For many years, Kristin Jack worked at Starbucks.

But after a while, she wanted to shift out of corporate America. So she joined Mercy Ships, an international, faith-based nonprofit that provides free life-transforming surgeries wherever its ship — Africa Mercy — docks.

Jack, who grew up in Sammamish and lived in Redmond for nine years, has been with Mercy Ships since May 2013. She initially signed up for a four-month stint, but chose to extend her stay on the ship after that.

“I kept adding,” she said about her time on the ship, adding that she is committed through January 2018.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Since Jack has been on the ship, she has been to Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Benin and Madagascar. She said they typically spend about 10 months in one country. Then the ship goes into a technical phase in which it is dry docked for repairs and regular maintenance to keep up with ongoing inspections.

During these two months or so, the ship’s onboard hospital — which Jack said has everything a typical hospital would have, such as surgeries and operating rooms, radiology, labs, orthopedics, intensive care unit, women’s health and even a dental program — shuts down.

Being away from home for almost a year at a time, Jack said her fellow crew members on Africa Mercy have become like a family for her, but she admits it’s not quite the same as the real thing and she misses those at home.

“It is really hard to be so far from family and friends,” she said.

In addition, there are just some things she said she can’t find during her travels.

“I really miss fish tacos,” she said with a laugh, saying everyone has one food they miss while onboard.

Jack has used this break to come back to Redmond, staying with her old roommates and just visiting with friends and family in the area. She will leave this week for Scotland to visit her sister and then return to Africa Mercy on Aug. 11.

UNPAID POSITIONS

As previously reported in the Redmond Reporter, Jack and the rest of Africa Mercy’s crew are all volunteers. In fact, she said, they have to pay their way to be on the ship.

In addition to the ship’s medical crew, there are also volunteers who support them, which is what Jack does.

She is currently a sales manager and event planner onboard. Jack oversees the ship’s on-board, donated Starbucks as well as a small convenience store used by the 400 or so crew members onboard, who represent more than 40 nationalities.

“It’s like a little village,” she said.

Jack’s role also includes organizing events and activities for the crew to give them an opportunity to let go and decompress from the stress of their jobs.

For Jack, she has found her dream job, which she did not know existed. She learned about Mercy Ships from a friend who had volunteered as an operating room nurse with the organization. Jack said she has been able to use her skills to make an impact and help others — restoring value to the lives of people who had been told they were worthless.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP

And while Jack’s role on the ship has been indirectly helping those Mercy Ships serves — providing support to the medical crew — she was able to directly help in one particular case this past year.

A few months ago, a man in his 60s named Sambany (above) walked three days from his village to the town in Madagascar where Africa Mercy was docked last year. For more than 30 years, he had lived with a tumor growing out of his face. Jack said it has grown to be about 16 pounds and Sambany just showed up at their ship in the hopes that they would be able to help.

“He traveled for days to get to us,” she said.

The medical team onboard conducted several tests on the tumor to determine whether or not it was cancerous and then operated on Sambany. Jack said it was a 14-plus-hour surgery, during which the patient lost a significant amount of blood. As they were on a ship, Jack said the hospital’s blood bank was the crew. It took 17 blood donors to get Sambany through his surgery and Jack “got to be one of those (donors).”

“All of us were able to keep him alive,” she said.

To read more about Jack’s experiences onboard Africa Mercy or to donate to help pay for her way, visit abeautifulwander.com.