“I pray that I will never be the same again,” says Sarah Creighton, a nurse from Illawong in NSW, returning from 12 months service as a volunteer nurse with the international charity Mercy Ships in West Africa.
            “You cannot see what I have been privileged to witness during the past year and not be touched.  You cannot sit with patients who haven’t even been touched for years and have them thank you for that touch without yourself being broken.  Or sit with a woman whom no one will go near, because she has been incontinent since childbirth, and see her respond to the healing touch of doctors and nurses.”
            Sarah’s calling by God to become a nurse in Africa came when she was 17.  Two years ago she heard the challenge to full time mission work and knew it was time to go.  “I was finding my heart moved with compassion for the suffering people of Africa, and I could no longer remain where I was.  I discovered Mercy Ships by accident while searching on the internet, and started receiving the charity’s newsletters.  I read them and was moved to tears, telling God I would go if He was sending me.”
Those around me reacted differently.  Some thought I was crazy going to Africa, having to pay my own way there and back and paying crew fees while onboard the hospital ship.  Others put me in the “martyr” category.  But mostly, reactions were positive. “It really annoys me when people think of what I have been doing simply as humanitarian.  I went because Jesus died on the cross to give us eternal life, and that means hope – hope and healing of body, mind and spirit.  My amazing God saved me and chose me to help provide through Mercy Ships hope and healing to the hurt and suffering.”
            Sarah worked as an ICU nurse at Sydney’s Liverpool Hospital for more than five years, and before setting out for Africa spent three months at the Westmead Children’s Hospital to learn more about pediatrics.   That work experience prepared her for her role as a ward nurse caring for both children and adults.   She served onboard during the latest field assignment to Ghana, then sailing with the Anastasis to Liberia to be with the medical crew at the commencement of an assignment to that nation.
            She describes Liberia as a ‘mess’ three years after the end of more than 20 years of civil war.  “It’s a country with 85% unemployment.  Three-quarters of the people live below the poverty line on less than $1.50 a day.  There are no services – electricity, mains water or sewerage.  No one can afford health care services.  A whole generation has missed out on education.  Former child soldiers have no skills.  Gangs are beginning to form.  The country has a Godly leader who is doing her best but has a huge task ahead of her.”
            “God is calling us to help the poor – the poor in body, mind and spirit.  He is not interested in the way we perform religious piety and acts that on the surface have an appearance of godliness.  He is interested in our hearts and the way we are prepared to spend ourselves on behalf of the poor.  May I never become hard to injustice on this earth.  I pray that my heart would break for the people of Liberia.  I don’t know the answer to all the problems but I do know that I am called to love those I come in contact with and reflect Christ to them,” Sarah concludes.
Mercy Ships is an international Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.   Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.
Mercy Ships offers a range of health and community development services free of charge.  Highly skilled surgeons on board the ships perform thousands of operations each year to correct disability, disfigurement and blindness.   Medical and dental teams travel the countries and establish clinics to provide vaccination programs, dental treatment and basic health care for those with no access to these facilities.  Local community health workers receive training in hygiene, nutrition and disease prevention.
Mercy Ships builds hospitals, clinics, training facilities and basic housing where none exist.   Agricultural projects help replenish livestock in war-torn areas and boost food production.   Working in partnership with local people, Mercy Ships empowers communities to help themselves.    The result is a way out of poverty.

6 June 2007

            “I hope that during my short time in Sierra Leone I have helped in some small way to make a difference in the lives of some people.”      
            Melissa Rogers, a physiotherapist from Adelaide, is back from voluntary service with the international Christian charity Mercy Ships, working at a permanent land-based centre established by the charity in the West African nation among the world’s poorest people.  The New Steps Centre helps people with physical disabilities, most arising from polio and war injuries.  Mercy Ships also operates a Fistula Hospital providing free surgeries to correct obstetric fistula problems in women.
            “Before I flew to Sierra Leone, I tried not to build up too many expectations of what life would be like there,” Mel says, “as I don’t think anyone can really understand a place, culture or situation without actually being there.   But I was quite unprepared for what I encountered.  This country is rated by the United Nations as the second poorest in the world.   There is a vast gap between the rich and the poor.   Little infrastructure exists and most of the people have no access to address the basics of health care and sanitation.   Education is inaccessible to many, resulting in a very high level of illiteracy.
            “Resulting from injuries and atrocities committed during the long years of war, and a lack of access to immunization to prevent disabling diseases such as polio for many years, it’s estimated that as many as ten per cent of Sierra Leoneans are now living with a disability.”
            “My time with both the New Steps Centre and the Fistula Hospital were very challenging.  I was involved in a program for those suffering from Cerebral Palsy.   Traditionally, children born with a disability have been considered ‘devil children’ and were left in the jungle to die.  Families or women who tried to raise these children were often shunned by those around them.  Many children did not survive or were left behind closed doors, receiving no therapy at all, resulting in further deformity.”
Mel completed her physiotherapy training at the University of South Australia in 2003.  She worked in a rural setting in the Riverland; at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide; and for Novita Children’s Services, a community based organisation providing services for children with physical and multiple disabilities.  She says the range of experiences, skills and training prepared her well for the time in Sierra Leone.
“As a Christian, I believe God genuinely cares about each and every human being.  I also believe we are called to show much God cares for the rich and the poor, the old and the young.  I had long wanted to be able to do more about that belief, and during my time in Africa I was privileged to do that,” she says.
“It was costly, as all volunteer serving with Mercy Ships are required to fund their trip to and from the country where they work, as well as paying living expenses while there.  Financial support was provided by many people, and I appreciate that assistance.  There seemed to be many who would like to do something like this themselves, but felt they could not due to financial, family of work situations.   They were particularly keen to help out and support me.  
“It has been a valuable time of learning, particularly about the complex problems facing the developing world.  The time away has also taught me to value more the opportunities of living in Australia, simply because I was born into a relatively rich and educated society,” Mel concludes.
Mercy Ships is an international Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.   Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.
Mercy Ships offers a range of health and community development services free of charge.  Highly skilled surgeons on board the ships perform thousands of operations each year to correct disability, disfigurement and blindness.   Medical and dental teams travel the countries and establish clinics to provide vaccination programs, dental treatment and basic health care for those with no access to these facilities.  Local community health workers receive training in hygiene, nutrition and disease prevention.
Mercy Ships builds hospitals, clinics, training facilities and basic housing where none exist.   Agricultural projects help replenish livestock in war-torn areas and boost food production.   Working in partnership with local people, Mercy Ships empowers communities to help themselves.    The result is a way out of poverty.

27 May 2007

Mercy Ships newest vessel, the Africa Mercy, has docked in Monrovia, West Africa, following the vessel’s maiden voyage from the U.K.  The ship effectively doubles the international Christian charity’s capacity to provide free health care and community development services.
            Chief Executive of the Sunshine Coast based Australian support office, Gary Regazzoli, described the event as something like the arrival of a new baby after a long time waiting.   And he says, “She’s beautiful, weighing 16,500 tons, and measuring 152 metres in length.”
            “Like proud parents, we are weaving dreams for her future, we want her to be healthy, we want her to be successful, and we want her to be a blessing to others.”
            The Africa Mercy is the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship, with six operating theatres, 78 hospital beds, state-of-the-art equipment, and a crew of 450 volunteers from around the world, including Australia.

24 May 2007

Understanding the world’s cultural tapestry

“It is so easy to sit at home, caught up in the busy schedule of work, home and church, and miss the real understanding of all that is going on in the world around us,” says Fiona Lanting of Melbourne.
“Even though we may say we have empathy for people living in the world’s poorest nations, watching images on television does not instill the same understanding as being there.”
            Fiona, a theatre nurse, has just completed nearly three months of voluntary service onboard a hospital ship operated by the international Christian charity Mercy Ships in Ghana, West Africa.   It was her second such trip, having served for three months with Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone during 2004.
            “It was much easier the second time,” she says, “as previously I hardly been outside of Australia, and certainly not in Africa.    It was also very different traveling this time to Ghana, compared to arrival in Sierra Leone three years ago where I was shocked at living conditions in the capital Freetown and hearing of the horrific experiences people had suffered during that country’s long civil war.  It was a real contrast to arrive in a peaceful country, which though poor, has signs of economic development.”
            “Being poor is only one part of the lives of many Africans.   Corruption flows through to the daily hardships faced by most people.  Basic services we take for granted are not available.   Despite the fact that the people may be physically poor, they are abundantly rich in spirit.   They have so many reasons to feel sad or turn away from God, but instead they dance and sing with such a freedom of heart.   Give them a drum and a reason to praise God, and it’s like a bunch of kids who have been let out of school.
            “It puts me to shame when I think of the times I have thought the singing at church was too long.   These people will dance and sing for an hour at church, all the while sweating in the heat.   God is good, and African people won’t let you forget it.”
            Fiona says working as a short-term volunteer onboard is very busy, with long working days and quick meal breaks, as surgeons carry out a range of remarkable operations to correct disability, deformity and blindness.   “Despite the pressures faced, there is a huge satisfaction of being involved in something I could never accomplish in Australia.”
            She felt God’s prompting in offering herself for service, and He provided the opportunity for extended leave from work in Melbourne to go.  “It has been such a privilege to work within the Christian community of more than 400 onboard.   The whole experience is one of giving God the glory for what is done through the combined efforts of all of the crew.   I know I have grown spiritually.   While I enjoy the break from expectations of my work, family and church life at home, God has used this time to teach, encourage and strengthen my relationship with Him.  How could I be more blessed?”
            “For every person we operated on, there are still countless numbers of others out there waiting.  Many will never have the chance to receive treatment.   It is sometimes hard to think of that, but then I remember all that has been done and is being done by volunteers serving with Mercy Ships.   I remember a woman with a huge facial tumour going home with her deformity corrected.  She can now live in her village without fear of being regarded as an outcast.  She can earn a living because people are no longer afraid to buy her bead work from her.  She gives glory to a God who loves her just as much as He did before her surgery.
            “For this woman and for others, Mercy Ships has been a vessel of hope and healing.   It has been an honour and privilege that God has chosen me through Mercy Ships to bring hope and healing to such people.   For the future, I hope to sharpen the pencil of my spiritual life and gain a better understanding of our world, and the tapestry of culture and values that God brings together,” Fiona concludes.
Mercy Ships is an international Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.   Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.
Mercy Ships offers a range of health and community development services free of charge.  Highly skilled surgeons on board the ships perform thousands of operations each year to correct disability, disfigurement and blindness.   Medical and dental teams travel the countries and establish clinics to provide vaccination programs, dental treatment and basic health care for those with no access to these facilities.  Local community health workers receive training in hygiene, nutrition and disease prevention.
Mercy Ships builds hospitals, clinics, training facilities and basic housing where none exist.   Agricultural projects help replenish livestock in war-torn areas and boost food production.   Working in partnership with local people, Mercy Ships empowers communities to help themselves.    The result is a way out of poverty.

4 May 2007

A Small Part of God’s Work

What I am doing as Chaplain to crew members is no more or nor less important than the work of those using knives to peel potatoes or those using scalpels to perform life-saving surgeries.”
            That is how Peter-John Hopkins sums up his two-year term as a volunteer Chaplain onboard one of the hospital ships operated by the international Christian charity Mercy Ships.
            PJ, as most people call him, is responsible for the spiritual welfare of 400 volunteers onboard the Anastasis, currently on assignment to the West African nation of Liberia, one of the world’s poorest nations.   When that ship is retired soon, he will take up a similar position as one of the crew chaplains on the world’s largest private hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, which will sail for Liberia within the new few weeks to continue the charity’s assignment in that country until the end of the year.   The Africa Mercy will have 450 volunteer crew from around the world, involved in medical and community development projects aimed at bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor.
            “The work of Mercy Ships is so important through both its medical and non-medical outreaches following the example of Jesus,” says PJ, “but we must remember that what we are doing is only a small part of God’s work in which all Christians share.   My current concerns relate to the pressures being placed on volunteers, many of them long-term, who face tremendous pressures.   Many of them are medical people, doctors and nurses, who are under real pressure as they try to do everything possible to bring healing to the people of West Africa in their real need.   Often that desire to work comes at the expense of the health and spiritual needs of our volunteers.”
            PJ knows about God’s leading him in the decision to offer himself for service with Mercy Ships as a volunteer.   That leading began more than 14 years ago as he emerged from what he describes as self-induced alcoholism that took everything and everyone from him.   He heard of Mercy Ships from guest speakers at a Salvation Army community event at Toronto in the Newcastle district.   “I had a long standing desire to serve overseas in some form of missionary capacity, and that chance came after an expected opportunity to serve with the Salvation Army in Taiwan fell through.”
            In an occupational sense, his 12 years experience as a counselor and lay chaplain with the Salvation Army, also helped in his decision making.   With qualifications in Arts and Law, a Counselling Degree and Theology Degree, PJ headed for Mercy Ships International Operations Centre in Texas for five months of training, including one month on assignment in Honduras.  For a broader experience, he worked with the Agriculture Department in Texas and served for three months as Dining Room Manager onboard the Anastasis in Africa.  He is now one of three Chaplains onboard, and expects to continue until late 2008.
            “Almost from the day I arrived in Texas I have felt that I am doing what God wants me to do.   I am sure God is at work in my decisions,” he concludes.
Mercy Ships is a global Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.   Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.   Highly skilled surgeons onboard the ships perform thousands of operations each year to correct disability, disfigurement and blindness.   Medical and dental teams travel the countries and establish clinics to provide vaccination programs, dental treatment and basic health care for those with no access to these facilities.  Local community health workers receive training in hygiene, nutrition and disease prevention.

23 April 2007

“When I received word that I had been accepted to go as a volunteer with Mercy Ships to Ghana and Liberia, I had never even heard of Ghana,” says Brisbane nurse Jacki Huestis who has just returned from four months onboard the charity’s hospital ship in the West African nations.
            “I had heard of Liberia and that country’s desperate needs, and I felt privileged to have had the opportunity of working in both countries.   My time as a volunteer Registered Nurse in the ships’s hospital ward started in Ghana last November, and when the field service to that country finished the ship sailed to Liberia where more than 400 volunteers will continue to serve until the end of 2007.”
            Jacki, who lives at Sunnybank Hills, says she had been searching for a long time for a volunteer position that matched her nursing skills.   “I read in the Queensland Nurses Union magazine about a nurse who spent three months as a member of the eye team in Africa, and felt that the international Christian charity would be perfect.   My eleven years of nursing included work in the acute hospital setting and in the community.  At the time of my acceptance with Mercy Ships I was working as a domiciliary nurse in the community, but I moved jobs to a hospital surgical ward to refresh my acute surgical nursing skills.  I also needed to spend time raising funds, as everyone who serves with the charity is required to finance the trip to and from the ship and pay crew fees during the period of service.”
            “The initial reaction from some family members was one of failure to understand why it cost money and my being able to afford it, while others expressed concerns about safety.  All, however, then became very supportive of the decisions, both emotionally and with preparations and fundraising.   Work colleagues found the nursing aspect of what I would be doing fascinating, but some also could not understand that I would be paying to serve as a volunteer.”
Jacki says she knew something of what conditions would be like in West Africa through some volunteer work done previously in Nepal.   “I had been interested in working with humanitarian organisations in developing nations for some time, and had a fair idea of what I would see in terms of living conditions.   My time in both Ghana and Liberia did change my view of how people we were serving have the strength to get through the situations they are in, things that are so far removed from the little things we in  the developed world complain about every day. 
“This experience has reminded me again to be thankful in every situation for the life I am privileged to lead in Australia.  It is hard to imagine the lack of access people in such countries as Liberia and Ghana have to basic health care.   Some of the conditions presented in people screened for surgery I may have seen here, but never to the extent to which they had developed through lack of medical help or the ability to afford it.  There is utter poverty, a total lack of educational opportunity, no way of earning a living and an absence of such basic infrastructure as electricity and running water.
“I am not sure of what may happen in the future as a result of this experience.  I will think more about it, and would like to think that I would have the opportunity of working with Mercy Ships again in the future.   There was nothing bad about my decision to go.  The best thing about that decision was simply that I did it,” Jacki concludes.
Mercy Ships is a global Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.   Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.  Highly skilled surgeons on board the ships perform thousands of operations free of charge each year to correct disability, disfigurement and blindness.   Medical and dental teams travel the countries and establish clinics to provide vaccination programs, dental treatment and basic health care for those with no access to these facilities.  Local community health workers receive training in hygiene, nutrition and disease prevention. 
Mercy Ships builds hospitals, clinics, training facilities and basic housing where none exist.   Agricultural projects help replenish livestock in war-torn areas and boost food production.   Working in partnership with local people, Mercy Ships empowers communities to help themselves.    The result is a way out of poverty.  Mercy Ships seeks to address the needs of the whole person.  While some attend to the physical and practical needs, others address psychological, emotional and spiritual issues. 
Fifteen support offices are located around the world, including the Australian office at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast.   www.mercyships.org.au

10 April 2007

Mercy Ships stint a long time coming

            It took some years for Gold Coast doctor Dr Stephanie Meyer and husband Nathan to fulfill a vision held since she heard about the work of Mercy Ships when she was 15 from a representative of the international Christian charity visiting her church.
            Now they are back in after serving for two months as volunteers onboard the charity’s hospital ship in the West African nation of Ghana, one of the world’s poorest nations.
            Stephanie, with a background in medicine, worked as a ward doctor among patients coming for life changing surgeries to correct disability, deformity and blindness.  She also assisted the crew doctor, responsible for the health needs of more than 400 volunteers serving in a range of projects among the people of Ghana.   Nathan worked as a member of the ship’s deck crew, loading and unloading cargo and vehicles, security, construction and renovations; as well as other duties while the Anastasis sailed from Ghana to Liberia where the current nine-month assignment is under way.
            “Some people wondered why we wanted to do something like this, or why we would want to go to West Africa,” says Stephanie.   “Many were more surprised when they learned there would be no pay.  This is a voluntary organisation where every crew member pays to get there and pays crew fees that go a long way to ensuring that Mercy Ships is able to provide all services to the people completely free of charge.”
            “There is a huge medical need in this part of the world as well as a huge need for community development services to help get communities in much of West Africa back on their feet.   That involves a very large crew of people with varied skills to provide care in those areas of need.  Many of the health problems encountered are virtually unheard of in Australia.  But not only health problems.  We take for granted the availability of water, access to education and employment.
            “Liberia, in particular, needs support and encouragement from those of us who have so much.  The nation has emerged from a very long civil war and has many obstacles to overcome.  Even though we may only have a relatively small impact on the population as a whole, many more are encouraged and will benefit in the future through such community programs as buildings, schools, education, water wells and agriculture,” she says.
            Stephanie and Nathan agree that their time in West Africa makes them appreciate the blessings of living in Australia.   They say the best thing about their decision to go is ‘the whole experience’, while the worst thing is ‘being unable to stay longer’.
            Mercy Ships is a global Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.   Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide. Since 1978, Mercy Ships has performed more than 1.5 million services valued at over $800 million and impacting more than 5.5 million people as direct beneficiaries; delivered more than $27 million of medical equipment, hospital supplies and medicines; completed close to 350 construction and agriculture projects including schools, clinics, orphanages and water wells; and demonstrated the love of God to people in 223 ports in 54 developing nations.  Support offices are located in 15 countries, including the Australian office at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast.  www.mercyships.org.au

1 April 2007

New hospital ship set to sail

The world’s largest charity hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, has successfully completed sea trials enabling it to sail on the inaugural trip to Africa.
            The former Danish rail ferry has been converted by Mercy Ships into a state-of-the-art hospital ship at a cost of more than $70 million to provide free health care and community development services to the poorest people of Africa.
            Following sea trials in the North Sea, the Africa Mercy has returned to the UK for four weeks of final preparations, including loading of supplies and materials required for service in war-torn Liberia.   More than 400 volunteers from around the world, including Australia, will provide free medical care, capacity building, relief aid and community development programs.
            The Africa Mercy is the fourth ship to be operated by the international Christian charity, which has provided more than $850 million worth of services since its inception in 1978.   Statistics include more than 26,000 surgeries and 162,000 dental treatments; and completing more than 800 construction, agricultural and water development projects.
            Don Stephens, Founder of Mercy Ships, says, “Every ship has life savers, but this ship is a life saver in itself to thousands who wait for her arrival in Africa.  Without this ship so many of the poorest of the poor face lives without hope.  This huge white hospital ship docked in an African port is a strong symbol of hope.”
            Chief Executive Officer of Mercy Ships Australia, Gary Regazzoli, says “Hundreds of people have worked tirelessly on this project for several years, and we owe each one of them a huge debt.  The focus now will be to complete the loading of supplies and volunteer crew over the next few weeks in order that she can start service in Liberia.”
            All of the crew on board the ship will be volunteer professionals.  Doctors, dentists, nurses, community developers, teachers, builders, cooks, seamen, engineers and many others will donate their time and skills to the effort. The Africa Mercy has 6 operating theatres, 78 bed hospital, X-ray room, CT scanner, dental clinic, pharmacy, school for up to 60 pupils, and accommodation for 474 crew.
            Mercy Ships follows the example of Jesus in bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.

12 March 2007

Mission work is in the blood

            “I needed to step out of my comfort zone,” says Brisbane nurse Kathryn Stout.  “My grandparents were missionaries in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea, and my parents and my sister work as missionaries in China.”
            “I heard about the work of Mercy Ships from a friend at university in 2001 and at a conference a couple of years ago.  Every time I received a newsletter or looked up the website I became more and more interested, and challenged.   That challenge also came from a short-term mission trip to The Gambia, where I felt frustrated at the limited health care we could then provide in the villages.”
            Kat decided to take leave without pay for five months from her work as Registered Nurse at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, returns home in April. “As I spread the word about my plans I found people anxious to help as I saved and raised the money needed.  All who work with Mercy Ships onboard the floating hospital are volunteers, paying their own way to get there and for their keep onboard.”
            “So I joined the crew as a ward nurse, and have had opportunities during free time to become involved in other projects off the ship such as community development programs, teaching maternal health, and visiting prisons and orphanages.  I needed to be open to God, to draw closer to Him, and be used by Him as a blessing to others in any way He planned.
            “There are some who think it’s totally crazy to give up money and time, and actually pay to work in West Africa of all places.  But now I know quite a few of my friends want to do it too.   I think my five months in Africa had made me realize how much we can live without.   People in Ghana where I served have so little, yet they seem so content with their lives.  The patients are so grateful for all that is done for them, and hardly ever complain.
            “There is such poverty, and people don’t get medical help at all, or they only obtain help if their problems are really severe.   Many of the surgical procedures carried out without charge by Mercy Ships surgeons are never seen in the developed world.  It’s a real honour to be a part of what God is doing.
            There was a patient who underwent surgery to remove her thyroid.  She lost a lot of blood at night after surgery.   The blood bank is the ship’s crew, and a call went out to replenish her supply, about nine bags.   That woman nearly lost her life.  The blood was given, the crew prayed, and the woman was up dancing and singing, praising God, at church on the following Sunday.
            “My life has been changed.  I am certain mission work will be forever in my blood.  I have no idea what is ahead, but I am glad that God knows,” Kat concludes.
Mercy Ships is a global Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978.   Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.  Highly skilled surgeons perform thousands of operations each year to correct disability, deformity and blindness, while other volunteers work in the local community on a range of health and community development projects

7 February 2007

From moving earth to moving dirt

            “I run my own business as an earthmoving contractor,” says Karl Schmutter of Port Macquarie, NSW.  “I wanted a change in my life, one that would help someone in genuine need of something more than a money fix.”
            Karl heard from a friend about the work of volunteers serving with the international Christian charity, Mercy Ships, seeking to bring hope and healing to those in the poorest nations of West Africa,
            “I really had no idea what my skills as an earthmover could provide to be of help through Mercy Ships in Ghana, but I offered to go with a willing and teachable heart.   For the first five weeks onboard the hospital ship with its crew of nearly 400 volunteers I worked as a cleaner.  Instead of moving earth, I suppose you could say I moved dirt, helping to keep the ship clean as other volunteers went about their work carrying out life changing surgeries in the operating theatres, or out in the community through a range of community development projects.”
            “For my final two weeks in Ghana, my home skills did help as I was involved in the construction of the Tema Polyclinic, a project aimed at increasing access to health care facilities. Ghana Health Services asked Mercy Ships to assist with their work in Tema by constructing a 527 square metre maternity unit which will be staffed and managed by Ghana Health Services.  A part of the project involved enhancing vocational skills of local workers.”
The Polyclinic was built in 1962 and compliments health services delivered to the Tema General Hospital. It serves a total population of more than 300,000.  Mercy Ships provided additional facilities to the centre during an earlier visit to the nation in 1995.
Karl says he would like to serve as a volunteer for a longer time in the future.  If that opportunity is available he thinks some short-term training in appropriate fields could be an advantage before going.
“Family members and friends are interested to hear about what I had done.   It was such a wonderful experience.   Some had trouble understanding why I should want to pay to go and work in another country.   I am trying to say to those around me that experiences like this short one I have been privileged to have only happen if you do something about making them happen.  Time is short.  Don’t procrastinate, he says”

Eyesight restored for 1000 in Ghana

Abdulai Shitu is 70.
For a ling time he has not been able to see because of cataracts in both eyes.
            Now he has become the 1000th person in the West African nation of Ghana to have sight restored, thanks to the efforts of volunteer medical teams working with Mercy Ships.
            Before surgery onboard the hospital ship Anastsais Abdulai expressed the desperation of his situation.   “Before the eye problems,” he said, “I was a driver, but now I can’t work because I can’t see.   I thought every day I would kill myself or drink poison to die so that everything would be over.”
            After hearing about the Mercy Ship through friends, Abdulai decided to visit the ship.  “One of my children has had a new baby, and I haven’t been able to see it, only hear it.  I am hoping God will be able to help me see the baby.”
            Following surgery to remove the cataracts, Abdulai returned to the Mercy Ship.  As the bandages were removed, his eyes began to focus and a huge smile broke out across his face.   With a mirror in his hand, the 70 year old looked at his reflection for the first time in two years.  The smile on his face spoke volumes, and praise and happiness radiated from his very being.  “I thank God for all that he’s done for me; for bringing me to the ship; and for the people on the ship and all they are doing,” he said.
Ghana is a country of more than 20 million people served by only 48 ophthalmologists.  Over half of these surgeons are concentrated in the Greater Accra and Kumasi urban areas.  Compared to the availability in developed nations of one eye care provider per 10,000, limited access to eye care of only one per 420,000, combined with the poor economy places a tremendous burden on the blind and their families.  
Of the estimated 200,000 cases of blindness in Ghana, cataracts are responsible for 45-50%.  Another 15-20% of blindness is due to glaucoma.   Although the incidence of cataract blindness is unknown, one estimate suggests 1,000 new cases annually per million population, or 20,000 more people each year in Ghana.  The national cataract surgery rate in 2003 was 505 per million population.  In the eastern regions, the area targetted by Mercy Ships, the rate was 264.
Before the ship leaves, many hundreds more will receive free operations to restore, improve or maintain vision, while 20 local volunteers will be trained in community eye health.  The Mercy Vision project is one of a number of medical and community development programs being undertaken in Ghana.   More than 350 volunteers from around the world, including a number from Australia, are participating short-term or long-term.   Through all of the programs Mercy Ships aims to follow the example of Jesus in bringing hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor. ENDS
A high resolution copy of this picture of Abdulai looking at his reflection in a mirror following surgery is available.

Celebrating Christmas on a Mercy Ship

 “Why don’t we try and dress up as turkeys?” came the excited suggestion from one girl.
Plans were underway for a festive night for crew members onboard the hospital
The response she received was quite unexpected. “Turkeys? What’s turkey got to do with Christmas?”
Many will be spending Christmas away from home and families.
There are thoughts for Australian volunteers who will be spending their Christmas onboard a hospital ship in the port city of Tema in Ghana.
Onboard the Mercy Ship, Anastasis, more than a dozen Australian volunteers are among 300 crew members from 34 different nations. Each has a unique and special way of celebrating Christmas. To the first girl, turkey is an essential aspect of her English Christmas celebrations. To the second girl from America, turkey has no connections.
However, between each crew member there lies a special bond. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. With this common unity, the festivities aboard the floating hospital ship begin. For those from the Northern hemisphere, celebrating Christmas in the sun is a culture shock by itself.  But as the ship is transformed into a simple, yet beautiful display of green wreaths and fairy lights, cultures are joined together to celebrate as one.
A mixture of fun filled activities, reflective services and beautiful nights of music mark the lead up to Christmas day. Traditions from around the world are used to incorporate every culture that is represented onboard.  The Anastasis not only holds a multitude of cultures but a great diversity of ages. From eighteen months to seventy-two years of age, activities need to accommodate everyone.
Following the Dutch Tradition, every crew member puts a shoe outside their cabin door on Christmas Eve. Throughout the night, the shoes are gradually filled up by small gifts. Christmas morning is then filled with shouts of glee as people open homemade gifts from friends, colleagues and neighbours.
In the Mercy Ship hospital ward, patients experience their own special celebrations. Choirs of crew members perform Christmas songs from around the world. Small gifts are given to patients, especially provided for by the crew. No-one is forgotten. Off the ship, crew members involved in programs at orphanages plan Christmas activities. All ages get involved in card making, parties and special advent services. On and off the ship, the message of Christmas is the same.
“Today … a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2: 11)
(Picture: Crew members from Sweden onboard the Mercy Ship celebrating the traditional feast day of Santa Lucia as part of the ship’s Christmas celebrations)