from friends and family, I reached out to people. I was very humbled by the support I started to receive, some from people I knew well and some from unexpected people who had heard about my plans through others and had decided that they wanted to be part of my journey.

With this amazing provision from God, I applied to be a teacher in the ships academy (a school for the children of crew who come with their families) just before the COVID pandemic in 2020, so things didn’t get off to the best start. However, in September 2021, I flew to Gran Canaria to join the Africa Mercy, just after her time in the shipyard.

I spent the first four months teaching five children in year five from New Zealand, the Netherlands and America.

I spent the first four months teaching five children in year five from New Zealand, the Netherlands and America. People imagine having a small class will be easier than a class of 30 and, in some ways that is true, but it also has its challenges! One of the children spoke hardly any English and a lesson that would take a whole afternoon in a large class would be done in an hour with such a small group, so I had to be much more creative with what I planned!

One highlight of this time was teaching the topic of light in science – a topic I have taught many times before. I always have a sense of dread when it comes to the ‘periscope’ lesson as trying to make 30 periscopes out of cereal boxes or empty drinks cartons never goes well! Onboard, I was chatting to the carpenter and asked if he could make one for me to show the class. After bringing me a wonderfully made and perfectly working periscope he said he had cut the wood and put together kits for each of the children to make their own. It was amazing. We spent a wonderful afternoon in the carpenter’s shop making (my first ever) truly successfully working periscopes.

Living in a community with so many different people from all over the world and with so many different jobs really does open up many new opportunities for learning. I’ve taken classes to visit the bridge to learn about compass directions and wind speed, had the baker help us make Viking bread and had the chief engineer take us on a tour of the ship including the engine room to show us how water enters, leaves and is stored on the ship.

My first experience of sailing was to Senegal in January 2022 on the Africa Mercy. Once we were there, watching the first patients come up the gangway to receive surgery (from a distance due to continuing COVID restrictions) was amazing. And then waving them off as they left healed was a special moment to share with the children onboard.

After transferring to the Global Mercy in July 2022, I spent another six months teaching in Senegal and then six months in Sierra Leone. By now, we were able to visit the hospital, so the children in the academy sang, played ukuleles and spent time playing with the patients as part of their school day.

In January 2024, I moved back to the Africa Mercy to become the headteacher of the school and joined the ship as we sailed into Madagascar to serve the people there for eighteen months. I now lead a team of thirteen staff from seven different countries who teach 36 children of nine different nationalities! It is a huge privilege to be able to start each day with a time of prayer and worship with the staff and children and to talk about my faith openly in the classroom. We get to pray for the patients having life-changing surgeries just three decks below us and celebrate with them as they leave having had their lives and futures changed.

Just as the patients leave changed, my experience onboard has also changed me. My faith has grown, I have learnt so much from people I would never have met from all over the world and I have learned that God is in control, even in times of challenge and uncertainty. 

Premier’s Mission Week is 5-13th October. Find out more here.