" A Tale of Two Daughters..."

One of the great things about being on the ship long term, as a family, is getting to know some of the  "singles".  As a family we met Heather and Becca when we went through the Gateway training in Texas, before we arrived at the ship.  It was during that time, they became our "ship daughters". 

Both Heather and Becca have taken time to invest in Alisia and Joshua's lives. They have been true "sisters" to the kids.  For Mike and I it is really a precious time to see these two young women blossom and mature in life...each embarking on their own path.

This last weekend, it was a happy and sad weekend at the same time....

We had to say good-bye to ship daughter-Heather.  She is returning to the US after travelling to go to school. 

Then we watched Becca marry the love of her life.  It has been an incredible journey walking with her and watching her develop in her relationship with Greg.

So we welcomed Greg into our family as our "ship-son".

"Need A Job..."

It is interesting...with a BA and two Master's Degrees...I don't qualify for this job...hhhmmmmm

"Poda Poda's..."

One of my favorite things to do when we are stuck in traffic, is to read the poda poda's signs.  A poda poda is like a mini van taxi.  The nice comfortable seats are taken out of the van, and bench type seats (made out of 4x2 planks of wood) are bolted to the floor of the van-depending upon the size of the can there are 4-5 rows of these benches.  So a van in the west that is designed to hold 8 people now can hold 20-25 people. 

These taxi's go from place to place and the price is about 1000SL (which is about 25 cents).  I have noticed each taxi is decorated with it own sayings...

"A.T." is probably the driver or owners initials...Adama could be their child, boss, or a family member...

This poda travels from Waterloo to Bombay Street...

Sierra Leone is about 60% Muslim in population...

I'll leave this one to your imagination...

I've seen t-shirts that say "Try God" and now poda's that say "Try Islam"...

They also like stickers of "Cobra"...

or "Madonna"...

Or advertising their favorite football/soccer team-this one is Man United (England)...

Finally some will have sayings to advertise a business....

Never a dull time on the roads here!

"School Update..."

A few weeks ago, I did a blog on the school the church supports.  Click Here  We had given a donation to the school to help with some basic renovations for the school.  While we were at church on Sunday, the Pastor, Principal, and Village Chief wanted us to see some of the improvements that are being made at the school.

New concrete was poured in all the classroom floors...

The  men working on the building of new benches for the students...

The new benches that were being stored till the floors dry.

They also showed us where a new window was being carved into the Administrator's office to let in light (since there is no electricity) and where they had added a new door.

These may not seem like "major" improvements in the western mind set. However, as I am learning, it is the small things that are important....benches for the kids to sit on, light through a new window since there is no electricity, a door to close so someone does not steal what is behind the door...these are HUGH improvements and make going to school a little bit easier....

"Lasts..."

We are now at the time at the end of the field service when we start having a lot of "lasts".  "Lasts" entail...good-byes.  On Thursday (Nov 17) the operating room did the last surgery.  The last time we could have visitors on the ship was Nov 20...the list of "lasts" will grow this week as we close down the hospital, say good bye to our day workers, and have many "good-bye" celebrations.

For the Jacobsen Family and a few crew, Sunday was our last day at church.  We have been attending Evangel Baptist Church since March.  We were welcomed into their church community with open arms.  It will be strange not attending church there anymore.

The church had been planning a farewell service for us for about a month now...and with true African flair, they celebrated our final service with lots of love, smiles, and singing.

The youth and children's group presented us a hand made wooden scroll with our name carved into the wood. 

Each family member was presented with a traditional African outfit.

The chief gave a farewell speech....

Lynne, one of our crew members, was presented with a live chicken...which sat with her the whole 2.5 hour service...

Pictures were taken, hugs and laughter were shared.

For Mike, this is a difficult good-bye.  He was made the Associate Pastor of the church and really got to know Pastor Daniel as a true brother in Christ.  We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our extended church family in Lumpa Waterloo, Sierra Leone.  Our prayer is they would continue to grow, stay strong in the Lord, and faithful to what God entrusts them to accomplish. 



"Deck 7..."

For many of our patience, deck seven, is the only outside they will see in months.  Some of the patients who have had extensive plastic surgery or who are having difficulty healing their wounds, have been on the ship for a few months. 

Every afternoon, deck seven is their recreation time - their oasis.  The patients from most of the wards on deck three, will make their way up the four flights of stairs (64 steps) to deck seven.  There they are able to look out over the ocean, enjoy the sunshine and breeze of the day.  The kids are able to play on scoot toys, run, play, and make a whole lot of noise.  The nurses, can have a more casual fun time with the patients-not being caught up in dressing changes, wound care, or preparations for surgery.

"If You Did Not Know..."

Just incase you did not know, this church is were God lives....

"J.J's Pizza..."

The Academy is helping the students learn what it is like to run your own business.  A few weeks ago, the kids had the choice if they wanted to run a small business or not.  They needed to figure out what they wanted to sell, how much it would cost, what they should sell the item for, and what their profit would be. The Academy provided a small business loan for the students to get started with their business.

Many the Academy students decided to participate in the project.  Some decided to start a rubbish business, some to sell chocolate chip cookies or doughnuts, while others did a babysitting service.  Joshua was ambitious-he wanted to run a cheese pizza business.

He priced out all the ingredients-flour, oil, yeast, cheese, pizza sauce-and enlisted the help of mom to be his runner and helper.  The crew was his market.  I think Joshua learned how much is involved in making and selling pizza.  It was a great experience for him and he sold a lot of pizza!!

"Royal Visit..."

At the start of October, during our Monday morning communications time, the crew was told of a possible royal visit.  At the time we did not think much of the who, what, where, and when.  Just that it was a possiblility.

Much to our delight, a week ago, the Africa Mercy was honoured with a visit from the Princess Royal and her husband Admiral Sir Tim.  This was the first visit made to the Africa Mercy by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, who is Anne the daughter Queen Elizabeth.  She came to Freetown in honour of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sierra Leone's Independence.

Mike meeting Her Royal Highness- 

Touring the Academy-

Visiting the patience on the ward.

"Love About Africa..."

For sometime now, I have been thinking about things I like about Africa.  It is easy to think about things that are different or that a person does not like....but I've been pondering things that I do like....

I like....

• that everyone is family-your neighbour is your brother, an older person is an Auntie or a Mama
• you can wear anything-checkered material with stripes, pink with red....anything goes
• men wear ANY colour including pink....and it looks good
• anything can be bought on the streets for a fraction of the cost
• people are not label snobs-Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger can be bought on the streets for the same price as a t-shirt you'd find a Wal-mart
• if you are stuck in traffic there is always people selling food beside the car door
• if you are stuck in traffic there is always something to read-on cars, trucks, or buildings
• people are generally very welcoming and friendly
• people dance at church and sing:  "Shake your body for Jesus..."
• people are quick to be willing to help someone
• there is a cultural freedom
• simple things or small things mean a lot, and people are grateful for them
• a broken crayon is a welcome sight

I could go on and on about things I like about Africa-but I think the biggest thing is people are not ashamed of being a believer in Jesus...

"Before and After pt. 2..."

A picture is worth a thousand words...the hug says it all...PRICELESS!!!

"Before and After pt. 1..."

It is incredible to see lives restored day after day....PRICELESS!!!

"O Canada..."

Canadians serving aboard the Africa Mercy