A Dream Job, Seven Years in the Making
Caroline Mallory first heard about Mercy Ships in a book she was given when she was a teenager. Later, when she was about to graduate from college, a guest speaker from Mercy Ships came to her university and a new dream was born. Caroline knew she wanted to become a nurse and go serve on board. Seven years later that dream came true when she boarded the Africa Mercy in Senegal.
Now on board the Global Mercy, Caroline volunteers as a ward nurse and has committed to serve for two years.
In this episode, Caroline shares about the moment she got on board the Africa Mercy, a special patient that was on board for 86 days, and the gift of hope she has received through her time serving.
Looking for a way to join our mission of bringing hope and healing? Partner with us through a gift, volunteering with us, or by joining us in prayer.
New Mercies Podcast Transcript
Welcome to the New Mercies, a podcast by Mercy Ships, where we’ll take you behind the scenes and on board our incredible hospital ships that are transforming lives all over the world. We invite you to join us each week as we sit down with our crew, patients, volunteers, and partners to hear their stories of life-changing hope and healing.
Caroline Mallory first heard about Mercy Ships in a book she was given when she was a teenager. Later, when she was about to graduate from college, a guest speaker from Mercy Ships came to her university and a new dream was born. Caroline knew she wanted to become a nurse and go serve on board and seven years later, that dream came true when she boarded the Africa Mercy. Today, she’s here to tell us all about it. Here’s my interview with Caroline Mallory.
Raeanne Newquist:
Well, Caroline, welcome to the podcast.
Caroline Mallory:
Thanks. It’s so good to be here.
Raeanne:
Yeah, it’s great to have you. I know you just had dinner. So it’s the evening time for you in Sierra Leone, you’re getting to wind down. Why don’t you tell us, what are you currently doing on board?
Caroline:
I’m a ward nurse and I’ve been here since January. And I primarily work in D ward, the maxillofacial ward. But I also flipped to plastics and general just wherever the needs are.
Raeanne:
So why don’t you go ahead and tell us how did you hear about Mercy Ships in the first place, and what caused you to go volunteer?
Caroline:
So when I was a teenager, I heard about Mercy Ships through a book that I was reading, I didn’t really think anything, you know, it’s just like, I enjoyed reading it. And then, after college, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. And so I did a network program. And they just brought in speakers to tell people what they liked, and how they saw their faith impact their work. And a surgeon came, and she talked about her experience on the Africa Mercy that she had volunteered in housekeeping. And that because of the work that she saw, she wanted to be a surgeon. And so that just really impacted me. And then like, a week later, somebody came and just talked about nursing. And even though they didn’t put those two together, I did. And so it just became my dream to be with Mercy Ships. And so then I had to apply to nursing school and go to nursing school for two years, and then work as a nurse for two years to get experience. And then I applied right in February of 2020. And we all know what happened shortly after that. And so when I got to the Africa Mercy, in 2022, I realized that it had been seven years since I first had the dream of being a nurse on the Africa Mercy. So it’s been just a gift to get to live that out. And to kind of come full circle.
Raeanne:
That is exciting. What was your undergrad degree? It wasn’t nursing initially.
Caroline:
No, it was biology. And I wanted to go into physical therapy. And then, kind of right at the last minute, I decided that that’s not what I wanted to do. And then I spent some time doing missions in Greece. And so then I was trying to find something that connected to missions, but I wanted to have kind of skill and a thing that I could bring to wherever I was instead of just being there. And so nursing has been a really great way to do that.
Raeanne:
Oh, that’s so neat. Now, what was the book you were reading? I have to know what was the book that mentions Mercy Ships.
Caroline:
It was a book called Angels of Mercy and my youth pastor actually, it’s his mom and so I just like was reading the book because his mom wrote the book and then years later, you know, just crazy that it came back into my life in such a big way.
Raeanne:
Oh, that is so cool. So this dream being realized was seven years in the making. What was it like for you when you first saw the Africa Mercy and got on board? What were your first impressions?
Caroline:
Um, it was a bit surreal. You know, when you see the ship, especially, you know, most people get to the ship after a really long day of travel and being jet lagged and sleep deprived. And so part of the emotions are just like you’re finally there, and you get to like, breathe a little easier because you’ve made it and then walking up the gangway was very special. I have a dear friend who we knew each other at the hospital that I was working at and she was the travel nurse and she had volunteered several times with Mercy Ships and I happened to see her water bottle one night when we were working, and I was like, oh, that’s what I want to do. That’s so crazy. So she actually was on the ship. And so she, when I first arrived, she came over and gave me a big hug. So that was really special to have a friend already here. And but yeah, just getting to go to work, being around all of these people that I’ve like, heard about for so long was just so special. Because I’ve watched videos for years, and then all of the YouTube tour videos and things like that. And then you’re here and it’s like, oh, this is just my home now. So these people are just people.
Raeanne:
So you’re down in the wards, and you’re working with patients, can you tell us what the patients were like, and maybe a patient that impacted you.
Caroline:
Being in the wards, that’s just the very best part of being on the ship for me. I just love going to work, which is so great to be able to say. I feel like so few people get to say that. And I truly love each part, every shift has its joys and special times that you get with patients. And I think I always tell people that going out to the veranda, or on an AFM that was deck seven, but that time where all the patients get to go outside and get to spend time with each other is just about the closest thing to heaven that I feel like I get to experience. It’s just like, I feel like I get to stick my toe across that line of like this is what it’ll be like in heaven, because it just as pure joy. And I think that patients have such a good time. And I think the thing that I love most about being in the wards is just being surrounded by patients who finally are not alone. A lot of our patients have spent so much of their lives in solitude and isolation because of whatever reason has brought them to the ship. But just that they are not alone anymore, even for little kids like they get to see other kids that have the same scars as they do, or maybe walk the same as they do. And even like today, we had a bunch of cleft palate, babies. And it’s just as special to see the moms that they get to feel less alone because they’re surrounded by other women who know what they’ve gone through whose babies look the same, and are now getting to celebrate their transformation. So that’s just special.
And then last field service in Senegal, we had this patient who was with us for most of the field service, actually, he stayed on the ward for 86 days and had a series of eight surgeries to rebuild his lips because he had Noma, which is a flesh eating disease that had kind of destroyed a lot of his lips. And then he actually had surgery in Senegal to limit it. So that was good. But then it left him without the ability to really talk or communicate. And that obviously had a big impact on the way he looked. You know, anytime he would see his reflection, he would just like put his hand up in mirrors or push it away. For a long time he had a trach and he had a tongue flap. And so the ability for him to talk was taken away and just a lot of his choices, but then slowly through all of the surgeries and even just spending so much time with the other patients and the nurses and the day crew, you could just see his transformation both on the inside and the outside.
He had such little control over his life to just like getting to be a normal six year old who is like running around causing chaos and being sneaky. Then the physical transformation — him being proud of how he looked and being just really excited and wanting to show off and when he had his last surgery, he wanted to go around to all of the other wards and show off!
Raeanne:
How do people get Noma? This bacteria that’s flesh eating? How did they get that?
Caroline:
Um, it’s often contaminated water. And so children get it, I think between the ages of two and four, and then 80% of kids that get it end up passing away. And so the patients that we see that we take care of that have had it, Dr. Garry always talks about how they’re the ones that have survived it, that they’re already survivors, you know, before they even come to us.
Raeanne:
Wow, that’s incredible. It’s so amazing to hear that even someone, that little six years old, is embarrassed of his appearance and would hide from mirrors or reflections or whatnot, but to see the pride after his mouth had been reconstructed and wanting to go show off. It’s incredible to hear things like that. A lot of these patients that you’re seeing, they don’t have access to affordable or timely health care. What is that like for you as a nurse from the United States to be in countries that don’t have health care like we have here in the States?
Caroline:
Yeah, I mean, I think it’s definitely difficult. I think it does weigh on me, just the lack of access to things that we take for granted. And we take so much for granted even like having clean water and having antibiotics, having surgery, you know, having resources. And I think that’s one of the big things that weighs on me, of how we’re only here because of the lack of resources in another country that I have. I’m so grateful for the patients that I get to take care of and to see the transformations that I see every day at work. And but then, you know, there is like the painful reality that we can’t help everyone. And there’s a lot of people that were not able to have surgery, and partly just because of the limitations. And so I think it has given me just more of an appreciation of what we are able to do and that the lives that we do impact and that we do change, are especially meaningful.
Raeanne:
I think sometimes it can be overwhelming, when you’re in an environment where there is so much need, and it almost feels like what can I possibly do to make a difference. But the reality is just helping even one person makes a huge difference. As we’ve seen for the 45 plus years that Mercy Ships has been around, you know, some of these patients, they go on then to become nurses and doctors, because they have been so impacted. And then they stay in their country to make a difference. And there are so many things going on. And the transformation has this beautiful ripple effect. And so you do kind of hold this tension of it’s overwhelming, oh my goodness, the need is so great, with, I’m here, and God is going to multiply the loaves and fishes if you will, God’s going to multiply what gifts we’re coming to give and impact a nation. So it’s a beautiful opportunity to be able to be in that space, but it’s difficult, it’s difficult as well. And with that, I know there’s a lot of great things about living on board and the community and there’s so many wonderful things but there’s also challenges. Do you have a challenge that you’ve had to overcome since you’ve been on board?
Caroline:
I think some of that tension of just living in a community, you are surrounded by people all the time so I think there’s times where you have bad days even here. Even though it’s so great to be here and the community is so sweet, I think it can be difficult to be going through things or just like having a bad day and then you kind of can’t even go to get water without having to interact with people and so I think practicing self-care and I’m one of those people that I love my people and also love my little bit of alone time and so learning how to take care of myself and have that time to process things. And because sometimes you’re with people from the time that you wake up to the time that you go to bed. And I think that kind of comes out when things happen, or difficult conversations with patients or things happen, even with other crew members because you’re around people all the time, I think our bodies often tell us when they need to slow down, and they need to rest. And I don’t often listen. And so that’s something that I’m still practicing, I was just like, going to bed, even if my friends are all spending time together or learning to process things with maybe one person instead of having it be a group discussion or things like that. And I think, especially being long term, that’s something that I really had to learn. When you are only there for three months, you can kind of like live it up and give all of your energy to all of the people, spend all of your off days learning to surf or just doing fun things all the time. And but when you’re here for two years, I think you have to learn to kind of pace yourself and have that time to rest and recover.
Raeanne:
Absolutely, you’re a wise woman because it’s true, you have to have some good boundaries, some intentional self-care, and the hardest thing in the world go to bed, even though everyone else is still awake. So I think that’s great. You are giving all day long, you know, really you’re giving to patients and you’re caring for them, you’re pouring out physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, it’s a lot. What are the patients giving you in return that draws you to this kind of work,
Caroline:
I always say that they give me so much more than I give to them. They just fill me to the brim with joy. And the patients, they’re also just so kind and they are very patient as I tried to learn little phrases in their language. Their love for each other fills me so constantly overflowing. And I also think that just seeing transformation, like it’s impossible not to be transformed yourself. And so I get to see patients and obviously have physical transformation, these big tumors are removed, and kids get to walk on straight legs for the first time. You know, all these cleft palate babies get to eat and get nice and fat with their new lips. But I think the inner transformation is also just as transformative if not more, because it continues to grow as they go back to their home. Just that inner transformation is the thing that I love seeing. You can see the confidence kind of lift their shoulders they have just so much joy, they just want to show off how they look. And they’re always taking pictures and dancing. And it just is this picture, I think the transformation that we all get to experience. And so yeah, it’s impossible to see that every day and not have my own transformation as well.
Raeanne:
You mentioned that, you know, seeing the transformation of the patients that transforms you. How do you feel like your life is different? How have you been transformed?
Caroline:
I mean, I think in tangible ways, I think I have experienced hope. I think that we all we often say that for our patients, but I think like Dr. Gary always says that for hope to be credible in the future, it has to be tangible in the present. And I think that’s something that I have also been able to hold on to for myself because I’ve seen God work in my patients because, I’ve seen the transformation, when I’m struggling, I think that just being able to see God’s goodness and kindness, through having those quiet moments with patients through, like I talked about, with a little boy that was here for so long, just often I would hold him as he was going to bed because he would always struggle to go to sleep, and just that gift of getting to be one of his people that he loved, and I got to love him. It’s just was such an incredible gift. And it’s one of the things that I keep reminding myself of just how good and kind God is. He is more than I could have asked or imagined. And that, you know, that has changed my faith. Instead of looking for things to be laid out and easy, because things never are. And I think for me, it’s been very important for my faith instead of like asking God to prove himself over and over, I have been able to look back then to see how kind and good he is. And even like we said, when we can’t help everyone, but I think being present to stay with the person that’s in front of me, has helped a lot through just periods of doubt and periods of asking questions and things like that.
Raeanne:
Well, Caroline as we wrap up our time together, what would you say to someone listening to this who’s considering coming and volunteering on board? I know that we are always in need of volunteers, especially next year, when we have both ships serving at the same time! we need volunteers, what would be your word of encouragement?
Caroline:
I mean, obviously, they should do it. Because why not? Right, any amount of time, I think that’s something that people don’t often realize is that you don’t have to come for two years, you can come for a short amount of time as well. And I think that it’s amazing how anyone could come and really great if you’re a nurse, because we need a lot of nurses, that just really any person has the skills that they could work anywhere on the ship. And I think that it has just been I mean, it really has changed my life. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t come. So for me, it’s hard to imagine not wanting to say yes, because that was my dream for seven years. And so yeah, I would definitely say apply, look to see what the needs are. And even if you don’t see a specific job that you’re doing and be creative and just say yes, anyway.
Raeanne:
I agree. Say yes. You won’t regret it. There are so many opportunities on board, not just medical, but also in housekeeping, in the galley, working in the ship shop, in the academy as a teacher, in the communications department. There are a numerous jobs available. So check it out at Mercyships.org/volunteer, Caroline, thank you so much for sharing with us today and taking the pause after dinner. It’s time to rest. It’s time to go have those boundaries and take care of yourself. But thank you so much for sharing with us. It’s been very encouraging to hear that you were steadfast for seven years before God brought this dream to a reality. And that is very encouraging to all of us. So thank you for sharing with us today.
Caroline:
Thank you for having me.
For more information about Mercy Ships, go to mercyships.org, and to keep up with the guests on New Mercies, follow us on Instagram at NewMerciesPodcast.