I met Don Stephens! And my shirt was inside out! It was my most Bridget Jones moment in some time. I was at Starbucks having coffee with Ben when Don Stephens walked through the café area. Truth be told, I didn’t actually meet him. He definitely smiled specifically at the two of us and said “hello”.
I must admit, though I usually scoff at the idea of celebrity, I can’t help being somewhat star-struck at Don Stephens live and onboard the AFM. I’m sure he’s quite a normal guy, with all the quirks and limitations as any other.
God gave him a vision years ago for something world-changing and he had the courage to step into it with everything. The Anastasis sat in a bay in Greece after the purchase of it in 1978. Many thought the Anastasis would never sail. According to doctor Christine Aroney-Sine, the first physician on the Anastasis, the ship was almost laughed out of Greece. Few caught on to the vision in those early days and many thought the project was doomed to fail.
As I look around the ship now it is incredible to think it all began with one couples’ dream to do something in service to God. It’s easy to take for granted this place and the opportunity’s I’m presented with. Just the other day a film crew from iTV, a British television network, was reporting from one of our dress ceremonies in the hospital. The nurses were all taken aback when the presenter looked into the camera and said “reporting now from the Africa Mercy, the world’s largest philanthropic medical ship, stationed currently in West Africa”. Of course it’s where we live and what we do. Sometimes it still shocks me.
And it makes me think. Don and Deyon Stephens were simply pursuing in obedience the dream God had given them. What dreams has He given me? I will likely not do anything to the extent of the legacy and publicity of Mercy Ships. Each vision is unique. What dreams has God given those around me that I don’t even know about? Big ideas that, if pursued in obedience, could change the world.
I found out the other night that the day Don Stephens walked into the Swiss bank to ask for a million dollar loan to pay for the Anastasis he was wearing one black shoe and one brown shoe. Turns out he is a normal guy after all.
It's where you are and what you do. So true. And your obedience to be there, doing this...is no less laudable or noteworthy than Don Stephens'.
ReplyDeleteYet another stunningly gorgeous photo of you, I might also add. Those children! That mocha skin and those inky, shiny eyes...I don't know when I have seen such beautiful children.