"Branding..."

Many of the taxis that we see on the roads are branded with interesting sayings and logos. One taxi that is hired to drive us to different places is "Thank's God-Angel of Dreams"  (on the front) and the side says "The Blessing of God".  A person can tell the taxis from other vehicles,because in general, they are all decorated with the same yellow strip and South African flag flames. 

On a completely different note, the Africa Mercy  has received a "face lift" with some new branding just above the water line.  It looks great!



(Thanks Murray for the pictures)

"Making Do..."

On of the interesting things I have learned about different African Countries, is that nothing ever goes to waste.  People will always find a use for anything and everything.  The creativity sometimes fascinates me.

The first picture that is posted is a type of store (Like a 7-11 or Mac's).  It is a shipping container, with an added awning  added.  Inside there are all sorts of things like pop, candy chips, razors...anything quick you would need.  You see these stores all over the place.  At first I was wondering: "Why are there shipping containers sitting out here?"  Then I figured out they were a store.

Another interesting sight we see is "laundry areas" (a stream or pond of water) combined with a "car wash".  Where every there seems to be a bit of fresh water...it is turned into a laundry/car wash area.  The next picture is the "car wash" area.  The laundry area is just over the hill across the road.  If you look close you will see on the back of the stop sign, the "official" car wash sign....

Life in Africa is never dull or mundane.  People are very creative in finding things to do and ways to keep occupied!

"A Wedding Present..."

Once upon a time in Togo, there lived an elementary schoolteacher named Win'n Kouma Allassane. He was a fine, handsome young man … but he was born with webbing between the ring finger and the pinkie finger on his left hand.

In 2007, Win'n was invited to a friend's birthday party. One of the guests immediately caught his attention – a lovely young lady named Aicha. He glanced at her, and she glanced at him. He asked if he could drive her home. She refused. He told her he didn't want her to have to pay for a ride home. She said she didn't need any help. Because he wasn't faint of heart, he asked her again. She relented a little, saying maybe he could drop her off at the end of her street. He drove her home. Then he courageously asked for her phone number so he could call her on Sunday.

“It's my mother's phone. I can't give you the number,” she responded.

“Take my phone then,” he countered. But she said she couldn't do that. Finally, he asked if he could take her out on a date.

“My mother won't allow me out,” she told him.

“If you want, I'll go and ask your mother if you can go out with me,” he said. But she didn't want him to do that at all. Near exasperation, he said, “If you don't like my personality, tell me.”

She was silent – a very good sign.

It was time for the school year to begin, and Win'n was assigned to teach at a new school. When he showed up for the first day of school, there was Aicha, in charge of the student food concession. Win'n was overjoyed! Now, he could have lunch with Aicha every day. And he did.
After more than two years, the headmaster called him. “You have been together with this girl for a long time. It is my wish that you would make her your wife.” That thought had been in Win'n's mind for a long while, too. It was time to meet Aicha's mother.

A nervous Win'n went to Aicha's house at the appointed time. He was invited to sit in a chair, while Aicha sat on the floor at her mother's feet. Aicha's mother was a widow who wanted her daughter to be married properly, in the traditional manner. She asked Win'n if he wanted to make her daughter his wife. He quickly responded that he did. The mother then gave him a list of things to buy, if he wanted to ask for her hand. The list included 4 pairs of slacks, 4 pairs of shoes, 4 slips, 4 bras, a suitcase, and one large container of cola nuts (about 10,000 cfa). This list amounted to a dowry. Traditionally, a family asked for something that represented their area of Africa. For Aicha's family, it was cola nuts. Win'n went immediately and bought all that was on the list.

Next, his three aunts paid the traditional visit to the home of the bride's aunt. They knocked on the door, and the bride's aunt answered , “What's the news?”
His aunts then said, “Don't worry. We come with good news. There's a sunflower in your home. Our nephew wants to pick the f lower, but he wants to ask your permission.”
The bride's aunts replied, “The flower has a price.”
Then Win'n's aunts produced the suitcase, and the bride's aunt checked to see that it contained all of the requested items.
Now, four young ladies, including Aicha, lined up. As each one passed by, the bride's aunt asked, “Do you recognize the flower? Is it this one?”
When the bride-to-be passed by, the aunts said, “Yes!”
The bride's relatives responded, “Now, we are proud.” They made a joyful sound, produced by cupping both hands over the mouth. The bride's aunt announced the date of the wedding and blessed it. The groom-to-be then gave the bride's family the money required to provide the meal for the wedding guests. Soon after, the groom delivered the wedding invitations.
Win'n was overjoyed, but he had a problem. The ring finger of his left hand was webbed to the pinkie finger. He couldn't wear a wedding ring. He consulted a doctor and was told that he could have surgery to separate the fingers. But on his teacher's salary, he couldn't afford it. He was very disappointed.
Then, an announcement came to his school telling of the mission of Mercy Ships. He pondered whether or not he should go to a medical screening. His was not a life-threatening situation. Maybe his problem was not worth the doctors' time.

Then the mother of one of his students told him of the surgeries that the volunteer doctors perform without charge. This was his only chance to have his fingers separated.

Win'n received a free surgery and post-operative care. During one check-up, Nurse Alainie Costas discovered he was engaged. “When are you getting married?” she asked.
“As soon as my fingers are officially separated,” he answered.

On August 7, Aicha slipped a gold wedding band on Win'n's ring finger. What a wonderful wedding present from Mercy Ships!
Story and Photos by Elaine B. Winn

Edited by Nancy Predaina

"Albert Falls..."

 One of the amazing things that we have been able to experience here is the incredible scenery.  Mike and I had to go to Pretoria for a few days because he had some meetings, and the kids were able to go fishing and have a picnic at Albert Falls.  The only thing that Joshua caught was a tree branch...oh well.

Grace and Alisia at the falls

Albert Falls.

"Chip Butty..."

One of the interesting things about living in an international community is learning about some of the foods from other countries.   This blog is about a food that our friend from the UK insisted that we had to try.  It is called a "Chip Butty".  To give you some history, Sharon and I have been talking on Facebook for about a week now over the topic of Chip Butty's.  While she was here at Appelsbosch she RAVED about how WONDERFUL Chip Butty's tasted.  She Facebooked me and asked if I had tried them yet.  I said "no".  So she kindly donated to the Chip Butty fund of the Jacobsen's so we could have a Chip Butty experience. 

One question I know you are asking is:  "What in the world is a Chip Butty?"  That was my initial question...as well as Mike's.

This is a Chip Butty...yes you are seeing it correctly...a hamburger bun with fries in it.  Now we have had fries in a lot of different things since we left Canada and the States.  Fries on pizza, hamburgers, rolled into tortillas, mixed into scrambled eggs...in West Africa fries are a staple with almost every meal...but never on a lone hamburger bun.

We had to add ketchup...

When Mike opened the bun and said:  "This is it...he laughed."  Obviously I forgot to tell him what a Chip Butty was...oops!

Okay...I'm being a little melodramatic....but seriously...fries on a bun?

In the end it wasn't all that bad...it was an experience.  But, to be truly honest, I ended up eating the fries and bun separately. 

Thanks Sharon for the memory...and the laugh!  Miss you guys!!!

"Life and Death..."

We see so many patients come and go through the ship.  Some of them I cannot remember...some of them I will never forget.  Yao was one of those patients for me.  I will never forget him.  In fact, when I went on vacation this summer, i would see license plates with "YAO" on them and immediately I would think of Yao and pray for him.  I know I posted the story of Yao right after I met him, but I felt I needed to share his story again.  We do serve a God of life and of miracles!

Nougloze, Yao, a 20-year-old builder from Lomé, Togo, held his fate in his own two hands. Just minutes before surgery onboard the Africa Mercy , he had a very difficult decision to make – life or death?

A little over a year ago, Nougloze, Yao was in Ghana training to become a builder. A small pimple on his face had grown larger and had become a painful growth inside his mouth.

When Nougloze returned home to Lomé, his mother was heartbroken by his condition. Nougloze's uncle told him that a Mercy Ship was docked in the port. So, the next day they went to the ship but were disappointed to discover that the patient screening was over.

But Nougloze's mother refused to give up. In her heart, she knew that Mercy Ships was her son's only chance. She came to the ship every day and watched patients with appointment cards being escorted onto the big white hospital ship. How could she get a card for her son?

One day, as she stood on the dock, a crewmember approached her and asked her why she looked so distressed. She quickly replied, “My son – he is in great pain.” The crewmember told her to bring her son to the ship, and she would see what they could do.

Elated, the mother rushed home to tell Nougloze the good news. Too excited to sleep, mother and son prayed throughout the night. The next morning, with a heart filled with hope, Nougloze, surrounded by a support system of seven family members, arrived on the dock of the Africa Mercy . Admittance nurses took Nougloze to see Dr. Gary Parker, who approved the young man for surgery!

A serious complication arose on the day of the surgery. Nougloze was given a form to sign, giving consent to a blood transfusion if medically necessary. He surprised everyone when he said that he was a Jehovah's Witness and declared, “It is against my religion to receive blood.”

Deb Jacobsen, Patient Life Coordinator, asked God to help her reach out to this patient and make him realize the magnitude of this decision. If Nougloze did not sign the paper, he would not receive surgery. Without surgery, it was almost certain that he would die within the next few months. He was literally choosing between his own life and his own death.

The pressure increased when Deb received a call from Dr. Giles saying he needed the signature in the next 15 minutes. Deb and Nougloze prayed together. His fists were clenched with fear and stress. He was sweating. He began to cry. Finally he pointed to the papers and tearfully agreed to sign them. He chose life!

And God smiled on Nougloze. The surgery went smoothly … and no transfusion was needed after all. Now Nougloze is living a tumor-free life with a perfect smile to prove it!
Story by Claire Bufe


Edited by Nancy Predain

Frontal view of Nougloze Yao's tumor.

Ayele beams that her son's face has returned to normal.

"Random-ness..."

 There are just some things that I cannot post as a blog by itself. But some are so odd (different) that they need to be seen.

This is an avocado...it is called an "avo" here.

The kids have adopted this chameleon as their pet...he really does change colours!

WOW...this is a first!

A lemon tree...

A lemon from the lemon tree!

Flying Ants...they are actually eaten...I've been told they are full of fat and quite tasty...a person only eats the body and not the wings...I'm not brave enough to try...no they don't taste like chicken, I've been told!  ;p

The kids in a tree...the trees grow really big here! 

The amphitheatre under water from a rainstorm last week!

This last one is one of my favorites...a plane at the Durban airport..."Camoplane"