"A Day at the Beach..."

Every six weeks, the crew of the ship have a three day weekend. So, instead of hanging around the ship for three days, most of us will take at least one day and spend the day at a local hotel's pool. Today (Saturday) we ventured out to "Casa Del Papa". By the way of a bumpy beach road, it takes about 1 1/2 hours. By the way of the paved city road, it can take 2 hours plus...(you have to account for accidents...today there were four we passed on the way home.) "Casa Del Papa" is one of the nicest hotel pools to go to. There are two pools. One that the kids can run, play, throw balls in...just be kids. The other one is a deep pool that the adults ended up swimming around in.Benin has some of the most incredible beaches I have ever seen. But, because of the riptides, we are strongly encouraged to not swim in the ocean. After watching some of the waves crash into the shore, I can understand why!

The kids like to play in the sand. They were digging trenches to see if the waves would fill them up. Several waves came close but they dug in the wrong spot!

This is a time for relaxation. The kids can be kids...run...swim...and play.

The big kids also get time of relaxation.

Then of course, we all came home rather tired. But we were very thankful for the day of rest. Since we are heading into the last month of our outreach time in Benin, we know we will not have too many more days like this to relax. Keep this last month in prayer for us. That we would stay focused and not grow weary.

"Road Rules...pt. 2"

1. A helmet is optional for motorbikes...

2. If you decide to wear one, it does not have to fit...it can be placed in any position on the head

3. A pedestrian can cross anywhere on the street...

4. A vehicle does not stop or move for the pedestrian...

5. The pedestrian must dodge the motorbike/car/truck

6. If your car breaks down...empty out you goods...flag down the next taxi...leave the car abandoned

7. If in an accident...leave the entangled mess...someone else will clean it up...sometime later

8. If in an accident...do not call the ambulance...the person making the call pays for the ambulance

9. If stopped by the police...they may want a bribe before they let you go on your way

10. Make sure whatever you transport is packed tight enough it won't fly off or fall out...

...chickens or

...wooden pallets...(Yes, there is a vehicle under all those pallets).

"Road Rules..."

Before I go onto the main point of this blog, I wanted to share with you the Human Development Index the United Nations just released. For an FYI Canada is ranked #4 and the United States is ranked #13-in the "Very High Human Development" category...

Benin 161

Togo 159

Above are the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings of Benin and Togo out of 182 countries in the recent United Nations Human Development Report 2009; both are in the "Low Human Development" category. As you know, we are currently serving in Benin and in February 2010 we will be in Togo.

Now, onto the main point of this blog. Road Rules...in Africa....

If you have a car/minivan/motorbike...

#1 Put as many people as you can into or on your car/minivan/motorbike

#2 Stop and add more people to your car/minivan/motorbike...especially if you are a taxi

#3 Just when you think you cannot add one more person...add another person

#4 Load the roof of the car or minivan with supplies

#5 Go as fast as you can without causing an accident

#6 Stop anywhere to let people out

#7 Park almost anywhere you can...the side of the road, the curb (if there is one), the meridian, the middle of the road if the side is already taken...especially if you are a semi-truck

#8 To go around parked vehicles, use the other side of the road...and flash your lights as you are coming

#9 Lane usage is optional, especially if you are a motorbike

#10 Drive in the middle of the road when possible

#11 Stop lights are optional...just slow to see if someone is coming...if not...go

#12 Use your horn...when passing...when stopped...to tell someone to get out of the way...whenever you feel the urge...just because

#13 When driving a motorbike aim at the "Yovo" (white person) while beeping your horn to tell them to move

#14 Keep aiming at the "Yovo" until they do move

#15 If the "Yovo" does not move, swerve quickly just before impact and yell at them in French or Fon or whatever language they don't speak

#16 When the road needs repairing, get some friends, repair it, put up a rope, then charge a toll for use

#17 Throw rocks at the vehicles who don't pay the toll

#18 The biggest vehicle has right of way, unless you are a motorbike then create your own rules

#19 When driving a semi-truck, at the end of the day pull over wherever, put your hammock up under the truck and go to sleep

#20 Headlights at night are optional

#21 Where sunglasses at all times...even at night

#22 Carry anything you can and as much as you can in or on your vehicle...

(PS-the goats are alive!)

Needless to say, Alisia will not be getting her driver's licence any time soon!

"Updates..."

I have so much to tell today I don't know where to start. First of all...the prayer request. Her surgery was performed yesterday. Much to every one's amazement who remembers her being here before. I popped in and checked on her yesterday and today. Even though she had major surgery on her jaw, she still was able to greet me. I am so thrilled for her and praising God for the miracle she has been able to experience!

Secondly...the VVF women are here. Ali, one of the nurses on her blog has written and excellent blog about the VVF women I just had to share with you!

The ladies are back. A Ward has been filled with a sense of anticipation for the last few days as women wrapped in their best lappas have shuffled in and out, answering endless questions about their medical histories. The stories vary, but the end result is the same; I was pregnant, and now I am wet. Some ladies come with babies and little children, but these are the rare ones. Mostly, they share the same thing. The baby died. It was inside for too long and it died and now I am wet. When I meet their eyes, I read fear and rejection and despair and this unquenchable, overwhelming hope.

(Just know, as a caution, that I'm going to get slightly graphic in this paragraph. Not so much information for the kids.) Women with obstetric fistulas (we call them VVF ladies, as an umbrella term) are the modern-day lepers. During a prolonged and difficult labor, the pressure of the baby's head against the bones of the pelvis causes soft tissue to die. When the baby is finally born (almost always dead), the woman is left with gaping holes between her bladder and vagina. The rectum or urethra or any combination of all three can be affected. This, effectively, tears a woman's life apart, because when she develops a fistula, a woman becomes an outcast. Often, she is turned away from her family. Her husband leaves her and she lives on her own outside the village, smelling of urine and feces. Unable to stop the flow of her humiliation.

Maybe you've never heard of vesico-vaginal fistulas (VVFs). I'm not surprised. It's a problem that's almost unheard of in the developed world, where woman have access to medical care and hospitals and cesarean sections when things go wrong. Here in developing nations, it's estimated (by the WHO) that fifty to a hundred thousand women every year develop fistulas. There are over two million living with fistulas. And there are only about thirty thousand surgeries being performed every year. You do the math. We're standing in the gap in one of the biggest battles you can imagine. We've screened and selected twenty-one ladies. Twenty-one, in the face of a hundred thousand. I look at the statistics and I want to cry, knowing how many more will go to sleep tonight, weeping her shame as the bed underneath her grows wet again. But for these twenty-one, we are offering the world. We are offering love where they have known rejection, acceptance where they have known disgust. We are going to try and put back together the ruined pieces of their lives, and I've got a front row seat.

The first lady came back from surgery this morning. She rolled into the ward on the OR stretcher, grinning at anyone who would look her way. I grabbed her chart and flipped to the operative report. Words like "excellent", and "full closure" stared up at me, and I grinned as her nurse tried to straighten out the absorbent pad on the bed. The nurse smiled back at me. We might not need this. Because this lady, and twenty more, might go home dry. (For more on VVF, there's an amazing documentary about the fistula hospital in Ethiopia. If you've got a big enough stock of tissues, go check out (A Walk to Beautiful.)

So, needless to say after some sad and scary times last week...we are experiencing some pure joy...joy given from God. That is the way life is, there are extreme experiences...extreme emotions...highs and lows. But with God in control we are able to balance those highs and lows.

"Prayer Request..."

A few weeks ago, I told you about a patient who we had to tell that she was unable to have surgery. Well, much to my surprise she is back on the ship, sitting in a bed, waiting for surgery. When I saw her name, I quickly went down to Deck 3 to make sure it was her and not a mistake. I saw her sitting in her bed, finishing up some paperwork. She looked up and had the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eye when she saw me. I gave her the biggest hug, with a huge smile on my face and with tears in my eyes. Please pray that there will not be anything to hinder her from having surgery. She is so excited to be back...her hopes are so high...I would just hate to see her hopes be dashed again. I'll keep you posted.

"Prince Eddie..."

Walking into the Africa Mercy hospital, I immediately noticed the patient sitting in bed 11. His smile was illuminating the entire room. I knew he had to be Prince Eddie.

Prince Eddie is known on the Africa Mercy for his contagious joy and grateful heart. In the few weeks he has spent in the hospital, his smile has encouraged dozens of patients, nurses, and doctors.

A businessman by vocation, he keeps a black briefcase next to his hospital bed. Inside, amidst stationery and pens, is a carefully stored photograph of his new bride, Millicent, and a wedding ring he can’t wear.

“I have my wedding band, and I want to wear it but can’t because of the burn. Forcing it over the burn is too painful,” said Prince Eddie.

Prince Eddie was born with a condition called syndactyly. On both of his hands, his ring fingers and middle fingers were fused together. When he was an infant, he received a surgery to separate the fingers at a local hospital. The operation was successful on his right hand, but post-surgical complications burned the fingers on his left hand, leaving them fused and contracted.

Every day – for 36 years – Prince Eddie has made subtle modifications to perform common tasks and avoid embarrassment. “For my job, I have to do a lot of computer work. Typing is hard because I can’t freely move my fingers,” said Prince Eddie. “When I am at work, I don’t sit by the computer if there are a lot of people around because I want to hide my hand.”

The injury had prevented him from pursuing many interests. “I really enjoy music and have wanted to learn how to play guitar. But because of my hand, I have not been able to. I cannot grip the strings,” he explained. But it has never stolen his joy. In the face of difficulties and disappointment, he’s never stopped smiling.

Today, Prince Eddie has a lot to smile about.

Four months ago, he married his beautiful bride, Millicent, and is very excited about being a husband. This month, he received a free surgery onboard the Africa Mercy to restore the use of his fingers. In a few weeks, his bandages will be removed, and he will finally be able to wear his wedding ring.

Prince Eddie first encountered Mercy Ships in 2006 when the Anastasis came to his home country of Ghana. Friends from his church, the Yeboah family, were living on the Anastasis and encouraged him to come to the ship. He was examined by a surgeon. The surgical schedule was already full, so he was placed on a waiting list. He was never called back. This year, the Yeboahs informed Prince Eddie that the Africa Mercy was coming to Benin. In March he traveled to Benin, was examined by a surgeon, and again placed on a waiting list.

The always gracious Prince Eddie did not become disheartened or frustrated. “When I was screened, there were a lot of patients in the line. I didn’t feel bad when I was put on the waiting list, because I realized there were a lot of people whose situations were worse than mine,” he said. Fortunately, a space in the surgical scheduled opened, and Prince Eddie was able to receive his free surgery.

Prince Eddie is extremely grateful to the doctors and nurses who have cared for him on the Africa Mercy. He wrote the poem, “Angels Amongst the Sons of Men,” to express his gratitude.

“I see all the nurses here as angels. It’s a touching sight to watch the nurses work. How could I not be grateful?” said Prince Eddie. Prince Eddie Daniels, patient onboard the Africa Mercy, wrote the following poem:

Angels Amongst the Sons of Men

The day the Big White Whale landed on the black shores of Africa was a blessed day to the Sons of Men.
It came with Angels to walk amongst the Sons of Men.
Why do I call them Angels?
Let me tell you of my time with them.

I came onboard the White Whale with rooms filled with
the lame
the maimed
the formed
the deformed
the wrong
and the rough.

And deep into the darkest part of the night, I saw men and brethren, maidens and ladies, though flesh as us, yet with hearts as Angels.

Sleeplessly and tirelessly they toiled through the night,
through the pains and aches of men;
They, with hands to heal and mend,
bringing from above the Father's love to the Sons of Men.

Some they cut.
Some they tie.
Some they seal, and yet others
they fix with tools untold.

Like messengers of the Most High they came.
Not thinking of their own, they risked their lives
and sailed the seas to lands beyond the endless world,
to shores of Men afflicted and in pain.

Their hearts and lives they came to share,
as Angels walking amongst the Sons of Men.

Some in this life are born to pass,
and some are born in life to live,
Yet these Angels are born to preserve humanity.

Though some may see lives as waste,
yet with speed they move to save.
With words of love and touch of peace,
they endlessly toil to make right the wrong.

You were born as Men to your lands,
and yet as Angels you served the earth.
Gold is digged from earth beneath.
Treasures are hunted on high seas.
But love so pure and true
can only in hearts like yours be found.

Your labor in the Lord shall not be in vain.
For every life you touch and every soul you save,
For every bone you mend and every face you straight,
The Lord of Life and Light will light your path and guide your life.

For you are truly Angels amongst the Sons of Men.

Prince Eddie explained his inspiration: “I see all the nurses here as angels. Because of the pain in my hand, sometime I can’t sleep at night. Instead, I sit awake and watch the nurses work. They do everything, from cleaning to mopping – taking care of all kinds of things. It takes angels to do that, to render that service.”

“Sometimes you do a lot of things, and you wonder if people really appreciate what you do. Patients come in and out, and many don’t have the opportunity to say ‘Thank you.’ I feel everyone would wish to express their gratitude, but the English background restrains many people from saying what they want to say. I wanted them to know I appreciate them.”

“It was already a touching sight to watch the nurses work, but then I learned they have to pay to work onboard. I asked myself, why are they paying to work? They should be paid to work. I was so touched because I knew they were doing the service of the Lord. You have to have a big heart to do that.”

“I write as a hobby when I am inspired. I don’t keep copies of my writing; if someone inspires me, I write, give it to them. I felt like writing the poem to say, ‘Thank you.’ My motivation is to let everyone know that I am so grateful for what they have done for my fingers. I wanted to thank everyone who helped me. This poem is what I feel; it’s a way of saying, ‘Thank you.’”

Story written by Megan Petock
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Megan Petock and PJ Accetturo

"Life is Fragile...Handle With Prayer..."

The dictionary defines fragile as : easily broken, weak; of delicate constitution, not strong.

Over the last week, the saying "Life is fragile, handle with prayer..." has gained a lot more meaning to me. Last week, we received the horrible news that one of our translators was killed. Another translator was attacked by thieves and injured. A patient was told she could not have surgery because she is pregnant...and wanted to terminate the pregnancy so she could have the surgery...or she would possibly take her life. One of our long term crew members was told they had to go home by the end of the week. Three crew members came down with malaria and another was in an accident. Life is fragile...



I have often pondered the verse: "Since a man's days are already determined, and the number of his months is wholly in Your control, and he cannot pass the bounds of his allotted time — (Job 14:5) AMP. Will we live? Will we die? Will we be in an accident? Will we get some sickness that potentially could kill us? Will we receive some unwanted news that alters our plans? I don't want to sound depressing, but we often get caught up in the thought we will live for a very long time...that tomorrow is guaranteed. But in reality, only God knows how many days we are given. We are given no assurances for tomorrow. We have today...this second, this minute, this hour. Handle with prayer...



It makes me realize:

*There is no time to hold grudges, bitterness, anger, or resentment.
*There is no room in life for unforgiveness.
*To fully love those around me, even if they are hard to love.
*Even if they don't use deodorant, or have not showered for awhile.
*To care for the sick, the wounded, the disfigured.
*To hug someone who may not be perfect in features...who maybe scared from a fire, born with a cleft lip, or have a tumor the size of a baseball on their neck/face.
*To make a difference in another life.
*To make my life in someway count.


A song by christian artist Robin Mark often runs through my mind.


When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?



When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I have done
For love's rewards
Will stand the test of time



Lord, your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
That you found purest gold in miry clay
Turning sinners into saints



I will always sing your praise
Here on earth and in heaven after
For you've joined me at my true home
When it's all been said and done


You're my life when life is gone.



Life is fragile...handle with prayer...asking God to guide each new day to accomplish His will, His purposes, to His glory. In the end, it is all that counts.

"Jeffa Clinic..."

Today, Mike had the privilege and honour of being able to preach again. Instead of the regular church we have been attending, the pastor invited Mike to preach at the sister church in a village called Jeffa. After the service, the pastor took us next door to the community clinic. I am unsure whether or not the church helps support this clinic, but it is supported and run by one of the church members. The main emphasis of this clinic is to help provide safe care to the community at a reasonable cost. A person can buy the medication they need off of the streets, however, it is expensive and not safe. So the clinic provides the medicine, vaccinations, basic obstetric care and midwifery. This is the delivery room. As you can see, it does not meet the western clinical standards. However, for this area it is more than sufficient. It also provides a cleaner/safer environment than the surrounding community.This is the room where vaccinations are administered. Once again, it is simple but clean.This is the hospital area. As you can see there is no medical equipment...but the owner and her husband work very hard to meet the needs of the community.The lady in the middle is the owner. She is a nurse and a midwife. The two gals in blue are her assistants. They all work very hard to see that the community needs are met.

"A Friday Afternoon..."

One Friday afternoon, an elderly woman showed up at the Mercy Ship in Benin with her newborn grandson in her arms. The baby was a mere three hours old and did not yet have a name, but his need for immediate medical attention was obvious. Conjunctivitis that began in the womb had caused the lining of the baby's eyelids to swell. Two globular red sacs protruded from his eyes, blocking his vision and flipping his eyelids inside-out. This condition left his tiny eyes unprotected and exposed. Left untended, they would be damaged beyond repair. His mother, Janette, didn't know what was wrong with her baby and was horrified by his appearance.
"When I saw him, I was suffering," Janette said. "I thought my baby did not have eyelids." At the maternity clinic in Porto-Novo, they told Janette the baby needed to go to Cotonou, Benin's capital, where more advanced medical care is available. So, the baby's grandmother bundled up the yet-unnamed child and climbed onto the back of a motorcycle taxi, the primary mode of transportation in Benin. "When the motorcycle taxi driver saw the baby's eyes, he was afraid," Janette said. Still, he agreed to carry them to Cotonou. The doctors at the hospital in Cotonou told the grandmother to take the baby to the Mercy Ship. Fortunately, it was a Friday – the only day of the week the ship's operating rooms for eye surgeries are not booked full with cataract patients – so the baby was able to be seen immediately. Dr. Jim performed a simple operation to drain the infection and turned the eyelids in the correct direction.
The baby was given antibiotics and was kept overnight. The next day, Janette was able to leave the hospital and travel to Cotonou herself to see her baby. They were released to go home soon after. Even in such a short time, the visual transformation was dramatic. The baby, now named Desiré, returned for a post-operative appointment a week later. On the way back to the ship, Janette happened upon the same motorcycle taxi driver who had brought Desiré and his grandmother to the ship the first time. He could not believe the difference and told Janette how happy it made him to see the baby was healed. Janette certainly agreed with him. "The goodness that Mercy Ships has done makes me so happy," Janette said. "If Mercy Ships was not around, where would I have gone?"
From the blog of Stacy Adams.

"Thank-you..."

Something we have been meaning to do for awhile is say THANK-YOU!! There have been several people who we have partnered with us financially that we have not been able to personally thank. Unfortunately getting mail off of the ship is a challenge, so I have not sent out thank-you notes. But we want you to know whether you support us financially or prayerfully we are truly thankful for your partnership.

Phil 1:3-6 "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"

Blessings to you all!! Mike and Deb

"Kids Will Be Kids..."

As you have heard from me before, I have fallen in love with the African kids. They have such contagious smiles and infectious laughter. I just needed to share some of their wonderful faces with you!

This little gal is one of the kids from the ward. I love going down to the ward to see the kids. They are such an encouragement and a light when I've had a rough day.These three kids are part of the church that we have been attending. Every Sunday they are getting more and more bold in their actions towards us...sitting with us...messing around with our stuff...asking for drinks from our water bottles. This little girl attached herself to Alisia. This is as close as we could get to get her to smile. It makes me wonder what has happened to her in her young life that she doesn't smile.This guy was just acting goofy in the service and wanted his picture taken. Even though it is at least 90 degrees outside...he was in a winter jacket.This little guy climbed out the window and just needed a break. He looks like he's deep in thought.
Alisia with the kids after church.Joshua with some of the kids after church.

Jesus said: "Let the little children come unto me" and in this church they have. This church was started with 18 kids in 2005...and then the kids started bringing their parents to church. As a result the church is going strong!

"A First..."

Today Mike was given the privilege and honour to preach at the church that we have been attending for the last month. It was a first for him to preach through not one, but two translators. English to French to Fon. For those of you who know Mike's sermons...in English alone it would have only been a 15 minute sermon...however with the two translations, it was 45 minutes...He did discover some things just cannot be translated like the words "warm fuzzy feeling of young love..." Both translators just looked at him and smiled...Fon is a much more conceptual language and often two words in English became 30 words in Fon. He preached about God's love and how we are to love one another (1 Cor. 13)...even our enemies...those we have difficulties with...a challenge for all of us.
During Mike's message, this little guy decided he was going to go through one of our gals purses. He found the sunglasses and had more fun taking them on and off. I guess even in foreign lands all kids get bored with the sermons! Once again after the service, the church served us drinks. These two little boys decided to follow us into the back room and finish off all the drink we could not. The one to the left is on his 3rd bottle, while the one on the right is on his second! This is Mike with the pastor of the church. After the service he asked Mike to preach again next Sunday and the sister church to this one.I have really come to appreciate and love the African worship services. They are very simple, not seeking perfection, but seeking to worship God. Prayers are said out loud...communally, dancing and clapping are equally part of the worship service. Musical instruments are a couple of African drums and a large gourd with beads. It is very "freeing". Granted they take 3-4 offerings in a service and the pastor can take up to 15 minutes asking specifically for a certain amount of money to meet a specific need in the church. He will continue to ask and wait until the need is met. No one is offended...no one walks out...people don't stop coming...it is just part of the culture. I look forward to worshipping in eternity with our African family!

"Laundry List..."

You know you live on a ship when...
-There are ten washers and dryers...with a list of "do's and don'ts" posted. Everyone gets 1 hour to wash and 1 hour to dry.

-When there is a line of "lost socks"...this is no practical joke...you often have wondered where the lost sock goes...well...somehow it has gone "walk about" on the Africa Mercy.



Other amusing things...you know you live on a ship when...(some borrowed from Ben's blog)
- Your messages get sticky tacked to your door
- When you have the same curfew time you had in high school
- You wake up thinking your alarm is going off, only to discover it was the next door cabin
- You talk about "cabins"
- You have to choose between: breakfast and lunch or sleeping in on weekends
- 2 minutes is considered a normal shower time
- You share your living room with 400 people
- You are privileged because you are a driver
- You can only have the Land Rover for 4 hours (unless you're with another driver)
- Flashing your knees is exciting
- People in Africa can go topless (not on the ship) but it is rude to show your knees
- Your commute lasts less than 30 seconds
- The toilet flushing is a luxury
- The comment ‘hit the deck’ can actually be taken literally
- Your phone number consists of 4 digits
- You meet someone for the first time and start with asking: “how long are you here for?”
- Your don’t have a kitchen but a galley
- You receive a call from reception saying the smoke detector in your cabin has set off the fire panel
- You have a fire drill every other Thursday
- You have a "muster station" for for drills
- You get rocked to sleep every night
- A big date night is on Deck 8 watching ships come in/out of the port
- Recognizing different types of ships and what they carry
- You have a general announcement speaker in you cabin
- You receive general announcements
- You have a Captain, Security Officer, and Gurkha looking after your safety
- You have a hospital ward on Deck 3
- You have a gangway instead of front steps

All in fun...we love it here. But some things make us realize we are not in a "normal" environment...and their fun to laugh at and poke fun of. =)