Seeing in the Dark

Imagine your joy when you realize you’re going to be a mother...
Imagine giving birth to a blind child...three times
Imagine being blamed by your society for your children's condition.

You wonder what your little kids must be thinking...
To only know their mothers soothing voice but never seeing it
They can only hear other children laughing and playing
All they have are each other.

Your dreams of a future for your children are shattered
Your hopes of them becoming world changers are dashed
You are penniless ….
You blame yourself….
You cry yourself to sleep….
You know your culture gives no hope to the blind…
You begin to wallow in darkness ….
Your children can’t see through your eyes through your eyes….

You can see and yet hopelessness has made you blind …

Just when you think you’ve been cursed
Just when your faith in God has waned
He sends a Hospital Ship….
Your prayers have been answered
In three days….
Your three kids will see…
All their lives they’ve seen in the dark
Yet for the first time they will see your face
Will they like what they see?

You still wonder…

By Esther Biney - Africa Mercy Crew Member
Communications
Photojournalist
m/v Africa Mercy - Benin 09

Africa Mercy Youth Group lead this weeks Community Meeting

For the first time, the youth group on board the ship undertook the whole of our Thursday night community meeting. Our community meeting is a great time of fellowship, worship and hearing a message from the Scriptures.

This week's meeting was led from start to finish by our youth group of which Emma, Chris and Josh are a part.

The meeting was MC'd by Carys Parker who is 14 yrs old. She brought an opening welcome and message, including a couple of announcements and then introduced Chenell Myers 13 yrs old who presented the offering for this week. The offering is usually for outside ministry opportunities or crew needs. This week the offering was for some much needed equipment for our "Youth Room" Linde Tvedt 13yrs, had put together a fun video including all the youth to show the needs. Carys then turned the meeting over to Emma who was the worship leader for the night and she introduced her worship team - Chris & Josh as well as Kim Anna and Bess who were the other vocalists. Emma sang and played electric guitar and acoustic guitar, Alanah played the piano, John the bass guitar & Tash was on the drums.


I only wish you could have been there to hear it and be led by this great team of young people as we worshipped the Lord together. They did an amazing job, not only excellent musically but a powerful time of worship.

It was so good that they have now been invited to be on the regular worship group rota.

The message of the evening was brought by Paul Waldron - youth group leader. His message was about the difference between being Child-like and Childish.

After the meeting we usually have ice cream dessert served in our mid-ships cafe area. Tonights dessert was served, of course, by our teens!

Emma - Work Experience

Engineeering - shadowing Engineering Fitter/Welder - Oebele de Haan
This year (after the last two years work experiences down in the Hospital working on the ward) I decided to do something completely different. I decided to work in Engineering as this is where my dad works and where my two older brothers have previously worked. Working in engineering is very physically demanding, it is heavy manual work in very hot temperatures, both down in the engine room or doing outside work in the heat of Benin.


Day 1 - March 30th
I started work at 7:45 with devo's in the Engineering control room. After that I headed off with Oebele to start the first of the days tasks. First we went to the engine room to grind unnecessary parts off some pipework that we were going to use and weld in place where the ropes go on the bow of the ship. Once we had cut them to size we headed to the bow.

The pictures above show Oebele guiding me and me all suited up with proper PPE (personal protective equipment).


All harnessed up working over the side of the ship was great fun!

Day 2 - March 31st
Today wasn't quite as much fun as yesterday but still good. We had a slow morning fitting fire extinguisher holders and also inserting some pipes. After lunch however, we worked on deck 5 repairing the gangway entrance on port side. We had to fix an oil leak and also fix the way in which the door opened and closed. We then went down to deck 1 and started finding/preparing pipes to use to reposition a fire hose.

Day 3 - April 1st
Today Oebele and I had a mixed day. We went up to my dad's office to request new work and then set about planning and preparing for the task. This involved going to the job site, looking at the different things we would need and to the work shop to gather the tools. While we were there Oebele was requested by another worker - an electrician, to assist with another job, to weld some pipes on deck 7 so we did that and I helped with some of the welding.

Day 4 - April 2nd
Today we did some work on one of the water tight doors. The pump was broken on it so we had to take out the pump and put a new one on. Later we worked in the aft storage room. I had to saw off redundant insulated pipes. It wasn't the most fun job as it was at an awkward angle and at height. There was a fire drill today and Oebele is fire team 4 leader. I was able to stay with him and watch his team at work in an emergency situation. I got to look through the heat seeking camera which was very cool. The day ended when the drill was complete.

Day 5 - April 3rd
Today is my final day. I first went to the fire drill briefing and then we were able to get involved in life boat training. You can see me in the 150 man life boat with Chris and Josh under Chris's report. Later in the day we did some more work in the aft storage room. It has been an awesome week and I had a great time thanks to Oebele.

Josh - Work Experience

Deck Department - just 3 days for Junior High Students
I have spent my 3 days working in the Deck Department shadowing Drew Rawson (Assistant Bosun) & Jeremy Garcia (Deck Hand). This is Jeremy, with me in the picture below.


Day 1 - April 1st
Today was a great day! First, Drew and I closed some water valves and opened some others and then I had to check if the dry tanks were wet. They were very deep so I had to use a strange fishing rod like instrument to see if it was wet. Then we started up the water from the outside pump and I had to add chlorine to the water. After this was the highlight of my day. I had to use the crane to off-load a galley rubbish dumpster, then I had to put two more empty galley dumpsters into the galley, lowering them in using the crane. After this we went up to the bridge and made corrections for the navigation system. What a day!

Day 2 - April 2nd
Today was amazing - Firstly we opened the big hatch, then we unloaded and off loaded a container, which took a long time bit it was great.


As the crane was lifting a pallet from the dock to the ship the pallet broke and the cargo fell into the sea!! Some of the guys had to launch the rescue boat to recover the cargo, some of us used ropes to haul heavy drums of oil up onto the ship.

Then John, Adam, Tommy & I got to wear these big orange immersion suits in the pool on deck 8, it was hilarious - we had a lot of fun! Then there was a fire drill and I was part of fire team 2. I carried the supplies and watched everything that went on. It was a crazy day!

Day 3 - April 3rd
Today we started with a life boat drill. You can see a picture of me in the life boat with Emma and Chris under Chris's work experience report. After this Jeremy and I helped others with their work and then we did some painting. After lunch we went into the cargo hold and received some more cargo, then we helped put the hatch back in place. I then got to drive the pallet jack to the forward crane ready to be lowered into the galley. I have had the most enjoyable work experience thanks to Jeremy and the Deck team. My friend John also did his work experience with the Deck Dept. Here we are having a drink during one of our breaks!!

Chris - Work Experience

Plumbing - Engineering
I chose to work in Engineering, so my dad the Chief Engineer was my boss! I thought it would be interesting to work with the Plumber - Chris Coburn, so I spent my week shadowing him. Chris is a really cool guy! I chose plumbing because you get to use your hands and it can be dirty work!


Day 1 - March 30th
I was welcomed into the department by my dad during devo's. I then toured the Plumber's workshop with Tom Kenknight and Chris Coburn. The plumbers have a daily routine of checking at Reception for work requests from crew to them. These are some of the fixes we completed that first day:
Flushed a blockage from the sink in the cafe
Fixed the Albrecht family's toilet in their cabin which wasn't refilling with water when flushed
I crawled into ceiling spaces to fix pipes
I changed filters in the Laundry rooms on deck 6 and deck 3 (see picture)
I helped fix the shower by the pool on Deck 8


It was all amazing - I loved it

Day 2 - March 31st
Today I spent the day in the fan room on Deck 7. It was slow at first but when we got into it, it was fun! There was a filter in between air-flow vents that was dirty and blocked up. Because of this Deck 5's air flow wasn't great, so we unscrewed the whole thing with wrenches and cleaned it up on Deck 8. It took a long time but I learnt a lot. After we had installed the filter back in place our next task was in the Academy where we unblocked the sink in the pre-school room. It was a great day, a bit slow at times but overall - fun!

Day 3 - April 1st
I woke up this morning quite tired. We had devo's in the International Lounge. The video we watched was powerful. After we checked the work requests in Reception we got to work.
Because there weren't too many plumbing issues today we went to work in Ken & Ann Berry's cabin and the adjoining Kristensen's family cabin improving air flow from the vents. This involved taking down about 16 vents and making adjustments to improve the air flow. After that we used a water vaccum to suction water from two blocked drains in the Galley releasing the blockage. It was awesome. While I was there I saw Joey who was working with the baker for his work experience, busily baking bread.

Day 4 - April 2nd
My morning was spent putting pipe in to a drain on deck 2. After break time we changed 7 or 8 water filters on deck 3 (Hospital deck). I enjoyed being down here as I got to see lots of our patients on the ward. We continued doing more of the same after lunch and then went along to the Peet's family cabin to fix the water pressure of their sink. Then we had an all ship fire drill which completed my fourth day.

Day 5 - April 3rd
First thing today I attended the fire drill briefing with Chris Coburn (review of how the drill yesterday went).We then did fire team training, including life boat training. This was great as we got to go in the big 150 man life boat while it was lowered by our Dekkies from the ship down into the water (Josh & Emma did the same with me) see picture.

I learnt how the life boat is used and operated. It was a lot of fun. After first break Chris, Tom and I did our duties from the technical repair request book. We fixed a shower that was no longer running hot water and changed more filters in the laundry on Deck 3. I then took part in the technical crew prayer time on Deck 7 - It was a great way to finish a great week!

[Coles Chronicles] Sharing from the Heart

Sharing from the Heart Brenda Apr 1, 2009 Sharing from the Heart We find ourselves in a situation where we really need to share with you the challenges we are facing, not to gripe or complain, but to rally those who are closest to us, to prayer for us, during what is proving to be a difficult time on many fronts. During the sail from Tenerife to Benin we learned about the potential challenges we might face here in this nation. Benin is the Capital of Voodoo in Africa and whilst we mustn’t be afraid or intimidated by that, we must certainly be on our guard, having our full spiritual armour in place and keep ourselves spiritually healthy and alert in watching for the enemy’s advances. Here’s a little background info on Voodoo in Benin The country of Benin is commonly known as the birthplace of Voodoo. Quite often Benin is marketed as a tourist destination with the phrase: 'The Cradle of Voodoo'. Voodoo received status as an official religion of Benin in 1996 that places it alongside Christianity and Islam. The 10th of January is a national holiday when the country celebrates an international voodoo festival that attracts people from all over the world. Some 60% of the population of Benin are involved with Voodoo according to many sources, with the centre around Ouidah on the South Western coast. A joke in Benin says that 30% follows Islam, 40% Christianity and 100% Voodoo. This joke is very telling for two reasons: Firstly it reveals a sad truth that many people who follow Christianity or Islam also get involved with Voodoo, especially when they are in desperate need of healing or have a personal crisis of some sort and feel that their chosen religion does not give them answers. It is very common to go to a Christian home and find an object that was bought from a voodoo priest hanging above a doorpost as some form of extra protection. It also reveals that the religion permeates all of Benin culture and life, especially in arts and music, but also with local beliefs and superstitions, as illustrated in the above point. Today a lot of voodoo artefacts are sold as forms of African art, and several museums are scattered across the country that attracts many tourists. Voodoo symbols appear on every piece of national currency (coins and notes) and can be seen wherever you go. Although we as followers of Jesus do not agree with the tenets of this religion, in West Africa and many other parts of the world it is an accepted religion that is gaining recognition and interest You can certainly sense a different dynamic, or different atmosphere in this nation as compared to Liberia or Ghana and its not that other traditional religions don’t exist in those nations, but more that there doesn’t seem to be the same all pervading stronghold that there seems to be here in Benin. The Bible talks a lot about spiritual warfare and we are to be actively prepared and battling against the enemy, certainly not complacent. Ephesians 6: 10 – 12 says “Finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” On a personal level we are in the midst of some struggles and would like to ask you to join us in prayer as we seek to gain victory and stay strong in the Lord. Brenda - has recently been quite sick firstly with a nasty viral infection in her throat and chest which had her off work for 9 days. She was back in work a week, last week and is now off work again on strong anti-biotics for what started as a UTI – Urinary Tract Infection and moved up to lower back pain near her kidneys. She has not had more than probably a few days off for sickness in the whole of our time with Mercy Ships. HR challenges – the main challenge we face right now is staffing. Whenever we are short staffed it places extra work and strain on the rest of the team. My team is down to 1 long term, 1 short term and 2 moms who work part time. My only long term staff member is suffering from tendonitis and has been advised by the doctor that computer and writing work all day long is adding to the problem and she should change jobs. This is a truly significant loss to the department. Please pray for her healing and for more long term staff. Andy – sat down in a chair this morning and felt his back stiffen and has had bad back pain since. You may remember he was laid low with severe back pain in 2004 for 6 months and then was miraculously healed and has had no recurrence since then. We need to pray for God’s protection of his back that this wouldn’t develop into anything significant Engineering challenges – Unusual occurrences, faults, malfunctions that can’t be easily explained and ongoing challenges with the A/C – Air Conditioning system. This is no fun. When the A/C goes down the whole crew and all our patients are affected as the temperatures in this steel vessel just creeps up and up and makes life miserable Emma, Chris & Josh – have had problems with sleep disturbance and feeling “stressed”, probably brought on by tiredness. They have been working hard on mid term tests and are on Work Experience this week. Emma in Engineering, Chris in Engineering working specifically with the Plumber & Josh in Deck. Full reports will follow on our blog. In addition to these things listed there are some other situations we are facing that we would really value your prayers over. 1. Andy leaves on 10th April for the USA for a 4 week course, followed by a week at our Head Office in Texas, specifically with the Marine Operations Department, followed by a week in UK and a whistle stop tour of family from one end of the country to the other. Please pray for him, that this would go well, for safety as he travels etc. Also for the family left on the ship, that they would be covered and protected in prayer during this time. 2. We were hoping to get time off the ship this coming summer. Its 2 years since we have had a break and we are both in roles that carry a lot of responsibility. We are both feeling the strain and need to plan to have time away from the ship. Living and serving “on the job” as we are here on the ship, adds to that feeling of never getting a break. However, it is very expensive to fly a family in and out of Africa and we just don’t have the finances to do that. We have known God’s faithfulness for 8 and half years as we have worked with this Ministry and He has provided as we have needed. Please join us in praying for His provision for a time away, a time of rest, a time to get refreshed. Our trust and faith in God has carried us through every situation we have found ourselves in and we have no doubt that we will continue to bear testimony to God’s faithfulness and provision. As we look over the prayer points above, we are reminded of Peter as he stepped out of the boat in the midst of the storm. Though afraid he walked on the water (above the storm) whilst he kept his focus on Jesus. We WILL do the same. Thank you so much for praying for us. Andy, Brenda, Emma, Chris & Josh Check out our blog: http://colefamilychronicles.blogspot.com/