So Much To Be Thankful For...

You may remember that since the beginning of September the m/v Africa Mercy has been in ship yard in Durban, South Africa undergoing Generator replacement.  The project has been called "Power the Vision" and will reduce unacceptable noise and vibration on the ship whilst improving fuel efficiency and reducing harmful emissions.  

So here's an update on how it's going:

This picture shows one of the new Gensets in place....

...and this pic above, shows the new Chiller Carrier Unit that will massively improve the A/C system on the ship...so necessary in the scorching heat of Africa.

Ken Berry, Project Manager reports from Durban that the work onboard the m/v Africa Mercy continues at a brisk pace by the two main contractors and 8 or their subcontractors, all of whom are busy with piping, electrical and support systems.

The two Generator Rooms and the Main Switchboard Room are crowded with electricians, pipe fitters, welders, fire watchmen and cleaners. Strength and tightness testing of tanks and piping systems has commenced on the portions of these systems that are now completed.  A big push is on to complete major system installation work by Christmas Day, in order that system commissioning can begin Christmas week. As soon as all support systems are checked out and proven to be reliable, the new Generators can be started up and run through their paces.

We are anxiously awaiting that day!  

Patient Story From Our Last Field Service in Togo

A Visit With Edoh

A sweet, gentle young woman walked forward, holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Thirty joyful family members joined her in welcoming the visitors from the Mercy Ship. This was Edoh - a life restored by mercy.
Edoh is the youngest of six children. When she was about four years old, her eye became very red and began to swell. Her mother, Afua, desperately tried to find help, going from hospital to hospital in Togo and Ghana. But no one could help her little girl.
By the time Edoh was nine, a massive facial tumor had displaced her left eye, distorted her cheek and mouth, and left her teeth protruding at odd angles from the edges of the mass. She struggled to eat and breathe. The tumor was literally stealing the breath of life from her - she was slowly suffocating.
 
Then Afua heard about a hospital ship, a Mercy Ship, that had arrived in her country to offer free medical care. So, she took Edoh to the screening.
A huge crowd of six thousand crushed into the stadium in Togo, almost tearing off the gate. These desperate people were living lives of misery and rejection because of their abnormalities - viewed as a curse in their culture. Unable to work, or even live in society, they saw Mercy Ships as their only chance to have a normal life. They wanted a chance for a free surgery, the chance for a miracle.
But in the midst of all that suffering and desperate longing, mercy raised its head. A little girl's gasping struggle to breathe captured the attention of the crowd. Arms of compassion - some weak and some strong - lifted Edoh and passed her to the front of the long line.
Edoh remembers that moment - the moment that changed her life forever. She recalls, "I remember being lifted over the heads of the crowd and being passed along to the gate. A nurse saw me and said, 'This is the type of surgery we need to do.'"
And that day Edoh received an appointment card for surgery ... an appointment to receive life instead of death.
The doctors warned Afua that this was a difficult, risky case. But she wisely replied, "God gives children; God can take away. We will give it all to God and go ahead with the surgery."
And her faith was rewarded. Edoh returned home to a very surprised community. "It's a miracle!" they exclaimed. And they held a big party to celebrate.
A year later, Dr. Luer Koeper, a maxillofacial surgeon, who had helped to remove the tumor, took Edoh to Germany for a second surgery on her lip. Then in 2003, she had another surgery on her lower eyelid.
And now, 15 years after her first surgery, this "walking miracle" was welcoming Mercy Ships volunteers to her village.

Edoh happily described the transformation in her life. She recalled how she used to stay away from people. She couldn't go to school. She became very shy, hiding in her home. But now she can go everywhere - including school.
In fact, Edoh is a good student. After she completes her secondary education, she wants to become a nurse to help others - just like the dedicated Mercy Ships volunteers helped her.
The celebration arranged by the family continued at the "cascade," a beautiful waterfall that roars down the mountain behind Edoh's home. There, her brothers played their native drums, and everyone sang praises to God for His mercy toward Edoh.

A smiling Edoh added, " If it wasn't for the Mercy Ship, maybe I would be dead. Mercy Ships changed that. I used to look in the mirror and feel pity for myself. But now I think about what happened to me, and it's all about God. I put everything in God's hands."  

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 Cole Family Update
It's hard to believe that we have been in Texas 4 months already.  It's been amazing to see how much happens here at the International Office to keep the Africa Mercy supplied with all that is needed to keep her in Africa serving the poorest of the poor.  It's wonderful to be involved from this end now, after all our years in Africa and to know that though we aren't right there in Africa, what we do is still so much apart of "making it happen"  We are so thankful to God for this opportunity.

Our family has really settled well into life here in Texas.  What has been especially good so far, are the many opportunities our kids have to be involved in things they really enjoy.
Here's a few examples:

• Josh loves Drama and is now in the Advanced Theatre Group of Van High School.  The School recently performed Godspell and Josh had several parts.  He is in his element and is really growing and developing in this area.  He has just passed his audition for a part in the state wide competitive One Act performance of Shakespeare's "Mid Summer Nights Dream".  The pics show him in Godspell (this year all characters where in clown costumes).  It was a witty, yet very moving performance, brilliantly acted by all.   Josh is shown below, centre stage in the red  & white  polka dot outfit.

•  Chris is thoroughly enjoying being involved in the basketball team and was recently promoted to the Varsity Team.  He can be seen in the pic below during a game.  However, he works hard for the privilege.  He plays every morning for over an hour when he first gets into school and then every evening straight after school till around 6 - 6:30pm.  The competitive season has started so games happen weekly on evenings and weekends.  I have really enjoyed going to watch him play.  It's an exciting and fast paced game. He is also on the School Soccer Team. 

•  Emma is loving being here and is doing really well.  In September she finally graduated, finishing all her Mercy Ships Academy school work.  This was a huge achievement after all she went through.  On a recent visit to Texas, Donovan Palmer (Africa Mercy-Managing Director) presented Emma with her MS Academy High School Diploma.  It was a special moment.  She will have the full graduation ceremony at the end of this repeated Grade 12 year which she is doing here at Van High School.  She is taking additional (not repeat) subjects this year to give her extra College credits in readiness for Nursing.

 Making lots of new friends has been a highlight of our time here especially for Emma Chris & Josh.  The pic below is a shot taken during a camping trip in September.  We camped in Tyler State Park and had lots of fun.  We also had frequent visits from Raccoons and Armadillos!

This Armadillo foraging close to where our tent was pitched.                                                               

 

We have enjoyed immersing ourselves into the Texan culture and way of life.  Most recently in November, we celebrated American Thanksgiving.  I cooked my first Thanksgiving Meal, which was enjoyed by all, including a visiting Canadian friend.  The meal consisted of Roast Turkey, Roast and Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean and Fried Onion Bake, Sweet Potato Casserole, Stuffing and Gravy and for dessert home made Pumpkin Pie with Cream or Ice Cream.  Yum.  A couple of days before Thanksgiving I got to carve my very first pumpkin which proudly sat on our porch!!

 

Now preparations are well underway for Christmas.  We have our tree up - the tradition here is to put your Christmas tree up right after Thanksgiving.  We eagerly await the arrival of Matt & Steve who are coming out on 20th Dec to join us over Christmas and New Year.  We are so excited to be re-united with them as a family.

 Sadly Andy won't be with us over Christmas as he is currently on a ship in the Carribean, an oil tanker, delivering oil between the Islands of Barbados, Suriname, Curriso & Trinidad.  He is doing some commercial work to help with the Finances after an expensive few months, getting the family moved over here and settled.  Please pray for him during this time away from the family.

As we reflect on this last year, we recognise that there have been major changes for our family.  It has been a difficult year in many ways as we have walked through the challenges of Emma's emotional breakdown and leaving the ship, but our loving Heavenly Father has been so faithful and has carried us through into new things.  His healing Power and Redemptive and Restorative work have been incredible and we are in awe of Him.  We are so thankful to the many of you who have loved and supported us and prayed us through this time.  We are excited as we look ahead into all He has for us in 2011 and beyond.  What a Mighty God we serve.

We pray His richest blessings on you this Christmas and Peace & Joy in 2011.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  Isa 9: 6 

Now in the U.S.A

Well .....our last blog talked about our departure from the Africa Mercy...so much has happened since then, it feels like months ago, but it's just a few short weeks ago.

Before we left the UK we spent as much time as we could with our two older sons Matt and Steve.  This included celebrating Matt's 23rd birthday with a meal out to Taybarns. 

We are so proud of our two older sons who have successfully transitioned into independence.  Matt is just starting his 3 year apprenticeship to become a Marine Engineering Officer.  He moved into his college accommodation this weekend and formally starts his training tomorrow.  In a week or so Steve resumes college, starting his second year of Interactive Media Studies.  He really enjoys his course which gives him the opportunity to express himself through his artistic designs.

Having packed our lives up into 30 bags we headed off to the airport early on the morning of 11th August.  Matt and Steve met us there and we had coffee together before departure.  It's always hard to say goodbye, but we hope to see them at Christmas.

 

Three flights later we arrived at Tyler airport where our friends Russ & Carrie met us. 

We spent the first 10 days staying in the family dorm at the Mercy Ships base.  During that time we began the search for a house to rent.  Within just a few days we heard about a house owned by some ex Mercy Shippers who were now serving with Wycliffe in Papua New Guinea.  Their house had been on the market to be sold & had been empty for almost a year.  We contacted them to find out if they would be interested in renting and were delighted to find that this was a win win for both our family and theirs. Within just a few days we moved in.  It is a nice 3 bedroomed house and we are thoroughly enjoying living in a house with a garden after the confines of a small cabin on the ship.  The Lord has been very good to us.  It's awesome to see the way God led us  and provided for us while at the same time providing for the other family too.

Our new address details are as follows:

400 S. Birch Street

Van

Texas

75790

USA

Andy Tel: 001 903 526 9938

Brenda Tel: 001 903 519 4221

We still have the same Mercy Ships email addresses:

andy.cole@mercyships.org

brenda.cole@mercyships.org

One of the biggest blessings since our arrival has been the wonderful welcome we have received by our Mercy Ships family here.  Within days we had offers of furniture and once we moved into our house a trail of vehicles came by dropping off beds and sofa's, book cases.....everything we needed with the exception of some kitchen appliances were offered and delivered to our door.  It was amazing.  Our house is now really beginning to feel like home.

Van High School

Chris & Josh have now been in school 2 weeks and are just loving it.  Josh is very involved in the Theatre group and is practicing most evenings after school.  Chris was immediately included in the basketball team, his height makes him a great candidate for the team.  Emma has just finished her last exam meaning she could officially graduate, however she has very wisely chosen to join Van High School for a further year.  This is not to repeat any work but rather to give her further opportunity to increase her high school credits.  She is taking some new subjects that will be hugely advantageous to her in preparing for future Nursing training, subjects like "Health Science", "Medical Terminology" & "Anatomy & Physiology"  as well as a few other subjects.  The biggest advantage will be in providing her with further opportunity to stabilise and heal and also to get integrated and make friends before the BIG step up into College.  She is excited and starts school on Tuesday. She is doing so much better and we are thrilled to see the huge improvement in her.  Thank you so much for all your prayers for Emma.

We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know some new friends, reconnecting with old friends and generally immersing ourselves into the local small town community of Van.  This included attending the high school American Football game last week to which it seemed like the whole town turned out to watch.  It was GREAT!  We went with our friends Russ and Carrie and really enjoyed it.

 

Andy and I have just finished our first week in our new roles.  This was after a really busy time of getting utilities set up, including internet and phones. After 30 years of driving we both have had to take driving tests and write written tests in order to get our Texas driving licenses - scary after all those years!!

Brenda is really enjoying her role as HR Manager specifically focused on special projects relating to the Africa Mercy.  It's wonderful to keep so involved in the ship HR issues and the HR staff there.  Andy is working in Marine Operations working with the Safety Manager.  His title is Assistant Safety Manager and as the title suggests, his focus is Safety, both here at the International Operations Centre but also Ship safety and ensuring compliance to the stringent Marine Safety Regulations.

Church

We decided when we arrived here to start our search for a church by going back to the church we had attended when we completed our training with Mercy Ships back in 2001.  The church is called CCF (Community Christian Fellowship)  You can see more about this church by going to their website.  Just Click here   We love it and immediately felt at home.  The worship is just wonderful and is regularly led by Paul Baloche

We feel truly blessed.  We have been here just 4 weeks and we have found a nice home, the kids are happy and settled in school, Andy & I are settling into our new roles serving the Lord with Mercy Ships here and we have found a Church where we have been welcomed and feel very much at home.  God certainly has gone before us and guided us through every detail and step we have taken.

We are encouraged to know that though we are not on the ship, we are still very much a part of serving the world's forgotten poor.  The Africa Mercy is completely dependent on the support of the National Offices to be able to achieve all that it does and we have our own unique giftings and parts to play to make it all work.

Africa Mercy Update

After a 2 and half week sail  from Togo, the Africa Mercy arrived safely in S. Africa on 31st August to begin the "Power the Vision" shipyard phase to replace the 4 old Frichs Generators and 2 Harbour Generators.  The shipyard phase is scheduled to last 4 months and all but the Technical crew have to move off the ship.  Our Advance Team did a great job in securing an unused college campus called "Applebosch" about an hours drive away from the ship for the crew to live at and where the business centre will be set up.  Our Eye & Dental Teams hope to continue their programmatic activities in S. Africa and also our Mental Health Team will have some opportunities to serve the local area.

The mass exodus of crew from the ship happened within a couple of days of arrival.  It was a huge task.  Local churches and Mercy Ships friends rallied to help.  

Some of the crew luggage packed for the next 4 months stacked up in the mid ships area ready for transfer to Applebosch.

  

Vehicles line up in convoy to assist with the move from Africa Mercy To Applebosch.

 

Please continue to pray for this "Power the Vision" shipyard project.  Pray that the  work will progress as planned without any hitches and that the Lord would continued to provide the finances required to fund this expensive project.  He is Faithful!

Farewell Africa Mercy

  On the 3rd July we returned to the Africa Mercy to pack up our cabin and say some painful goodbyes.  The health issue with Emma forced us to choose between a return to Africa Mercy without her or stay together as a family.  We have of course chosen the latter.

Our time back on board was very special to us, especially as we reflected on our years of service.  What an honour and privilege it has been for us to serve alongside so many wonderful crew, many of whom we have gotten very close to and also to serve the people of Africa who have become well and truly lodged in our hearts.  During the Community Meeting on our final Tuesday morning we were farewelled by Donovan Palmer - Managing Director, presented with an inscribed picture of the Africa Mercy and prayed for (see pic above).  It was very moving. 

As we left the ship, many of our closest friends came down to the dock to wave us off and the Captain arranged for the ships horns to be sounded. 

It has now been over two months of praying, trying doors and seeking the Lord for the next season and chapter of our lives. We are determined to stay in ministry. We strongly believe in the work that Mercy Ships are doing in serving the poorest of the poor, but did not know how we could have a role off the ship (our focus for the past 10 years)

Mercy Ships offered positions to both Brenda and myself on staff at the IOC base which we gladly accepted.  The Africa Mercy cannot function in Africa without the logistical support of the National Offices around the world and particularly the Head Office in Texas.  Therefore our roles continue to play a vital part in that.

We have prayerfully considered the implications of this and went ahead in faith and applied for US visas (L1 Intra-company transfers, managerial staff)

We heard on our last day on board the ship (God’s timing is amazing) that the first stage of our visa process, the petition, had been approved. We have now just returned from London after a visit to the US Embassy for an interview and received final approval for all our visas. Praise God! We are currently waiting for the return of our passports containing the said visas.  They should arrive today.  If they do - we'll be flying to the US in two days, Wednesday 11th.  If they don't arrive today, we have contingency flights held for us to fly out on 16th August.

Brenda will have a key role in HR liaising between the ship and the head office, Andy has been offered a role as Assistant Safety Manager in Marine Operations, covering the Africa Mercy and the IOC.  Emma will complete her graduation then start her 4 year nursing training (January we think) & Chris and Josh will continue their education which has been US based, at Van High school.

We are working on securing housing, but have the offer of housing for the initial early days at the Mercy Ships headquarters, till we can find something.  Our contact information will be updated as soon as we have our own place, but in the meantime mail can be sent to: Andy & Brenda Cole, Mercy Ships International, 15862 State Highway 110N, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.  Our Mercy Ships email addresses remain the same:  andy.cole@mercyships.org  & brenda.cole@mercyships.org

 Please continue to pray for us as we move forward into the next chapter the Lord has for us in our service to Him and Mercy Ships.

Cole Family Featured in the Daily Express

Click Here to see an article featuring our family in the Daily Express UK National Newspaper.  This is in today's edition Thursday 29th July, 2010

Our Visit to the Operating Room to Observe a Four Hour Surgery. Warning! Not for the squeamish!!

 Ready in our scrubs and waiting to go in

On Wednesday 14th July Andy & I had the opportunity to go into Operating Room #4 by invitation of Consultant Max Fax Surgeon Dr. Leo Cheng (from St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London) to observe a complex 4 hour surgery.  The Patient who we will call Annie had a tumor the size of a large grapefruit growing around her jaw.  From what we were told, the tumor had been growing for several years and was growing deeper into the back of the jaw and significantly obstructing the airway.  Dr. Cheng explained that within just a few months Annie would suffocate without the life saving surgery offered by Mercy Ships.

Here is Annie prepped and ready for the surgery to begin

After carefully examining the X-Ray, Dr Leo skillfully began the painstaking procedure of removing the tumor.  Because the tumor had grown deep into the jaw bone the entire jaw with the tumor embedded was removed.

An artificial jaw made from titanium was then fitted and screwed into position and the tongue and mouth was sewn back together around the plate.  It was amazing to see!

Great care was taken by Dr. Leo to ensure the size and shape of the titanium jaw matched the dimensions and shape of Annies face.

Dr Leo and trainee surgeon Dr. James from Uganda stitch and close up.  Annies new face is slowly taking shape.

 Annie will be invited back to the ship when the Africa Mercy is in Sierra Leone for bone grafts from her hip to the new titanium jaw.  The bone will grow around the new jaw and eventually Annie could potentially have dentures fitted to her new jaw.
Another life transformed.  It's wonderful to witness first hand and to share this experience together of seeing how Mercy Ships staff use their God given skills in service to the poor.  Not only has Annie's physical appearance been transformed, her whole life has been transformed.  She can go back to her village, no longer an outcast.  She can hold her head up high and with dignity resume her role  in her community.

Leave of Absence - We're Back In England!

You may remember we sent a blog post out fairly recently asking for prayer for Emma as she faced many challenges ahead with exams, graduation, college applications etc.... (check out our blog post dated:  10th April, to re-cap).

We recently made the difficult decision to come home from the ship for a Leave of Absence as we felt it was in Emma's best interest, for both her physical health and emotional well being, to give her a break from that environment.

Emma has struggled with constantly saying goodbye to the many friends she has made on the ship and also with the build up of pressure as she approaches graduation and other stress factors, and sadly she got to a point of being unable to cope.  The Poem  "This Hole of Salvation" that Emma recently wrote and we posted on our blog, gave some insight into how she was feeling. We also feel that the anit-malarial medication "Larium" that we have been taking as a family has had an adverse effect on Emma and contributed greatly to her feelings and very much affected her ability to cope with the extra stresses of this time.

We therefore flew back to the UK on 8th May.  Our return tickets to the Africa Mercy in Togo is currently set at 3rd July, but we will review and see how Emma is doing and amend that date if we feel she needs longer.  She is currently very optimistic about returning on schedule.

This break away from the ship however has implications on her graduation which is now being deferred till she is able to complete her studies.

The Lord has continued to be very faithful since our return.  As this trip was unplanned we had nowhere to stay on our return.  We all very much wanted to be close to Matt & Steve, so are staying in Newcastle.  Initially, we stayed with our dear friends Phil & Lois Astwood (former AFM crew) who are living in S. Shields.  The day of our return a friend of Phil & Lois's came forward and told them they had a house available for us to stay in that was recently vacated by an elderly relative.  We are staying there for however long we need to.  God is good.
CONTACT INFO:
Therefore our UK address is: 76 Wansbeck Road, Jarrow, Tyne & Wear, NE32 5SS.  We can be reached on our cell phones:  Brenda's : 07584724104  Andy's:  07771538643

We ask for your prayers as we seek to get Emma well again.  It has been a very difficult time for us all, but we are encouraged to see Emma returning to her brighter self with each passing day.  The Academy staff on the ship have been sending through school work so we are home schooling all 3 kids so that they can finish their school year well and so that Emma can meet a deferred graduation date as she is able.

All that we have gone through in the last couple of months reminds us that we have an enemy actively working against us and non of us are exempt from spiritual attack.  We are confident however that every prayer is a powerful weapon and we have been thrown on God as a family like never before. Please join us as we fervently seek the Lord as a family for Emma's healing and restoration.  She is so precious to us and we have all found it very hard to see her go through this terribly difficult & challenging season in her life.


Thank you so much for all your love, your prayers and your faithful support.

Andy & Brenda & Family

The pictures above were taken a few days after our arrival back in the UK in South Marine Park, South Shields.

This unexpected trip home has incurred major additional expenses for us.  If you feel you are able and would like to give a gift to help with some of these costs, just go to the link "Sponsor Andy & Brenda" in the left hand column of our blog to make a donation.  Any gift no matter how small is so appreciated.

Africa Mercy Patient Story - Lawson (Max Fax)

Read about one of our recent patients Lawson, who has received not only life changing, but life saving surgery on board the Africa Mercy.

Lawson

His gentle eyes betrayed his desperate hope. " I came here so I could get help" said Lawson, struggling to speak clearly. A large growth stretched his mouth and cheeks horribly, causing his teeth to stick out in all directions. It had been growing for four years, inhibiting his breathing, eating, and speech and eventually, his ability to work.

The tumor destroyed his life, separating him from everyone and everything he loved. The people in his village would not sell him food because they said he was a devil. His wife left him, leaving behind their three children. Without work or food, he could not provide for his family.
So, Lawson, once one of Ghana's most prominent football (soccer) players, now hid inside his house.
Then, a radio announcement said that a hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, would soon be coming to Togo, offering surgeries free of charge. Daring to hope, Lawson left his children in his mother's care and went to the patient screening.
Lawson was literally at the brink of death as the tumor slowly suffocated him. He was immediately admitted to the hospital ship, with surgery the next day. It took three doctors eight hours to remove the benign growth and repair his nose, upper lip, and cheek. The large amount of blood required during surgery was donated by crew members.
Lawson was overjoyed when he touched the bandages on his cheek.  The tumor was gone! There will be more surgeries within the next year to complete the reconstruction of his face, but the immediate result saved and restored his life.

Unable to hold back tears of joy, a delighted Lawson exclaimed, "I can't believe what has happened to me. It is a miracle! My way was crooked, but now my way is straight. Now, I am a man!"
Lawson can hardly wait to surprise his family with his transformation. He is anxious to eat real food again, especially his mother's ademe, a stew made with legumes, fish and red oil. Then he will think about starting his new life.
He has photos of what he looked like before surgery and after. "I want to show pictures to everybody, so people can see what Mercy Ships did for me. Everybody who sees me, they will be surprised," he grinned. "I survived! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen!"

 
Written by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by: Debra Bell

Lawson praises God with a joyful heart for the surgery aboard the Africa Mercy that saved his life.

Check this out!!

In  October ITV Tyne Tees came to Benin and filmed several crew members from the UK.  The filming was for five 5 minute episodes shown over a week early evening.......prime time TV.  The second episode features our Family.  Click on the link to: Watch the Video
All 5 episodes can be viewed through You Tube.
Enjoy!!

Work Experience 2010

Emma - This year Emma spent her week of work experience in the Hospital Ward again.  Last year she worked in Engineering after the previous two years work experience being on the ward.  With her current focus on graduation from High School and then a career in Nursing ahead, she chose to go back into the Hospital.
She shadowed  Paediatric Nurse - Jenn Carroll & Assistant Ward Supervisor - Ali Chandra.  Paediatric Nursing is the specialty Emma is interested in for her future career.She had a great week and enjoyed her time with some of our younger patients.

Rachel (below) had a right tibial osteotomy, otherwise known as a right bow leg and Emma is seen in the pictures below helping with the over-casting process.

The little boy Emma is comforting here, had bilateral tibial osteotomies (2 bow legs)

She had opportunity to practise inserting an I.V line on a couple of willing nurses Ali & Liz, while Jenn looks on!!

....and then agreed to have them do one on her!

...not so bad!

Chris - spent his work experience in Engineering as he did last year.  Last year he worked with  the Plumbers - Chris & Tom.  This year he worked with one of our Welders - Jeff!

He learnt how to Arc weld up on deck 8 in an area where a tank had been removed.  He learnt how to use a grinder to grind pipes in to smooth the surfaces in preparation for welding.
The pics show Chris welding while Jeff teaches and supervises the process.

 Well done Chris!

In this next picture Chris can be seen up on the mast with John, his friend who was also doing his work experience in Engineering.  John was working with the Electricians & Electronics Technicians who were working on the X-band radar.  Chris was also invited up there - he wouldn't normally be allowed so this was a cool opportunity!

Josh - enjoyed a few days working in the Galley with 3 others from his class, Joey, Chenell & Hannah.

After taking part in the Galley safety orientation given by Jesse Mitchell, Executive Chef, Josh was equipped with an apron and rubber shoe coverings to prevent slipping.
He processed hundreds and hundreds of potatoes through the skinning machine before the tedious task of chopping them into chips.

The next day, Josh helped in planning the menu for the rest of the week and then chopped beef and plantain for the meal on African night.
Later he sliced chicken, dipped the pieces in egg and flour and then covered them in breadcrumbs.

Yet again, work experiences on board the Africa Mercy proves to be a unique and fulfilling time as well as being lots of fun.