Christmas

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

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

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