"Anniversary Dinner..."

Last night we went for dinner to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary.  We went to a local hotel...one of the few.  It had an amazing view looking over Freetown onto the ocean.  There was a rain storm moving over the area which gave us some incredible picutres.

"you might be on the africa mercy if…'

Okay, I am a bit desperate for a new blog...so I found this one from a friend of mine who just returned to the ship.  It is fun to see things from "fresh" eyes...thanks Sher for letting me "borrow" your blog!

1. You are rationing your clothes because the laundry room has been closed. The main water supply to Freetown ruptured leaving most of Freetown without any running water. We have holding tanks so we do have some water, but we’re now on rationing.
2. You can only flush the brown stuff. Sorry if that was too descriptive. (see #1)
3. At 0500, you go down the hall to take a 2-minute cold shower. Not because you’ve heard it’s the way to stimulate your senses and get your day off to a healthy start, but because you are afraid if you don’t, tomorrow will be the day the Captain will say “NO showers.” (see #1)
4. As you blog, you watch the sunset and listen to the call to prayer from the mosque.
5. You have African food for dinner on Tuesdays.
6. Your Internet connection is slower than a herd of turtles.
7. You are greeted with “How d’ body?” You reply “D’ body fine.” (long o’s)
8. All your co-workers speak English, but conversation can still, at times, be confusing. This topic deserves it’s own post at some point.
9. You can’t sit up in your bed, and getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night is similar to an audition for Cirque du Soleil.
10. You are baking for visiting dignitaries and you have no idea how many grams in a cup, what 160 on the oven temp means, what corn flour is or what a Belgian biscuit is supposed to look like.
11. All your whites are now pinks. Prior to the NO laundry, you were allowed one load a week. Yep, that means everything in one load so I may not wash my jeans the entire time I’m here.
12. You have a 54 step commute to your office.
13. Your entire bedroom rocks you to sleep.
14. At any moment you can be paged to report to the hospital immediately and give blood.
15. Ghurkas from Nepal are standing guard at your front door.
16.  You wonder if you go up to Deck 5 to the dining room to get a glass of water if anyone will notice that you’re in your pajamas. Because you’re dead tired and ready for bed when you realize you forgot to take your malaria medication.
17.  You pay $1 for a Starbucks double-shot latté.
18. And since I’m somewhat anal and feeling like it would finish this list off nicely (oh my gosh, I think I hear some influence from my Brit and Kiwi co-workers) if this list ended with an even number, if this is the view from your home.

"School Pictures..."

Mercy Ships Academy 2010-2011

Alisia-Grade 10

Grade 10 Class

Joshua-Grade 6

Grade 6 Class

"Emmanuel Konteh..."

Five-year-old Emmanuel loves football (soccer), Ninja turtles, playing games with his buddies and all the other things little boys like to do. He is also a member of the children’s choir at his church.  “He’s a boy who likes to sing,” said his father, Daniel, with obvious pride.
Three years ago, Emmanuel’s face suddenly swelled. He was taken to Children’s Hospital, but after three weeks they still had no idea what his problem was. The doctor prescribed several kinds of medicine, but Daniel had no money to pay for them.
One day, Daniel heard that Mercy Ships was on its way to Sierra Leone. He decided to do everything he could to take his son to the medical screening.  When they arrived, they sat on a bench in front of the containers on the dock, waiting patiently for Emmanuel’s turn to be screened.  The little boy’s beautiful face was marred by the growth on his left cheek that extended down to his neck.  But when he smiled, his dimpled cheeks glowed and his big brown eyes sparkled.
Their patience was rewarded when Emmanuel received the coveted appointment card for a surgery.
When the anxiously awaited day arrived, Emmanuel was admitted to the onboard hospital.  Even though he was scared, he was very brave as he was wheeled into the operating room.  His father was also nervous.  He waited in tears outside the operating room’s door, with a nurse holding his hand. “I have never experienced anything like that,” he confessed. “I prayed all night. I thought my son would never come out of the surgery.”
But Emmanuel did come out – with a bandage on his head and a smile on his face. Daniel heaved a sign of relief.
Both father and son were delighted with the results of the surgery.  “There will be no more taunting now,” Daniel said. Emmanuel’s friends would no longer be able to laugh at him because of the growth. The little boy could start school with all the confidence a five-year-old should have.
In a few days, the dressing was removed and replaced by thin adhesive strips.  “I’m glad they took off the bandage,” said Emmanuel. But he wanted to stay on the ship because he was enjoying all the attention from the nurses.
But when Emmanuel was discharged, he left with a brilliant smile. “I thank God to have the operation,” said Emmanuel with an impish grin. “Now, I can play ball!”
Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Liz Cantu and Tom Bradley

"The Letter..."

"Chimp Reserve..."

A few weeks ago Joshua went with some friends to visit the Chimp Reserve.  Here are some pictures highlighting his trip. 

Sometimes it is hard to tell which one is the chimp and which is Joshua ;-P  All in fun...he had a great time...thanks Marty and Catherine for taking him!!

"Priceless..."

This picture just makes me smile!!

"Creative Arts Open House..."

On Wednesday the Academy put on a Creative Arts Open House.  They did presentations for handbells, recorders, choir, and sign language.  Then after the presentations, the Academy was open for crew members to wander through the classrooms and hallways to look at all the hard work the kids have done throughout the year.  We have such a wonderful group of kids in the Academy with loads of talent!!

Grade 1-African Art

High School-Much Ado About Nothing

Math

Language Arts

Alisia's paintings

Joshua's wire sculpture

French

Joshua's paintings

"Divers..."

Thanks Charles for the picture.

One of the struggles that we have been having while in Freetown, is the amount of garbage in the water.  It seems the more it rains, the more the garbage flows into the water and surrounds the ship. 

Normally this really would not pose a problem.  However, we have intakes at the bottom of the ship that take in the ocean water to help cool the generators.  When these intakes get plugged the A/C stops in parts of the ship and can cause problems with the generators.

We have a wonderful team of dedicated divers that are going "above and beyond".  They are regularly (daily) diving into the garbage filled waters and pulling the garbage out of the intakes.

 We have amazing men and women, who are heros in our midst, because of the selfless act of diving they do on our behalf.  Because of their selfless actions, we are able to continue to serve the people of Sierra Leone through the surgeries that are performed!

"Church UP the Hill..."

A few weeks ago, Mike received an invitation to preach at a local church.  Now in general that is really not a request that is out of the ordinary.  However, the church location definately left us with a memory to talk about.

Pastor Nathaniel arrived at the port gate at 9 am as we had arranged.  After we greeted each other and talked for a few minutes, very randomly, he said:  "I hope you're ready for a hike."  Mike and I both looked at each other smiled, chuckled, and said  "sure".  Little did we know what we were in for!

We drove through Freetown to a "suburb" called Tengbeh Town.  The church is located on "Upper Tengbeh Town" ...this should have been our hint.

We walked over this bridge by the man made waterfall...

And began to walk up hill...

Then up a flight of stairs...

And another flight of stairs...

And another flight of stairs...

Stopped to look at the view...

Take a picture of the goats...

Up the hill...(no more stairs)

Up a steaper hill...

Over the log...

Up the last hill to the church...

Inside of the church...

View from the church...

Mike preaching at the Church UP the hill...

Then the fun part....we had to go down the hill!

"On Your Mark..."

"On your mark...get set...GO!!!"

Being 10-12 years old, both legs in casts up to the hip...makes for some very creative children...wheelchair races.  The only problem, the corridor is not wide enough to pass, so the person in the lead remains in the lead....PRICELESS!!