Four!

Not "fore!" like in golf, although maybe if someone would have yelled that Sam wouldn't have needed four staples in his head tonight!  Yup, this week's date night was spent in the Fairview Ridges Emergency Room after Sam managed to slice his head open on the air intake for our air exchanger conveniently located under our deck.  Nothing like standing up in the WRONG place.  I wasn't too worried until he said, "That's a lot of blood . . ."  One look from his wife, the First Aid Instructor, and we were in the car headed north!  As a bonus (because neither of us could remember when), he got a tetnus shot, too.  The good news is - it was our quickest visit ever.  From the time we left until the time we got back - one hour and thirty minutes.  Almost as good as the ship!

The Missionary Jar

Our neighbors have what they call "the missionary jar" and any loose change they have goes right into the jar.  Then when they receive a support request from anyone serving in missions, they go to the jar and "gift" that request.    Two years ago, they blessed us with the entire jar!  Can you imagine?  

Yesterday I was over at their house.  Their daughter is getting married in a little less than two weeks and they were putting her stuff in a pile in the garage, getting it ready to move to her new home.  Out walks her mom with a great big beautiful jar and says, "How about this for your missionary jar?" and I thought, "Wow, what a legacy!"  

  

The grass is just plain green . . .

After two consecutive summers in Africa, I stand amazed at how lovely and how green everything is here in Minnesota!  I am praising God constantly for the rain He sends to make everything so green because I can no longer justify watering the lawn.  So, Dear God, may the rains continue to fall that I may continue to enjoy all of Your greens!

Ship Yard!

 We survived ship yard in 2005 while serving  aboard the m/v Anastasis

in East London, South Africa.

We will NEVER forget the day we came back from a field trip with the kids

and supper was being cooked over an open fire in a big, black cauldron!

Yup, it was macaroni and cheese!

 

The m/v Africa Mercy is now in ship yard in Gran Canaria.

Check out these photos -

The wards awaiting new floors

New CT scanner ready for installment

The laundry room is getting two new industrial strength laundry machines.

The walk-in refrigerators have been removed from the galley to get ready for new ones.

The crew galley has become the ship galley - all meals are cooked here - where there are no cauldrons!

 

 

 

 

Hee! Hee!

Yesterday I posted a 2-minute video on our friend, Deb Loudin, and after I had published my post, I looked at her video again because I thought I recognized her sister so I e-mailed Deb who is currently in Australia and she e-mailed me back today.   Sure enough - I ran with her sister in the streets of Cotonou, Benin - past the peacocks, through the busy roads and into the port!  Amazing that I remembered that four years later, especially when we ran at 6:00 a.m!  

Meet Deb . . .

Deb is one of our Aussie friends who we met on the ship.  She's a ward nurse and we hope you enjoy your two minutes with her as much as we've enjoyed all of our times with her!

3FT

At our house, "3FT" stands for "Forced Family Fun Time" and our kids never really seem to enjoy it until it's over - then they usually decide that they had the absolute best time ever!  Today was no exception.

We volunteered at New Life Family Services Walk-a-thon at Lake Nokomis.  New Life was our adoption agency and we wanted to give back, so Micah and i worked in the crafts area and Matt and Sam hauled boxes from the "baby shower" area to the U-haul.  

We now have matching New Life t-shirts. But what made it most memorable was after the walk-a-thon we rented these bikes . . .

 Matt wasn't exactly fond of the helmet . . .

 But he loved racing his sister around the lake . . .

 Sam and I are tooling right behind them in a tandem bike for two.  What made this the best time ever was that the ship had bikes just like this and the kids have such good memories of playing on them, only these were bigger and that made them better . . . until Sam and I got a flat!  Arg!

 

Just rocks . . .

Sam and I are moving a ton of rocks today - and if it's really not a ton, it sure feels like it!  Somewhere in the process, my mind went back to Africa where in Sierra Leone (think "Blood DIamonds") itty bittys were paid (not much!) to MAKE rock.  That's right - take a big chunk of rock and a chisel and MAKE rock all day long on the side of the road in the heat and the humidity with dust swirling around from passing vehicles.  And when your day is done, you go back to the shack where most likely there is no running water, no cool drinks, no electricity, definitely no air conditioning and no shower and when the sun rises tomorrow, you'll do the same thing for another day.  As I sit here with my coke in air conditioning, I know life's not fair - but heaven is.  To God be the glory!

No Fairy Tale Here . . .

Once upon a time,

the Africa Mercy was the Dronning Ingrid, a train ferry. 

When she was converted to a hospital ship, 

the train tracks were covered with concrete and a floor was place on top of that. 

 Now, after 7 years of use, the tracks are starting to come up on Deck Three. 

Imagine that!

Hence, the ship is currently in shipyard and 

the wards/operating theatre's are getting new floors!

God's Grace With Amazing Numbers

Every year Mercy Ships releases the statistics from the field service.

The numbers are always astounding. 

While strolling through the list, try to imagine how many lives have been changed 

for the GLORY of GOD. 

Thank you on behalf of all of these people for what you do to support Mercy Ships.

 

Eye Team

Cataract Surgeries

1,475

Eye Evaluations & Treatments

13,483

Distribution of Glasses

3,706

Hospital

Maxillofacial Surgeries

490

Cleft Repair Surgeries

176

Plastic Reconstructive Surgeries

99

General Surgeries

312

VVF Surgeries

63

Orthopaedic Surgeries

116

Clubfoot Corrections

51

Palliative (Hospice) Care

29

Dental Team

Dental Care - Extrations

12,209 Patients

45,168 Procedures

Dental Hygiene Services

950

Dentures/Replacements

577

Mercy Ministries

Partner Ministry Visits

307

People Reaches

10,417

Hospital Chaplaincy

One-On-One Sessions

3,806

Bibles Distributed

192

HIV Counseling Sessions

418

Education

Mentoring African Healthcare Workers

140

Community Health Education

2,962

Training in Organic Agriculture

18

Mental Health

Heath Care Training

71

Church Leaders

36

Social Workers

26

Leadership Conferences

Church Leaders

463

Community Leaders

423

Government Leaders

313

Stories of God's Faithfulness

 

A few weeks ago the Africa Mercy crew hosted a "Thank You" Event for all the partners that stood with them in Guinea over the past ten months (government officials, port authorities, missionaries, local healthcare workers, etc).  An orthopedic patient and her father came to share a testimony showing the extent of healing that she received.  The daughter's legs had been straightened and she was able to walk normally, which is great. The amazing thing, though, was when the father got up to share.  Staying on the ship as the caregiver of his daughter, he did not have any expectations of his life being changed - maybe just the inconvenience of being away from the rest of their family or potentially his work.  But he shared specifically about the spiritual healing that he received during his time onboard.  He experienced people loving on him and his daughter without questions.  It didn't matter what tribe he was from, whether he was employed or not, how many wives he had at home, or what his background was.  He was treated with love and respect in a way that seems like common sense to us, but to him was REVOLUTIONARY.  He didn't come expecting "help" himself, but he left a changed man because of the love of Christ that he experienced.  That love doesn't get isolated just to the patients: it's contagious and spreads into every living cell in the room.

Jonathan was a dayworker who was hired to work with Mercy Ships as a hospital housekeeper (sweeping, mopping, cleaning toilets, beds, and cleaning up yucky, yucky messes).  He accepted this position for the equivalent of $6.50 a day - a wage we would consider scandalous, unless you consider that the average daily wage in Guinea is $2.25.  Jonathan shared at the last crew get together that he was at a place of giving up hope and walking away from Christianity when he applied for the position.  Through his daily interactions with crew members, the devotions and the true love he experienced, he was rescued from a place of depression and lifted to a place of excitement and passion for serving the Lord and ministering to others around him.

 Lamin came to the ship in 2011 with a neurofibroma growing behind his eye.  After multiple surgeries to debulk this tumor, it was determined that in order to get it all, they would have to remove his left eye.  Despite the pain of these surgeries and recoveries, the struggle of traveling back and forth between Guinea and Sierra Leone, and the reality of losing his eye, Lamin was never far from a giant grin.  

     
Lamin in the fall, after his first surgeries with us in 2011
 

And Lamin this spring after his last surgery

 

Ousman was a patient who became a fixture resident at the Hope Center.  He had plastic surgery in the fall and asked if he could remain at the Hope Center until this spring because of the shame that he faced in his home village where they had cast him aside as worthless due to his facial deformity.  

Ousman, when he came to us in the fall

He lived the high life there as his weight continued to grow on such a highly nutritious diet!  He was a delight to have around and started helping the day workers with chores around the place: assisting in cleaning, maintenance, and laundry. This May after he had healed from his second set of plastic surgeries, it was finally time for Ousman to return home.  Commonly the patients do not have the money necessary to pay for transport back to their villages (anywhere from $2 to $30 by local bus/taxi).  When Ousman was asked if he needed transport money to go home, he clammed up.  The nurse had known Ousman for months now and did not think he had this money, but yet he kept saying he could not take any money for transport.  When asked why, he explained his thought process: "I can not possibly take any money for transport."  He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket where he had made some calculations.  "You see, you have housed me and fed me for over 250 days.  I have received at least two meals a day for that time.  Even if you spent only a dollar (7000 guinea francs) on me each day, that is $250 (1.75 million francs) that you have invested into me.  I could not possibly ask for the $20 that it will require to get me home to my village."  

Ousman in February, awaiting his next plastic surgery

Ousman took notice of the cost that went into loving on him.  Mercy Ships say that they provide "free" surgeries, but in reality, these sort of services aren't truly free.  Yes, they are free to the patients.  But it is through gifts (often made from a place of sacrifice) from people around the world that they have been able to pay the daily wages for Jonathan.  These gifts provide the fuel necessary to run the power so the hospital can be open and surgeries performed.  They have helped feed Ousman and provided a roof over his head and a place where he felt safe, loved and embraced for who he is these past several months.

Ousman in February at the Hope Center with his (and our) friend, Keith

 

Stories like these remind me of aspects of God's character that don't just hold true in Africa, but all around the world. The same God that cares intimately for Ousman and his every meal, cares for my single-parent neighbor across the way, and my next door neighbor from India (and me!).  The same God that kept joy in Lamin's heart is ruling supreme over each and every circumstance that you and I face.  The same God that intervened in that orthopedic patient father's world and brought spiritual healing when he wasn't expecting it wants to reach down and give us more than we ever could ask or imagine.  

Jaka, one of our plastic patients

Taken from my friend Tiffany Bergman's newsletter.

Meet our summer guest . . .

Yup, Rosie is a tarantula!

And she'll be with us until school starts in the fall.

She doesn't eat much -

five or six crickets a week -

and she only drinks water.

She came to us from Micah's school, 

but Matt wanted her for a roommate.

That lasted two whole days.

The chirping crickets drove him nuts,

so now Rosie sleeps in the basement!

Stop by any time and say "hi!".

Mohamed's Story

Dr. Mark Shrime, a Mercy Ships volunteer surgeon, was recently serving onboard the Africa Mercy hospital ship in Guinea.  One of Dr. Mark’s patients, Mohamed, had such a large growth on his neck that, at first glance, it seemed like a goiter. To determine the exact nature of Mohamed’s condition and to plan treatment, Dr. Mark used the diagnostic information provided by a computerized tomography (CT) scan.

 

Mohamed had fallen into deep despair. He explains, “As my condition worsened, the growth increased to such a size that I had difficulty eating and sleeping. My voice also became hoarse. My wife worried constantly that this condition would cause me to die.”

Another of Mohamed’s fears had already come to pass, causing the family extreme hardship. He recounts, “The lump on my neck started growing when I was in my mid-twenties. I had worked very hard to complete University studies in law, planning to have a good career in the justice department of the Guinean government. But when I could no longer hide the growth, my career stopped. I had the education and trust needed to take on significant roles, even as a Minister, but my appearance prevented any chance of promotion.” Mohamed was transferred to a local police detachment, with no contact other than the criminals he interviewed.

When Dr. Mark received the results of Mohamed’s CT scan, he was taken aback. According to Dr. Mark, “As it turned out, Mohamed’s problem was not a goiter but a cyst. The condition begins even before birth, when the thyroid gland descends from the base of the tongue through a canal called the thyroglossal duct to the neck. Usually the duct disappears after the gland descends, but sometimes small pockets, called cysts, remain. For Mohamed, and others with this condition, fluid collects in the duct cyst. The result is a visible lump.”  

Dr. Mark had never seen a cyst as large as Mohamed’s, noting that, “This condition is normal, but the growth generally remains golf ball size. Where there is access to surgery, the cysts are usually removed once they become noticeable. But for Mohamed, whose cyst was untreated for almost thirty years, it grew to an enormous size.”

Mohamed learned through bitter experience that he had no access to the treatment he needed. “I spent almost $10,000 (enough to put ten children through University) in Guinea, and other nearby countries, looking for a cure. My family and I did without many things. When I found out that I could get surgery in France, I even entered a competition to be sent to police training school there.” While Mohamed obtained the top score on the selection test, another person was awarded the scholarship to travel to France. After years of unfair treatment in the workplace and ridicule from his colleagues, this final injustice crushed Mohamed’s remaining morale. He left his job, shuttering himself inside his home.

Unemployed and feeling hopeless, Mohamed began a personal prayer vigil. Daily at 2:00 a.m., often with his wife at his side, he prayed for healing and to have his livelihood and life back.  

Mohamed believes that God answered his prayer by bringing Mercy Ships to Guinea. He recalls his remarkable experience as a patient. “Mercy Ships saved me and renewed my life. While I was waiting to hear about my surgery date, a Mercy Ships day-worker who I met at the screening continued to check on me and assured me that I would be called.  All of the volunteers for Mercy Ships were so helpful and kind. When I had my first test, the nurse was careful and made sure I was comfortable. After my surgery, I had some unexpected bleeding in the middle of the night. Within minutes, I was immediately surrounded by nurses and taken to the operating room where many doctors were waiting to fix the problem. I was back in bed sleeping within an hour!” (technically this is true as the bleeding was fixed quickly in theatre but we actually ventilated him on ICU for the next few hours and woke him up in the morning !)

Following his successful surgery, Mohamed returned home a renewed man. He was so impressed by the quality of care he received from Mercy Ships that he wrote a personal account of his entire experience to share with his friends and family. The part that still surprises him is what he learned about Mercy Ships volunteers: “They actually pay to come here so that people they don’t even know can be healed. Who else but God sends people like that?”

Written by Joanne Thibault

Edited by Nancy Predaina

Photographs by Debra Bell, Michelle Murrey, Bright Effowe

Mohammed with his appointment card, waiting for surgery

Mohammed with his large thyroglossal cyst

Mohammed talking with Kallo the translator

When Two Ministries Meet . . .

From 1984-1986, I had the privilege of attending the Navigators Leadership Development Institute in Colorado Springs, Colorado then led by Dr. Stacy Rinehart.  We've remained friends over the years and as a family, we now support Stacy who is the Founder of MentorLink International.

In 2007, while serving onboard the Africa Mercy during it's maiden outreach in Monrovia, Liberia, we met Keith Brinkman who has fast become a good friend.  Keith serves as the Programs Coordinator for the ship.  Part of his ministry includes showing The JESUS Film in the country the ship is currently in.

Last week, I sent an e-mail to Stacy mentioning that Mercy Ships shows The JESUS Film.  He responded with an amazing offer -  MentorLink has freely offered the ship a mentoring tool called Forty Days With Jesus that crew can use to disciple those who come to know Christ through watching The JESUS Film.  

Imagine - you're one of the poorest of the poor in West Africa.  You watch a movie called The JESUS Film and then you're offered a free Bible study to go with it that you can get on your cell phone!  How can you not say, "Glory!"?

MentorLink has offered to send someone to the ship to provide the training.  If you pray, when you read this, pray that these two ministries will be able to connect and that God will work out all of the details so that those who see The JESUS Film though the ship will also be mentored and grow in Christ through Forty Days.  Can I hear an "amen!"?