Life on Mercy Ships

Life After Mercy Ships

2012-01-13T09:13:00.010+01:00

A lot has happened since last summer not the least of which is that I am now sitting at a computer in Germany thinking about buying beds and painting :)

Last year, Marcel and I began to think about what comes next and really felt that God was leading us to leave Mercy Ships and see what he had for us in Germany. Although it was not an easy decision, Marcel had job interviews in October and was able to find a great job in the city of Munich in southern Germany. Not only is this a great international city, but also close to the Mercy Ships office in Kaufbeuren and friends in Munich.

Last week we were able to find an apartment just outside of Munich (Unterschleissheim) which is still only about 20 minutes from Marcel's work and has all the things we were looking for . . . 'wood' floors, a balcony, room in the kitchen for a larger frig/freezer and a table, a bathroom with a connection for a washing machine in the future . . . We have signed the contact and are waiting now for the renter to countersign. If all goes well, we should have the key by the 20th and move in that weekend. This is a real answer to prayer as we had heard that it could take months to find a good place and I am really looking to unpacking and not having to pack it up again in a few months. We are currently living in a small apartment owned by Mercy Ships which has been a great blessing in getting started here, but not quiet our own and it is hard to know what to unpack when we were unsure of how long we would be here.

Anyhow, some pictures taken with my phone yesterday - not the best, but give an idea of the space - kitchen, bedroom, living room, balcony, bathroom and small entrance way with closet. If you can imagine, the kitchen, living room and balcony are all along the front of the apartment and then the bathroom, entrance way and bedroom run along the back. The balcony 'pushed' the bedroom back a little from the front 'wall' and the entrance way and bathroom 'push' the living room and kitchen to the front.

kitchen

living room

bedroom

balcony

bathroom

turn around from the bathroom and there is the closet and front door - the door all the way across is to the bedroom

Changing Lives Through Agriculture

2011-07-24T12:58:00.000+01:00

Although the focus and strength of Mercy Ships is the medical that it can provide in West Africa, we also have an agricultural programs that is changing lives in other ways. The stories that come from this agricultural training every year are amazing. Teaching wise farming techniques and God's charge to man to be good stewards of the land is literally reaping harvest in countries (and lives) that have been barren for a long time. This is just one story from here in Sierra Leone written by the Communications Department.

Bambay is an extraordinary individual, whose life’s goal is “not to be a beggar.” This reflects the reality of life in Sierra Leone after their brutally violent ten-year civil war. The conflict devastated the people and left the country in shambles and poverty.

During the war, Bambay, his mother, and two younger siblings fled from their village and hid in the bush for a month. When they ran out of food, Bambay went back to his village to find something – anything – they could eat. He planned to return to his family that day, but it was late. So, he accepted an invitation to stay until the next morning. It was a disastrous decision.

During the night, the village was attacked by rebel soldiers. “You voted for this president!” they shouted. Bambay tried to explain that he was only 15 and couldn’t vote for anyone. But they wouldn’t listen. They chopped off both his hands and left him for dead . . . along with the other villagers who had been mutilated.

Later that day, he was found by a roving seller of goods and taken to a nun at a nearby church. She took him to a hospital and then nursed him back to health. While Bambay was in her care, she asked him what he’d do if he ever found the man who cut off his hands. “I would kill him!” said Bambay.

The nun began to plant the seeds of forgiveness into Bambay’s thinking. She told him how important it was for his future to relinquish the hate and anger that fueled his unforgiveness.

The nun also did what she could to prepare the young man for life on his own. She arranged a surgery that would split the hacked ends of both hands, allowing him to grasp things.

One day Bambay was out with his friends when he saw “Sewer Poison,” the nickname given to the man who had cut off his hands. He went after him and caught him, but couldn’t bring himself to kill the man. The seeds of forgiveness had been well-planted. His friends offered to kill the man for him, but Bambay wouldn’t allow it. The man pleaded for his life, and Bambay forgave him.

That forgiveness enabled Bambay to move on with his own life. He eventually met and married Mary, and today they have a seven-month-old baby daughter, Ann.

Today, Bambay is a trainee in the Food for Life Program that was started in Benin by Mercy Ships and Bethesda, another non-governmental organization. The goal of the program is to train people in organic farming methods and in leadership principles. These trainees will, in turn, teach others in their communities. In this way, the program is duplicating easily in Sierra Leone. It has the potential of transforming food-growing in the country, as it improves the financial status of those involved.

The Food for Life program is also partnering with City of Rest Rehabilitation Center’s Agriculture Therapy and Skills Training program.

Bambay wants to be involved in using the program’s biblical concepts to help rehabilitate the mentally ill, as well as drug and alcohol addicts Bambay is, indeed, a remarkable man who is achieving much, much more than his goal to “not to be a beggar.”

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Tom Bradley and Ken Winebark

Creative Ideas to Help Patients

2011-07-04T12:29:00.001+01:00

Another story from the Communications Department about some of the great ideas that arise from necessity.

“NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION,” so the old adage goes. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the physiotherapy department onboard the Africa Mercy. When patients’ legs are put in casts, they can’t wear shoes – but they can’t go barefoot, either. The Rehabilitation Team has found a suitable, inexpensive, and easily available way to give each patient the foot protection needed during their recovery. The answer is . . . tire shoes.

Anama Latta, a day-worker in physiotherapy, is responsible for producing shoes from tires in various sizes to accommodate patients. He gathers old tires from motorbikes and begins by removing the wire inside with a knife. Then he measures for sizes – 10” for large, 6” for medium, and 4”| for small. Using a box cutter, he cuts incisions to mark where he will use the scissors to cut through. Next, he cuts three holes on each side. Then proper lengths of polypropalene ribbon are used to tie the shoes on.

Anama says the tire shoes are stronger than other footgear they might use, and they provide more protection on the sides of the foot. “When I was a child in Togo, I used to wear shoes like these to go to my Daddy’s farm,” said Anama. “They protect better than flip-flops, and the cast doesn’t get wet.”

Tire shoes last longer than ordinary shoes, and patients can walk easily in them. Anama says he enjoys making the tire shoes. “This is the way I can help them (the patients and the Rehabilitation Team), and I’m happy to make them.”

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Liz Cantu

Beaches

2011-06-27T13:25:00.000+01:00

So if you ever happen to be in Sierra Leone and someone says - 'Want to go to the beach?' - jump at the offer. Brave the hours of traffic jams, put on your suit and go.

Marcel and I were slow to actually get to the beach this outreach -- by the time the weekend gets here I normally just want to sit and do nothing or I am trying catch up with the past week to get ready for the next one. But a couple of weeks ago we were invited to go out and realized that the trouble of getting there (45 minute trip without traffic, a couple hours with) was well worth a day of sitting on white sands and warm waters. Most places also offer lunch for a reasonable price - usually freshly caught fish with chips or rice. At one place we had sweet potato fries that were great. White sands, warm water, plenty of space to spread out, little huts that really do keep out the always present rain during rainy season . . .
Now that rainy season has started, we will have to see how often it is clear on the weekend, but now that we know what is there, we are ready to go again.

A Story of God's Faithfulness

2011-06-19T11:57:00.006+01:00

This story happened about 2 months ago and was written by our Communications Department - just another reminder of God's perfect timing.

Two-year-old Josephine inhaled something that affected her breathing. Her parents, David and Judith, could hear the rattle with every struggling breath. They took her to a local clinic which sent them to an emergency hospital . . . which sent them to a government hospital . . . which sent them to a satellite clinic . . . which sent them back to the government hospital. After five days in the government hospital, specialist Dr. Karim Kabineh told them that Josephine was so tiny that she would die if he performed the necessary operation. He needed a pediatric anesthetist, anesthesia equipment, and a critical care unit with 24-hour nursing care – all unavailable at that hospital.

After eight days of hopeless searching for help, the desperate parents took Josephine to the office of the Minister of Health, where David hoped to plead his case and find someone who could help. At that moment – in the miracle of God’s timing – Ann Gloag, a member of the Mercy Ships International Board who is well-known for her charity work in Africa, was meeting with the Minister.

As this compassionate woman walked by the family sitting in the reception area, she heard the labored breathing of little Josephine. She put in a call to Dr. Gary Parker, Chief Medical Officer onboard the Africa Mercy, the hospital ship docked a short distance away in Freetown Harbor. After explaining to him what appeared to be the problem, arrangements were made to use an ambulance to transport Josephine, her parents and Dr. Kabineh to the ship.

Dr. Gary examined Josephine, took x-rays and discovered a small stone lodged in the little girl’s bronchus. A virtual think tank was begun to find a way to remove the stone from her tiny body. Dr.Gary approached engineering to see if a medical device could be fashioned that would be the right shape to fit into the bronchoscope and retrieve the stone. Every plausible idea was examined and eventually rejected.

Dr. Gary and Dr. Kabineh worked for five hours trying to remove the stone without success. Dr. Gary called Ann back to explain that what Josephine needed was a cardiac thoracic surgeon, and there wasn’t one on the ship. David was devastated. Mercy Ships was his last hope. But crew member Clementine Tengue encouraged him, saying, “God will find a way.”

Josephine was admitted to the intensive care unit with 24-hour care. About 3:00 am, ICU Nurse Melissa Warner was working the night shift when Josephine lost her breathing tube. Her vital signs were crashing. Dr. Michelle White, the pediatric *anesthetist/ anesthesiologist, was paged, but it would take her several minutes to respond. “In my mind, I said ‘I need help!’”Melissa said. “And when I looked up, there was Corina Buth standing in the doorway in her pajamas!” Corina, a pediatric ICU nurse from the Netherlands, had been restless and couldn’t sleep. Corina did CPR, and Josephine’s vital signs returned to normal. Then Dr. Michelle arrived and replaced the breathing tube.

Josephine’s condition was rapidly deteriorating. Analysis was made of the hospitals nearby. Ghana had the required surgeon, but he was absent at that time, and the travel expense to South Africa was prohibitive.

Meanwhile, Ann had phoned a professor friend of hers in Nairobi and explained that she needed a pediatric cardiac thoracic surgeon who could fly to Sierra Leone right away. The professor knew just the right man – Dr. James Munene, head of cardiac surgery at Nairobi’s Kenyatta National Hospital. Although it was quite late, he phoned Dr. James, explained the problem and asked him to go to Sierra Leone to operate on Josephine.
“Wait!” Dr. James said, rather forcefully. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Just talk to this lady,” the professor responded.

Ann called a few minutes later and told the doctor he needed to fly immediately to Freetown where his skills were urgently needed.

“I was a bit reluctant,” said Dr. Munene. “I had never heard of Mercy Ships. I had no information on this case, and it was the middle of the night!”

Ann called back with information on his flight. “Be at the airport at 6:00 a.m.,” she said.
“It was a little difficult to say no to the lady. I told my wife, ‘I guess I’m going to Sierra Leone in the morning,’” Dr. Munene said.

Then Dr. Gary called to say he was emailing information and x-rays of Josephine.

“I was thinking, ‘It’s not happening! It didn’t sound real!’ But by 1:00 a.m., I had the ticket and all the necessary papers ... and there I was at the airport at 6:00 a.m..,” explained Dr. James.

This confident specialist with the gentle demeanor landed at Lungi Airport, not yet totally comprehending the situation. And he still had to endure the bumpy boat ride across the bay to Freetown. “It was surreal!” he admitted.

Dr. James was overwhelmed by the Africa Mercy, the more than 400 crew members volunteering from 35 different countries, and the concept of bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor. He couldn’t believe such a mission could have been in operation for so many years, and he didn’t know anything about it.

Teaming with Dr. Gary, Dr. James operated on Josephine, fishing the stone out of her bronchus with ease. Because Josephine was so tiny, it was a vital requirement to have a pediatric anesthetist as part of the team. Dr. Michelle White was serving in this capacity at the time and was a vital part of the team. “Working with such a tiny body, I wouldn’t have proceeded without her,” said Dr. James.

Josephine awoke shortly after the surgery and sat up on the gurney all the way to the Intensive Care Unit, looking around and asking for a glass of water. To everyone’s surprise, she was anxious to eat right away. After a few days of recuperating in the ICU – and enjoying the attention of the nurses and other crew members – the little girl and her grateful parents left the ship.

In reviewing this story, it is amazing to see the many things that had to happen for this tiny girl to survive. Her parents had to keep her alive for eight days after she inhaled the stone. Ann Gloag had to be visiting the office of the Minister of Health at the same time that David, Judith, and Josephine were there. Dr. James Munene had to agree to perform a surgery for an organization of which he had never heard; and Nurse Corina had to be drawn to the ICU because she couldn’t sleep. This incredible timing and all of these wonderful people were part of the miracle that allowed Josephine to grin happily as she left the Africa Mercy as a healthy little girl.

Dr. James was captivated by the mission and hopes to return to volunteer his services. “Really, it’s a privilege to come and see what people are doing while others are sleeping and doing nothing,” he said.

And God never sleeps – miracles still happen every day. Sometimes we are blessed to be a part of them.

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell

In Appelsbosch

2010-10-30T13:05:00.005+01:00

Nun sind wir schon zwei Monate hier in Appelsbosch in Südafrika. Noch weitere zwei Monate , dann werden wir , wenn alles nach Plan verläuft , wieder zurück an Bord ziehen.
Nach dem Umzug im September haben wir uns soweit hier eingelebt. Jedoch freuen wir uns auch wieder sehr wenn es an Bord zurückgeht. Die alten Generatoren auf der Africa Mercy sind entfernt und die neuen sind an Bord. Jetzt geht es darum, sie anzuschliessen und mit dem Schiffsstromnetz zu verbinden. Aber auch andere Projekte und Arbeiten werden zur Zeit an Bord erledigt, so dass wir im Januar wieder in See stechen können.

Die Africa Mercy im Trockendock in der Werft in Durban

In der Zeit , wo wir hier in Appelsbosch sind , haben wir auch eine kleine lebendige Gemeinde gefunden, die wir nun regelmässig Sonntags zum Gottesdienst besuchen. Es ist die "Christian Revival Church" in Wartburg. Wartburg ist ein kleines Dorf etwa eine halbe Stunde von hier , was von deutschen Einwanderern gegründet worden ist. In dem Dorf gibt es auch eine "Lutherkirche" und einen Gasthof , Wartburger Hof, genannt.

Südafrika hat sehr viele Kontraste. Aber auch die Kluft zwischen Arm und Reich ist sehr gross. Auf der einen Seite findet man moderne Einkaufszentren und Autobahnen, auf der anderen Seite viele Menschen die in einfachen Häusern und Hütten hausen, insbesondere auf dem Land.

Landschaft rund um Appelsbosch

When in South Africa . . . Go On Safari

2010-10-12T14:57:00.013+01:00

Several weeks ago, we had the opportunity to go on an overnight trip with some friends to a game reserve about three hours away. We were picked up early on Friday (4.30!!) and drove up to Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park north of were we are living. We spent the whole day driving around the park in a 'safari truck' - and saw so many animals and so much beautiful scenery. I can now say that I have seen lions, elephants, zebra, rhinos, baboons, giraffe, impala, widlebeast, African buffalo, warthogs, monkeys and vultures - very fun. That night we had dinner at a little place in St. Lucia where our hotel was. It was nice to be away for the night and Marcel and I ended up with a room to ourselves which was a nice surprise as we were not sure what the accomandation would be like. On Saturday we went on a boat trip through the St. Lucia Wetlands which is home to over 400 hippos and 2000 crocodiles - of course with those numbers, it was easy to see both during the trip. Before heading back to Appelsbosch, we were able to stop at a wild cat rehab center which was interesting as we were able to see cheetahs. The cats at the center are either injuried or orphaned and the animals that cannot be returned to the wild are used for breeding and then the young are released when possible. By Saturday night we returned home tired but excited and full of pictures. One woman with us took 1300 photos over the two days - not that I am complaining, as she had a great camera and I was able to get some great shots from her!

Enjoy the photos!

South Africa and Appelsbosch

2010-10-05T14:55:00.000+01:00

So after the very long and fairly uneventful sail, we finally arrived in Durban the morning of 1 September. It was interesting to come into the harbor as we had to sail up and around (it is shaped a bit like an upside down j) through place where I doubt many passenger ships go -- at least with people on them still.

Once we had docked and the ship had stopped moving back and forth, the moving work began. Each department had packed up all the supplies they would need for living four months off-ship along with the 'supplies' of families and individuals - the academy alone had over 200 items/boxes to be moved. On the 1st we moved business boxes into the cafe area and on the morning of the second, personal boxes. It was a rather large pile to say the least. The amazing part was that within about three hours on Thursday morning, we moved everything from Deck 5 in the cafe to the dock and the moving men had it loaded into two large trucks. There was a snake of people walking through the cafe, grabbing a box, down the gangway, across the dock, in through the aft gangway and up the aft stairs back to the cafe.

After all the boxes and bags had been moved down to the dock and packed away in the trucks, the moving of people began. Some people piled into Land Rovers and the rest of us into two buses for the 2 hour trip to our new home. We dad done what so many people thought was impossible (even I wondered how we would do it) - we had moved several hundred boxes and about 150 people off the ship in one day.

Appelsbosch is a small village between Durban and Pitermertzberg on the R614 in South Africa. There is a very small local hospital started by missionaries years ago which is also where the name comes from. In the 1990's the government built an teacher's college in the village that was only open for about 6 months before it was closed because of changes in government and the ways teachers were educated. It had stood empty for about 11 years with only occasional use until two men decided to lease it from the govenment and hope to turn it into and retreat center. Many things were left as they stood - boxes of papers, closets full of chalk, exam schedules on the walls. It was exactly what we were looking for and more to house Mercy Shippers over the time the Africa Mercy was in dry dock: four dorms for housing, a dining room, gym, snack shop, ampitheathre, administration building, and even a school area. The best part of the story is that no one knows exactly how phone numbers were exchanged to allow us to find out about this place. One of the men who had leased the college got the number for an advance team member somehow and it all went from there. God always has a plan, even if we do not know what it is.
On the first drive up, it was hard to see what we were driving through as it was foggy and rainy. As the clouds cleared over the next few days and we made more trips exploring the countryside, it took my breath away. We are in a slightly mountainous area - lots of rolling hills and valleys. The hills are mostly covered in suagr cane fields which make the hillsides all shades of greens and browns.

I have to say, there have been lots of ups and downs already in our month and a half here. Cleaning out the spiders from the cabins and classrooms was (and continues to be) an adventure. Water has also been a concern, although seems to be getting better, as there was a water shortage in the area and adding 150 people to the water system seems to overload it a bit. Everyone is here is used to living in community, but it is a different community - the hallways are open and echoing, so everyone can hear everything which is not so bad on the ship. The bathrooms are also dorm style with everyone on a floor sharing four toilets, six sinks and a tub. On our floor, there have not been too many problems, but in the cooler weather some days, getting out of the warm bed to go take a two minute shower in a cold cement bathroom makes you think twice about how smelly you really are. I think too, people have become so used to only sharing a bathroom with a few people they know and being able to go in and shut the door behind them, the bathrooms have been a challenge for some. On the up side, the country side is beautiful, we are an hour from the beach, there is a German immigrant town about 30 minutes away that will have a Christmas market nearer to Advent season, the kids have room to play, the Internet is figured out and we can Skype, there is good chocolate in South Africa and Marcel and I have great people living with us on our floor.

Each day is a new adventure, but we are having fun (most days) and God is showing us his blessings still.

(More pics to come once I get them off the camera.)
(If you have seen the movie Faith Like Potatoes, we are about 30 minutes from where that all happened - check it out if you have not seen the movie.)

Sailing, sailing over the big blue seas . . .

2010-09-26T14:53:00.006+01:00

So I sat down the other day to write something on the blog and realized I needed to backtrack a couple months in order to actually write about the things that are happening now . . . so here it goes.

We got back this summer from a great break/vacation/family time in the States and Germany the day that teachers began working again. Stepping right back into work was hard but enjoyable as we were home again. We also arrived back to hear more about the plans that Mercy Ships had been making to move about 150 staff off ship while the ship was in dry dock. This would include all staff not directly related to the technical side of the ship and families. The advance team working in South Africa had found an abandoned education college that seemed perfect - dorms for living in, an admin building, a gym, dining room, and an area for the school.

School started on 2 August which gave us about 2 weeks before we were packing and securing for the sail to South Africa. The actual day of sailing seemed to sneak up on us as we were so busy with the start of school, securing and packing to move off the ship once we reached South Africa. The weekend before we sailed, I think most departments were running around trying to get all the last minute things tied down and packed up.

The sail itself was beautiful - about 17 days of mostly lovely weather and smooth-ish seas. There had been lots of fear and many prayer sent to the heavens about the weather as the sail around the Cape of Good Hope is famously bad and rocky, but outside of two rocky days before we even reached the Cape, we had great weather. The officer in charge of the course showed us later on a map how lucky we had been -- well, how God protected us. On a map, you could see the orange-red colors where the weather was worse around the Cape and coast towards Durban. As the little icon of our ship moved down the map, the red-orange seemed to move away from us and continued to do so all the way to Durban. As if a giant hand was pushing the weather away and protecting us. There was red-orange in behnd us and in front of us, but not where we were. In fact, we had to slow down so that we did not arrive in Durban too early. For about the last week of the sail, you could look off the port side and see South Africa in the distance - almost made you want to jump into our little zodiac rescue boat and pull into port somewhere.

Marcel says that we can now say we have sailed most of the Atlantic coast - north to south as we sailed down with the Africa Mercy from Blythe/Newcastle area. Not sure how a sailor would feel about that statement, but it is a pretty amazing thought. I can also claim to be a 'shellback' now as I have crossed the Equator at sea - did not have any of the crazy celebrations that can happen on ships as we crossed at about 2.00 in the morning, but fun to think about none the less. Not things I would have thought I could say five years ago.

Some pictures from the sail:

Ponseti Management Program

2010-05-04T12:36:00.009+01:00

This year, orthopedics here on the Africa Mercy has had a new addition. We are trying out a 'new' program called Ponseti casting which allows young children with club feet to have the problem corrected with very little surgery - ideal for West Africa. The casting has been done on the dock the last few months, with the tent just under Deck 7 where we have outside play time. Many times we can see children or hear the angry cries of the little ones getting the casts off and on again. The following article was written by the Communications Department here onboard.

Little Kossi was born with clubfoot. This condition causes the foot to grow inward, retarding normal growth and leaving the side of the foot where the bottom should be - crippling the child.
In many African cultures, this abnormality is viewed as a curse and makes a child an outcast. But Kossi's mother, Akouwa, took action to prevent that. She brought the 10-month-old baby to a Mercy Ships screening in Togo. He became the first patient in West Africa to take part in the Ponseti Management Program, now being established onboard the Africa Mercy .
The Ponseti technique, developed by Dr. Ignacio Ponseti over fifty years ago, is a series of casts that manipulate the foot gently into a more normal position. It requires only minor surgery to lengthen the Achilles tendon as the child grows. The child may need to wear some type of foot brace. The entire process requires 20 visits over four years. Kossi had both legs cast and manipulated and will be recast in three weeks.
The Mercy Ships Ponseti team, under the direction of Dr. James McDaniel, includes Dr. Frank Haydon and Dr. Gary Douglas. Dr. McDaniel enthusiastically describes the program: " It 's the gold standard that has been used all over the world. But, unfortunately, all over the world does not include West Africa. So, we are starting this program in Togo - with the hope that one of the other groups will help to keep the program going. We will supply the cast materials and all the supplies for the six months we are here. We hope to manage at least 60 to 70 crippled children on this program. It will be taught, and those can teach it to others. So , we are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to the children of West Africa."

Ten month old Kossi, the first child to receive the Ponseti Management techniquefor the correction of Clubfoot introduced in West Africa by Mercy Ships, gets hisfirst casting aboard the Africa Mercy during the Togo field service.

Akouwa holds her 10 month old son Kossi, as Dr. Gary Douglas, Physical Therapist Joanna Gates and Physician's Assistant Laura Stonestreet apply the first casting in the Ponseti Management Program for the correction of Clubfoot.

Ten month old Kossi enjoys a soak in a pail ofwater to loosen the plaster castings on his legsbefore they are removed and the second castingis applied.

Physical Therapist Joanna Gates loosens plaster casting in a tub of water to remove them before the application of a second casting.

Physical Therapist Joanna Gates wraps Kossi's leg during his second casting, as Kossi's mother, Akouwa, looks on.

Written by Elaine Winn

Edited by Nancy Predaina

Photos by Liz Cantu

Easter in Kenya

2010-04-12T21:24:00.021+01:00

Last spring, the teachers in the Academy first began to talk about an International Christian Teacher conference happening in Kenya. It would be a conference for teachers at international christian schools all over Africa - a time to meet together, hear what was happening in other places, hear speakers and attend workshops. The cost was the only thing that seemed to be in the way - over 10,000 USD for all the Academy staff to fly to Kenya and attend the conference. By the end of February, we were still looking at having to raise 8,500 USD and the dream of going seemed pretty far away. Well, it may have seemed far to us, but with God, all things are possible. In the span of about 3 weeks, the money came in - even more than we thought we needed, which helped to cover visa costs and food during traveling. What a gift from God!

Anyhow, on 31 March we packed up our things and started on our journey. We needed to cross the Togo boarder (about 20 minutes from the ship) and then drive 4 hours to the airport in Ghana. It was a typical crossing for Africa - dusty, hot and slow, but everyone was very helpful and there were no problems. We had to wait a few minutes for the driver we had hired, but the wait was worth it as the two vans we rode in were air conditioned and really comfortable.

After an uneventful drive and five hour flight, we arrived in Kenya around 5.30 in the morning. Again, getting through immigration was easy and quick and we soon found ourselves heading out of Nairobi and on our way to the Rift Vally Acadmey in Kijabe. RVA is a missionary boarding school that was established about 100 years ago - they have about 400 students of all ages.

The drive was slow at first as we hit rush-hour traffic coming out of Nairobi. The scenery was nice enough, but all at once we came up over a bend and there the Rift Vally lay before us - AMAZING! The sun also chose that moment to peek through the clouds which made it even better.

We spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at different workshops and seminars - I don't know that there was anything totally new, but plenty of great reminders and confermation that we are heading in the right direction as a school. Also, for me it was the first conference I have been to that focused on christian education - really looking at how to have a balance between academics and spiritual life. One of the main speakers was Wes Stafford, the CEO of Compassion International -- if you ever get a chance to hear him speak, make sure you don't miss out. He is passionate, lively, truthful and fun. His passion for children makes him a great leader for Compassion. We were also treated on the last night to some Massi traditional dances which was nice - all the people were from the local area around Rift Vally Academy.

We left around 5.45 on Monday morning to make it back to Nairobi and start the long trip home. A five hour flight, 4 hour drive and two countries later found us back at the Ghana/Togo boarder. Two Mercy Ships Land Rovers were waiting to take us home, but between baggage and people, it was a little crowded (see picture). Luckily the ride home was only about 15 minutes, so Tommy's foot on Nikki's shoulder did not have to stay there too long :) A shower, dinner and the week of teaching began again the next morning - ahh, the life of a teacher.

Mercy Ships Zahnklinik in Lome, Togo

2010-04-11T10:46:00.006+01:00

Jeden morgen um 8 Uhr fährt eine engagierte Gruppe von Zahnärzten, Zahnmedizinische Fachangestellte, eine Zahnhygienikerin und Übersetzer aus Lome, Togo zur Zahnklinik , die von Mercy Ships an Land betrieben wird. Die Klinik befindet sich 25 Minuten von der Africa Mercy entfernt.
Das dreistöckige Gebäude, das die Zahnklinik beherbergt, gehört dem Gesundheitsministerium. Es verfügt über eine Klimaanlage und bietet ausreichend Platz für eine komfortable Umgebung für Patienten und den Mercy Ships Mitarbeitern. Die Klinik hat alles , was man braucht: Voruntersuchungsraum, Rezeption, Wartezimmer und Behandlungsraum.

Die Voruntersuchungen finden Montags und Donnerstags statt, wo immer so um die 250 untersucht werden. Gini Porter, Dental Koordinator und ihre Assisitentin Sieh Moore, führen die Voruntersuchungen bei den Patienten durch um die zahnmedizinischen Probleme zu identifizieren., wie Karies, Deformationen und anderen Abzessen.

Die Koordinatoren vergeben dabei so 50-60 Termine täglich. Die Patienten die Montags untersucht worden sind erhalten dabei Termine von Montags-Mittwochs, und die Patienten die Donnerstags untersucht worden sind , erhalten Behandlungstermine von Donnerstags-Freitags. Dabei sind die meisten Patienten bereit den ganzen Tag zu warten , bis sie von den Mery Ships Zahnärzten behandelt werden.

Aufgrund des Mangels an zahnärztlichen Leistungen in Togo haben die meisten Menschen hier noch nie einen Zahnarzt gesehen. Die meisten von ihnen wissen nicht, wie man die Zähne richtig pflegt. Die Zahnklinik behandelt dieses Problem in mehrfacher Hinsicht. Im Warteraum werden die Patienten unterrichtet, wie man die Zahnbürste richig benutzt und es werden ihnen auch Zahnbürsten mitgegeben. Dann werden die Zähne durch die Dentalhygienikerin gereinigt , um das Risiko von Karies und Infektionen zu veringern.

Die Zahnklinik wird bis August bedient, während des gesamten Togo Einsatzes. Die zahnärztlichen Teams arbeiten dabei fleissig jeden Tag, Zähne ziehen, Löcher füllen und sogar neue Zähne verpflanzen. Dabei wird geschätzt, dass nun mehere tausend Menschen in diesem Einsatz zum ersten Mal in ihrem Leben Linderung ihrer Schmerzen erfahren.

Beatrice Stoeckli , eine der Patienten, drückte ihre Begeisterung, dass sie endlich Heilung bekommt , so aus: "Ich wusste nicht wie ich Zahnbehandlung bekommen sollte, also began ich zu beten. Als ich den Namen Mercy Ships hörte, sagte ich, die Gnade Gottes berührt mich, und wo auch immer er wirkt, er macht den Weg frei für seine Gnade."

Frei übersetzt von einem englischem Artikel:
Written by Joy Clary
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell

Jesus-Film gestartet

2010-04-11T10:16:00.003+01:00

Nach einer längeren Pause seit Benin haben wir endlich in der letzten Woche angefangen wieder den Jesus-Film regelmässig zu zeigen. Unter anderem durch die Präsidentenwahlen in Togo hat sich der Start etwas nach hinten verschoben.
Dieses Jahr in Togo arbeiten wir mit Campus Crusade for Christ (Campus für Christus) zusammen, die auch die Planung übernommen haben, wo wir den Film jeweils Dienstags und Freitags abends zeigen werden. Ich habe mich wieder für Dienstags verpflichtet mit rauszufahren und zu helfen . Letzten Dienstag haben wir den Film in einer Assemblée de Dieu Gemeinde (Assembly of God) ganz in der Nähe vom Hafen gezeigt. Als wir dort ankamen sahen wir , dass die Gemeinde Strom hatten, und sie sagten uns auch , ja wir können deren Strom verwenden für die Technik. Dann jedoch beim Aufbau schon, hier in Afrika recht normal, fiel der Strom aus , somit haben wir dann doch besser unseren mitgebrachten Generator verwendet.
Wir zeigen den Film übrigens hier in der Sprache "Ewe" , die hier im Süden von Togo gesprochen wird. Dieser Film wurde schon in über 1000 Sprachen übersetzt (http://www.jesusfilm.de).

Hiking

2010-02-02T21:46:00.018+01:00

One thing that I have missed living in West Africa is a good weekend hike. In Germany, I loved catching the bus to the edge of town and then spending the day by myself hiking through God's creation. There are probably some trails somewhere in West Africa, but finding them, concerns about safety, heat and finding people to go with makes it more work than it is worth. Tenerife on the other hand, has trails around every corner. I had received a Tenerife trail book a few years ago, but never really had time to use it because we always were away over the Christmas holidays. This year though, there were lots of open weekends to explore.

The first hike we chose was probably the hardest of all we did, but also the most fun. There was about six of us hiking together, we all went about the same pace (which always makes things more fun) and we all wanted a bit of a challenge. The trail started up on the north end of the island in a little village called Chamorga, which was really little more than a small bar/restaurant, a church and a few houses in a group. You start by going up a mountain and then over to the ocean side. The hike down the other side brought you through little hillside farms and gardens as we got closer to the seaside village of El Draguillo. There were some great dragon trees on the way down and I finally realized (possibly) why dragon tree have their name - when the long palms fall off the trees, the one end becomes yellow-orange and looks a little like the split tounge of a snake - I had never been close enough before to see.

Once we reached the coast we spent several hours coming around the point to a lighthouse. We passed by a couple houses connected in no way to the outside world save by the trails we were following - but what views they woke up to every morning - wow. At the lighthouse, we realized that it was getting later and at a sign we decided to take the trail which said 3.0 km back to Chamorga instead of the 3.3. Looking back, I think maybe we should have taken the extra .3 km as the trail we picked ended up going straight up and over the mountain instead of skirting around the side. We certainly felt as though we accomplished something by the end, but after five hours of hiking, an elevation gain of 400 meters in about an hour was not what we were looking for. Unfortunitally, at this point, my camera battery died and I think everyone else was too focused on getting one foot in front of the next to take photos :)

We did make it up and over in good time and got back to the car before dusk came, which is what we were hoping for. As we came around the last turn and could see the little steeple on the church in Chamorga, we knew we had finally made it. We came home tired, but glad for the exercise, nature and amazing views.
((More photos of our different hikes can be found on Marcel's facebook page.))

Christmas

2010-01-24T20:04:00.009+01:00

And I'm back! :)
All my good intentions about writing seemed to fly away again as we arrived in Tenerife and got busy with all the things there are to do here. I've been keeping a list in my head of all the things I need to tell about and it was getting so long, I knew it was time to write again. I guess the one month anniversary works . . .

Anyhow, we had a great, relaxing Christmas here on the ship. I would say that there were less than 200 people on the ship (when in Africa we average about 350-400 people) so that made for a great atmosphere of community and family. I had spent the week before Christmas madly making about 15 dozen cookies to give as Christmas presents and Marcel and I spent Christmas Eve afternoon putting everything into bags with pretty labels and bows. I have discovered baking again here in Tenerife and between Chex-Mix (thank you Mom for the ingredients) and cookies, I have been spending many hours in the Crew Galley. The Christmas Eve service was early this year to give people a chance to go out and do other things in the evening and after the service we had an amazing dinner. I love the holiday meals here on the ship - Easter, Christmas - the Galley and Dining Room staff do an amazing job making things taste good and look amazing.

(our new stockings from Benin and our foot tall Christmas tree)

Tradition on Mercy Ships is to leave presents outside other people's door sometime in the night of Christmas Eve. I have to say, it was a lot of fun to run around with Marcel at midnight leaving cookies outside doors and to watch the little piles outside doors grow larger. We slept in Christmas morning and then went up to brunch around 10.00 - again, the food there was amazing. Not only was there every kind of breakfast food, there was a whole table of fresh fruit beautifully set up -- and for people who have been eating green oranges, pineapple and mango for the last 10 months, grapes, strawberries, pears, apples, kiwis and mandarins are a very special treat. I took some later and made a great fruit salad that lasted us for about 2 days.
Presents were opened when we got back down to the cabin and the rest of the day was spent relaxing and watching movies. That evening most of the ship went down the road in the port to a special Christmas concert that Santa Cruz has every year -- I guess it is televised all over Spain. It was great to sit and listen to the classical music - it was been awhile since I have been to a classical concert - it sort of reminded me of sitting on the lawn at Blossom in the summers. Fireworks at the end of the show and a nice walk back to the ship made for a end to a nice day.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

2009-12-10T19:22:00.029+01:00

There are many traditions on a ship with 35 different countries represented . . . and then there are the traditions that are uniquely Mercy Ships. Every year around this time, the door decorating contest begins. The last few years it seems to have begun just before we sailed and then the judging occurs sometime during the sail, usually just before we get to the Canary Islands. The rules are simple - have the best decorated door (in categories of both office and personal cabins) using what you have around you, decoration can only be as big as the door, all materials can only be stuck up with sticky tack or magnets and cannot come more than 4 inches into the passage (I think this is new one - must have been some interesting decorating last year to make this necessary). I went around tonight to get some pictures.
Everyone gets involved: traditional, non-traditional, crazy creative, simple . . .

some multi-berth cabins (3, 4, 6 people):

family and couples cabins:

departments:

hostpital

HR and Ship Sales

Finance and Laundry Room

Even the Acadmey got involved!

High School and Office

Grade 2 and Grade 3

Grade 1 and Preschool

Oscar's Story

2009-12-09T21:30:00.006+01:00

Here is a story about a young patient named Oscar who came to the Africa Mercy to have a cleft lip repaired. He is one of hundred of people in West Africa living with this very visible birth defect. Thank you to the communications department here onboard for the story!

Oscar Madohona: A New Smile
Cleft lip and palate abnormalities occur in approximately 1 in 700 live births. In developed countries, children typically receive corrective surgery before 18 months of age. Many medical professionals are involved in the child’s care – including surgeons, dentists, audiologists (hearing specialists), and speech therapists. Oscar Madohona had a cleft lip that remained unrepaired for ten years. He was born in West Africa, where a cleft abnormality can be a life-threatening condition. It is commonly believed that people with clefts are possessed by evil spirits. They are often discarded or abandoned by their families and communities.

Caring for a child with a cleft can be difficult. Emotionally, parents face rejection of themselves and the child by their community. Practically, they often aren’t equipped with the tools needed to assure that the baby is adequately fed. Oscar’s mother, Florentine, experienced these struggles. “When Oscar was born, some people thought the child was a bad spirit and said I should abandon him,” she said. “I thought he would die because I could not take care of him. I was scared I would not be able to feed him. But others encouraged me to try, so I gave everything to God. I trusted Him to help me take care of Oscar.” Florentine succeeded in meeting Oscar’s physical needs, but she could not protect him from emotional pain and rejection. “The other kids would tease and insult me. When they teased me, I felt very bad,” said Oscar. “Kids teased him to the point where he didn’t want to go to school,” added Florentine. “For a while, he stopped going. I felt a very, very big pain in my heart when people teased him.”
While living in Côte d'Ivoire, Florentine’s husband heard the Africa Mercy was performing free surgeries in Benin. At first, he was skeptical. But after further inquires, he realized it was true; there really was a hospital ship performing free surgeries. He sent Florentine and Oscar to meet the ship in Benin. Florentine, originally from Benin, remained skeptical. “Before I came to the ship, I was quarreling with my husband, saying, ‘No, because it’s a ship, because it’s free, it cannot be real.’ I was worried and scared,” she said. But when they came to the Africa Mercy, Florentine’s fears were relieved. What her husband had heard was actually true. Oscar received a free surgery and now has a restored smile. He no longer has to worry about being teased at school. “I am very happy now. I will tell the other kids at school what God has done for me,” said Oscar. Florentine is very grateful to everyone who helped in bringing healing to her son. “I am very happy; I cannot say enough. I hope that God blesses the nurses and the doctors for the work they have done. They have done a very great job for me and others. Thank you very much.”

Story by Megan Petock Edited by Nancy Predaina

Reflections

2009-12-08T20:53:00.002+01:00

As we sailed away from Benin, I realized that writing on the blog has now become something of a need more than a desire. Sorry to anyone checking for updates that I have been so horrible with writing the last few months. I know I say it so often, but time has seemed to fly past since school started back up again. I now need to share some of the many things that have happened this year, both with Marcel and I and with Mercy Ships and patients, as soon we will have stories of different countries and friends.
Standing on the deck and watching the dock slowly slide away, it was one of those moments that is both exciting and sad. When looking through some stories and pictures tonight, I found a poem that a patient from Ghana had written about the Africa Mercy leaving Benin. Hope you enjoy. More stories to follow!

FARE WELL MY GREAT WHITE WHALE.
Alas the center’s candle is blown out
Soon the signs that points to the Port are broken
The paths that leads to the shore is blocked
They that make their wage in convoy to Novou are stilled and stopped
The days of the white whale’s rest are o’er
The time of your docking is spent
The season of your breeding is halted
Your coming, to some was heaven sent
To others it was a wish granted
But too soon it is to those who knows your worth and work
So sudden it is to those who wish in you to be healed
Soon the mouth that feeds from you will sing your fare well song
The hand that lend you help will wave you on
The soul that depended on you will wish you back
And the heart that stayed with you, only on your memories will stay and feed
But you, like any farer of the deep, your voyage must continue
Your search for souls to cut and heal lingers on
For many more awaits your coming
Many shores awaits the day of your rest
But now it’s time bid you fare well
It’s time to sing your departing song
It’s yet another time for your sons and daughters to go home
Some, never to be seen again
Some, never to walk the shores of the black pearls
Yet to others, a time to rest and regroup
All the souls you touched and healed
All the souls you cut and mend
Stands along the Novou shores
Visible and invisible
To wave and wish you well
In the still small voice of the shore wave
Hear their voices rise saying THANK YOU
For your time and toil
For your care and cause
For your mind and money
But most of all, for being a tool in the father’s hands
Through which He showed His love and care
To a world so lost and dark
Without love or hope
We those you touched and healed are eternally grateful
Thank you and fare thee well my great white whale.
From: Prince Eddie Daniels
To : The Mercy Ships

Zimi-Johns

2009-08-15T16:48:00.007+01:00

I think everyone who comes to Benin at some point writes about the zimi-johns and I guess now is my turn.
Zimi-johns (not sure of that spelling - it seems to be different every time you ask a new person) are the most common public transport in Benin - some would call them motorcycles, others mopeds or motorbikes, I call them danger on two wheels :) The law in Benin says that a person must have license to drive a car, but anyone with the money to buy one can use a zimi-john - no license or training necessary. Because of this, it is estimated that there are over 80,000 in Contonou alone. Everytime you stop at a traffic light in the Mercy Ships LandRover, there is this sudden sea of motorbikes surrounding you on all sides. There are not really rules that everyone follows at the same time here (there are traffic laws and police, but there still seems to be some flexiblity in certain rules at certain places and times) so being surrounded by a sea of colorful motorbikes can be a little worrisome, trying to figure out where and when people are going to be turing, going straight or pulling over to the side of the road. Zimi-johns are also used as the local taxis here, with up to three adults squeezing onto the seat of the bike.
Although not something I plan on using an time soon (safety reasons - lots of accidents and burned legs from the exhaust pipe) they definitely lead to some interesting stories and pictures. There seems to be a contest at times about who has the best zimi-john story. So far, I have seen whole families (small child in front, dad, small child, mom with baby tied to back), women on the way to work looking very smart, men in suits and people moving furniture (wicker style couch balanced on the head on the man in the back about doubling the length of the motorbike). I have heard stories of a bundle of furniture roped up and then stuck on the back, a man with a cartons of drinks on the back, someone else moving a refrigerator -- always an adventure on the road. There is something beautiful, though, in the sea of colors and people moving down the road together. I wish I had better pictures, but I am trying to be good about not taking too many pictures of people without their permission while I pass them on the street. There are some people here who believe that the camera somehow affects their spirit, but moreso, I try to think about how would feel when some strange person in a big white car drove by taking my picture and posting it on the Internet. I don't know that any picture can really tell the whole story on this one anyway - just no way to capture the colors, sounds, smells and sights of driving down the road in Benin.

What God is Doing

2009-07-08T19:34:00.009+01:00

Here on the Africa Mercy, we have a communication department that writes and puts pictures to stories about patients, crew members and different things happening with Mercy Ships. The following story was written by Carmen Radley - there are photos with the story, but I am having trouble getting them all onto the blog. For me, this story just reminds me how much love people have for one another and also how much God can change entire lives in a single day.

Darkness Lifting
For seven years, Genevieve has been the eyes for others. She gave birth to three children-two boys separated by a girl-all with cataracts in both eyes, preventing them from seeing anything but the most subtle shifts in light and shadow. Going anywhere has been an exercise in patience and strength for Genevieve-tying one-year-old Ricardo on her back with a piece of brightly-patterned cloth, taking seven-year-old Alexis by the hand, holding three-year-old Nadege by the arm-then guiding them up steps, though thresholds, and around potholes. For years, her eyes have been vigilant guards against danger-coal stoves sitting in the corners of rooms, containers of liquid that could scald or poison, and all the daily threats that could harm her children. "Because of the blindness, I must be with them all the day," Genevieve said. "Even if they are playing, I have to watch them. In everything, I have to be right beside them." Genevieve and her husband tried to get help for their children. They visited the hospital in Glazoue, the nearest city, but they had no means to pay for the expensive cataract surgeries. The physical toll of her children's blindness was heavy for Genevieve to bear. But the emotional strain was even more difficult, for Genevieve wondered what would become of her children in a country that makes no accommodations for blindness. Genevieve also struggled spiritually. "Why is it that all my children are blind?" she thought constantly. "What did I do to God for this to happen?" To make matters even worse, she heard people cruelly whisper, "It must be witchcraft or a curse-because three blind children in one family is too unlucky." Then hope surfaced when a man in their village offered to help. Andre Affedjou, a civil servant in Benin, and his friends sometimes assist people who cannot afford medical treatment. When they heard about Genevieve and her children, their hearts were touched. "Usually we find one blind child in one family or one handicapped child in one family, but three blind children for one family was too much," Andre said. He knew that if they did not get help, they would have a very bleak future and would be dependent on others of their entire lives. Andre said, "They will not have a chance to go to school because there is no blind school in the village. But if they receive their sight, it will be a great happiness." Andre heard about Mercy Ships on the radio and arranged transportation to Cotonou and housing for the family. They came to the ship the week before Easter-three happy children, laughing, using their fingers to "see" the toys the nurses handed them, and mimicking the foreign noises of the ship. Genevieve looked pensive-daring to hope, yet unsure that her solution had finally arrived. "I hope that the children will recover their sight," Genevieve said, "and they can go to school. I will be happy if my children can see my face and my husband's face." Ken Strauss, Eye Team Coordinator and wife of eye surgeon Dr. Glenn Strauss, said that the children arrived in good health-good enough to be operated on immediately. Often, children have to be nursed for a few days before their operations, usually due to dehydration or fevers or infections. She gave Genevieve credit for the children's good health and spirits. "She is such a wonderful mother," said Kim. "The kids are so happy. Even when they were blind, they were such happy little children." And their innate joy was evident in their infectious laughter, their giggling chatter, and their dimpled smiles that wandered the room without focus. They seemed to be designed to experience life and happiness to the fullest extent. The expectation for a successful surgery was the highest for three-year-old Nadege. She hadn't been blind long enough for permanent damage, yet her eyes were developed enough for the new lens to fit well. For congenital cataract procedures, children over the age of seven often have permanent damage because the optic nerve never developes, and the brain adjusts to blindness. This was a worry especially for Alexis. For baby Ricardo, the concern was that his eyes were not developed enough for the procedure and that the lens wouldn't fit correctly. The children all received their operations on the Thursday before Easter and spent a night with their eye patched. The next morning, the surgeons, operating room nurses, and Kim assembled for the exciting moment-it was time to remove the bandages. First they removed Nadege's. "When we got the bandages off," Kim recalls, smiling, "she grabbed the doll we were holding in front of her and said, 'Bebe, bebe.' So she knew what it was, and we knew she could see." Next was Alexis, who they feared wouldn't see as well. They put the toys on the floor. He looked around, walked straight up to Dr. Glenn, and took something he had in his hand. Finally, they removed Ricardo's bandages, and then promptly returned him to his mother's arms to calm him. For some time, he lay with his eyes squeezed shut. Finally he opened one eye and glanced around. Suddenly he saw something on his mother's shirt, and he reached up and grabbed it. "When he did that, we knew he could see, too," Kim says. "It's just like a miracle! Even to Dr. Glenn, to see their vision come back is still a miracle. For him, every operation is a prayer that their sight will improve, for them to be able to function, to get around and get into things, like kids are supposed to do. And when it happens, it's just fantastic." Now Genevieve's hopes are realized. Her children will see her face, and they will know their father by sight. They will go to school, She will see them holding hands and walking outside to play on their own. The burden she carried so faithfully and lovingly is gone! The darkness has lifted! "I am so happy," Genevieve simply says. "I am so happy, I cannot tell you how happy I am."

God is good - what more can I say.

Blood Brothers (or Sisters)

2009-07-05T09:41:00.002+01:00

The other Friday night, I was paged to call the Laboratory - sounds scary, but everyone knows what that page means - they need blood.
We do not have a way to store blood here on the ship, but we have the next best thing - 350 people from all over the world with all different blood types just lining up to share their blood with someone (well, not really, sometimes it is like pulling teeth - pulling blood? . . . really hard to convince them to have someone shove a needle in their arm.) I am not sure how many people there are on the list, but we do several surgeries a day and there has not been a problem so far with getting blood when needed. Considering that Red Cross will most likely never let me donate again after living in West Africa, I like to do what I can now :)
In the two years I have been on the ship I think I have been called four or five times. It is different here on the ship - you do not give your blood to Red Cross knowing that someday it will be used, you know that it is being taken over to the other side of the ship and used within the next few hours. There is a feeling of connection, even if you do not know the patient personally, you know they are there and God is doing something in their life. Sometimes it is blood for a regular surgery, sometimes it is an emergency because someone has started to bleed during surgery, sometimes it is for a patient who is recovering, but is having trouble. But it is a different to know that there is an immediate need and you are helping to fill it.
So, if you ever come to Mercy Ship and stay for awhile, be ready! Someone out there may need your blood!

Abendessen beim Deutschen Botschafter

2009-06-28T13:58:00.003+01:00

Freitag vor einer Woche sind wir als deutsche Crew vom deutschen Botschafter in Benin zum Abendessen in seine Residenz eingeladen worden. Dort hatten wir dann Gemeinschaft mit dem Botschafter und seinen Angestellten und haben dort einen schönen Abend verbracht. Elizabeth, als meine Frau, war natürlich ebenfalls mit dabei. Vor ein paar Monaten hatten uns der Botschafter und seine Angestellten an Bord besucht um das Schiff zu besichtigen und hatten Mittagessen zusammen.

Kommenden Samstag , am 4. Juli , feiert Amerika Independence Day , den Tag der Unabhängigkeit. Dazu hat die US Botschaft hier in Benin alle Amerikaner im Land zu einer Feier in die Botschaft eingeladen. Ich, als Elizabeth´s Mann , darf dann ebenfalls mitkommen. :-)

No News is Good News

2009-06-14T19:37:00.004+01:00

Not really sure what to write about - nothing too exciting starting up lately.

Classes finished for the Academy on the 5th and last week was the last official work week - time to get things organized and get paperwork finished. I will be working this summer on getting our school library set up and ready for the fall. We have been working on it over the past year, but we were able to order about 500 new books this spring that need to be entered and ordered. I also will be going through old books, making sure everything is in order and getting a better picture of what all we have. It should take some time, but the organizer in me is looking forward to this summer and having things ready for the students in the fall.
Marcel has been busy with work and is also studying for some Mircosoft Certification tests that he is working on. He is looking at taking a series of about seven tests over the next year or so. He is much better than me at self-study - I tend to procrastinate when I am left to study on my own, but Marcel is really good about finding time in the evening or the weekends to get his studying done. He has taken (and passed) the first test and plans to take the next one around the end of the month.
I always like pictures in a blog, so I thought I put in this one of how nicely we clean up. There was a night last weekend when everyone had fun and got out the good clothes and make-up. We looked pretty good -- if I do say do myself ;)

Good-byes

2009-05-03T19:07:00.002+01:00

Living on the Africa Mercy long term means that there are a lot of 'hellos' and many sad 'good-byes'. Depending on the month, there can be a hundred or so people coming and going - more leaving at the end of an outreach and more coming at the start. When Marcel and I came back to the ship in January after being gone about a month, it was amazing - I would walk around the ship or dining room and hardly recognize anyone. So many people we had come to know had returned home and new faces had arrived to take their place.

In school, we also have kids coming and going. The big change times are usually in the summer and in January, although you never know when someone might be allowed to come or need to go. This past December I had three girls return to their home countries with their families and one new student come to the ship in January. Sometimes you have not known the kids as long or have not worked with them enough to feel too much emotion at their leaving, but no matter what, it is one more time that you have to figure out how to say good-bye. Yesterday another one of my students left to go with her parent to work with Mercy Ships in Texas. I guess her leaving got me thinking of many of the people who I lived or worked with who are no longer here. On the one hand, it is pretty exciting to have people that I know all over the world, but on the other hand, it is hard to stay in touch and let people know that I am missing them at times, find out what is up in their lives and let them know what is going on in mine. For any former roommates, co-workers and friends who are reading this now, know that you are missed and I think of you often.

Many say that it is just a part of being with Mercy Ships, but that sure does not make the good-byes any easier. I think one of the first questions that people ask here on the ship is 'How long are you here?' and somehow, when I hear '4 weeks' I wonder how close I want to become to this person. Not that I am cruel or unwelcoming or never talk to them again, but there is a different feeling in the short term and long term relationships. It is hard to invest time, self and energy into a relationship you know may not continue in three weeks. I think the hardest good-byes are the people who are here for a year or longer. These are the people or kids that you took the time with, talked to and found out more about them, but still are leaving before you are and so you get to say good-bye again.

Ausflug am Wochenende

2009-04-20T17:56:00.005+01:00

Vor mehreren Wochen an einem Samstag sind wir mit ein paar Leuten zu einem See außerhalb von Cotonou gefahren und haben dort den Tag auf einem Sonnendeck verbracht. Einfach eine schöne Art zu relaxen nach einer Arbeitswoche an Bord.

Die Anlage , Bab's Dock genannt, liegt wie schon erwähnt an einem See, und es ist nur per Boot zu erreichen. Man faehrt zu einer kleinen Anlegestelle, die man per Landrover
erreichen kann. Dort wird man dann per Boot abgeholt und fährt durch eine schöne Mangrovenlandschaft bis man dann auf den See hinausfährt. Auf der anderen Seite ist dann das Bab's Dock , geführt von einem Belgischen Ehepaar. Auf dem Sonnendeck sind Matten vorhanden wo man sich in die Sonne oder im Schatten hinlegen kann. Auch gibt es Hängematten und man kann auch dort was Essen und Trinken, im See baden oder kayaken.

Einfach eine schoene Möglichkeit zum ausspannen.

Beim Einstieg ins Boot.

Durch den Mangrovensumpf.

Auf dem Bab's Dock.

Auf dem See.

'La Boutique'

2009-04-18T14:53:00.005+01:00

Here on the Africa Mercy we have this great little room down on Deck 2, tucked away in a corner, warm and stuffy and full of stuff just waiting to find a new home. It is like the Mercy Ships equivalent to a second hand store, but even better because everything is free - like a big swap-shop.

I don't know when the tradition of 'The Boutique' started, but it is a place that almost everyone on the ship visits at some point and leaves with hands full of stuff that they did not even know they needed :) Pillows, plates, clothing, pictures, lotions, shampoo - if there is something you need, the first place to look is down on Deck 2. People have a tendency to collect things over the time they are here, but when they go to pack their two bags to go home, they realize how much they have to leave behind - the African dress that you thought looked so good here, but you realize you will never wear anywhere else, the half bottle of good quality shampoo that is too heavy to pack, the book that you brought along, read and now don't need anymore, an old pair of shoes, the lotions that someone gave to you, the odd plate and mug that you collected over your time here - it all adds up.
I have to say that I did not visit so often at first, but after a couple good finds, I was hooked. Now, most days I am wearing something that came from down on Deck 2. It is fun to 'go shopping' and pick up something that you would never buy usually because you know that everything is free and if it doesn't work, you can always take it back down and someone else is sure to be able to use it. It is easy to take chances with colors or styles when you know that it is not costing anything.

Feueralarmübungen an Bord

2009-04-05T20:41:00.007+01:00

Auf einem Schiff gehören Feueralarmübungen zum Leben an Bord dazu. Auch hier auf der Africa Mercy haben wir regelmäßig Feueralarm- und Brandschutzübungen. Dabei haben wir mehrere Feuerwehrteams an Bord gebildet, die im Brandfall an Ort und Stelle sind.

Ich bin selber in einem der Feuerwehrteams an Bord. Meine Aufgabe nennt sich "BA Control" , dass heißt ich überprüfe und überwache den Druck in den Sauerstoffflaschen der Feuermänner in meinem Team. Ich schreibe die Werte auf, bevor die Männer in die Gefahrenzone gehen, um das Feuer zu löschen, un schaue dabei auf die Uhr. Wenn die Zeit abläuft , dann gebe ich Bescheid, so daß die Männer wieder herausgerufen werden, um die Sauerstofflaschen gegen neue auzutauschen.

In den regelmäßigen Übungen spielen wir dann verschiedene Szenarien durch. Wenn der erste Alarm, der Feueralarm, läutet versammeln sich die Feuerwehrteams an ihren Muster Stationen. Dabei schaue ich in unserem Team, daß alle Leute da sind und gebe diese Information an die Muster Kontrolle per Telefon weiter. Dann werden wir zu der Gefahrenzone geschickt und wir versuchen das Feuer zu löschen. Kurze Zeit später ertönt dann der "General Crew Alarm", das bedeutet das Schiff wird evakuiert. Das heisst die gesamte Crew versammelt sich dann draussen am Dock. Wenn wir auf See sind , dann ist es etwas anders, dann versammelt sich die Crew oben an Deck bei den Rettungsbooten mit Rettunsgwesten.

Diese Übungen dienen als Training für uns als Feuerteams für den Ernstfall und auch für Crew, damit jeder weiss was im Nofall zu tun ist.

Running

2009-03-29T12:11:00.005+01:00

So we have started again . . . the sweating, the sore muscles, braving the heat to head out a few times a week to run :)

When we first started dating, I think Marcel grew tired of hearing me say that I was going to go out and run and finding out later that it never happened, so he started running with me. Nothing crazy, I don't think we really even run more than 2-3 miles, but at about 10 minute mile in West African heat, it can be a good workout. We got Marcel running shoes at Christmas in 2007 and have been trying to be good about getting out since then. Ran in our first race together this past New Year's Eve in Ohio. We had registered the week before and the weather seemed good the days before - even went out the 30th and had a good run around the neighborhood. Woke up on the 31st to a foot of snow and freezing temperatures. We decided to go for it and although we were a little numb and sore at the end, it was nice to do - 5km in about 35 minutes.

Liberia was great for running because, although a little boring, we could run on the dock and then out to the gate (and back) which was about a mile. Running on the dock meant that we had to worry less about cars and people and attracting attention. Here in Benin, we have a dock, but it is more busy with cars and motorcycles coming back and forth, so it is not a good for running. We try to wait until after dark because there seems to be less traffic and less heat :)

A couple weeks ago there was a 'Benin Half Marathon' but we decided to skip it. I don't know, maybe if it was in a couple months from now we might have had a chance, but we just started running again here in Benin, the heat is horribe from 7.00-11.00 in the morning and who knows what the conditions (water, toilets, registering) would be like. We heard later that people did have to buy their own water because the race organizers ran out - luckily there are always people selling things along the side of the road. We'll have to see what our next race will be :)

The Rain Storm

2009-03-14T10:12:00.002+01:00

Yesterday it rained for the first time since we got here. I know that in two months or so we will probably be sick of the rain and complaining, but yesterday was actually really nice. The kids were so excited when they saw the rain, although it did end up in a storm which got a couple of them a little worried that the boat was going to sink. The wind picked up enough to be blowing things around on Deck 8 and even moving the plastic playhouse on Deck 7. When we went out for playtime it had slowed down a bit, but it was still wet and raining a bit which added a new element to our play. Instead of being wet from sweat, we were wet from rain. I have not been in a rainy season since last August, so it is an interesting feeling to be starting it again.

One little one, on coming out shouted 'Our first rain in Benin!' A few moments later, a boy from England turns to me and says 'This is just like England . . . it rains every day and every minute there!' He seemed quite excited by this thought though - maybe it was a little taste of home to cheer him up - a big, loud rain storm.

The air conditioning has not been working the way it should the last couple days, which was actually a blessing in bringing 8 wet kids in from outside. I think we would have frozen if the air was actually working properly. We got out blankets and pillows anyhow and had a few moments warm rest while we listed to 'Green Eggs and Ham' on a CD. It was funny to see two kids try to share a blanket. They were all big enough, but somehow a couple seemed to have the same problem Marcel and I have some nights with one person ending up with all the blanket - usually the one fighting for the covers is the one who has them all and does not realize it. Sandy and I were laughing to see two different pairs of kids acting like old married people.

The Cabin Mix-Up

2009-03-11T19:37:00.002+01:00

So to regress a little bit, there was a story when we returned to the ship that I never told. As I am on a role with blog entries, I will try to get it down now before I forget again :)

Marcel and I had a great time away from the ship in December and January, but by the time the end of January rolled around, I think we were ready to come back. This is our home now, a place that we both feel comfortable and our third 'family' is here.

Well, I was expecting at least an exciting hug when we came into reception, but it seemed as if everyone was out and the receptionist was new and did not know us as well -- of course. So, she got our paperwork out and began to check us in and get us our cabin keys. Now before we had left, we had figured out what cabin we would be in -- before we had even got engaged we had asked about a couple's cabin and been told that one would be waiting for us. So the receptionist hands me a key and says 'Cabin 4211. Should be set up for you.' Now it took me a few seconds to realize why that number sounded familiar - not because that was the couple's cabin we had seen before we left, but rather because it was the number of the woman's 4-berth cabin I had just left. I thought for a moment and then told her I thought she had the wrong number. She looked down at the list given her by Human Resource Department and says 'No, I don't think so, Marcel is listed there as well . . .' At this point Marcel and I both started laughing. Luckily I was able to run down to Deck 4 and find that the cabin we had been assigned before we left was 4319 (and the door was decorated for us) and the receptionist had no trouble giving us the keys to our real cabin. Otherwise it would have made for an interesting first night back -- not only was Marcel assigned to a woman's cabin, they had already moved someone into the bed that I had been using before, so there would have been five women and one man in a cabin made for four women . . . interesting is the only word for it. I am also glad that we were not new to the ship. I cannot image what it would have been like to never have been on the ship before and then to walk down to a cabin, not having any idea what to expect and being greeted by 4 women and no bed. Who do you talk to about that?

Good for a Laugh

2009-03-11T19:06:00.003+01:00

So I thought I would try to share some of the things the kids have said recently. Because my memory for the exact is not that great, some will be paraphrasing, but hopfully you will get the idea and be able to laugh along.

Being a Mommy
The theme of this story seems to be an on-going one now that I am married. Last September when Marcel and I announced that we were engaged, a mom (a fellow teacher) told her daughter the next morning - the reply "She's going to be a mommy!?" The rest of the girls were content with my saying that I had a 'princess ring' and that I would get to wear a 'princess dress' when I got marrried and did not push too much past that. The little girl continues to ask about being a mommy, but I think the best was a few weeks ago at snack.
"Miss Elizabeth, are you a mommy yet?"
"No, I got married and I am a wife."
"But are you a mommy?"
"No, when you get married, you become a wife and you have a husband, but you do not have to be a mommy. Marcel and I are husband and wife. Later I will be a mommy."
"Later like tomorrow?"
"No. I am only a wife right now - that is what I want to be right now, I will be a mommy later when I have a baby."
"Later like tomorrow."
"No, later like when you are in first grade."
"But that's a long time."

The next day, a different girl who had also been at the table for the 'pregnant tomorrow conversion' was sitting on my lap facing me while we were playing outside. Her mom is pregnant right now and starting to show more the last few weeks. The girl looked at my shirt and asked "Is there a baby in your tummy?" -- poking at the lump that was my belt buckle. I told her no and lifted up my shirt a little to show her, but she proceeded to poke at the little fat that is there and said that she thought there was a baby there. At that point I picked up her shirt gave her a tummy tickle and told her that her belly looked more like it had a baby in it. Luckily, she laughed and changed the subject then.

Comments from the Peanut Gallery
The morning we sailed into the harbor here in Benin, we had actually started school already, so I had the whole group out at the rail on Deck 7. I was trying to keep them occupied (as there was not so much happening) by asking them what they could see in the water. Some were saying they could see fish, octopus, trash, dirt, etc when one looks down and says, "I see cholorea in the water!!" I thought I had hear wrong - how did a four year old know about cholorea? - so I asked him to say again what he had see. "I see cholorea in the water!" His mom was nearby, so I had to ask. She said that he had had many shots before coming and they had talked about what they all were for. Although it helped with the understanding, it still was an interesting comment.

A different day, we discussing where the paper train we had made would stop. One boy spoke up and said that he wanted the train to stop at the IOC - this is the Mercy Ships base in Texas where everything is run. OK, I thought, we'll call that a stop at an office in Texas. The next boy speaks up and says "I want the train to stop at the IRS." After I stopped laughing, I asked him if he knew what the IRS was. "An office," he said simply. I still do not know if he really had a clue what he was talking about or where he had heard that, but it did make for a good laugh. Our train was pretty magical - it stopped in Texas, the IRS, England, South Africa, Italy and Benin.

In Benin

2009-03-08T11:27:00.004+01:00

So, jetzt wird es endlich Zeit , dass ich hier auch etwas in Deutsch reinschreibe. :) Ich versuche nun ab sofort , wie meine Frau Elizabeth auch, ebenfalls jede Woche etwas hier reinzuschreiben.

Elizabeth hat ja unten schon ueber das Screening berichtet. Ich war an einem Nachmittag der beiden Tage dort als Fahrer eingesetzt. Das heisst meine Aufgabe war Crew und gegebenfalls Equipment von der Halle zum Schiff und wieder zurueck zu transportieren. Da bin ich dann besonders zum Ende des Screening Tages hin und her gefahren.
Autofahren in Cotonou ist sehr herausfordernd, mehr als es in Liberia war. Zwar gibt es hier Verkehrsregeln wie Schilder und Ampeln, die mehr oder weniger beachtet und eingehalten werden. Auch der Strassenzustand ist viel besser, keine oder nur wenige Loecher. Aber ... Hier gibt sehr viele Motorradfahrer, viel viel mehr als Autofahrer und sie fahren kreuz und quer, schneiden einen usw. Daher muss man sehr vorsichtig fahren. An einer Ampel beispielsweise kann es passieren , dass man ploetzlich von Motorraedern umringt ist.

Wir starten wir allmaehlich wieder , wie im letzten Einsatz, den Jesus-Film nach dem Evangelium von Lukas hier in Cotonou und Umgebung an verschiedenen Orten zu zeigen. Dies ist der Dienst, wo ich mich ausserhalb meines Jobs an Bord engagieren werde. Letzten Dienstag abend waren wir das erste Mal draussen. Leider hat die Fahrt zu dem Ort laenger gedauert als erwartet , so dass wir erst nach 20 Uhr den Film starten konnten. Da wir um 22:30 wieder an Bord zurueck sein muessen , konnten wir nur etwas ueber eine Stunde den Film zeigen. Den zweiten Teil muessen wir dann kommenden Dienstag zeigen. Dabei zeigen wir den Film in der Landessprache Franzoesisch oder in einer der lokalen Afrikanischen Sprachen je nach Ort. Werde zu dieser Arbeit dann in Zukunft immer mal wieder etwas schreiben.

Screening

2009-03-08T09:24:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago, for two days, several thousand people crowded to the Musem de Arts in Cotonou, Benin seeking help for a whole range of medical problems. They gathered because they had heard that Mercy Ships was coming and offering free medical care. For several months before the 18th of February, posters, radio ads and word of mouth had been spreading the news.

This is a normal start to most outreaches for Mercy Ships. In order to have patients who come to the ship, first we must find them (or better said, that God would find them and get them to us). It can be a day full of joy for some and disappoint for others. When the word of free medical care goes out, people can come with everything from a headace to cancer to children with disabilities. Everyone is just hoping for the right word and healing for their problem. The day is called 'screening' because it is just that -- trying to find as many people to help as we can but also recommending patients for other hospitals or clinics in the area who could help them better or offering prayer and support if the problem is beyond our power to help (but never beyond God's). For the many that we can help with problems like bowed legs, cateracts, non-cancerous tumors/growths, VVF, clubbed feet, burn scars it is a day of joy as they receive their card that allows them to come back to the ship later in the year for treatment.

For the the two days, starting at 3.30 in the morning on the first day, most of the Africa Mercy crew made trips back and forth in the heat to help with everything that needed to be done. The hospital staff was busy with the medical side of things - taking histories, making decisions about who we could help, taking blood to test for any unseen problems, giving vitamins, etc. The rest of the crew was working in security/crowd control, passing out water (and bread at mid-day), prayer stations, kid-care (for all those bored children who spent hours waiting) and driving people back and forth from the ship. Everyone working together (and God's help) helped to have two days that went very smoothly and thousands of people moving through the hall.

Please be praying throughout our time in Benin (until the end of November) for the patients. Pray that they would make it back to the ship when they need to - there would be no problems with transportation or fear of the unknown. Pray that they would remain as healthy as possible so they will be strong for their surgery. Pray that we will be able to minister to their hearts as well as their bodies with our love and actions. Pray also for the patients that are still out there that God needs to show us still - pray that there will be a connection made a help given.

The Couple's Cabin

2009-03-01T20:19:00.000+01:00

Many single people here on the ship joke that they want to find someone to marry so they can move into a couple's cabin. Although not the best reason to get married :) the cabin you have as a married couple is definitely a plus.

For two people, there is a double bed, two closets, small kitchenette, a computer desk with shelves, a sofa and a small bathroom. Most single cabins have 4-6 people living in the same amount of space. Looking at the space I have now, I wonder how I lived in a space a third of the size with half a closet and a bunkmate for over a year. The grace of God is an amazing thing! -- Of course, I had great bunkmates then too :) Thank you for putting up with me Shayla and Joanna!

Anyhow thought everyone might like to see some pictures of our first 'home'. Enjoy!

The Arrival

2009-02-21T16:34:00.000+01:00

Well, almost two weeks have past since we arrived in Benin and at last I sit to write about it all. Time just seems to be flying by right now. I can hardly believe that February is almost over.

The sail here was amazing. Smooth seas and beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Sometimes it was hard to tell that we were even sailing. We made great time and arrived offshore of Benin on Monday morning. We actually thought that morning that we would arrive early for the ceremony that the Advance Team had planned for our arrival. The captain came on the PA in the morning and said that we were just waiting for a few technical problems to be fixed in the engines and then we would head in. Well, we dismissed school at 13.45 thinking that arrival and ceremony would be soon (it was scheduled for 14.00) and lots of people were outside on Deck 7 and 8 when the captain came on the PA again. He announced that the problem was larger than they thought and it would take longer to fix. So we put down anchor and sat waiting (and praying). I think the ship moved and rolled more in those hours than it had on the entire sail. When it started to get dark around 18.30/19.00 I think everyone realized that we would not be making it in on Monday. So there we sat, engineers working like mad down below, people praying up above and everyone waiting and hoping.

the view while we waited - so close and yet so far away

That night was the most the ship had moved in awhile. The captain made an announcement around 22.30 that the problem had been figured out and he hoped to have the pilot come aboard around 7.30 the next morning. I woke up around 3.30 in the morning and had trouble getting back to sleep because of the movement. Talking to other people later, there must have been some big ships passing or a change in the tide or something because there were a bunch of people waking up between 3.00 and 4.00 who had trouble getting back to sleep -- some favorite non-secured coffee mugs were lost as well :)
Finally, Tuesday morning, as the whole crew sat in the International Lounge for morning devotions, we pulled up anchor and started to move. Needless to say, as soon as we could see that we were moving, it was a little hard to stay focused on the speaker. We finished a bit early and everyone headed up to Decks 7 and 8 again. I collected most of my class and then headed out as well. It was fun to be with them at that time. Preschool has not be in class the last few times we have arrived or departed, so I got to see all their reactions. We were watching the water, the fishing boats sailing by, the other ships in the area and then watching the dock and the people there to welcome us -- all in the humid African heat that we were really feeling for the first time. There was no large ceremony like they had planned for the day before, but the Advance Team (4 people who went ahead to organize things) and other Mercy Ships people (there are volunteers living in Benin during this outreach) were there singing and waving and that was enough to make us feel welcome.

So, it took some extra time to get docked, but we are here and enjoying ourselves. It is so different from Liberia, which had been my home for 2 years, it will take some time to get used to it all. But the 10-month outreach we have planned leaves plenty of time to discover all Benin has to offer :)

the fishing village near our dock ------------------------- a hazy sunrise in Benin

Sailing, Sailing

2009-02-07T11:27:00.000+01:00

So we have been at sea for about a week now and the weather has been amazing. A couple days it felt like we were hardly moving at all. One day the water was so flat, it was almost unbelievable to see. The calm weather is great for sailing on a ship full of non-sailing people though - very few people have gotten seasick, which really helps to build a relaxed and fun atmosphere in the ship. It helps me as well because none of the students in my class seem to have problems, even in rough seas, so I still have to have enough energy to catch up with them. Because we have to have at least 180 days of school in a year, we have to teach during the sail. I am all for changing our schedule to sailing during the summer months, which would be great for the school, but I am not sure about everyone else :)

I was able to take my class up to the bridge on Thursday, which was fun - what other school has a sailing bridge that they can visit whenever they want?! We had several discussions about what to touch and what not to touch before we went up :) but the kids did a great job. There are also two little glass squares on the floor on either side of the bridge that look down into the water. Most of the kids realize now that they can stand and lay on the glass and love it - although one did refuse to even put a toe on the glass for fear that he would fall into the water :) They also each got to 'drive' the ship -- well, turn the wheel, which really did not do anything because the computer was driving, but they did not seem to notice. I think a couple times the waves rolled the boat a little bit at the right moment and they thought they really were turning something.

We left Tenerife last Saturday in the afternoon and will arrive in Benin on Monday. It is one of the longest sails that the Africa Mercy has taken since leaving England. It should be exciting on Monday when we dock. There will be a welcoming ceremony and hopfully lots of people will be able to get through security checks in the harbor and be able to greet us. Somehow a crowd always makes things more exciting. I should be able to get some pictures and put them up next week. The dock in Benin is supposed to be very different from Liberia, so I am sure there will be new and exciting stories to share soon.

The Big Day!

2009-01-30T16:28:00.000+01:00

So yesterday was our three week anniversary :) and finally I get around to writing about the wedding. Time is just flying by - I guess with three continents in five weeks can do that to you.

Everyone keeps asking how the wedding was and I am not exactly sure what to say - maybe it was not the wedding of some young girl's dreams with huge ceremony and pomp, but it was exactly what I wanted. My dress came out perfect - thank you, Ruth! - the material was soft and warm and the style, as many people commented, 'fit my personality perfectly'. We were able to get Marcel a suit the day after we got back to the States and it was back within 4 days fitting perfectly - not easy to do on a man that is a 30x36 pant! Rebecca (my sister and bridemaid) had some horror stories about getting a dress made in the Philippines but a couple 'tweaks' when she got back home got it fitting well and the color matched the flowers great. There was some fear that the irises would not work for the bouquets (irises were my dad's favorite flower and I really wanted them, but they are usually a summer flower) but when my mom brought them to the church on Thursday morning, they looked great. Exactly the mix of blue and purple that I had asked for.

The day of the wedding was cold, but the weather was clear, which was good considering that we had some crazy weather before and after the ceremony. Marcel's parents and my grandparents were able to make it without too much trouble (just cold weather and a lost bag) and that rounded out the guest list of 12 people :)

It is funny, but I don't really remember much of the ceremony itself. The women got ready downstairs, the men upstairs. I guess Marcel's dad had to teach everyone how to tie a tie again because no one really wears one. I had had a quick make-up lesson from a friend who does Mary-Kay and Dorothy helped with my eye make-up. She thought it was interesting that she would be the one with the most make-up experience - just shows how much make-up the rest of us wear. The ceremony was short, nothing complicated, but again, this is what we wanted. I had actually said to Marcel at one point I would be happy with 'do you? - yes.' 'do you? - yes' 'okay, give her a smooch.' Not that the ceremony was that simple, but not too far off :)

As we started taking some pictures with the photographer, someone mentioned that now we could change our facebook status - because you know nothing is really offical until it is in facebook! But we figured it would have to wait until we got back from our weekend 'honeymoon' because we would not have Internet until then. Then my older brother wips out his phone/Internet and says 'why wait?' So, about 15 minutes after we were announced as man and wife, we were offical on facebook.

Instead of a reception after with hundreds of people, we just invited the 12 people at the wedding out to a really nice restaurant in the area. The Sheraton Suites in Akron is a hotel, but has a great dinning room right on the river. The people are surrounded by windows looking out on a small waterfall and whitewater area that looked great under the lights and icicles. The food and company was great and it was a good time to be together - who knows the next time it may happen - between our two families, I think we cover 4 of the 7 continents.

Well, these are some of my memories of the day :) Maybe Marcel will post this thoughts sometime. For all you facebook people, check out more pictures on my profile.

New Duvet Cover

2008-12-14T13:04:00.001+01:00

When the ship sailed into Monrovia summer '07, I was blessed to have 4 special roommates for a few months. One of these women, Penny, gave me the idea to make a scrap fabric duvet cover from African fabrics. She had done this in Ghana and then was collecting Liberia fabric as well. When she left, she gave me a large garbage bag filled with different sizes and shapes of scraps. On and off over the last year and a half, I have cut and collected fabric and about a month ago got on a sewing kick and actually finished what I had started. I had also realized in September that I would need to be making a cover for a larger bed :) so instead of 60 squares, I was looking at about 130. Yikes! It took me about two weeks to get it all done and I was happy with how it turned out - it actually looks like what I wanted it to! If you ever come and visit, maybe it will be out on the bed :)

The Classroom

2008-10-26T17:32:00.000+01:00

A great blessing to me this year has been being able to have my own corner of the ship in my classroom. In a space that is so big and yet so small at the same time, most things, including space, is shared on the ship. My classroom is my workspace and it is shared at times, but it is nice to know that I can come here in the evening or on the weekend and find a bit of alone time - something that you cannot even always find in your cabin.

Welcome to my Cabin!

2008-09-28T11:22:00.000+01:00

I realized the other day that I have never really showed people pictures of where I live. It is a little hard to get good pictures of smaller spaces, but I hope you can see where I live. Right now I am in a 4-berth cabin on Deck 4. Since I moved in in August, I have been sleeping on the top bunk of the second cubicle, but hopefully in about a week my cabinmate will be moving and I will be able to move down. I have gotten used to the top, but it will be nice to be able to fall into bed instead of climbing in.

Welcome to the Cabin!

(standing outside in the passage and standing just inside the door)

When walking into the cabin, the first door on the right is the bathroom - very nice to have one in the cabin that you only share with three other people. On the ANA, most bathrooms were shared and limited in their use. Notice that there are no cockroaches either!

There are two cubicles, each with a bunkbed, 2 closets and a small 'desk'. Karen and I share the second one back. My closet is the one closer to the camera with all the pictures hanging up.

The special part of a 4-berth is that the back part of the cabin is actually a small sitting area. In a 6-berth, this space has another bunkbed and in a 3-berth, each cubicle is used by one bed. Right now in our cabin, we have three seats, 2 cupboards, a bookshelf and a couple mirrors. There is not that much private space on the ship, so this space can be nice for watching movies with friends or just having a place to sit and talk -- although you just have to be careful to keep your voice down if you don't want the neighbors to hear what you are saying :)

If You've Lived on a Mercy Ship, You'll Understand

2008-09-13T13:01:00.000+01:00

I found this the other day while cleaning up some papers. Anyone who has lived on a Mercy Ship will understand and smile, I am sure. I am not sure who wrote it, so maybe some of you have seen it before.

How to Mentally Prepare Yourself for Living on a Mercy Ship

1. Sleep on a cot in the garage.
2. Replace the garage door with a curtain.
3. Three hours after you go to sleep, have someone whip open the curtain, switch on all the lights and mumble, "Sorry, did I wake you?"
4. Renovate your bathroom. Take out the bath and move the showerhead down to chest level. Keep four inches of soapy cold water on the floor. For a more realistic ship bathroom experience, stop using your bathroom and use a neighbor's. Choose a neighbor that lives at least a quarter mile away.
5. Don't watch TV except for movies in the middle of the night. Have your friends vote which move to watch and then show a different one.
6. Leave a lawnmower running in your living room 24/7 for proper noise levels. Have random kids bang on pots and run around.
7. Keep moving locations. Drive to a new town once a week and give yourself two hours to find a supermarket.
8. Get 50 friends to come and live in your house for a weekend. Have then line up for food at exactly 6.30, noon and 5pm. All meals should have tomatoes and cucumbers.

'And the Lord said, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I answered, "Here am I, send me.' Isaiah 6.8

The Engagement!

2008-09-06T17:47:00.000+01:00

As many of you may already know, I am now proudly wearing a ring on the ring finger of my left hand :) On Tuesday, Marcel proposed and I accepted (of course). Many people here on the ship said it was about time, but I think it was the perfect time for us. I guess I can tell the whole story here :)

We first met within a day of my coming to the Africa Mercy in April of last year. He was tall, generous and someone to speak German with :) The night before he asked me if I would want to start dating we spent two hours talking together speaking German together - just about life and our thoughts about our own plans at that time for the future. The night he asked me out was about 2 weeks after we first met. He asked me if I would want to go walking on the beach which was across the road from the port in Blythe. A bit chilly, but a really nice place and a great place to talk together. A bit to my surprise, I found myself saying yes to dating someone I had just met -- and feeling excited about it.

The past year and a half has been a lot of learning for me. This is the first real relationship for both of us - I have been figuring out lots of things that I have never been faced with before. Learning about being a better commuincator, what each of us apprecites and what things are different, reading '5 Love Languages' and realizing that we have completely different languages, and learning how to trust are just some of the things. I think -- no, I know -- that living on the ship also holds its own challenges. I think most dating couples have to work to find time together, but here on the ship, I think many times the challenge is to find time apart and make sure you are working on relationships with other people as well. Also, having so little time to actually be alone changes a lot of things. But on the other hand, a year and a half dating on the ship is like 5 years of knowing someone in 'the real world.' It has forced me to face issues that I may have been able to ignore or push to the side in any other place but here you need to talk about or it just becomes bigger. Dating and living on the ship is not for everyone, but I have heard others say that God gives grace to those he wants here - and I believe it. He gives the desire and ability to those he wants here - and even has them grow and change :)

Anyhow, to the engagement -- I did know he was going to ask, he had actually asked a 'pre-proposal' question a few weeks ago to see what I thought about getting married as soon as January. I had told him I did not want to wait very long after getting engaged, and he took me seriously :) We had some logistical things to work out with things here on the ship and getting a ring (not so easy in Liberia) and such, but everything fell into place without any problems. I did have an idea what the ring would look like because he asked me what I thought before he ordered it - which I actually liked. I do not wear rings and jewerly, so if I am going to wear something for the rest of my life, I want to like it. I dropped a hint at one point that I thought a beach would be a nice place to ask - sort-of bringing everything full circle from when he asked me out for the first time in England. On Tuesday, he invited me out to dinner and we ended up at a restuarant called Golden Beach. They have an open, covered part of the restuarant and also tables out on the beach. With a little luck, it actually had stopped raining for the first time in about a week, but when we got there, there were no tables out on the beach part because it is rainy season. At first it seemed that it would not be as romantic as hoped, but we noticed that the waiter was letting some people out to look around, so after we had eaten, Marcel asked if it would be okay to go out. We were able to go out and it was actually nice because instead of a crowd with tables, we were the only ones there. We stood together by the water and he asked :) The rain even head off for the time we were off ship - later it started raining again.

As soon as we got back on the ship, we met two friends in Reception and within a couple hours, many people knew. In the next 24 hours, I would say at least half the ship knew :) On Thursday, our managing director, Ken Berry talked at the community meeting. Ken and his wife Ann have know Marcel and I since England, so I did not mind when he announced it to the crew. I especially liked the way he did it - whenever he talks, he has a time where he says the best rumor he has heard that month and then also has a question and answer time. Well, Marcel and I were the rumor of the month this month :)

Invisible Babies

2008-08-22T20:45:00.000+01:00

Have you ever seen children playing and wondered where the ideas and imagination comes from and where is goes as we grow up? How something invisible and unreal can be so completely real to a child?

Here on the ship, some of the younger children have created the 'invisible babies.' Last year sometime, some of the girls decided that they had 'babies' out on Deck 7. They would how their arms as if they had a baby, take them in and out of the strollers out on deck, take them for walks and even tell me that their babies are crying or hungry or tired -- but nothing was there. I think the thing that made me smile the most was the 'stealing' of the invisible babies. One girl would walk over to another girl, grab a handful of air - the baby - and then run away laughing saying that they had the baby. The first girl would then proceed to cry and scream and say that someone had taken her baby. Then I was left to deal with a girl crying about a handful of air. I tried to tell her that all she had to do was fold her arms like she had a baby and tell the other girl that she had missed the baby, but I think that was a little beyond their understanding :)

On the first or second day of school this year, the invisible babies made their debue. When we came in from outside, about half the class came in with their babies. Realizing that if these 'babies' ended up with us sitting on the carpet, there could be problems, I told them that they would need to have their babies sleep in their cubbies. A couple girls looked at me like I was crazy - put their baby in with their bags and papers!? Was I crazy?! I finally got all the kids to do it and the rest of the afternoon went fine. As the kids were leaving, I overheard one of the boys getting a little upset in the hallway because he wanted to come back into the room and get something. His mom was saying that he should probably just leave it in the room, thinking that he was talking about a toy or something. When I suck my head out and asked what he was wanting to do, he said he had to come in and get his baby from the table. I let him come in, he walked to the table, picked up a handful of air and then walked out of the room completely happy. I said to his mom 'invisible baby' and she just nodded knowingly.

Ahh, children.

Enjoying the Differences

2008-08-16T14:09:00.001+01:00

Life on a ship is not always perfect. There are many things that some people never get used to, but sometimes God can give you the grace not just to live here but to enjoy the differences. Someone here on the ship wrote the following piece and I thought I would share it.

No Place Like Home
Think outside the box for a moment . . .

You live on a cruise ship.
You sail every 10 months.
Your roommates are from the other side of the world.
When you’re sick go down the stairs, there’s a hospital.
When you’re hungry, go up the stairs to the cafeteria.
If you love coffee, take to minutes to get to the Starbucks café.
If you want to go to church on Sunday, go up the stairs to the International Lounge.
If you’re hot, climb the stairs to the top deck – there’s a swimming pool.
Do you need a haircut? Turn right from your office – the hairdresser waits.
Bored? Love to read? Take a one minute walk to the library.
Do your kids need school? I suggest you walk up the stairs, there’s a sign ACADEMY.
Need council? The chaplain’s office is next door.
You never know, you might meet your future spouse.
Bored with your clothes? Go down the stairs – there’s a sign BOUTIQUE.
If you need toothpaste, there’s a ship shop next to the café.
If you need to withdraw money, there’s a bank next to the post office.

You live on a hospital ship.

God has had a way for people from over 30 nations to make a difference in Africa.
For missionaries, you have everything you need.
God has blessed you with food, shelter, air conditioning and electricity.
You don’t need mosquito nets.
You sleep on beds and not grass mats, no rats to chase.
Crew together from all over the world are thrown together on a Mercy Ship.
You begin to think outside the box.
Culture shock becomes a cross cultural experience.
Passions and desires are put to the test.
Seeing transformation in others gives you a purpose.
Goals begin to change - they start to steer towards making a difference.
Everyone becomes a piece that fits the puzzle.
Everyone on board Mercy Ships brings hope and healing through their gifts.
You leave home, get picked up at the airport,
You climb the gangway . . . You are onboard the ship.

Welcome to your new home, it’s a different journey.
A journey that has made a difference in over a thousand lives –
Lives including your own.

Written by Esther Biney

Summer, Texas and the Return

2008-08-12T21:04:00.000+01:00

This summer has been busy - I wish I could say that I just did not have time to write, but really, it was more laziness than lack of time :)

Anyhow, for those of you who I was not able to see while I was in Ohio for a whole 2 weeks, I was in Ohio for a week in June, flew to Texas for Gateway training in July and then back to Ohio/Kentucky for about 5 days before I headed back to Africa. A busy summer, and not so much relaxing vacation, but still a good time and it was good to have a break from ship life. Although it felt really good to come back after six weeks away.

Gateway was fun - it is a month long training that Mercy Ships has started to try to get everyone on the same page as far as philosophy and goals. We spent a week on spiritual warfare and faith foundations, a week on conflict resolution (very important in a small community!), a week on worldview and how it affects relief and development actions in other countries and then the last week was spent working on 'Basic Safety Training'. I think for most people, this last week was the most fun because we had some time in the classroom learning firefighting and sea survival, but also a pratical test putting out fires and having fun in a swimming pool. I don't know that I will ever really be a true sailor or be able to be on a firefighting team here on the ship, but it was still good information and will help me to understand what other people are doing better. In both fire and sea, we had suits and equipment to use - see attached pictures. The boots, pants, jacket, hood, helmet and gloves needed to be put on in one minute and the red 'gumby' suit in two minutes. Once you got all the fire stuff on, it was hot, but luckily there was a little bit of shade near where we were working. The gumby suit was fun because it makes you float like a cork in the water - the only problem was that they did not really fit properly, so it was a bit awkward moving around.

Anyhow, it was a good summer, went by way too quickly and now I am already getting ready to teach again. 10 crazy preschoolers - yikes! I am actually really looking forward to being back with this group again - most of them I have worked with sometime in the past year. It was nice to come back last week and have parents and kids be excited that I would be teaching. Pray for me the rest of the week. Tomorrow is the last day to prepare, Thursday we start and Friday we try to get settled in. Hopfully it all works out :)

My Job

2008-04-23T19:41:00.000+01:00

All I have to say is that I have the greatest job in the world!!

I get to spend time with these guys everyday!

Sugery Observation

2008-04-20T17:25:00.000+01:00

Had the privilege of observing a surgery here on the ship last week. Actually ended up going down on 10 April - exactly one year from the day I arrived on the Africa Mercy. I did not really plan it that way, but it was a nice way to celebrate one year.
In an effort to show everyone on the ship what goes on in the hospital, it is possible for crew to sign up and observe a sugery. For months, I have been walking past the sign-up sheet that hangs near the stairwell by my cabin but did not have a chance do anything because of my teaching schedule. When I realized that I would have an afternoon 'free' during our standardized testing and that there was still space open on the list, I signed up. I was a little nervous going in

because I had no idea what to expect, but it was actually really interesting. A couple people had warned me that there is a certain smell that bothers people or the actual blood, but I was pleased to dicovered that it did not really affect me. In some ways, it was a little surreal. To protect the privacy of the patient, I only came into the room after they were asleep and covered up, so I only saw a small part of the whole person. Seeing only a part made it almost like something on television.

I think the best part of going down was also remembering what the operating rooms actually looked like a year ago. When I first got on the ship, I could walk around the hospital freely because nothing was set up, nothing cleaned, no operating supplies laid out. The wards were filled with boxes as we tried to load warehouses full of supplies onto a ship with no storage space. In Rotterdam last May, they tried to 'set up' some OR's to show vistors, but it was just show. What I saw a week ago was reality. Real surgeons changing the lives of real people here in Africa. God is good.

Sailing and Arrival

2008-02-16T18:18:00.000+01:00

So, we are back in Liberia! I had plans to write about Christmas and Tenerife, but it seems as though I need to move forward or I will be catching up forever. As I sit to write about this, I realize that it only was a week and a half ago that we sailed back into Freeport, Monrovia. It is one of those things that feels like forver ago and yesterday at the same time. Christmas and Germany seem like a lifetime away.

The sail back to Liberia was pretty much uneventful and calm, which was nice. We had some excitment during a fire drill, but everything turned out OK, it just meant we stood longer outside in our lifejackets :) Every night it was calm enough for people to go out onto the bow, which is a pretty special thing. Expect when we are sailing in calm weather, the bow is closed for safety reasons. One night we were out there and a school of dolphins came to show off. We had had occassional dolphin sightings before, but it seemed as though they were quick and the dolphins did not stick around for long. This night, though, there were dolphins jumping out of the water for about 15 minutes. They are so amazing - sleak and shiny, playful, and beautiful swimming along the boat. Everyone was clapping and cheering :)

The morning we arrived in Liberia, I woke up to the 'smell of Liberia' in the passage. We were still about an hour from the harbor, but you could smell the coal fires from land burning all over the ship because the air con brings in air from outside. It was very foggy that morning, so you could not see too much until we were almost into the harbor and even then you did not have the view to central Monrovia that there usually is. People all gathered on decks 7 and 8 to watch us come in and dock. Many people were dressed up in African outfits and emotions were running high. Sailing in the harbor itself is a tricky because there are several old underwater wrecks that need to be avoided. We also turned around before docking so that we can get out quickly if we ever need to. I don't think Mercy Ships has had too much trouble with civil unrest in countries, but it is always on people's minds in West Africa with all the conflict that has happened here in the last 10 to 20 years. If something happens, we need to be able to leave quickly. Anyhow, the arrival was exciting and took most of the day - from sailing within sight of the harbor to watching the approach to the dock to the dancing and singing of the Africans greeting us to the arrival ceremony after the gangway had been lowered. It was an exciting time and somehow felt like coming home. After 6 months here last year, this is familiar. I know that by June I will probably be more than ready for a break, but right now, it feels good.

Finally!

2008-01-20T14:24:00.000+01:00

So, I have no idea if anyone is actually even reading this anymore, but thought it was finally time to write again. I think my blog is one of those things that I think about alot, just never end up getting around to doing - sorry . . . So much has happened, I think I'm just going to have to start and spread it out over a couple of entries.

I guess I can start with leaving Liberia last November. After spending six months helping thousands of people in Liberia, the Africa Mercy sailed out of Monrovia's freeport on November 30th and headed to the Canary Islands. It took us about 5 and a half days to get to Las Palmas, but the sail was pretty calm - especially compared to the Bay of Biscay last May.

For the month before we sailed, people were working to get things safe and secure for the sail. After 6 months of just sitting, it is hard to remember sometimes that we are actually a ship that sails and things tend to pile up a bit. For sailing, you need to have everything laying on the floor or attached to the walls - which is difficult when they are trying to keep people from putting holes in the walls. It was also hard because we had to find a way to put things on the floor but still have space to keep teaching. School continued through the sail, which was exciting and hard at the same time. The first couple days were hard as my body adjusted to the rocking motion of the boat. Sometimes that meant sitting through most of the lesson :) I discovered last May that the motion sickness pills actually make me feel worse, so I am on my own with motion sickness. Luckily I have not had too much trouble. Some people hear the world sailing and head to their cabin until the trip is over.

We arrived at Gran Canaria in the morning and sailed around to the north end of the island until lunch. When we finally got to the harbor, we waited for the pilot for an hour and then sailed in. By the time we got to the berth they had open for us, most of the crew were either standing on Deck 7 or 8 watching and excited that we had made it and ready to get off the ship after almost a week. Then, the ship began to turn around - some people had thought the berth looked a little small, but we figured maybe, somehow, we had to back in like parallel parking a car. -- Nope. It turns out that the berth that they had given us was 150 meters long and the AFM is 152 meters. Ooops. So, with most of us wondering what in the world was going on, we sailed back to just outside the port. Luckily, God is in control and has a plan for everything. Although we had to wait another couple hours, the berth that they found for us later made it easier to get on and off the ship and was 3 kilometers closer to the center of town. For that weekend, we were about a 15 minute walk from the shops and about 20-30 minutes from a beach. It was a little cold for swimming, but just to walk along the beach was wonderful. It was a nice break between sailing and dry dock and a chance just to relax and catch out breath.

Life

2007-10-31T20:54:00.000+01:00

A quick glance at a friend's new blog reminded me that I need to update everyone on just all the little things that have been going on here in Liberia.

Amazingly enough, the 10 month outreach for Mercy Ships is actually drawing to a close in the next few weeks. We will be sailing to the Canary Islands (about a 5 day sail) where the ship will be in dry-dock (out of the water) to be checked for anything the needs to be repaired. That hopfully will only take two weeks and then the ship will head to a different island to spend a few weeks of restocking and relaxing before headed off to the next outreach. During the time in dry-dock, there is actually no running water on the ship, so everyone is encouraged to take vacations during these weeks in December. School will also be having holidays from 7 December to 7 January, so I am taking that time to head to Germany and visit friends. Marcel and I have plans to fly to Basel together, spend a few days in Freiburg before he heads up to Solingen and then I will join him there sometime around Christmas. I am really looking forward to this time as a chance to catch up with friends, do some shopping and take showers for longer than 2 minutes :)

Before all that happens though, I need to get through the next five weeks of school :) Things have been going well up to know, so I have nothing to complain about. I have six girls in my nursery class and it has been fun to see them grow up over the last few months. The youngest turned one in July and the oldest just turned 3 a few weeks ago. I also have Miss Ellie helping me which has turned out to be an amazing blessing - having so many little ones around means an extra pair of hands really helps. Right now in nursery, we are learning colors - so far we have done a week of red and a week of yellow. Preschool is going well too - everyone seems to be settling in and Page (the head preschool teacher) is great at what she does. Not every day is perfect and there are still many things which are frustrating or always changing, but that is true anywhere :) I am seriously considering trying to continue teaching here Fall 2008, so things cannot be too bad. If you are interested in more weekly information about what we are doing in class and pictures, check out the blog that Page and I have - it is on my list of links on the right on this page.

Pictures: Preschool and Nursery at a pool party on the deck, Miss Page with the kids

Birthday Thoughts

2007-10-13T21:47:00.000+01:00

First of all, let me say thank you to everyone reading this that sent me birthday wishes in one way or another - it made for a very special day.
This was my first birthday with a boyfriend, which also made it special :) He left a note for me in the morning and then picked me up after school, blindfolded me and tried to confuse me by having me walk around the ship before ending up in cafe where he had organized a little party. - Very nice, although I was not too keen on the blindfold idea. It was also nice to have a time with some of the people on the ship who have become special to me. There are so many people coming and going here and so many people get busy, it is easy to lose track of friends sometimes. The teacher I share the classroom with (preschool and nursery are together in one room) was also really great and had the kids make a card for me. Her birthday was on the 1st of October, so we had a little group celebration on Friday. Some of the older kids also came and sang to me and a couple of the high-schoolers whom I have never even really talked with wished me Happy Birthday. I don't if their teachers put them up to it or not, but I enjoyed it anyhow. A dinner out with friends to celebrate and a phone call from my mom capped off a great day.

Someone asked my what I was doing last year for my birthday, which put me in mind of all the different birthdays I have had over the last few years. Not that any one has been more special, but they have each been different. A late night party with a hastily made cake and a present of Kraft mac and cheese from the cupboard (remember that Becky?), a present of a sweatshirt three sizes too big (thank you Terry - it is still in my closet), a cookie cake with so much frosting it was almost inedible (thanks go to Kenio and Marik), dinner with mom, sister and brother for the first time in years, a surprise party given by a boyfriend -- each one has been unique - thank you all.

The Two Minute Shower

2007-09-16T21:05:00.000+01:00

There are many ups and down to living on a ship (especially one as special as the Africa Mercy) but one thing that I have unwillingly adjusted to is the '2 minute shower rule'. Now to some of you, you might be saying that 2 minutes sounds like more than enought time for a good shower, but for me, it means giving up one of my favorite things in the morning. In the past, I was usually good for at least 10 minutes under the water, more if I just need some time to wake up.

Before we left the Canary Islands in May, the Captain made the announcement that we would begin to conserve fresh water because we were not sure of the supply here in Liberia. This meant one load of wash per week per person (not too bad), paying attention to how much water we were using for teeth brushing, hand washing, etc and finally the 2 minute (or less) shower. Some people out there might be wondering how a woman can get through everything in 2 minutes and let me say that it has been a challenge. You turn on the water for about 20 seconds to get wet, turn off, shampoo hair and soap up body, rinse for 40 seconds, conditioner in hair, soap and more parts that need it, wash face and then rinse it all off in another minute. Shaving is something that I have not really figured out in the 2 minutes - usually that is a sink thing where I hopfully am not using as much water. I have never taken so many showers were I counted the seconds that I had the water running :) If I don't count, I have found myself just standing under the water because it feels so good - especially last Thursday when the air conditioning was down for a couple days and we finally got a taste of what Africa is really like. The Captain claims that his record is 40 seconds and someone at one of the NGOs here claimed that they were down to 30. He thinks we should be working on breaking this record, but I don't think I am going to worry about it.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2007-09-01T16:49:00.000+01:00

I was trying to figure out what to write and had something happen on Thursday that made me think I would write a couple stories about the kids here. --- With Marcel and I dating, many of them see us together at dinner or when we spend time in the evenings, but are not really sure what to make of the time we spend together. I did not realize how confusing the idea of 'dating' was to the little three and four year olds until I had one child approach me one day at lunch.
"Miss Elizabeth, where is your brother?"
"My brother? Well, he lives very far away in Ohio, in America. He lives with my mom - actually I have two brothers. Do you have brothers?"
"I have Lucy, she's my sister."
At that point, the conversation changed and the subject was dropped - the conversation continued later at dinner.
"Miss Elizabeth, where is your dad?"
"My dad, well Emily -- why do you want to know?" -- Was not sure what to say that did not go into a conversation about death, seeing as my dad died about 4 years ago. I was really confused for a minute, then it clicked.
"Emily, do you mean Marcel?"
"Yeah."
"Emily, Marcel is my friend, we are good friends."
She was good with that answer, and I just started laughing. I heard another story later from a mom that her son was watching myself and Marcel walking on the dock on evening when he said that he thought Marcel was a good dad. She tried to tell him that we were 'dating', but was not exactly sure how to explain it.
On Thursday, I had a fun conversation with the grade 1 and 2 students I was picking up for Gym class.
"Miss Elizabeth, do like Marcel?"
"Yes, I like him, why do you ask?"
"Well, I see you together all the time and . . ."
"We are dating, he is my boyrfriend."
"Ohhh." (You know those ohs, that imply so much more)
At this point another student pipes up with "I like she loves him!"
I did not really have to reply to that one because before I could, one of the other boys turns and in a really serious tone says
"You can't say that to a teacher!"
The rest of the conversation on the way to a field near the ship was about boyfriends and although not embrassing, was interesting with seven and eight year old girls.
The whole thing just makes me laugh. Being in a dating relationship is not something I try to hide from them and I would rather they asked questions and tried to understand. Life is so different here on the ship - even the kids know your 'private life.' :)

That time of year again . . .

2007-08-11T22:57:00.000+01:00

. . . when the leaves start changing color, the days get shorter and the kids head back to school. Well, actually for me, the first two things don't change when you live this near the equator, but the kids are headed back to school in about 10 days. I think most of the kids are getting excited and the parents even more so. Here on the ship, school is not just a place to learn, it is also a way to get out of the cabin, spend time with your friends without parents being around and be challenged with new things. There are no parks to play in here, no sports to play after school, not too many extra clubs or groups - which can be hard for the kids. But on the other hand, they are in a country that few people from their home countries will ever visit and living on a ship with 350 other people from all over the world. Pretty amazing.
Getting ready for the school year has kept me pretty busy the past two weeks and I think things will continue to be a bit hectic for the next month or so while we are all figuring things out. Even with all the work, I am excited for the kids to come back on the 21st. Officially, I am the nursery teacher and a woman from England, Rachel Page, is the preschool teacher, but because we are sharing a classroom space, we decided that we will work together with all the kids. It has been really good having Rachel here finally. We had met briefly in England before the Africa Mercy left Newcastle and she arrived in Liberia about two weeks ago. I think we are a great match together - she has some amazing experience with preschool teaching in London and with traveling and is much more organized than myself, which will be great to help me stay in line :) The roster right now is at 15 kids for nursery and preschool (ages 1-4) which is going to be a big group, but between myself, Rachel and one mom who is going to be helping, I think it will go OK. Rachel and I will have 9 preschoolers for about 2 hours before the 6 nursery kids come for the last hour and a half. The young ones can be a little squirrely sometimes, but they are all really good kids, so it should not be too bad :)
Please keep the school, teachers and students in your prayers the next few weeks as we try to get everything going for the first time here on this ship.

It has been too long again

2007-07-17T17:57:00.000+01:00

So, I don't think three weeks has ever gone by so quickly - suddenly the summer is half over and the new school year looms ahead :) Many times in the past few weeks I have thought, 'hm, I should put this on my blog' but always seem to get distracted, so here are a couple thoughts on the last weeks:
*The Anastasis left Liberia on her last sail at the end of June. She is sailing around Africa on her way to the scrapyard in India. She has been a good ship and worked hard for the last 30 years with Mercy Ships, but it would have cost too much money to bring her up to code, so there was a decision to end her service and focus on the Africa Mercy. There were lots of tears the day she left because many people had lived on her for awhile - years for some people.
*Had my first African dress made two weeks ago. I was able to get out a few weeks ago with a friend and we went fabric shopping together. I really like the color (a dark purple) but I am still wondering if the 'pattern' on it is a little much - there are yellowish sun shapes and some white lines. Everyone who saw it this past Sunday when I went to church said it looked good, so I guess it is not too bad. It has a top and skirt, so I am able to wear them separtly as well. I worn the top with jeans Sunday afternoon on the ship and it worked out nicely. I am still hoping to get something a bit tamer that I could easily wear wherever I end up after this and people would not think immediatly that I just got off the plane from Africa. I just have to get out fabric shopping again. The best part is that you can get enough fabric for about US$10 and the dress made for US$10, so I can get several things made while I am here. I don't have a picture of me in the dress yet, I will try to get one and post it sometime.
*Have been able to visit a couple churchs here in Monrovia. Everything from one church that was almost like sitting in church in the States to one of the local Episcopal churchs to the United Methodist this past Sunday that was a great mix of local African and traditional Methodist. The Episcopal was fimilar, but very traditional, which was a little long after two and a half or three hours. All the churchs have been really nice though. I have a couple more to visit and then I hope to find one that I can attend regularly and get to know people. There is also a small Sunday evening service here on the ship and one on the hospital ward in the morning. Sunday evening is usually nice because you can get off the ship in the morning, but still have fellowship with crew mates in the evening.
*Summer program is still going - one and half more weeks. Right now I have eight kids, four who are not three yet, two who are three and two who are four. It makes for an adventure some days. When the summer program is finished, I will have about a week to start sorting things out before we start a could weeks of teacher training and school on the 20th. It looks right now that there will be 15 kids in the nursery and preschool (ages 1-4) this school year which will make things interesting. The teacher for preschool will come at the end of the month which is exciting for me. I was able to meet her briefly in London and I am looking forward to seeing her again in two weeks. It will be nice to have another teacher in the Academy to 'talk preschool with'.
*Down to one roommate after yesterday. Three of my cabinmates headed back to the 'real world' yesterday afternoon leaving only Amber and I in the cabin. On the one hand, it is nice to have a 6-berth cabin with only two people, but on the other hand, I really enjoyed the three girls who were here and I have no idea who will be moving in next. One more thing to pray about and hand over to God :)

It's been awhile . . .

2007-06-27T20:39:00.000+01:00

I realized the other day that it had been over a week since I last wrote. I then thought I needed to write, but it has taken me a few days to actually get to that point :) At least I can say that I have been busy lately and really busy since the middle of last week. The summer program started on Monday and the couple who were coming from the States only were able to come last Wednesday night. They have done summer programs before with Mercy Ships, but have never been in Liberia and never on the Africa Mercy. The weekend was a mass of trying to get things together and figure out plans for this week. On Monday I had 9 kids come from 9am-12 for the preschool age group. I thought it would not be too bad, but when you get six 2/3 year olds and 3 four year olds together, it can get a little crazy. I think the first day was also hard because I was not completly prepared the way I should have been because I did not really know what to expect. Yesterday was great and today went well. The summer program is a little like Vacation Bible School, so there are Bible lessons that I am trying to teach. It is a great series - Kids Believing God, but it is a little too old for my age group, so I have to think every night about what I need to say and how to say it in the simplest way possible. Ah, well, life continues and I think that the kids are having fun and learning about God as well.

Monday was a big day because the summer program started but also because I got my hair cut. I signed up for the appointment weeks ago and have been debating how I wanted to get it cut. There is a woman on board whose job it is to cut hair for the crew. You would not think that it was very important, but having her here is such a blessing and since she open a few weeks ago, she has been full. In a place like Liberia, there would be nowhere to go off the ship to get your hair taken care of. Anyhow, I finally decided on short and just went for it. Lorah did an awesome job and everyone has been saying that it looks good. I like it and it is fun to have a hair cut that people actually notice - when my hair was long, I could get four inches cut off and no one would even say anything. Now, it comes to around my chin in the front, but the back is really short - a couple inches. If I put the right cream in, I can also make it really curly which is nice.

The Differences

2007-06-14T22:56:00.000+01:00

Recentally, I have been frustrated by how worldly this ship seems -- I don't know, that may sound a little stupid, but somehow I thought that working with Christians would somehow be amazingly different from other jobs that I have had. I was frustrated to find out that I was working with Christians who were human :) Several times today though, I was reminded me of how this work environment is different.
It started by being reminded of was how I need to depend on God for my strength - that I cannot survive on my own. I was talking to someone about Alaska and how I had gotten so stressed by the end of the second year and just was not enjoying it any more. The more and more that I think and reflect on my time in Alaska, the more I see that I tried to do everything on my own and that when I couldn't do it, I got stressed. I was praying the prayer of Jabez (oh, that you would bless me indeed, you would enlarge my territory) but forgetting the second part (that your hand would be with me, that you would keep me from evil so I would not harm others). In talking with this person about my time in Alaska and then with a gentle reminder from Marcel this evening while we were talking, I was reminded to be turning things over to God and trusting Him for everything. In all the other jobs that I have had, it was so easy to walk away from other Christians and not hear what God had to say to me through them - all the little reminders He has to give me. Here, it is impossible :)
Then, the community meeting here tonight was amazing. Community meetings happen twice a week - Tueday morning and Thursday evening. It is not required to attend, but it is highly suggested and I hope that I never get to the point where I have trouble getting up the motivation to attend. The meetings are not always exciting, but to be in a room of 300 people who I work and interact with every day and know that we are all worshiping God is amazing. Tonight was just a reminder that even though we are all human and become frustrated with each other and do things that are frustrating to other people, we are all Christian and because of that, there is a hope that God is still working on all of us, especially myself. Since I got here, God has been changing my reason for being here - yes, I am here to be a teacher, but I am here to love God and in loving God, he will work in my life so that I can work in the lives of others. I think that is the biggest difference in this 'job', I am encouraged not to focus on the job, but on my realtionship with God knowing that if I focus on God, everything else will fall into place.

It has been a busy week.

2007-06-11T21:00:00.000+01:00

I realized over the weekend that I had not written and then after an email this morning from someone saying I should write again :) I am finally getting around to it.

Last week was busy because we moved boxes and equipment for the Academy from the Anastasis to the Africa Mercy. On Monday, we were told that we had until next week to get everything together, but then on the next day we were told things were ahead of schedule (good) and that the movers could move boxes that day (bad). There was a bit of a rush for about two hours trying to get things into boxes and then the moving started. Some of us were on the new ship trying to figure out where to put 200 more boxes, some were on the old ship saying which boxes needed to go and some were still packing more boxes. By the afternoon, people had helped us to move about half the academy, but it still took until the next afternoon to get everything over. The next two days were spent sorting through boxes, trying to figure out what went where and what needs to be gotten rid of. The high school science teacher spent an entire day going through all the old science equipment, textbooks, materials and chemicals trying to figure out what would be used, what could be donated and what was just so old there was a fear that it would catch fire if plugged in and used :) Over the entire ship, there is a sortage of storage space and shelving, so everyone is trying to figure out where to put things. I think it is just a matter of the ship being new -- I can't wait to see what this ship will look like in a few months and wish that I could see it in like 10 years. It will be turning from a ship into a home.

Was able to go on a trip on Saturday into the country. Every other weekend, they have tried to organize a trip for people on the train up to an old quarry that is now filled with water and makes for great swimming. The train ride is about 70 km and takes about 2 hours - it is a really pretty ride through the 'busch' - junglish areas of Liberia. The two Land Rovers are strapped onto a flatbed rail car, a passenger car and engine are attached and off we go. The way it works out, people can actually sit on top on the Land Rovers for a good view of the country as it goes by. The weather was a little wet on the way out, but on the way back, I climbed on top just for the fun of it. It was fun to see the people come out and wave to the train as we went by - the kids were especially excited. They would wave and yell as the train went by and everyone would wave back. It was pretty amazing to think that I was sitting on top of a Land Rover, on a train going through Liberian busch headed back to the ship that I live on -- What an exciting life I have :)

Homesick

2007-06-03T16:13:00.001+01:00

Been feeling a bit homesick the last few days - which is a little weird considering that I have not 'lived' anywhere for more then two years recentally :) I think it is that pattern when moving to a new place - first there is the high of being there and the excitment of something new, then comes the down time when there is that 'what am I doing here feeling' and then things start picking up again. I think it is also a little about being in Liberia. Although this is a really amazing country, there are a lot of security issues and you begin to feel a bit trapped on the ship. To go out, there needs to be a group of at least two people and they highly suggest that women go out with a guy - so you cannot just go take a walk somewhere by yourself - and even if you wanted to, there are not really any places within walking distance. Then, you need a car, but there are a limited number of those and you need to have a 'Mercy Ships driver.' Usually you can find someone going somewhere with a free spot in the car, but there is a limit on freedom of movement here. It does not help either that there have been so many changes right now with changing ships and adding crew. Lots of changes for everyone gets a little trying.

I was able to get out yesterday, though. Heard someone at breakfast talking about walking about 40 minutes to a market down the road and asked to go along. It was good to go along and the walk was nice, but HOT! It is the rainy season here, but yesterday the sun was out strong. I was looking for some fabric for a dress or skirt, but didn't see anything that really caught my eye. I need to get some 'African' dresses for church and just for wearing around (although it is changing a little bit, most Liberian women wear skirts - and skirts that cover the knees) but I want to get something that I would actually wear when I am not in Africa as well. This would mean that the pattern would have to be a bit tamer than most of the fabric I have seen so far. I just cannot see myself covered head to toe in a bright yellow with crazy print on it or something like that. Once I find some fabric, I am thinking about making a wrap-around skirt myself and then getting a tailor to make a dress. I have heard a couple people mention people they know here in Monrovia who would be recommended. Ended up at the beach again in the afternoon - really, I did two of the three things that there are to do regularly in Monrovia - shop, go to the beach and church on Sunday :)

Changes

2007-05-31T20:48:00.001+01:00

So, the changes have started :) After two months of living alone in a six-berth cabin, I finally have roommates and neighbors. Last week, I didn't realize that two people had moved in next door and so woke up early one morning to the sound of muffled voices. At first, being half asleep, I thought there was actually someone in my cabin - it took me a second to realize that it must be coming through the vents. The noise is not too bad between the rooms, but because I have not had anyone living around me the entire time I lived here, it takes getting used to. Then about 15 minutes later, the vacuum for the water in the bathroom started working and I was not sure if something was broken and it was just going a little crazy. Someone just fixed my shower and sink after a month of not working, so I was worried that something might already be wrong again. Because the two bathrooms share one system, every time someone uses water or flushes the toilet, the other cabin can hear it. It is not too bad once you get used to it and you keep the bathroom door closed, but the first time it happens, it is a little weird.

Two of my five roommates moved in a few days ago, sisters who come from Ohio as well - the Cleveland area. My bunkmate will move in tomorrow and two other girls will move in on Monday. I know that it will be full, but I hope that everyone has a good attitude about it. From what I have seen so far, I think there will be hard days, but everyone will be able to work through it. It is also hard for some people because they are moving from rooms on the ANA which are a bit larger. Even little shelves or drawers that they have may not fit into the space that we have now. A few of us who live on deck 3 were talking this afternoon at lunch and someone mentioned trying to have a 'deck party' sometime soon - like a block party that they have in the States. Just a chance to see who is living on the deck right now and be able to recognize who is who. People are constantly moving in and out here, but I think it would be a good start at trying to make a community here. We could do this on deck 3 because it has about a quarter of the people that many of the other decks have because the mid and aft sections of the deck are for the hospital. Hopfully we actually do something and not just talk about it.

Oh, I have heard that there are some good pictures and videos of the things that have been happening this past week online at the Mercy Ships website - check it out - www.mercyships.org. Just click on the USA flag and that will take you to the International site, which has the most info and video. This past week has had the arrival of the Africa Mercy in Liberia, last community meeting on the ANA, the president of Liberia visiting on Monday and the passing of the torch (from the ANA to the Africa Mercy) that happened Wednesday morning.

In Liberia

2007-05-27T11:20:00.000+01:00

So after a few days in Liberia, life continues as normally as it can :) We arrived Wednesday morning to tears and songs praising God that the Africa Mercy had finally left England and arrived where it was meant to be. Thursday night was the last community meeting on the Anastasis - it was pretty cool to have 400 people praising God and worshiping together. In walking around the ANA (short name) it is easy to see why people are attached, but it is so exciting to think about what God has planned for the Africa Mercy. Please be lifting everyone up during this time in your prayers - there are many people saying good-bye to an old friend and home, which will be very difficult. I guess my prayer is that they would have a time to grieve and say their good-byes but God would also allow them to let go and move on with what he has planned for the Africa Mercy. She is a great ship and will be so much better for living on once we get settled in. She is a little too clean and orderly right now, but I am sure that wil change after next week when everyone will have moved onto the ship.

I was able to get off the ship yesterday, see a little bit of Monrovia and go to the beach. There were a couple people with birthdays, so there was a little party at CeCe beach which is about a half hour drive from the ship, depending on the traffic. As we were driving, it was easy to see that this is a poor country (they are two years out of 14 years of civil war) but it was good to hear how things have improved even from the last time Mercy Ships was here about a year ago. The beach itself was nice - nice sand, water that was refreshing but not too cold and a place to sit in the shade so I did not fry up in the sun. In the evening there was a group of about 25 eating dinner together which was a great way to start meeting people - most of the group was crew that I have not met yet (because they still live on the ANA). Several even worked in the Academy (school) so I was able to meet some of the people I will be working with in the fall. They told me that they have actually heard my name a lot because I have been on the staff list since last fall when the Africa Mercy was orginally going to arrive in Africa. I guess my name came up many times in staff meetings saying that I would be there soon -- and now I finally am :)

So much to say . . .

2007-05-23T20:40:00.000+01:00

We've made it! This morning the Africa Mercy arrived in Liberia and docked beside the Anastasis, creating history. Only by the grace of God, we left Blyth on 4 May, sailed to Rotterdam, Tenerife (Canary Islands) and now on to Monrovia.

The sail was good, except for a couple rough days going through the Bay of Biscay. We knew that the weather was going to be bad, but we ended up with waves three meters high and force 10 winds with gust up to force 12. I am no wind expert, but I think force 12 is nearing hurricane strength. Being in an untested ship was also interesting because we had no idea what to expect. I have heard in the past that the Anastasis cut through the waves more, but the Africa Mercy rides on top, which makes the ship roll more from side to side. We had cabinets empty onto the floor and things spilling, but outside of a mess and lots to clean up, the only permenant damage that I heard of was a broken copy machine. The cabinet in my classroom dumped onto the floor twice (it takes me awhile to learn) which was not too bad except for the neon green paint that opened and spilled all over :) All the chairs in the dining and meeting rooms had to be pulled together and laid or tied down to keep from sliding across the room. I heard stories the first rough night at dinner that a couple kids were not heavy enough to keep from sliding across the floor when we really started rolling. Eating and walking became interesting as one learned to hold everything down while eating and to walk without hitting the walls on each roll.

Anyhow, luckily the whole sail wasn't so rough and once we got through Biscay, the weather was great. It was nice to see the sea change to this amazing blue color and the air to get warmer. One system on the ship that has not failed us yet is the air conditioning - thank goodness. I knew it would be warm here, but the humidity is a killer. I am also now thankful for a bed on deck 3 because it always seems to be cooler down there - usually between 15 and 20 degrees C. I don't know if the air is just working better down there or if it is something about the hospital being so close, but I am not complaining :)