Mercy Ships 30th Anniversary...

It was Mercy Ships 30th anniversary on Saturday 18th October, and so to celebrate the occasion there were various games happening throughout the ship and on the dock. There were twenty teams (six people in each team) taking part in the competition.

My team was Jemeke. A strange name, yes, but not so strange if you see that it is the initials of the first names of the team members put together. JEMEKE = JP, Emma, Murray, Emily, Kassi, Emily. The games included bean bag throwing, broomstick balance racing, a memory game, darts, table tennis, an onion-spoon obstacle race, mini basket ball, and a couple of others. At the end all the teams' points were tallied and the winners were announced whilst we all sat sitting eating our lovely dinner on the dock. We finished a strong third overall.

But yes, let me mention the dinner on the dock. The whole ship community came together for a braai (barbecue) on the dock. It is amazing to see what a large community we actually are. You don't really notice it sitting in the Dining Room, but being out on the dock you certainly see it. And it is also wonderful to see that despite coming from 35 different nations spread throughout the globe, we are completely united! This is only as a result of all of us being here for one reason: to serve God by bringing hope and healing to the people of Liberia. It's awesome!

In the evening we had a special Mercy Ships 30th anniversary service in the International Lounge. An end-of-field service dvd, done by my coworker and videographer, Emily Adams, was shown. She really did a brilliant job. I can't wait to show this presentation to all of you back home. There was also wonderful worship led by Enoch Yeboah, also a coworker in the Communications department, as well as presentations on the various ships that Mercy Ships has had over the past thirty years. (Good Samaritan later renamed Island Mercy, Caribbean Mercy, Anastasis and, of course, my home the Africa Mercy).

It was great to see how God has blessed this organisation over the years. Yes, this was a time of reflection and a time to remember, but it was also a time to look to the future and embrace it. So here's to another thirty years of providing medical expertise, community development, and continuing to spread God's message of love and hope through all we do. Thanks for all your support. Happy birthday Mercy Ships.