"TH+AFM=Canadians!..."

Okay, so the title is a bit cryptic!

What it is saying:  "What happens when Tim Horton's coffee makes an appearance on the Africa Mercy?"  It equals a time for all the Canadian Crew to get together and enjoy coffee!

Many people said:  "What is Tim Horton's without...donuts?  Thanks to Charles...we also had donuts....what a treat!!!

Canadian Crew aboard the Africa Mercy

"Eye Clinic..."

Another one of the programs that we do during the field service, is the eye clinic.  This year we are working in conjunction with a local eye clinic-the Kissy Eye Clinic.

As with the dental clinic, there is a weekly screening on Mondays and the people of Freetown come and line up, hoping for help.

As with all our specialties, the need is far greater than the services that we are able to provide.  We have to keep our eyes focused on the people we are able to help and try to refer the rest to local clinics.  The problem is that for many, they cannot even afford the most basic of care.

"Too Cute..."

For all of you who know me, I am a die hard Calgary Flames Fan (being Canadian hockey rules!!).  Now a friend of mine on the ship is from the Abbotsford area of British Columbia, Canada (just outside of Vancouver, BC).  We have had this running battle of Calgary Flames verses the Vancouver Canucks.  I had to give her this one...he is just too cute...even if he is wear the wrong jersey!  ;-D

"Dental Clinic..."

One of the many services Mercy Ships provides when we are docked in a country, is the dental program.  Mercy Ships is now providing free dental care for the people of Sierra Leone.  Mondays and Thursdays are the screening days where people will line up to get a card to show up on a specific date.

The medical team is on hand to check people's teeth to assess what needs to be done-a cleaning a filling or pulling.  During the first week of dental care the dentists pulled about 1100 teeth!

In the morning, the dental team begins with a time of praise and worship...even in the midst of poverty there are signs of beauty...

The dental team then gets to work cleaning, drilling and pulling...

For the seventy or so people who are waiting for their turn, Comfort and her translator  give instructions on dental hygiene-how to brush, floss, what to eat, and not to eat...how to keep your teeth healthy.

"First Patients pt.2..."

 After all the initial admissions work is done, the patients then can get settled in their beds on the ward. I have to admit, when you get ten new young patients and ten caregivers onto the wards and then having to wait a day or two for their surgeries the energy level on the wards with all the young kids increases exponentially.

Everyone up the gangway...

What is that tump thump...is that my heart beat...?

Down to deck 3 "A" ward...

This is my bed, my papa sleep underneath...

For the crew, it is our honour and privilage to be able to serve the nation and the people of Sierra Leone.  This is what we are called to do, this is what we love to do...to minister in the name of Jesus.

"First Patients pt.1..."

On Sunday March 13, we had group of patients come to the ship for their surgeries.  Let me take you through the journey that they had after they passed through the gates and arrived at the ship.

 Many of these patients were from the Northern provinces of Sierra Leone where our advanced team screened over 7000 people.  This handful of patients were part of a group that were candidates for orthopedic surgery and the ponseti casting.

First things first...paperwork.

Vitals next....

Gee, how much do I weigh?

How tall am I?

X-rays...

Playtime...

For many of our patients this is the first time to be surrounded by such a foreign way of life.  We clean, clean, clean and clean...sanitize...and then sanitize again.  Our hospital provides everything...clean sheets, beds, pillow, food-- the best part is it is all free.  Many of the local hosptials the patients have to provide everything and then still pay.  Our payment is a smile, a giggle....a child walking....a man leaving his brace behind....a baby with a whole lip...a woman seeing her children for the first time...and we do this all because we want to demonstrate the love of Jesus, to help the helpless, heal the broken hearted, to be a walking example of Jesus' love.

"Times Square..."

Press Release:


Mercy Ships Campaign Hits Times Square
Garden Valley, Texas, March 14, 2011
 
Mercy Ships, an international charity operating the world’s largest nongovernmental hospital ship, will debut promotional spots starting this week on the CBS “Super Screen” in Times Square.  Mercy Ships will have 30 seconds of air time each hour from March 14 through April 30.

The Super Screen is located on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. It is 26 feet wide and 20 feet tall. During the 6 weeks of airtime, the promotional spots will range from three 10-second spots to two 15-second spots to one 30-second spot.  The airing of the promotional spots coincides with the arrival of the Africa Mercy to the
Sierra Leone, one of the poorest nations in the world, for the Mercy Ships 2011 Field
Service. This advertising opportunity in Times Square—combined with a complementary marketing campaign in web, print, and local events—will allow Mercy Ships to increase awareness of their organization in the United States.

"Cotton Tree..."

Often when we walk around town, we hear about the big cotton tree, a land mark in town.   So, the other day, my friend and I set out to see the big cotton tree.  I was absolutely shocked at how big the tree was.

In the deep crevasses of the tree, it is a home for large bats.

But more importantly, the tree has a very interesting history.   "The Cotton Tree is an historic symbol of Freetown.  Legend says the "Cotton Tree" gained importance in 1792 when a group of former African American slaves, who had gained their freedom by fighting for the British during the American War of Independence, settled the site of modern Freetown...According to tradition, they landed on the shoreline and walked up to a giant tree just above the bay and held a thanksgiving service there, gathering around the tree in a large group and praying and singing hymns to thank God for their deliverance to a free land. Its exact age is unknown, but it is known to have existed in 1787.  Today, a huge Cotton Tree stands in the oldest part of Freetown near the Supreme Court building and the National Museum. Sierra Leoneans believe that this is very tree was where the "Nova Scotian settlers prayed more than two hundreds years ago, and they regard it as the symbol of their capital city. Sierra Leoneans still pray and make offerings to the ancestors for peace and prosperity beneath the great Cotton Tree. This was especially true during the Sierra Leone civil war (1991-2002)."

 (According to Wikipedia)

(Please let me know if the pictures are turing out...internet issues again!)

"National Clean Up Day..."

I did not want to overshadow Joshua's birthday on Saturday, so I waited to post this blog.  This last Saturday was National Clean Up Day here in Freetown.  Now we were all rather puzzled on what that meant.  We would ask the day volunteers on the ship and some would say:  "Everyone stays home and cleans" or ""Everyone helps clean up".  In my western mind, i thought it was something like what we call "spring cleaning."  When we asked how long this would last, we heard-until 8:00 am, 10:00 am or even till 12:00pm. 

Inspite of the mixed reports we decided we would still venture out into Freetown and see what was happening.  Until Becca came to the door.  "Oh man does it stink out there!...There is garbage everywhere."  She then began to unfold the mystery of  "National Clean Up Day" for us.

Basically what it was, it was a time for everyone to clean all the garbage in the streets and out of the sewage gutters on the roads. (Apparently this is done in preparation for the rainy season so the garbage does not impede the flow of water.)  Now, in a western mind, that may not see so bad.

My friend and I decided to hold off until noon to venture into town.  Boy are we glad we did.  There were LARGE piles of wet, smelly garbage everywhere. The streets were as packed full as usual, but with the added piles of garbage and large trucks picking up the garbage.

 The saddest part to this story, was kids.  Many young kids were barefoot standing in the middle of the garbage...hunting for something they could use or call a "treasure".  The level of desperation we have been faced with here, for me is very overwhelming.  I just have not been able to put it into words.

"Revisiting Joseph Fofanah..."

Looking very sharp in his Boy Scout uniform, nine-year-old Joseph Fofanah stepped up to accept his country's flag. Then he marched crisply to place it in the stand, saluted, and retreated smartly. It was appropriate that this young man participated in the ceremony to welcome the arrival of the Africa Mercy in Sierra Leone.

Mercy Ships played a very important role in Joseph's life. He was born with a cleft palate and cleft lip. “He was having a problem,” said his mother, Isatu. “Any liquid we fed him would come back out his nose.”
This serious birth defect negatively impacts the lives of many African children. Fortunately, Isatu realized that her son needed a medical procedure to repair the cleft. However, the cost of the surgery was more than she and her husband could afford. “But the pastor and the doctor who delivered Joseph told me not to worry,” said Isatu. “A Mercy Ship is just on the way.”
Joseph had his first surgery in 2002, when he was almost four months old, and he received a second surgery the following year. He has no memory of his problem or of his Mercy Ships experiences, but the success of these procedures is evident in his brilliant smile.
Today, Joseph is a happy, active fourth-grader. His favorite subject is mathematics, which may have something to do with his ambition to be a banker one day. An avid football (soccer) enthusiast, he is the goalie on his school team, and enjoys playing with his younger brother, Joshua.
Scouting is very popular in Sierra Leone, and Joseph is a five-year member of Boy Scout Team 3. “I really love to march,” he says, and he's looking forward to camping with his troop.
When asked what he thought about being onboard the Africa Mercy , he grinned and exclaimed, “I'm excited, and I really want to stay here!”
Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina

"Joshua's Day..."

Thirteen years ago, God blessed us with an amazing son-Joshua.  As always, it is interesting to celbrate a birthday aboard the Africa Mercy.  Birthdays, for the older kids, are more of a time to get together and have fun....games, cake, sleep-overs...

Since this last week was a crazy week, my friend Sharon volunteered to do an AWESOME PS2 cake for Joshua!  Thanks Sharon!

Joshua and his presents.

Joshua and Becca.

Joshua and his friends.

Presents...

"Open Hospital..."

Before we start a field service, the hospital staff puts on an "Open Hospital" for the crew.  It is a time for the crew to see the hospital, do fun activities, and get to see areas of the hospital (like the operating theatres) that are generally not open to visitors.

Activities included...

Start an IV...

Out Patient oozzing...

Ventilated Bear...

Snacks (Deb and her co-worker Gemma)

Lots of cookies!

Find your blood type...

Be a nurse for a shift...

Decorations by Grade 7 & 8 Academy Students

(Alisia and Becca)

It was a great time to hang out with friends and have lots of fun....

"Screening News..."

Please click here with regards to a statement about our screening yesterday.

Please keep the crew and Freetown, Sierra Leone in your prayers.

"Saturday..."

For the first time on foot, my friend Sharon and I decided to venture out into the town today.  After a really crazy week preparing for the medical screenings on Monday and Tuesday, getting out and going on an adventure seemed like a good idea.

We had arranged earlier in the week to get some Leones, the local currency-when you look at the money, it makes a person feel really wealthy-then you learn the exchange rate.

10 000 Leones is equivalent to about $2.50 US...

The first thing we did was exit the port area and then head into the market area.  As I described in an earlier post, it was wall to wall people selling everything possible-piles of homemade shampoo (it looked like a tub of lard), raw chicken legs, pig's feet, pig's skin, fresh fish, smoked fish, vegetables, bras (which you just try on in the street), shoes, clothes on and on and on.  Basically everything that a person needs you can find in the market.  The sounds of the market were like an harmonious symphony.  People were yelling the prices of the goods they were trying to sell, horns of vehicles were blasting to warn people to get out of the way, kids were crying and laughing, with under tones of people talking and yelling.  The smells ranged from raw fish, to vehicle exhaust, to dust, and stale water/waste that had accumulated in the gutters on the sides of the roads.

 As we walked back to the port, we saw these pictures of the Anastasis, painted on the wall, from one of the previous visits Mercy Ships was here.

Then these people saw me taking pictures and wanted their pictures taken also. 

We have found the people of Freetown to be very friendly and welcoming.  The sad part is that everywhere you look you see the effects of the war-people with amputated limbs-arms, legs, hands, and feet.  People have done the best they could with the buildings, but you still see the scars of war. 

(Hopefully the pictures turned out, we are having issues again)