Breaking Barriers...

As I have mentioned before, myself and a few other Mercy Shippers are involved in running a Bible Study out at an orphanage in New Matadi, a district of Monrovia.

This past Wednesday we went out to New Matadi, as we do every Wednesday. And it was one of the first times where I really felt a tangible connection with the guys. It was great. A large part of the reason was that beforehand I had heard their names and been introduced, but with me a name often goes in one ear and out the other. And I've really struggled with their names.

But this week we had all (as leaders) made a conscious decision to learn their names again. It was great! And by doing this God really opened things up on such a deeper level.

We are now having a competition where they have to learn a memory verse each week and if they know it they get points. By the time we leave the person with the most points will get a prize. So we went round the circle seeing if they knew the verse and then allocating points. It was a lot of fun.

I also took my camera and so we had a group photo taken and I also took some shots of the church in which we meet. The photos here are all from New Matadi.

We've also all been invited to the graduation of Daniel, one of our guys in the Bible Study. That's happening next Saturday and should be a wonderful experience. I'm sure not many people from South Africa have been to be a graduation ceremony in Liberia!

It's just amazing how God works when you're just willing to focus on the simple things. Such as learning a name. It is then that barriers come crashing down.

A Wonderful Wulki Weekend...

This past weekend was a ship's long weekend. The whole crew, with the exception of shift workers (such as some nurses, receptionists, on-call deck hands, Duty Officer, etc.), are given the Friday and the Monday as holidays. Missionaries do need time off from time to time. And I had such a wonderful, much-needed break.

I went to White Sands beach on Friday with good friends Phil, Ali and Rodrigo. It was awesome to swim in the calm waters, play frisbee on the beach, and relax in each other's company.

And then the very next day, Saturday, was undoubtedly the highlight of my weekend. I went to Wulki Farm with eight other Mercy Shippers, including close friends Phil from Canada, Ali of New Jersey, Emily of Georgia, Carmen of Texas, Australian Tim, and my biggest rugby rival on the ship, Maria from New Zealand. Having such lovely, multicultural friends on the Mercy Ship is such a beautiful thing. And being able to spend the day with these people was such a blessing.

We drove out an hour or so from the ship and then entered the gates of Wulki Farm. Within the farm the road snakes up and down a couple of hills before reaching the large swimming pool at the top. At the farm we saw a multitude of animals, including ostriches, crocodiles, guinea fowl, turkeys, pigs, and even a couple of playful monkeys. Whilst for others the highlight of the trip may have been the monkeys and being able to hold them, for me it was the pool. This was added by the fact that the monkeys did not take kindly to the male members of our group. They absolutely loved the girls... But ran circles around us boys. The one even put his arm up my pants. I was close to panicking, but remained calm. He retracted his arm slowly. And much to my relief!

But anyway, enough monkey-business. Let's turn to the pool. The pool is actually two pools which are joined together by a short tunnel. It is easily four metres in depth at the deepest part. So it was the perfect place for Maria and Tim to teach me how to dive. I've never really learnt before, and so it was quite exciting for me. Although I did suffer a couple of belly-flops in the process! But I did get a warm applause after I finally managed to dive successfully.

The rest of the time was spent lazing in the pool, joking around, and having a really fun time together. And then at around 16h30 we slowly made our way back home to the Mercy Ship. It was the perfect day which made for an even better weekend. That's all for now... Until the next time, God bless!

Be Still And Know...

The past few days have been relatively uneventful here on the Mercy Ship. But what I have been thinking about is my future. 2009 is looming large on the horizon. It struck me how close it really is this past week when I confirmed my flight home. I fly out of Monrovia on Monday, 8th December, arriving in beautiful Cape Town the next day. Thinking about it now I am extremely sad. I don't want to leave this ship. She has come to be my home. Cape Town is my home town, yes, but this ship is also my home. I would love to come back at some point, and have plans in mind. But whether these plans are God's plans for my life is another question. So we'll see. At the moment I'm just hoping and trusting in God. Hence the title of this entry.

I've also realised that I have four months left here. And I have wasted some of my time here. So now is the time to make up for that by getting involved and showing God's light shining through.

This past Saturday I went to the construction site of the new God's Children's Home. It was pouring with rain, and we had to traverse some pretty sticky off-road sections (first time I've been driving a Land Rover through such terrain!), but it was such an awesome experience. I've always loved Habitat For Humanity builds and this brought back many memories. We painted doors and wooden beams. It is just so great to be involved with this sort of project. It is wonderful to see the progression from nothing but foundations to a solid building which will serve to house little children. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of my Saturdays from now until the end of my time here out at the new site for God's Children's Home.

I have also (on work assignments) recently been able to visit several hospitals and clinics with which Mercy Ships are involved. It is great to see what our dental and eye teams do off-ship. I also visited Royesville, where Mercy Ships' Community Development Services (CDS) are involved with teaching correct agricultural practices. This is an aspect of the Mercy Ships ministry that is often overlooked. We do so much more than just healthcare. It is wonderful to see exactly what is happening out in the field, so to speak.

Unfortunately because of the pouring rain I did not get a chance to take any photos at the God's Children's Home site. In fact I left my camera on the ship. So some of the photos I put here are of last week when I had the opportunity of going in one of our MOB (Man Over-Board) boats and went for a tour around the harbour. I went to get some photos of the M/V Torm Alexandra, a semi-container ship that capsized in the Freeport in July 2001. I am writing a story on the history of this vessel. It has been a constant presence throughout the past four Field Services that Mercy Ships has had in Liberia. The other photo is of me doing another act of service: that of donating blood. This was ten or so days ago. I am also writing a story on the ship's Blood Donor Programme.

And with that being said I bid you a very fond farewell, until the next time. God bless!

Working In Communications...

Since I last wrote it has been an extremely busy time in Communications. I have been busy writing crew and patient stories, and last week I was covering a sporting event for Mercy Ships. Our ship's soccer team were invited to play at the national stadium of Liberia, the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex (SKD). We played a team made up of employees from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and although we lost 3-0, it was a great friendship-building event.

On Wednesday the Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) of the United Nations, the second most important person in the UN world-wide as well as the most senior UNMIL (United Nations Mission In Liberia) official, visited the ship. She had heard that the M/V Africa Mercy was formerly the Danish Rail Ferry Dronning Ingrid, and interestingly enough, she had worked on her when she used to ply the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Germany. So I was covering this event as well. It's amazing how I feel so at home in my new role as a Communications Writer and Journalist. I walk around with my digital voice recorder and my notebook and pen, always taking notes!

However, not all is work here on the Mercy Ship. I'm still involved with my Bible Study out at New Matadi on Wednesday evenings. And I still meet up with friends to chat and pray together. Last week was actually quite an eye-opener for me. A good friend of mine here on the ship challenged me to be more proactive in applying Matthew 6: 33 - “Seek first His Kingdom...” It is something which I have struggled with of late. But it's great to have friends who love me enough to tell me words that may hurt, but are words that I need to hear. So I've been reconnecting with my Heavenly Father, and He's been showing me so much more than before!

On Friday we had a South African evening, and it was great to spend time with my fellow countrymen and women. We watched a SA movie and chatted, sharing stories from back home. We also had a group photo taken (above). There are currently seventeen South Africans on the ship.

Yesterday (Saturday) I joined a group of twenty Mercy Shippers in visiting an old abandoned Hydro-Electric Power Plant, over an hour outside of Monrovia. To reach the plant you have to drive through some really muddy off-road tracks. It was a real adventure to get there. The plant itself was built in 1964 and used to supply a huge amount of electricity, but was destroyed in Liberia's brutal civil war when the rebels came through in 1990. The government is trying to locate contractors to repair this plant, but it will cost an estimated US$244-million! It's just such a pity that such potential lies in ruin. It also highlighted to me that war really brings about such waste. But other than that it was a really great day, spent in good company, and certainly a day I will remember for some time. The other photos here are from this day.

As I type now I am sitting in the Midships Lounge, watching the final stage of the 2008 Tour De France. The cyclists are doing laps of the Champs-Elysees. It is quite a contrast to cycling in Liberia, that's for sure!

From Reception To Communications...

Since I last posted I am no longer a Receptionist. I am just a Fire Panel Trained Communications Writer. The long-awaited transfer to Communications has occurred. And I am so happy.

I have already been put to work gathering interviews and writing a couple of crew stories. Once they have been completed and uploaded to the Mercy Ships Navigator site then I will be able to put them here. The one is on my good friend Jenn Carrol. She is from Canada and has a wonderful blog at http://jenninafrica.blogspot.com/. She is a very talented writer and had been here since the 8th of February. She worked as a Ward Nurse and left this past Friday. Jenn will be sorely missed by many.

This past week we had Washington Redskins NFL rookie receiver Malcolm Kelly visit the ship on a vision trip. He has named Mercy Ships as his charity of choice. I was heavily involved in this, as this was a very important Public Relations and Communications event. It was such a privilege to spend time with Malcolm, his father Moses, and his coaching staff. Him and his coach trained the Liberian athletes and taught them about correct training techniques across all sporting codes. It was inspiring to see Malcolm's faith and what a mature young man of God he is. He is certainly going places in this world, and has made a lasting difference in the lives of many Liberians here.

Last Wednesday Malcolm and his group were given the opportunity of visiting Tenegar, one of Mercy Ships projects an hour from the ship. It was also my first time to Tenegar. Tenegar is where Mercy Ships Community and Development Services are rebuilding a clinic, destroyed in the civil war. We are also teaching sustainable development and implementing correct agricultural practices. It was a real eye-opener to see what our outgoing teams do. It is also great to see that at any one time there are only two or three Mercy Ships representatives on site. Most of the work is being done by the local community, taking ownership of this project. Tenegar is also a primarily Muslim community and thus through building relationships and literally building this clinic, the light of Christ is able to shine brightly.

This past Saturday we had a “Christmas In July” evening. There were Christmas trees and decorations up around the Town Square area, and even the children were able to experience the joy of unwrapping presents! And while this was happening, some of the older ones reflected on the greatest gift that could ever be given: the gift of Jesus for all mankind. Our Hospitality department did a wonderful job of organising and catering for this event.

Anyway, being in Communications has so far been an incredibly busy time. But it is a good sort of busyness. It is good knowing that what I write may have an impact on people on the other side of the world. It is certainly a change from Reception. A change for the better. A change that has been orchestrated by God.

The Blind Receive Sight, The Lame Walk...

One of the unique opportunities that one has serving with Mercy Ships is to be able to sign up and observe a surgery. This is a great privilege in that one is able to be in the Operating Theatre with the surgeon, and to be able to see exactly what happens. However, this is not for the faint-hearted.

And so I went and observed a surgery yesterday. Before entering the Operating Rooms, I had to don scrubs, as well as a head covering and plastic shoe coverings. I'm sure they have a proper name, but I'm too ignorant to know it. I was also told that if at any point during the surgery I begin to feel rather hot, then I must immediately step outside. This is the first sign of fainting. Step 1: Step outside. Step 2: Take off the mask. Step 3: Get fresh air. Thankfully I didn't need to leave the room, other than to get some water.

The procedure I observed was in the Orthopaedic Operating Room, and thus I had to wear a face mask and, of course, not touch anything that had been sterilised. I'm not familiar with the proper terminology, but the surgery I watched involved repairing the right humerus, the bone that runs from the shoulder down to the elbow. In this case, the man had been shot several years ago, and so his humerus was broken in two, making his arm useless. So what the surgeons did was they went and cut open his arm and then inserted a metal plate which was screwed in, to hold the broken bone together. They also took some bone from his hip and put this between the two broken pieces, so that in time they'll fuse together.

This surgery took around three hours, but what amazed me was how calm, skilled and dedicated these doctors are. There were two surgeons performing the actual surgery, and they were assisted by an OR Nurse and an anaethetist, as well as a few other nurses. We are certainly blessed by our skilled health care workers here on the Mercy Ship. They certainly bring plenty of hope and healing to Liberia's people. I am reminded of Matthew 11: 5 and I end this entry by quoting from Jesus in the NIV version:

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

So Long, Farewell...

This past weekend saw a number of my close friends leave the Mercy Ship. Peter Fullerton, of Scotland, and Jay Brundage, of New York, both departed on Friday. They were both "Deckies" and had served admirably throughout this whole outreach. Jay joined the ship in Monrovia last October, and Peter joined in Tenerife in January. A while back I wrote a short article on Peter, and I feel that it is somewhat fitting to reproduce it here:

"Whilst keeping a grasp of one's heritage is important serving on the Mercy Ship, there are more important things for volunteer Peter Fullerton. Peter, 25, is from Kintore, Scotland and volunteers as a Deck Hand on the M/V Africa Mercy. He joined the ship in Tenerife and, as he has a background in Civil and Structural Engineering, initially wanted to serve in CDS. However, he was placed in Deck Department and has thoroughly loved the experience. As Peter says, “I'm really chuffed that it worked out the way it did”.

But it is not just in Deck Department that Peter serves the ship (and the Lord). He is involved in showing the Jesus Film on certain Wednesdays and helps with the construction of an orphanage on his weekends. Peter has also been a real blessing to the crew. Being a native of Scotland, he is familiar with the bagpipes, and is a talented musician with this instrument in hand. He learnt the bagpipes at a young age, as his father is a piper. Peter has also organised Ceilidhs out on the dock, and these have brought much entertainment to the crew. Ceilidhs are traditional Scottish dances that are held at most important events, such as weddings, birthdays, New Year's eve, Christmas, and are thus integral in Scottish culture.

Peter has been sharing his trade with the children in the Academy. As he says, “That was a highlight for me [...] it was great to show them an instrument they'd never seen”. After letting the children play his pipes, they had an impromptu band practice up on Deck 7, with marching, drums and cymbals. And as Peter realises, he is also using his talents to glorify God. Living in a Christian community is, in Peter's words, “quite a beautiful thing. And any talents or gifts that you have if you share with others in fellowship, I think, you worship God.”

When asked where he gets his most fulfillment from, serving here in Liberia, Peter is quick to point out that it is seen in the interaction between other people. And this is especially due to the “love and compassion that you can just witness, especially when you walk through the hospital on Deck 3. It's quite amazing.” Asked to sum up his Mercy Ships experience, Peter says that it's all about love or beauty. And this can be clearly seen in his involvement here on the Mercy Ship."

On Monday one of my closest friends departed. Lisa Welker had served as an OR Nurse for three months, and had been a blessing to all whom she had met. We'd spent many hours out on the dock walking, chatting, laughing and praying together. She taught me a lot about myself, and instilled in me a self-confidence that I have often struggled to find. As is my custom with close friends leaving, I drove her to the airport. But I must say it was a very sad farewell.

All three of these crew members have a special place in my heart and will be sorely missed.