Engineering Department & Liberian Water Plant

From left to right - Chief Engineer Richard Postles (UK) holding up the Certificate of Appreciation, Chief Officer Jonhard Joensend (Faroe Islands), Captain Jurryan Schutte (The Netherlands) & of course that familiar face 1st Engineer Andy Cole (UK)

Liberian Water Plant-Engineering Dept. Involvement 2007

As a hospital ship we require over 50 tonnes of water per day. In securing this supply for ourselves we have benefited all inhabitants in the city. During the past 3 ship visits the Engineering department have assisted in the maintenance of the water filtration, pumping and distribution system to the whole of Monrovia - population 1.5 million people.
So much damage was done during the war, with the hydro-electric plant destroyed. Originally the plant was powered by electricity, now diesels engines drive each high pressure pump, which in turn lead to high maintenance needs.
This year we have used our engineering expertise in overhauling some centrifugal pumps, essential for the filter beds and their drive motors. Also in the wiring up of a new diesel engine and obtaining spare parts from Europe.
Once during the rainy season the pump house was flooded with all engines under 3 meters of water, we offered immediate assistance in getting the plant operational again .
Weekly a small team makes the 90minute trip up river to where the main plant is located. We are blessed to assist where ever the needs are. Relationships are built and maintained and God’s love is shown to a people who have suffered so much.
Many E.E.C. reports are commissioned, much is written of the needs, assessments by the dozen, I am proud to be part of an organisation who act, produce and do practical help, not just talk and gripe about the great needs!
On Friday 23rd November a group of four senior officers from the ship were honoured by speeches and a robbing ceremony in which a Chief’s garment was placed on each one!
It was a special occasion, good to see how they honoured the Lord for what we have achieved together in partnership with them this year.

Left - down in the pump house

Right - Water Plant workers and Engineering team from the ship

Signs & Wonders & Miracles!! - Steve's News from Outreach in Indonesia

Hey Mum & Dad ..Jakarta is amazing....completeley diffrent feel to Bali....way diffrent spiritual tension...no hindu statues...almost feels like back home. Our team has just been so annointed since we got here man...God is using us in such a crazy way...I've never felt like this. I'm so on fire for God....I wont put the bible down. I have dreams and visions of me preaching in town squares and markets.....I want to go back to Newcastle and blitz my friends....man you have no idea... I feel like I have just got given Jesus eyes and heart for free. All my own bondage is gone. I've been reading right through the New Testiment. Acts and Romans in a day. I can't get enough its like drugs GAHHHH lol. ... I got really sick the first day we were here with tonsilitus fevers and chills and I thought I was gunna be out of it for like 2 weeks cos I had no penicillin which normally makes it better, but well we teamed together had a prayer session about it and I just rose up and made my body my slave commanding healing over it and the sickness left almost immediately lol Praise god lol. The whole team has been really stepping up anyways today....OH MY GOSH mum, we saw 3 healings ....never in my life have I cried with joy, but I did today...we prayed for these 2 old men with stroke after effects...One couldnt walk, the other had praralysis on the left side of his body....anyways we prayed and I mean really started praying ....no more beating around the bush. Commanding healing in the name of Jesus....speaking with truth and authority in the Holy Spirit...and then just stepping out in Faith and telling the men to get up...it's crazy.....It would be so awkward in any other situatuion....but God is so powerful. The one guy after 5 years of not standing walked around his house...his son was crying so hard....the other guy couldnt lift his left arm and walked with a cane and a limp....well guess what...no more limp no more cane....and hi 5s all around.... he had only been a Christian a month ...with a life of hindu behind him, God freed him....man....our whole group was crying with joy. It was like nothing I have ever experecienced, one of the best days of my life. I want to do what Jesus did....go around heal in His name, cast out demons, be a true apostle, live the life of a true passionate follower of the one True Lord. The other healing was a deaf lady with blindness in one eye.....Stacey heard God say He wanted the first thing that she heard when she was healed to be Jesus's name ...so right when she got her hearing back Stacey said "Jesus" in her ear..and her eyes lit up...was AWESOME! I'm praying the rest of outreach will be this intense. Yeah im learning so much as you can tell...I have a lot of encouragemnt in the group...I've changed from a pessimist in to an optimist over night and im all about encouraging people. Never again will I dwell in the negative. I'm learning not to go off feelings, but make my body my slave...die to myself and trust in God and His unfailing will. So yeah....hope you got abit of encouragement out of this. I love you but I have to go. Miss you all... thanx for your awesome support.

Steve

Orphanage Children Visit the Ship!

It was so cool this last weekend to bring some of the children from the Centre for the Aged, Orphaned & Abandoned Children to the ship for a visit. Because it was a large number we divided the visit into two groups. The first group was mainly boys and the second group mainly girls. The pictures show the boys group photograph taken on the central stairway in the town square, cafe area. They particularlyenjoyed going up onto the Bridge where one of our Deck Officers Jan, explained some of the instruments, radar, sonar etc...

This picture is one of the girls group taken on the Dock in front of the ship after their tour. Their tour route included the Hospital on Deck 3 a brief stop on Deck 4 (the Deck added during refit phase) showing much of the cabin accommodation. Deck 5 included the Ship Library, Bank, Post Office, Ship Shop, Cafe area then onto Deck 6 including the Crew Laundry, the Mercy Ships Academy (school), the International Lounge and then Drinks and Cookies in the Mid Ships Lounge before our farewell and down on to the dock.

The picture below was taken from our International Lounge.

Change of Plan! We Return to Liberia in Feb 2008

Mercy Ships has received an invitation from the President of Liberia to return to serve the Liberian people in February 2008! According to correspondence to the crew from our Founder, Don Stephens, after considerable prayer and process, the decision was made to formally accept the invitation to return to Liberia. Although this is a shift to our previous plans, it is consistent with Mercy Ships long term strategy.

This is the official Press Release from our International Operations Center:

President Johnson Sirleaf invites Mercy Ships back to Liberia
Mercy Ships gives continued support for President’s goal to rebuildLiberia’s Health Care Sector

Garden Valley, Texas, November 12, 2007 - Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced this week that Mercy Ships has accepted her invitation for the Africa Mercy to return to Liberia again for 2008 following a short dry dock away from the nation at the end of this year. The Mercy Ship expects to leave port at the end of November and return from February through November 2008.

This will be the fourth Mercy Ships visit to Liberia since the charity’s previous flagship, Anastasis, first called into the Port of Monrovia in 2005. Since that time, Mercy Ships volunteers have transformed the lives of the Liberian people by providing life-transforming surgeries, state of the art medical care, and community development projects throughout Liberia.

In May of 2007, the new flagship of the Mercy Ships Fleet, Africa Mercy, was placed into service in Monrovia and immediately more thandoubled the capacity of health care and services that could be provided. Conservative estimates state that the Africa Mercy’s volunteers will be able to provide over 7000 medical procedures during a standard 10 month deployment.

Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf commented, “As Liberia works to rebuild its health care system, the Africa Mercy offers an indispensable bridge by responding to the individual medical crises that have kept too many of our citizens on the sidelines. These are people who want an active role in the reconstruction of Liberia - the fulfillment of their dreams of a strong and stable country.”

The invitation to return to Liberia was discussed during meetings in Washington D.C. this past week when President Johnson Sirleaf was honoured at the AFRICARE Conference. Don Stephens, Founder/President of Mercy Ships was in attendance for this conference and enjoyed an audience with Her Excellency prior to her key note address.

“Part of Mercy Ships goal in returning again would be to strongly support momentum for Liberia’s national health policy and increase capacity for medical care by using the Africa Mercy as a platform for medical education and mentoring in administration/management infrastructure,” stated Don Stephens.

“Mercy Ships is committed to increasing the health care capacity of Liberia and our volunteer crew will also deliver selected small scale construction and renovation projects alongside the medical training and surgical services the ship provides,” Stephens said. All Mercy Ships services are provided free of charge to the nation, thanks to donors around the world who are passionate in their support of the volunteer professionals onboard the Africa Mercy.

This commitment also follows on the heels of a decision by Ann Gloag and the Balcraig Foundation whose generosity contributed to the refit of the Africa Mercy, to also agree to assist in the renovation of the JFK Hospital in Monrovia which has served as the on-land location for the ship’s medical and dental screenings. This and several other projects are planned to assist in establishing a long-term medical infrastructure within the nation after the ship concludes its service at the end of 2008.

Prior to arriving in Monrovia, the Africa Mercy will make a short courtesy stopover in Sierra Leone for a formal protocol signing for the ship’s next port of service in 2009. This signing represents the organizations’ ongoing commitment to help the people of West Africa emerge from the difficulties of war and subsequent disease related to the destroyed medical infrastructure in this area of the world.

Mercy Ships was originally invited to Liberia in 2004 by Jacques P. Klein, Special Assistant to United Nations General Secretary, the Liberian Council of Churches (LCC) and in partnership with Dr.Gwenigale of the Liberian Ministry of Health.

Youth Weekend Away in Robertsport

Emma Chris & Josh just got back from a weekend in Robertsport with the rest of the youth on the ship. It was a beautiful beach camp where the enjoyed the lagoon, the surf and had lots of fun round the camp fire.

Nashville Visit

My dear friend Alberta Wray who was with the Africa Mercy for 4 years in Newcastle invited me to Nashville whilst I was in the USA. She left Mercy Ships about 8 months ago to work with another organisation. It was such a treat to spend a couple of days with her. We had such a lovely time catching up and chilling together. I also met up with our friends Todd & Molly Sprinkel who are also in Nashville. Todd & Molly and their 4 children Jonah, Luke, Caleb & Moriah where on our Mercy Ships Crossroads Training Programme back in 2001.

I so enjoyed my time with them all.

Brenda's Trip to the International Office

On October 12th Brenda flew to Texas for meetings at the International Operations Centre in Garden Valley. During this time she took part in discussions focussed on improving our People Care. This was called Organisational Capacity Assessment and took 2 full days. In addition to many other meetings she had opportunity to view new HR software that will be implemented early in the New Year. It was a great visit and she got to meet many colleagues that she has worked with over the last years by email and on the phone but had yet to meet.

Family Ministry

One of our greatest joys in this Ministry is that our cildren are as fully involved as us in what we do here.

Saturday mornings are a highlight of our week as we go as a family to the Orphanage. It has been so good to watch our kids grow in confidence as they build relationships with the children there and come along side them. It will be hard to say good bye in just few weeks as we prepare to leave Liberia around the end of November. We look forward to our return.

Josh is the comic and always has a group of younger kids following him accompanied by lots of laughter.

Emma is the carer and loves to cuddle the little ones but is also more confident now in talking with the teenagers.

Chris though more quiet has become more confident in his interractions with the younger children as well as the boys he loves to play football with.