Making the Mission His Own
It was a family day trip to tour the Caribbean Mercy off the coast of North Carolina that changed Shawn Thompson’s life. On that tour, his parents felt called to leave North Carolina and serve with Mercy Ships. Shawn was only 2 years old when his family moved to Nicaragua to begin their Mercy Ships adventure.
After seven years in Central America, Shawn’s family moved to Texas to continue working with Mercy Ships at the headquarters. Having grown up around the organization, Shawn would grab part-time jobs at Mercy Ships during the summer. But once his schooling was complete, he had to decide if Mercy Ships was his family’s calling or his own.
In this episode, Shawn shares about the moment Mercy Ships’ mission became his own, the impact of volunteering on board, and the people and patients that have impacted his life forever.
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.
Shawn Thompson was only two years old when his family moved to Nicaragua to begin their Mercy Ships adventure. Growing up around the organization, Shawn had a moment in his adult life when he had to decide if Mercy Ships was his family’s calling or if it was his own. Sharing candidly about growing up with Mercy Ships, here is my interview with Shawn Thompson.
Raeanne Newquist:
Shawn, welcome to New Mercies.
Shawn Thompson:
Thanks for having me.
Raeanne:
Shawn, I know that you have a long history with Mercy Ships and that’s always fun to hear about people who have stories from way back when even though you yourself are not very old. Why don’t you tell us how you first got involved with Mercy Ships.
Shawn:
When I was two years old. My family was living on the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. And my dad had a job there. And I’m the youngest of four. So my mom was taking care of the kids. And she might have been working as well. I don’t even know that part of the story. Back in the day Mercy Ships would have PR tours where their ships would visit different ports in the U.S. or other places. And this specific ship, the Caribbean Mercy came and visited North Carolina and my parents thought it’d be a fun day trip to go check out this hospital ship. The rest is kind of history.
As soon as they both stepped on board, they individually felt a calling on their life and the Lord just saying, This is what I have for you. They both were on the same page that Mercy Ships was what was next for them. So yeah, when I was two when my parents signed up for Mercy Ships, my parents quit their jobs and moved to LA long story short, I ended up in Nicaragua, which is in Central America. We were stationed there for seven years.
Raeanne:
So a lot of people probably don’t know that Mercy Ships did not start out in West Africa, where we are today. Can you tell us a little bit about the initial mission that was in Central America?
Shawn:
Mercy Ships goes back to 1978. As you’ve talked about with other people on this podcast, I’m not the historian. So we started out with doing a bunch of different things, different missions and in Nicaragua, we would host short term missions trips, we would partner with other organizations or projects in Nicaragua. We were partnering with a specific prosthetics project at the beginning.
So we ended up doing a lot of disaster relief, because in 1998, Hurricane Mitch was this big hurricane and hit Nicaragua pretty hard, and ended up causing this huge mudslide that took out a bunch of villages a lot of lives lost and damage. So my dad ended up spearheading a lot of these disaster response, especially for Mercy Ships and leading that effort, which is areally cool story of kind of bringing him into his call further towards passion to disaster response, which is kind of the direction his life is has gone since then.
Raeanne:
Now, back at that time, did you guys live on board the ship?
Shawn:
No, we did not live on board. So before Mercy Ships decided to be really ship focused, there were some different land bases. And so my parents were running this land base in Nicaragua. So we would visit the ship every once in a while when the Caribbean Mercy would dock in the port on the east side of the country. We were more on the west side of the country. And we would go visit for a week or two and fellowship and connect there. So those were my only experiences on an actual mercy ship as a child, but the rest were all it was just our family, and some other people, hosting teams from all over the world, building houses, drilling wells, doing all kinds of what you would consider a typical short term mission trip nowadays, but this was all under the umbrella of Mercy Ships.
Raeanne:
So obviously, the organization and the mission has evolved over time. Now we primarily just focus on the medical side. So when that Caribbean Mercy would pull in, were they doing medical things?
Shawn:
So they were doing a variety of things. But still, the main focus for the ships at that point was to provide surgical care. So they would do eye clinics and surgeries, either off ship or on ship, I remember one of my first memories of Mercy Ships being on an actual ship was they used to broadcast the eye surgeries on the TVs in the hallway. And I just remember being a small child and seeing this person’s cataract getting removed, which is incredible, and fascinating. And I’ve since been in the OR when they’re doing this and it’s so fascinating. But being in the hallway, seeing someone’s cataracts being removed, was a very unique memory and just not what you expect to see as a five-year-old and walking down the hallway.
That might be a little bit traumatizing. Let’s be honest. I survived.
Raeanne:
Gosh, that’s so interesting. Well, what was that like for you growing up in Nicaragua? And do you speak Spanish?
Shawn:
No, I did not speak Spanish. I really should. I’m the youngest of four, my brother is the oldest and then my two sisters are in the middle. My sisters really speak Spanish fluently. And they would work as interpreters and stuff. My younger sister was a little too young to do that while we were in Nicaragua, but she has since gone back and worked as an interpreter for people. But my brother knew enough to get him to get in trouble. And I just knew enough to be the cute little kid that people let do whatever they wanted. So I ended up in kindergarten or pre K, I guess. And I didn’t learn anything except how to say hi. Hola. Adios. Goodbye, or I’m hungry. Now I can understand a lot more than I can speak. But I’m not fluent by any means.
Raeanne:
So after about seven years in Nicaragua, then where did your family go to? Did you return to the United States?
Shawn:
Yes. So in 2005, Mercy Ships was moving more towards the ship based model. So we were closing down some of these land bases. So my parents and our family ended up moving to Van, Texas, which is very close to the headquarters for Mercy Ships, which is just down the road. So my dad ended up working in programs, helping design the programs and the things that Mercy Ships would be doing on the ship in countries. And then my mom was in accounting.
Raeanne:
So aside from your childhood exposure to Mercy Ships, what really sparked you to want to work for Mercy Ships as an adult?
Shawn:
What ended up happening is I worked for Mercy Ships in high school, and a little bit in college part time, like in the dining room, and I worked in the cafe on campus. And then in college, I worked a little bit in our marketing department because those were easy jobs to get my parents worked there. A few of my siblings worked there at the time. It just made sense as something part time to do. So long story short, I ended up finishing school, I only did two years of school, got my associates degree and decided I wanted to go travel. So I moved into my car. And I drove around the states for five months in my car Instagramming.
So this was at the very beginning of Instagram, it was just starting to pick up. And I had been really involved in the community at the beginning stages, before it looked like what it looks like today, where everyone has an account and they’re sharing things about their life. At the beginning it was more community and specific types of people and people that were excited about photography and meeting each other. So I was really involved in that scene in 2011, 2012, 13, 14, and I ended up getting a whole bunch of followers. I went to all these events, as they were called where you’d meet up with people in the photo world. And I was on that list for a while I ended up getting just a lot of followers and decided, okay, I want to meet these people that I’ve been hanging out with online, and either meeting in person at an Instameet or whatever. So I ended up moving in my car and meeting a lot of these people going and staying with them, them hosting me and taking me to their favorite spots. And so I did that for five months was supposed to be a year, that was the goal 50 states in a year. But I ended up getting pretty lonely, really like three, four months in because I was doing it by myself. I just kind of got tired of introducing myself every day didn’t have an inside joke or anything with anyone, I would end up making a joke about an experience I had with someone the day before. And it was not the same person. And just so I ended up going home, I got home Thanksgiving, 2014 Thanksgiving morning. And then, the following Monday, I started working at Mercy Ships because it was an easy place to get a job.
Raeanne:
What was that job that you took?
Shawn:
So I started a job and donor services, which is our department that receives donations from people for Mercy Ships. So I think the next thing that that happened there, I ended up working for Mercy Ships for two and a half years, I moved over to marketing shortly thereafter, about six months after I got there. And at the end of 2016, so this is about two years into it, my mom stopped working at Mercy Ships, and my dad had previously stopped working at Mercy Ships the year before. So at that point, there once was five of us working there between my siblings, their spouses, my parents. And then January 1 2017, it was just me. So up until this point, I’m thinking I’m 22, so up until this point, Mercy Ships has been my family’s thing. I’ve just been kind of along for the ride. I’ve been working there. And I’m enjoying it. But my mom’s still there. So it’s still a family thing. But once my mom left, I just started to think and question and like what you’re saying, I never set out to work for Mercy Ships. So I had this realization that okay, I’m the last one working here. This is either my family’s thing, or it’s not my thing. So in the midst of trying to pray through that, and figure out kind of what the Lord has for my life in general, I was thinking about Mercy Ships, what do I do with this part of my life that really has been part of my whole life? There’s this photography thing that I’ve picked up through Instagram experience, and through my road trip and hanging out with other people that are photographers and wanting to do more of that, but not knowing how that fits, but not wanting to be a full time photographer, in the traditional sense, like doing weddings and all that. And then there’s this travel, I still had a desire to travel, I wanted to finish my road trip or do something. So one day, during our weekly community meeting, someone went up from HR as they normally do and they were talking about critical needs that we have on our ships and immediate opportunities that people had to fill these needs. And one of those was photographer. So as soon as, as soon as they said that I just felt in my spirit, something. The Holy Spirit say, Hey, have you thought about that? And I just, I’ve told people that story before and it just sounds so crazy — but before that moment, I had never once thought about volunteering for Mercy Ships and I’ve been involved with Mercy Ships my whole entire life. I thought, Okay, I want to go visit one of the ships as an adult, I’d love to see it, but never once said or even dismissed the thought of volunteering. I just never thought about that.
Raeanne:
That’s so interesting that you would say that because it really speaks to how different it is to work on board, and to work remotely, whether that’s supporting our ships, supporting the mission in Texas, or really all over the world. We all have the same mission, right? And we all have the same objective. But yet, when we’re geographically so different, it really gives a whole different experience. So I can only imagine you having been exposed to Mercy Ships your whole life. All of a sudden going, Wait a minute, why don’t I go as an adult? And what was that like for you when you first got on board as a volunteer?
Shawn:
So the next couple months after saying yes, and going towards the ship, and all of the doors just flying open, I ended up meeting my team in Texas for training, and then we all flew to the ship. And walking up the gangway, for the first time was just this — this word is so overused, and I get annoyed by it — but I can’t say anything other than it was surreal. I had seen so many pictures of the work that we’ve done, I’d seen it as a child, but it just was different as an adult and knowing that I was supposed to be there in this time for this purpose. So yeah, it was awesome. To be transparent, one of the first thoughts as well was, oh, my gosh, what have I done with my life? What am I doing? Because I mean, it just packed up my life. I said goodbye to my family, my friends, quit my job, all of this stuff within a period of two months. And now here, I’m on the ship in Spain, but we’re about to go to Cameroon on the coast of Central Africa. So yeah, the first 24 hours, I was a freaking out a little bit. Because I mean, it’s just a huge change. And what have I gotten myself into?
Raeanne:
But think about how much more people feel that way who don’t have your background? You know, so many of our crew get on board and this is their first exposure period. But you having grown up with the mission and the ministry, you still felt like, oh, my gosh, what have I done? And you’re getting on board, I assumed the Africa Mercy, which was very different than the Caribbean Mercy. It’s like a whole different ballgame.
Shawn:
Yes. And as a child, the Caribbean Mercy looked huge then which perspective, it’s about four times smaller than the Africa Mercy. Don’t quote me on that. But it is much smaller capacity wise and length and gross tonnage, as they like to say in the maritime industry.
Raeanne:
So what was that like for you to get on board? And you said, you started in Cameroon, as a photographer, tell us about that.
Shawn:
So in 2017, in Cameroon, we arrived, my first experience is getting on the pilot boat and escorting us into the port. And I get on that and I’m seeing the ship sailing, I get on the dock before anyone else on the ship. Because as a photographer, you just get all kinds of unique opportunities that most other people don’t get to experience. So I was on the dock first. There’s a bunch of people dancing and celebrating and singing and playing drums and the team that was ahead of ahead of us from the advanced team, setting everything up was there and they all had matching clothes that had been made for them from African fabric. And it was just so amazing seeing this and my first experience of being in Africa and feeling the excitement and the joy that many of their people and their culture has.
Raeanne:
When was the moment that you really felt as an adult ,as an individual, this is my calling, not my family’s calling.
Shawn:
During our onboarding process, I think and once I said yes to go, I think the Lord really brought a lot of clarity to my story in that by throwing open every door possible, raising support, my support was raised no problems so quickly. And just all of those so it was just very evident to me that this is what the Lord had for me in this season. So it was really easy to say yes to. Okay, this is what I’m supposed to be doing for now, at the very least.
Raeanne:
That’s awesome. So you got to go and be a photographer on board. And I know that a lot of your photography really centers around the patients. So can you tell us a little bit about kind of your personal feelings of engaging patients and photographing them, but also tell us about the sensitivity with which Mercy Ships approaches, photographing our patients?
Shawn:
Before I went to the ship, I knew the work that we did, I knew about patients lives being transformed through surgical intervention. But I think that these patients, and even the volunteers were more just characters in my mind. I knew they were real, but it didn’t feel as real to me. Once I got on board, and I’m meeting these patients, I’m seeing them on the dock and I’m talking to them, I’m holding their hand in some instances, and really touching and feeling and getting to see that they’re real people, and that they each have their own story, they each have their own desires, and fears, even. So all of it, all of the raw emotion of humanity — I was just getting to experience in a way that I didn’t really expect. So it was challenging to connect sometimes because of natural language barrier, because a lot of the countries we serve are French speaking, in West Africa, or a lot of the patients that come in are from a country with many different dialects. So there’s so many different languages that people are speaking. So we often had to speak through an interpreter. So establishing connection, in a way to gain trust and have these people really give you their story and trust you with their vulnerability and their insecurities was really one of the most challenging parts, but also one of the most rewarding because I just got to step outside of my comfort zone and try to just be with these people and words aren’t enough a lot of the times to, to relate to someone or to try to comfort someone. So just being there with the patients, especially right after surgery.
This one time I was with this girl named Asiatu. She was a little younger than me, but old enough that she didn’t have a parent with her. So after the surgery, I was able to go in there and just hold her hand for like an hour. And she just wouldn’t let go. And just wanting someone to comfort her and we couldn’t talk. But I’ve said simple, simple things. I ended up picking up a little bit of French but not enough to really do a whole lot. But even just the simple act of touch. I just learned to really see the value in that in letting people know, hey, I’m here for you. I see you. And it’s okay.
Raeanne:
What a privilege, you know, and like you mentioned, to be welcomed into that space where they’re being very vulnerable, very vulnerable with their disfigurements and that has caused them a lot of shame and being ostracized from their families or their village, and then to just be fully exposed to a stranger with their disfigurements or issues. It’s really a vulnerable place. Which kind of begs the question, then, why do we have photographers onboard to really capture the moments of this journey?
Shawn:
Mercy Ships is a nonprofit organization. So we run our operations through donations from people and we operate our ships, the manpower through volunteers. So in order for people to donate to Mercy Ships or to volunteer from our ships, you have to hear about Mercy Ships, you have to see the work that’s going on. So the role of communications on board as the photographers, the writers, videographers, our job is to tell the stories and to document the transformation that is taking place, not only in the patient’s lives, but also the volunteers and the medical training programs that we get to be a part of and the infrastructure development, we get to partner with the countries to not just make an impact in one person’s life, but hopefully in the healthcare system as a whole in that country.
I think, you know, we’ve said a million times that an image is really worth more than words, you know, for someone to be able to see a before and after photo is quite incredible.
Raeanne:
I know that the approach of our photographers on board our ships is very sensitive, and they really have the desire to maintain the dignity of our patients. So in no way shape, or form, our patients photographed without their consent, they do consent to have their images taken. And I know that there is just a lot of compassion, you’ve even mentioned this one patient that you got to hold her hand, there was more than just — let me come in and capture a photo. But to be with these beautiful people to relate with them, and to care for them in these vulnerable times is something that our photographers and videographers do really well. So we just appreciate that work and the sensitivity that Mercy Ships has in approaching a sensitive subject. And I know that Mercy Ships really has the commitment to maintain the dignity of our patients. I know that we approach photography and videography of our patients in a in a very sensitive way. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Shawn:
The way we approach photography, and videography and storytelling in general is not to shock or to show graphic images to compel people to give or to feel a certain way. The way we try to tell the stories is by honoring the patients and giving them dignity, like you said, by showing their condition in such a way that is respectful and not graphic or shocking. But it’s honoring but also honest and authentic, so that we aren’t making it worse than it seems, we aren’t trying to invoke pity, or make the patient feel any more shameful than they already do about their condition. So we really try to approach telling these stories visually, in a in a gentle way. And through a cultural lens as well. So working alongside our translators, who are also our cultural guide to let us know, what we’re doing or what we’re saying or to help us not offend, and to really build trust when these patients see, or if they see these pictures, or they see this video online. Because a lot of our patients have access to phones or to the internet. And if they see the stories themselves, that they’ll know that we told the story accurately and they can they can feel even better about the way that they were vulnerable with us and what they trusted to Mercy Ships.
Raeanne:
Shawn, you mentioned earlier that there are some things that photographers get to do that most people don’t get to do you get some kind of crazy access? Can you tell us a little bit about that and some fun adventures you got to take as a photographer?
Shawn:
Being in an OR while surgeons are performing surgery on a on a patient. That is not something I thought I would ever experience. My first time going in there while we were training, just getting our first exposure, seeing how we felt, making sure we don’t pass out, it was an orthopedic surgery, which is on your legs. So a lot of our patients that come in, in this program have bowed legs or this specific patient had quadriceps contracture it means his leg was going the opposite way and his knee so instead of bending backwards, it was going forwards so I didn’t pass out at least I don’t remember passing out, I don’t know do you usually remember doing that. Nobody seemed to overreact, so I think it did okay!
On the ship pretty much every corner of the ship is open to us — in the engine room all through the hospital. A lot of different cabin types and offices and pretty much any part of the ship you can imagine I’ve been in it at least on that ship
We did this home visit for this patient called Musa and we just traveled three days journey into the upcountry of Guinea. And we had been a part of the screening, we’d covered some of the patient screening that had happened where we were looking for patients and giving them appointments. And we met this guy named Musa who was about 60. And he had a very large maxillofacial tumor. So we connected with him and it looked like he was going to be able to have surgery. So he had his appointment. And we got his address, if you will, there’s not a whole lot of physical addresses in that part of the world, and we agreed that we’d meet up with him in two days time, because we were meeting up with another patient the next day. So we thought that gave him plenty of time to make his way back, and then we just met him at the village. So we ended up not really knowing where this village was, but we had a pretty good idea. So we drove two hours outside of this bigger city, on dirt roads, towards the direction we thought it was. And once we got closer, we ended up asking people on the side of the road Hey, do you know where this is? And so we just bounced between all these different people that kind of pointed us in this direction, we ended up getting close enough that this guy hops on a motorcycle. And he’s like, Yeah, I’ll take you there. But he’s saying something else about like, it’s not easy to get to. But we don’t really understand exactly what he’s saying. Until we pull up and the road just ends into a river. And he’s like, yeah, so it’s over there, this canoe can take you over.
So there’s this canoe that was impressively able to take his bike on ahead of us on the canoe and then come back and grab us and all of our equipment, we left our Land Cruiser there. And we take all the equipment we think we’ll need, we make it across on this little canoe. And then we wait for a few minutes, and then we end up getting picked up by these motorbikes and we ride six kilometers in through the terrain of the forest, basically, and ended up pulling up on this village. And there’s these like clay huts everywhere. And it’s just very obvious that they don’t get many visitors, especially ones that don’t look like them. So we stood out quite a bit. So we pull up and it becomes very evident to us very quickly that Musa did not make it there before us. So now we’re in the middle of seemingly nowhere, after this crazy journey, and the patient that we have come to visit and tell his story, what his life is like before surgery is not even there. So 15-20 minutes go by, and we hear a moto coming. And I just pull out my phone, we’ve been kind of doing personal behind the scenes of this whole adventure, because it just been crazy, and I pull up my phone. I’m like, I wonder if that’s him. And he pulls up on the back of a load and so we’re all like, Oh, he’s here. So we ended up buying him a phone and brought it to him. So we gave him the phone and like, all right next time, this is how we’re going to contact you. And then we ended up doing the home visit and getting to hear about his story and meet his family and ended up being a great trip. Then we had to reverse everything in the dark later.
But we ended up getting a really cool behind the scenes video that the team gets to look at every once in a while and remember that journey, but that was that was one of the craziest, craziest experiences that I definitely wouldn’t have been able to experience if I wasn’t on the communications team.
Raeanne:
Well tell us what the village was like. And was it shocking to you? Or were you surprised?
Shawn:
Growing up in Nicaragua I was pretty used to seeing communities and villages that were not as well off as you would normally see in in the Western world. So it wasn’t shocking per se for me. It was more from a photographer standpoint really cool because these clay huts and they are very well constructed and they’re roofs were kind of domed and with straw and everything was really clean. Like they take a lot of pride in their landscaping. So they everything was swept. And it was a very in order village and really looked really cool on film. But very simple, very simple living. Their meals look very similar all the time. They’re their professions look like farming or crafting or manual labor type things with simple materials, but all very capable. And yeah, very close knit community, everyone, everyone came out to see what was going on and to be a part of it. And it was very cool.
Raeanne:
Gosh, that’s really neat. And what an adventure to get to go experience where these patients are living and the communities that surround them. Because it’s really different when they come on board the ship, they’re oftentimes if they’re adults that are arriving alone, you know, if they’re children, they’ll have a caregiver with them. But it’s hard to really kind of have the perspective of what their life is like, off the ship that they get to return to after their surgery. So what a privilege, you know, as a photographer to get to see all that, Shawn, I know that you spent a couple years on board, as a photographer, and then you continue to work for Mercy Ships now, back in Texas, your whole Mercy Ships journey has been quite a few years. Can you tell us as we wrap up our time together, why do you continue to serve with Mercy Ships, as you have made the decision years ago as an adult, like this is my calling, not just my families? But why are you there today? Why do you continue?
Shawn:
So the work that Mercy Ships does is really inspiring to me, and I know to a lot of the people I work with, where we just get to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and get to provide this hope, and this healing through our direct medical services and through our training to these people that otherwise might not have access to these surgeries or to this education to be able to better serve their own nations. So I love being a part of telling that story. So now I’m in global branding, which is the other side of communications that we get to support those storytelling and kind of take the baton from the communications team and further their work. So I love still getting to work with that team. But continue to just tell stories that really inspire people to give, to go, or to pray for the work of Mercy Ships.
Raeanne:
How has your life been changed because of Mercy Ships?
Shawn:
It’s hard to say, because I don’t know life before Mercy Ships. But I can say that, by being involved in this organization, especially from a young, young age, I’ve developed a very different perspective than a lot of people my age, in that I get to choose gratefulness in what I’m able to have, what I’m able to experience, the health that I’m able to enjoy. I just think it simply gives me a perspective that I have all that I could ever need in this in this world. And also, I serve a God that even if I don’t have those things that he will take care of me and he will sustain me and give me hope for a future.
Raeanne:
I love that. Well, Shawn, we are so grateful for you. We are so grateful for all of your talents and gifts that you so freely share and really are making an impact. I love seeing the stories that you do and the photography that you have done. And I know you continue to direct from our photographers on board, it really is making a huge difference. And so thank you for all that you do. And thank you for sharing with us a little bit about your Mercy Ships journey today.
Shawn:
Thanks 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.