This post has been reblogged from "Shine Bright" written by a pediatric nurse aboard the Africa Mercy, Jenny. May it give you a good feel for what is happening with Mercy Ships in Guinea.
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The Africa Mercy arrived in Guinea two weeks ago! We were welcomed to
our new dock in Conakry with music, dancing, joy, excitement...and a
massive downpour. It is wonderful to be back in Africa once again for my
4th field service with Mercy Ships and I'm looking forward to being a
part of what God is doing here. I'm sorry for my silence the past few
months as I've been sailing, traveling, resting and spending a few weeks
home with family (please follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more
frequent updates and to see what daily life is like!). After a busy year
in Cameroon, this time was exactly what I needed to recover mentally,
physically and emotionally and prepare for the next year of service. We
have one more week until patients arrive on the ship so here is a quick
introduction to my new home!
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All of June and July, the ship was
sailing or in the shipyard in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain to have
maintenance and repairs. While this is somewhat of a rest period for
parts of the ship like the hospital, for the engineering and deck crews
this is the busiest time of year!
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of my favorite parts of sailing is a tradition called Worship on the
Bow. This area of the ship is usually off limits to crew for safety
reasons except for calm days during the sail. It's great for quiet
sunbathing, naps or sealife sighting but once or twice per sail we set
aside some time to praise God from the deck surrounded by open ocean!
Almost the entire crew attends and things can get pretty rowdy when they
pull out crowd favorites like Jabulani Africa or Days of Elijah :) |
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| Here's
our Captain John making a phone call on arrival day. For a sea-loving
captain, it can be pretty boring to live on a ship that only sails for
2-3 weeks per year. Most of the year is spent making sure the ship is in
'ship shape' for sailing - and when that day comes, it's finally time
to shine! |
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I've been to 4 African countries with Mercy Ships: Madagascar, Benin,
Cameroon and Guinea. Guinea is by far the most needy of them all! The
difference could be felt from day one just in seeing the port and
surrounding areas - and Conakry, the port city, is one of the wealthier
areas. Guinea has a population of over 12,000,000, of which 35% live
below the poverty level. The ship was last here in 2012-13 and since
that time, the Ebola outbreak hit Guinea very hard, nearly crippling the
healthcare system and making outside aid organizations hesitant to work
in the region. There are approximately 40 hospitals in the country with
less than 100 surgeons and 10 anesthesiologists between them (those are
very generous estimates since the actual numbers are hard to
determine). The life expectancy is only 59 years. All that being said,
we have much work to do here and are excited to see how God plans to use
this ship and willing people to bring hope and healing to a place that
so needs it.
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Last week, we held a Mass Screening event in the capital city of
Conakry. Over 6,000 people passed through the gates. It proved to be a
challenging day, as crowds began to multiply before sunrise in hopes of
relief from medical conditions rarely seen in any other setting. By the
end of the day, 1,135 people were offered follow-up appointments to
return for a more in-depth health assessment. In the coming months, the
team will also continue to screen patients from four regions in the
interior as well. Thank you for your prayer on this hugely important day
that enabled us to find a huge portion of our patients for surgery this
year!
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Also happening during the time since our arrival is the annual cleaning
and set up of the hospital. We have had an awesome crew working
tirelessly to set up the wards, operating rooms, and other parts of the
hospital to prepare for patients to arrive soon!
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I can't get enough of these gorgeous sunsets from the deck of our
ship out over the Atlantic Ocean! A different view of God's creation
every day!!
As we've been setting up the hospital and preparing for the year ahead,
I've had the chance to do a little exploring around the Conakry area.
The surrounding streets near the port are mostly small shops and
neighborhoods, but just a short boat ride away are several beautiful
islands with hotels, restaurants and beaches. While I love most things
about living on ship, the ability to get away for awhile and relax in
nature is an added benefit, especially after a busy work week. Guinea
has many beautiful sights and I hope to see more of them during my time
here!
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Prayer Points:
- URGENT: One
container of supplies, including the tents that go on the dock and other
important equipment that should have arrived before the ship, has been
diverted from Cameroon. It needs to arrive in Guinea ASAP and also be
cleared quickly through customs to allow those teams to have a place to
work when patients start arriving soon!
- Further screening
continues this week for patients who were pre-selected at the mass
screening. Four other screening events in different cities all over
Guinea will be held in October to fill any remaining spots.
- Over 100 new crew
members have come onboard the ship since our arrival in Guinea. Pray for
smooth transitions and quick training for many people in new positions.
- Surgery begins
September 4! Pray for the patients and crew who will care for the
hundreds of surgeries that will be done in the next 9 months.
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