Pray for our crew and the people of Sierra Leone...

Please pray for our team in Sierra Leone. The first day of screening happened today and the screening team encountered some serious issues with a crowd storming the gates. For more on the situation, click here.

Please note that no Mercy Ships crew were injured in the events at the national stadium in Freetown today. But do join me in praying for those injured and all involved - including our crew members serving in Sierra Leone.

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

(Matt Redman - Blessed Be Your Name)

My time in Cape Town...

The Africa Mercy arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone last Sunday (27th February) after a 13-day sail from Cape Town. It felt strange to read blog posts and look at photos from the ship's arrival and not be there on the ship, but at the same time I feel completely at peace with where I am at the moment. I know this is where God wants me to be. Below please find a couple of photos of the ship arriving in Sierra Leone.

AFM approaches the harbour.

Advance Team members and crew await the ship's arrival on the dock.

My time here in Cape Town has been characterised by plenty of resting, reading, praying, cycling, walking the dog, playing with my nephews, and spending time with friends and family. It's been a good break and I can already feel how God is re-energising me and preparing my heart and mind for returning to my floating home again. And speaking of returning, I have now booked and paid for my flights to get back to the ship, which will happen on March 27th. I'm quite excited about that, really.

But before that happens, I have the small matter of a 109-km cycle race to do on Sunday, March 13th. My 21st consecutive Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour. The big one, as they say. As in the past three years, I will again be cycling in Mercy Ships kit with my Mercy Ships flag to create awareness for the ministry that means so much to me. If you're in Cape Town, come and support me on the route next Sunday!

View from the top of Chapman's Peak on one of my training rides this last week.

My Shipbuilding...

So being a rather meticulous chap, one of the hobbies that I used to have was model ship building. I'd see a picture of a ship, draw up the plans myself (on a 1:100 scale) and build the ship out of cardboard. No model kits here (other than the helicopters). Just my mind. There are three of these models which I built back in 2002-03. The RMS St. Helena, SA Agulhas, and the SAS Protea. Will there be an M/V Africa Mercy one day? Only time will tell...

My first build (2002) was the RMS St. Helena. For more on this quaint ship, click here.

RMS at anchor off St. Helena.

My RMS at anchor on my bed's duvet cover.

Starboard side view.

Starboard side of my model.

RMS at St. Helena.

Aft view of my model.

Aerial shot.

My second build (late 2002) was the SA Agulhas, the South African National Antarctic Programme's research vessel and ice-breaker. This was a rather crude build and is largely incomplete.

An old picture of the SA Agulhas.

My model of the SA Agulhas.

SA Agulhas docked in Cape Town and displaying it's current colour scheme.

View off the starboard bow.

SA Agulhas also used to carry two South African Airforce Oryx helicopters - modified and specialised Super Pumas for use in Antarctica.

I used a model kit and changed the colours to suit my needs.

Aft, port side of my model.

My third and final model (2003) at present is by far my favourite. The South African Navy's hydrographic survey vessel, SAS (South African Ship) Protea. This was my most meticulous and detail-oriented build to date.

Starboard side of SAS Protea.

Starboard side of my model.

SAS Protea in Simon's Town, looking towards the starboard bow.

Looking towards the starboard bow.

View from the starboard side, aft.

Same view on my model.

Detail of the bridge. Note under the bridge windows the Protea crest of the ship.

In-shore survey motorboat. I made this with matchsticks and toothpicks for the frame and then cardboard cut out and stuck over the frame. Also improvised with folded paper clips for the aerial and railings.

SAS Protea also carries one South African Airforce Allouette helicopter.

Mercy Ships on SA national news...

My sister is in the television business and thus has contacts in the news industry in South Africa. She told them that the Mercy Ship was docking in Cape Town and they sent a film crew down to the Waterfront. The following piece appeared on the news that evening!

My Cycling and Mercy Ships...

Last week a piece also appeared in the Cape Argus (Cape Town daily afternoon newspaper) which focused on my cycling and Mercy Ships.

Mercy Ships in Cape Town media...

Over the last few days there have been several articles and photos that, either by chance or on purpose, have cast publicity and awareness to the Africa Mercy and our brief visit in Cape Town - and what Mercy Ships does for the people of West Africa. There was even a news piece that appeared on South African National TV news the day the ship docked in Cape Town. I will try and post this shortly. But for now here are some pictures and brief articles that cast light on Mercy Ships.

The front page of the Cape Times (Cape Town daily morning newspaper) last Tuesday. The Africa Mercy is visible just above and to the left of the "f" in Waterfront.

A clearer shot in the same newspaper. Although the story was about South Africa's number one tourist destination, the V & A Waterfront, being sold, it's still great publicity for Mercy Ships with the website address clearly visible on the ship!

The next day the Africa Mercy had a couple of paragraphs in the shipping news - bottom right of the article.

LOA...

Those of you who follow this little blog of mine may be surprised that there have been no posts regarding the ship's departure from Cape Town and the sail to Sierra Leone. And then the next question I need to answer is that yes, the ship did sail late on Valentine's Day and has not been delayed in Cape Town. But I am still here.

You see, being the patriotic South African that I am, I love South Africa. Yet I did not enjoy my time working here. I was tired, stressed, fringing on burning out and when I wasn't in the office I was always thinking about work and the long list of "Things to Do" that needed to be done. This was not healthy for me or for Mercy Ships. I had also lost a little bit of my passion and thus felt the need to distance myself from the ministry to rediscover my love of serving God through Mercy Ships - and to discover how to effectively deal with the pressures of work in a community environment.

And so I decided to take a little breather from Mercy Ships and it just made sense for me to disembark in Cape Town, my hometown. I still remain a long-term crew member with Mercy Ships, but have taken a leave of absence. This was not an easy decision to make, but it was one that needed to be made. And I am thankful that Mercy Ships were gracious enough to grant my request.

That being said, the blogging will continue here in Cape Town, but the posts may be less frequent than usual... I will return to the ship in Sierra Leone in late March, so expect more frequent posting then. Have a blessed week ahead!