From the mouth of Matt . . .

All his life I've been telling my beautiful baby boy that when he turns sixteen or he gets his license - whichever comes last! - he can start to date.  So the other night at supper, after passing his driving test, he said, "I guess I better go get a girlfriend!" 

Then he said, "NOT!" 

Ravette

Re-blogged from Catherine Murphy . . .

“We came to Africa for the work, we stayed for the people.”

 
Ravette is a 9-year-old orthopedics patient who always has a smile on her face. Always.

When Ravette was little she suffered from a leg deformity caused by quinine, a drug used to treat malaria. When the medicine was mistakenly injected into her nerve instead of the muscle, it caused her knees to grow in the wrong direction. Ravette is still in casts, but she’s learning to walk again.

This morning Ravette hobbled to my office. To get here from the hospital, you have to walk through a common area we call the café. It’s unusual to have patients walk through this part of the ship, so she quickly snagged everyone’s attention. That’s when the clapping started. Each table she walked past gave a little cheer. I’ve never seen a child with a smile as big as hers was today.

If she had been at our table tonight, Ravette would have said she was thankful to walk again. Then she would have giggled as she listened to 16 people go around and say what they were thankful for.

Because they were all thankful for Ravette.

FAMILY!

In this time of Thanksgiving, 

we are thankful for family -

and we have more family than most!

This would be Matt and his three sisters!

We spent last Sunday at their birth mom's house.

We got to see Allison, her two daughters, her dad and his wife.

It was good.

This past Sunday,

Sam's cousin and his wife and their son were over.

It was such a good time and so much fun -

and the Vikings didn't even lose!

This coming Thursday

(the official Thanksgiving Day)

we'll be in Iowa at my Dad's.

He'll be 82 on his next birthday -

and he's cooking dinner!

Finished Products . . .

Here's a photo of the fired ceramics from Micah's 14th birthday party:

Mine is the snowflake plate!

The Vernel Effect

By Catherine Murphy

Vernel is too cute to be angry with and now he knows it.

Vernel is a wily 6-year-old patient who is probably up to something that he’ll get away with. Why will he get away with it? Because it’s too hard to stay mad at him. When he looks up at you, with his lovable, mischievous, grin, he mesmerizes you with his sweetness and your only conscious thought is about how darling he is. Were you about to reprimand him? You can’t remember.

I call this The Vernel Effect.

Vernel’s story began in a fishing village eight hours from Congo’s port city of Pointe Noire. The cleft on the right side of his upper lip revealed his pink gums and front teeth as it stretched up to his nose. Vernel has been bullied for looking different, his dad says. The other children in their village teased him to the point he would come home crying. This baffles me…who could possibly have the heart to make Vernel cry?

I met Vernel when his father brought him to the Africa Mercy for surgery. In an environment where cleft lips are embraced, I watched Vernel quickly come into his own. He never had to worry about being teased here; the staff doted on Vernel from the moment he stepped into the Admissions Tent. We made him balloons, we let him play with the Djembe drums, and we discovered that he is a total clown in front of the camera. On this ship in Africa, Vernel finally found his audience: 350 people who see beyond his deformity. By the time surgeons repaired Vernel’s cleft lip, he’d forgotten he had it.



But there is one thing you can’t let yourself forget about Vernel: he is a ninja when it comes to tickling.

That mischievous smile on Vernel’s face is there for a reason. First, he will curl up in your arms or give you a hug or a drooly kiss. Then, in accordance with The Vernel Effect, you will let your guard down. And that’s when he’ll strike. Think you’re not ticklish? Think again. Vernel has no mercy – especially if you have recently tickled him. This is a 6-year-old with an appetite for vengeance.

This is my friend Hope. She didn’t stand a chance.

Sadly, Vernel couldn’t stay here forever. I was part of a team that drove him home. Today, Vernel is doing great and, might I add, looking quite handsome. 

When it was time for Vernel to be discharged, he called his grandmother to tell her he was coming home. “I’m a handsome boy now,” he said. 

  
I loved watching this little boy realize his charm. I know Vernel won’t be the last patient to undergo a transformation here.

Don’t fall for it.

The End.

Giggles and Whispers

Yesterday while I was teaching swimming at the Y, my sweet little three- and four- year-old Pikes (it was an all girl class) were giggling and whispering to one another - and then they started pointing.  There was a man at the other end of the pool and he was (giggle! giggle! whisper! whisper!) wearing EAR MUFFS!  In the pool!  (giggle! giggle! whisper! whisper!)  I think I about broke their little hearts when I told them, those weren't ear muffs.  He had on a head set.

Test Day!

Today was test day - the day we've been waiting almost three long months for - or at least, Matt has!  This was the day he was to re-take his driving test in order to get his permanent driver's license.  And wouldn't you know . . . 

As he was brushing his teeth before school this morning, his top retainer wire popped off.  I called the ortho office and yes, they could get him in at 12:30 - would that work?  The original plan was for me to pick him up at school at 12:10, for us to go out for lunch and then for us to be at the driver's examination station in time his driving test at 1:40.  So if we skipped lunch, we could go to the ortho . . .

Cathy was quick, she got Matt in and out in twenty minutes, he got a bowl of chili from Culver's and we were off to Eagan.  We got there plenty early, waited for the three cars in front of us and then it was Matt's turn.

I had barely sat down in the waiting room when Matt came in.  It turns out that the insurance card in the car we had borrowed from a friend had expired and Matt was not allowed to take the test without proof of current insurance.  If we could fix that in two hours, we could still take the test today.

Since we had two whole hours and I have a cold which has left me voiceless, we decided to drive over to our friend's place of work.  She was so excited when we got there - "Did he pass?"  Well, not exactly.  We went back to her office, she pulled out two other proof of insurance cards and they were expired, too.  She called her insurance office and they faxed over her proof of insurance to the examination station.  In fact . . .

Her proof of insurance had gotten there before we did!  Unfortunately, it was now after 3:00 and the lines were long, extremely long!  Fortunately, one of the staff started at the back of the line, making sure everyone was in the right line.  Fortunately, we were next to the end of the line and when we said had had proof of insurance faxed over, he found it and moved us up to the front of the line.

So now we went back outside, back to the exam registration booth and got back in line.  We were next!  The gentleman (Mr. Bill!) who came to give Matt his test said to me, "Sir, you can go wait in waiting room now."  And I couldn't stop myself - "I'm a ma'am!"  After an apology - my hair was longer than his! - they were off!  And just a few minutes later . . .

Matt was back to get his license photo taken!  To God be the glory!

Grace - A Transformation in Progres

You may remember Grace, but you probably won’t recognize her.

Grace was one of our first patients up the gangway in Congo. On September 10th, Mercy Ships surgeons removed the massive tumor from her face. It’s been six weeks since her surgery, but 17-year-old Grace is as sassy as ever – and she’s looking like a whole new young woman.

“God is good because He did a big thing for me. I did not believe that I could be saved, but God has had grace. Mercy Ships arrived in Pointe Noire, they treated me, and I am better today,” Grace says.  

Grace’s journey to the Africa Mercy began with an email. A hospital chaplain from neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo met Grace at a hospital there. The chaplain, Pastor Gregoire, was shocked by Grace’s facial tumor, which weighed 4.9 pounds (2.2 kilos.) Pastor Gregoire came alongside Grace, counseling and praying with her. He says she was often so distraught that she cried all night. Sometimes she refused to eat or drink. “Indeed, she suffered,” he says simply.

Pastor Gregoire took a photo of Grace and published it on his blog. A reader responded to his post, recommending that he visit mercyships.org, an organization that might be able to help. From there, Pastor Gregoire contacted the Mercy Ships Swiss office and exchanged emails with Christophe Baer. Through Christophe, Pastor Gregoire sent Grace’s medical records and reports to the Africa Mercy. The response was positive. Grace and Pastor Gregoire were asked to arrive in Pointe Noire, in the Republic of Congo, on September 2nd.

Grace’s story is a chain of mercy forged by compassionate hearts, and their efforts were rewarded. Grace will have a second surgery on December 17th. Until then, she is recovering in the Mercy Ships Hospital Out Patient Extension Center (HOPE Center), where she has become the champion UNO player. As Mercy Ships nurses will tell you, Grace dominates every hand – and don’t even think about challenging her to Jenga!

In a few months, Grace will return home and begin school. She hopes to study medicine one day, she says. Grace wants to be a nurse.

Written by – David Petersen

Woo Hoo!

It was a year ago today that I had my ankle surgery

and I am happy to say

"I am doing well!"

I am running and leaping and praising the Lord -

even with a cold!

Gurhkas

Today's people group in the Global Prayer Digest were the Gurung people.  
I found it most interesting because if you read to the bottom line,
the soldiers of today's Gurung people are called Gurkhas.
It is the same Gurkhas who protect the ship and have given us tasty Nepalese meals.
And now I wonder - do they know Jesus?
Will they bring Jesus back to Nepal because of their time on the ship?

Today's People Group

Young men and young women entered the spacious room and discretely eyed each other. They came here from different villages in Nepal. Some of them had musical instruments. Soon the room was abuzz with conversation, all in the Gurung language. “Let’s have some music. Let’s dance,” said a young man. A teenage boy began playing a stringed instrument, and the dance floor was soon full. So began a typical evening at a rohdi, a place where Gurung teenagers gather to socialize.

There is much confusion about the early history of the Gurung people. Their language didn’t have a written script when they migrated to the mountains of Nepal centuries ago. We know that the Gurung ruled a kingdom in Nepal until Khasa armies conquered them during the 16th century. The Gurung learned how to fight during the long period of captivity that followed. Some Gurung men became skilled fighters and hired out as mercenaries with foreign armies. 

Today these soldiers are called the Gurkhas. Almost all of the Gurung are Hindus, but there is also a large Buddhist minority within this people group.

Pray that a mission agency will chose the Gurung for outreach and send Holy Spirit-directed workers to them. Ask God to break the hold that Hinduism and Buddhism have on this people group. Pray for spiritual growth for the 23 known followers of Christ among the Gurung so they can be used by Him to extend His Kingdom.

Learn more at Joshua Project.

Snaps from Suzanne - Part II

Opps!  Forgot to finish this post after we returned home yesterday - enjoy these shots of the orthopaedic patients! 

Snaps from Suzanne . . .

In the past, only the communications team has been allowed to take pictures of the patients on the ship.  However, that was recently changed and two nurses have been allowed to take photos on the wards.  Check these out from Suzanne . . . 

World Kindness Day 511

Today is World Kindness Day and I received a package from a missionary from Amman, Jordan who sent me material from Ghana.  Now, that's what I call worldly!

What's the 511-part all about?

Check out my rescue-hero Jay Swanson's blog and find out!

It fits so well with World Kindness Day.

So far we’ve done 511 surgeries, which I think would be easy enough to tie directly into some statistic about how we’ve changed 511 lives so far this field service, but that would be short-sighted. One of the things that makes the impact of our work here on board the Africa Mercy difficult to quantify is the sheer magnitude restoring health to someone can have on the lives around them.

As an example, Paul struggled with deteriorating vision his entire life due to childhood illness, and then one day cataracts started to take what little was left.

Paul is the oldest son in his family. In Congolese society, Paul really is the “man” of the house – he’s expected to provide for everyone. Paul’s also really exceptional – he built his own house in spite of his illness. But long projects like that don’t bring money in.

Give Paul his sight back and it changes more than his life. It changes the life of his family. It affects his community. It adds back into the pool we all draw from. Paul is excited to get back and finish school, and he is so excited to finally be able to provide for his family.

Santurnin is in a similar boat, although much farther down the line. He has so many kids you almost need a third hand to count them on. He’s a soldier, and soldiers (believe it or not) need to see to fight.

Santurnin’s surgery came at just the right time to restore him to his post, and in turn just in time to continue supporting a family. Surgery on board the Africa Mercy changes more than individual lives, it touches entire communities.

I want to encourage you today that you might not have any idea what kind of effect you’re having with the good you do in any given day. You have no idea how far a compliment, a smile, or a generous extension of yourself will go. This is no reason not to give, not to put yourself out there – not to love whoever God puts in front of you today.

We’ve done 511 surgeries to date, but we’ve touched so many more lives. And you’ve been a part of that – so thank you.

Eleven, twelve, thirteen!

Seriously!

How could any blogger not blog today?

It's "eleven, twelve, thirteen",

numerically speaking.

Not that there's much to say -

I put an extra hour in at work today,

I still have groceries to pack away,

my oven needs a good cleaning -

too bad I broke the window and ended "self-cleaning" -

So let me just say this:

"Happy 'eleven, twelve, thirteen'!

Thanks for reading my blog!"

To My Hubby . . .

and my dad . . .

Teachers Around the World . . .

We have a dear friend we met on the ship years ago 

who lives literally half way around the world.

Here in America, her job would be similar to a guidance counselor.

She's part of a small group that prays for Sam and his students on a regular basis.

Read this, her response to one of Sam's prayer requests:

Dear Margo and Sam,

I am so very sorry to hear how things are for Sam right now. Working in a school and experiencing my own stress dramas, my heart goes to Sam and every teacher in the entire world. It is one of the toughest jobs. I used to say that being a parent was the hardest job in the world, but teaching may be a close tie.

I see the faces of my colleagues and I see exhaustion, frustration and 'I can't take this anymore'. I walk into classrooms and see teachers just trying to survive the lesson before the kids move on to the next. But I see the teachers fighting too, to make every day a new and fresh day, to continue building those precious relationships with students. They turn up most days and that says much!

We celebrate International Teachers day this week, so maybe you guys do too. There is a local church having a service and they have invited teachers this year. I've not seen this before, although I'm sure it would happen in church communities.

I think of Sam often and I hope and pray that his health returns and that his sleep improves. I spent all of last year having issues sleeping due to the stress around school - it was a truly awful time so I have my own experience on how difficult it can make doing your job. 

May God bless you, Sam, for the awesome job you do as a teacher, caring for kids.

Please take a moment and pray for my favorite teacher (Sam!),

the one who wrote this (God knows her name!),

and any other teacher you may know.

Thank you - from around the world! 

Peace Deaf Church

This morning, Matt and I went to Peace Deaf Church,

a church within a church.

It was a small congregation

with a very big heart.

I don't think anyone heard the bouncing basketballs in the gym next door -

except me!

(Ah . . . that's right . . . deaf church)

And I, of all the people there,

probably understood the least amount of signing.

But this I do know - 

God's Spirit was there and moving

and if I didn't have to teach Sunday School the next two weeks,

I'd be back at Peace!

Photos from Brazzaville . . .

^ Photo Cred: Josh Callow, Mercy Ships