Dry Dock and A Guest House

This past Thursday the families were moved off the ship – this is a necessary part of the ship being put in dry dock (and dry dock is a necessary part of ship yard this year because of repairs that need to be made to the propellers, the propeller shaft, the rudder and the chain locker).  No children are allowed on the ship as it becomes even more of a construction zone than it normally is during shipyard.  The dads continue to work – commuting back and forth between the ship and the place we are staying.

The ship moving into its dry dock space (the ship sails in and then the water is drained out).pc: janine 

 Apparently this is the (a?) lock that is holding the ship in place. pc: andrea

We rode to the shipyard on Sunday hoping to snap a picture of the AFM in dry dock.  This was the best we could get from the road. She's in the dry dock space and the water was starting to drain. 

A ship out of water... pc: katie

I (dianna) must confess, I was struggling to stay positive about moving off the ship.  I was confident that we were going to be placed in lovely accommodations…but I felt like our family had just found our “rhythm” for this shipyard time – the kids were enjoying working, Emma and I were finding things to do, I was connecting with some of the crew who are here for the summer – I’ve been enjoying life on the ship and I didn’t really want to move off (and I know that people will start returning to the ship from their holidays and I wanted to be there to welcome them back!). 

But, alas, moving off is necessary and the fact is that everything has its pros and cons.  

And this guest house has plenty of pros.  The Davaar Guest House...it really is lovely.  

We were welcomed with Chocolate Bars and have been fed delicious meals (breakfast is the best).  The sweet ladies who work here are so kind in keeping things clean and preparing our food.  We have “taken over” the entire house – it’s “just us” Mercy Shippers - 5 moms, 9 kids...and the dads on nights and weekends!

And now I find myself spoiled. Meals are prepared, brought to us and taken away.  Towels are refreshed every day. Beds are made and rooms are cleaned for us.  I even turned in a bag of dirty laundry yesterday morning to have it returned clean at the end of the day (that was one of THE most awkward things I've done in a while.  Who am I to ask someone else to wash my family's dirty laundry?! ).  There's time to read and write and get caught up on blog posts.  Time to rest.  

How does this happen?  We came to serve, not to be served.  Yet I find myself being served.  I’ll receive it as blessing…enjoy the refreshment…open the gift so that I can then share it with others.  

A few of the gifts:

Ability to wear flip flops (or go shoeless as the kids prefer)

Windows that open, breezes that blow through

A beautiful girl enjoying the open windows

The view in the backyard

Braai for bar-b-que

Our Dining Room

 Glimpses into what the kids have been up to:

 Other views:

Our street (it's quite the hill)

Our night view. pc: patricia

Being here has me thinking about Paul's verses about contentment in Philippians 4

11 ...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I've typically only thought of these verses when the circumstances were less than ideal...the verses have challenged me to be content when things weren't going quite the way I might like for them to go.  Yet here I am...trying to be content when we have plenty.  It's a challenge in and of itself.  A challenge to enjoy the plenty....to enjoy the gifts. 

Surely there will be more to come. 

AFM Child Labor (it's a good thing!)

We love the opportunities that our kids have on the Africa Mercy.  Some opportunities come as a result of living on a hospital ship; some come through the school.  Some of the things they are able to do come through other crew members offering a class or service; some come through us as their parents making things happens (and making them participate!).  And some of the opportunities our children have come from their own little minds and initiatives. 

The kids that are on the ship for the summer are a special bunch…somehow they decided that they wanted to work.  Hope you enjoy this sweet “telling of the tale” from our Operations Director, Tracy Swope.

As the Operations Director, you have people "tracking you down" all day. Some people have good ideas and want to share their thoughts. Some just want to tell you that at 1829 (PM), 1 minute before closing the dining room, the cauliflower vegetable was not available. You learn to take it all in stride.

Last week, I was hunted, and yes I mean, hunted down by people shorter than me. That is saying something, as I am not a very tall person. I received numerous text messages, notes left on my cabin and office doors, and I had other crew members telling me that a “gang” of short people were seeking me out.

I must admit, I was trying to avoid this gang.  Last year, the ship entered dry dock shortly after arrival in Spain.  Most of our shorter crew members were not located on the ship but were moved into shore based housing almost immediately. This year in S. Africa, the families have remained on board for the first three weeks and, with limited transportation, I knew this gang was on the prowl and I suspected they were bored.  In fact, I wondered if Donovan had coerced this gang into ambushing me with silly string or something along that line. I do not mind admitting, I felt out of my league in dealing with this gang.

I saw a few members of this gang in the café, so I ducked into the laundry room to avoid them. After 5 minutes, I went around the back of the ship to my office thinking that I had out smarted them. However, wait, there was the gang in front of my door!

As I approached my door, a plea rose from their lips:

“Please, can we work on the ship?”

I stopped, “What?"

Gang: “We want to volunteer on our ship.”

Hmmmm,  no cans of silly string or water balloons?  Let me see what I can do.

What an example of what the parents   “do” the children learn to “do.” These young crewmembers looked at Eliot Royston (one of the teenagers onboard who is working but is not pictured) and their parents volunteering on the AFM and then followed suit. After a few quick meetings, looking at child safety and locating age appropriate departments, these volunteers joined our crew as VOLUNTEERS.

A few words about it all from Eli and Caroline

Eli:  “It was fun.  I worked in the dining room with some of my friends.  I washed dishes and watched the line and made sure there were drinks.  I pulled out the tables that hold the ketchup and sauces and salad stuff and pulled those back in at the end of the meals.  I had fun.  I mainly worked with Mr. Sam.  He taught me a lot about operating the lift that sends the food up and down from the galley.  That was my favorite part – operating the service elevator.” 

Caroline:  “Basically all we did was fold laundry – and wash laundry.  We probably did about 20 full loads each day.  I got really good at folding towels.  I could probably do it with one hand.  On Monday we mopped and swept the floor – that was the other thing we did.  The lady we worked with was Miss Zena.  She was very nice.  It was really fun and I enjoyed it.  I think I may even ask if I can do it once a week after school.” 

Thanks, Tracy, for taking the time to help these precious ones serve.   Hands on experience is a priceless gift!  There's no telling what seeds have been planted as a result of this chance to work and serve and give -- if nothing else they've gained a greater appreciation for the work that is done for them and around them on a daily basis (though we've all certainly gained more than that...we have an expert laundress in the family now!).

Surely there will be more to come!  

Shipyard in Durban: good times

It's a little hard to believe that we arrived in Durban, South Africa just over a month ago. Work on the ship started almost immediately upon arrival.  Much has been done!  Bulkheads came down as new plastic piping has been installed.  New walls have been put in.  All sorts of different areas and spaces have been renovated.  It's incredible how very much can be done in such a short amount of time!

An alcove of the dining room becomes the Projects Team's office space during shipyard

the green clamps are on the newly installed plastic piping

One of the only down sides of shipyard is that flip flips are NOT allowed...and we have to wear hard hats when leaving the ship (but that's pretty much just amusing...)(looking around and seeing everyone in hard hats sure helped to keep the mood a little lighter when on the dock for good-byes).

the contents of the main galley had to hang out in mid-ships for a few days during fumigation

bulkheads down

the majority of the ship becomes a construction zone! 

This shipyard time is turning out to be really sweet (we were hoping it would be!).  It’s completely different than life during the field service (as you might would guess).  There is far less structure for the kids since school is not in session (though eli and caroline have been able to “work”  — eli in the dining room and caroline in the laundry room! a blog post about this is coming). There are far less people - which has its pros and cons.  The general rhythm of life is different. 

It's so interesting to us that the ship’s day to day operations are so decidedly different during this time.  There are very few nurses on this hospital ship (and the ones that remain have been reassigned to non-hospital jobs!).  There are no doctors (that we know of).  The tools being used during this season aren't IVs and stethoscopes and scalpels.  The tools in the hands of the workers are grinders and welders, screwdrivers and hammers.  But the reason we're all doing what we're doing is the same - to bring hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor.  

No matter how the inside of the ship looks, there's always a lovely view from Deck 8 (pc: Marina)

Dockyard at sunset (pc: Marina)

This is definitely a time of preparation and “refreshing” for what’s next.  All of the hard work and effort and plans and preparations will make the Africa Mercy better than ever before - better able to carry out her mission.

Please pray for the remainder of this shipyard time - may everything that needs to be accomplished happen - and may it happen in the most peaceful and timely fashion possible.  Please especially pray for the dry dock time (the ship went into dry dock this morning! That's an answer to prayer in and of itself!).  In order for the ship to sail as planned, this dry dock time needs to be successful.  Please pray for those leading - may they be full of strength, energy, patience, hope and endurance!

Surely there will be more to come.

Cash Kids: Questions & Answers

Thought it would be fun to ask the Cash Kids a few questions and share their answers with you.  

We asked.  They talked.  We typed.  

Enjoy!  

What's your favorite thing about the Africa Mercy?

ELI - the easy accessibility to things...like the dining room and friends.

CAROLINE - all the nice people you get to meet.

EMMA - that it's a ship.  because it sails.  and i like the sails.  except for the parts that give me headaches...the part over bumps.

What's your least favorite thing about the Africa Mercy?

ELI - food selections probably.  they only rarely have chicken nuggets.

CAROLINE - the rule about having to be 10 to fix your food and you can't run.

EMMA - we don't get to go to mcdonald's very often.

Where is your favorite place on the Africa Mercy?

ELI - mid-ships - it's a place where I can meet with my friends and play with them.

CAROLINE - our cabin - my stuff is there and if i'm bored there's stuff to do.

EMMA - with God...He's everywhere.  And the dining room because you can eat food there and get food there.

If you could add something to the Africa Mercy, what would it be?

ELI - a target store that could fold up into a box.

CAROLINE - an amusement park with a roller coaster, water park & mcdonald's..things like that - and it can fold up into a box so that we could store it well during the sail.

EMMA - a vanilla icecream machine.

What's your favorite meal here on the Africa Mercy?

ELI - chicken strips.

CAROLINE - well...umm....i like...uh...let's see...um....uh,,,i really like the chicken strips and the hamburgers...and the hotdogs - those are delicious.

EMMA - chicken strips and french fries.

What's one thing you want people back home to know about your life on the Africa Mercy?

ELI - living on the AFM is entirely awesome.

CAROLINE - there's no traffic - so you can get to school in about 10 seconds....unless a bunch of people start crowding the stairs - so then there is technically traffic - human traffic - not car traffic.

EMMA - sometimes in the middle of the night I go and sleep on the floor in my mom and dad's room.

There ya go!   A bit of a different perspective on this place we call home.  Let us know if you have any others that you'd like to hear their  answers to!

Surely there will be more to come.

faces & numbers & pie charts & life change

This time of year is a bit tough - it's tough to say good-byes, tough to wrap things up and get ready to sail away (but it happens to be a bit easier this time around since we'll be returning to Madagascar in August).  

But this time of year is also a whole lot of beautiful -- it's a natural time for reflecting back on the field service.  Final statistics are gathered, infographics are created, stories are wrapped up.  

Here are just a few bits and pieces that we want to share with you -- just a taste of what God has been doing...(just a heads up, you may need to take this post a few bites at a time...read a bit, rejoice a bit and then come back for more!).

BANAY had a bilateral cleft lip and palate.  She has lived the majority of her teen years avoiding people. Now with her new lip she says she finally feels beautiful enough to go out into the world. “I was ashamed,” she says. Her first plan now that she’s left the hospital is to take swimming lessons. She’s always been afraid of the water due to her deformity and now she plans to conquer that fear!

JOCELYN had a tumor near his eye that caused his eye to protrude from his face.  With the tumor removed, Jocelyn can now return to a normal life.

MARIA was 2 years old when she fell into a pot of boiling water.  Since Maria’s parents didn’t have the money to seek medical treatment, her arm healed improperly and she was no longer able to raise it away from her side. Her parents said, “The problem was always the money. Always the money. It would have been impossible for us to find the money to do surgery.” The Lord proved faithful and Maria had free surgery and can now lift her arm like she used to when she was 2 years old.

MINETTE had a 9 lb tumor hanging from her back...she would do her best to hide her tumor by wearing oversized t-shirts...now she's 9 lbs lighter and has a changed wardrobe!

ROMINO had bowed legs.  After orthopedic surgery earlier this year his legs are now straight!

SANTA tripped over a pot of boiling water which severely burned her neck.  Due to lack of money and access to healthcare, Santa’s burns weren’t properly treated, leaving her neck immobilized due to skin contractures. The skin on her chin healed poorly, attaching to the burned parts on her neck. She wasn’t able to lift her head.  She can now extend her neck like she never could before and will continue to gain mobility as she heals.

VANYA had “windswept legs.”  Vanya would come home from school and tell her mom that her friends would make fun of her because she couldn’t run. She wouldn’t wear clothes that other girls her age would wear for fear of people seeing her crooked legs. Now, for the first time in 10 years, she can run with the other kids and show off her straight legs!

Dental Numbers At the close of the dental activities here in Madagascar, the Dental Team provided 6,290 dental patient encounters with over 22,000 procedures - that is an average of 3.5 dental procedures per dental patient encounter (5,074 adults and 1,216 children).  That's more than 6,000 smiles that are better and brighter because of the hard work and love of our dental team!

And for those of you who love the numbers and charts and pie graphs and such....here are a few for your enjoyment: (these are just the surgery and health care education numbers)

And where did all of the patients come from?  Thanks to some excellent records kept by our friend Davi Trotti, we know that we registered patients from 20 of the 22 regions in the Republic of Madagascar - only two regions (Amoron'i Mania and Androy) have not had any patients registered.  20 out of 22 regions -- that speaks to the excellence of our screening team - the flights and cross-country car rides and extremely long days were worth it!

Aren't you amazed?!  When you really stop and think about these stories and numbers and graphics and charts...it all adds up to lives forever changed.  AND YOU ARE A PART OF THAT!  With your prayers...with your friendship...with your interest...with your financial support...with your life - you are a part of what God is doing here on the Africa Mercy...not to mention what He's doing through you in your own neighborhood.

Aren't you amazed?! We have the privilege of being earthly representatives of God's love and kindness and grace - right where we are with the tools His given us.

There's a song we sing here on the Africa Mercy that we've come to love.  The words are "Great things He has done.  Greater things He will do.  Unto the Lord be the glory.  Great things He has done."  (click on the words to hear a version of it - it's the first song in the medley).

It's so true.

Great things He has done.
Greater things He will do.
Unto the Lord be the glory.
Great things He has done. 

Surely there will be more to come.