Our 21st Wedding Anniversary

WOW! 21 years married. The photo was taken at a restaurant in the Centre of Monrovia. It was lovely to go out and have some time together as a couple away from the kids and away from the ship community just for a few hours to reflect and remember.

As we looked back over the 21 years that we've been married, we realised again what an amazing journey we have travelled together. Yes, we've had our ups and downs but we have shared the joys and we've shared the tough times and we've walked through those choosing to have God as the centre piece of our Marriage. We have 5 wonderful children, and feel truly blessed with all He has given us as a couple and as a family. There is no greater joy than serving God together as a family and seeing our children come into deeper personal relationship with their Heavenly Father.

On the morning of our Anniversary I woke up to this special greeting from my husband.
"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DARLING

21 WONDERFUL YEARS!"

Andy has fun at the Orphanage!

Over the last few weeks Andy has accompanied us to our weekly visit to the Orphanage and had a great time, playing with and loving the children. This last week Andy & I and Arlette & Mampo (the two crew members that are on my core group team) gave the lesson all together. We acted out the parts of the Rich Man (Andy) and the 3 servants who were given talents to look after while their master went away for a time.


The children really enjoyed watching the story acted out by the four of us and then we explained the application of how God gives gifts to each & every one of of us. God does not want us to bury or hide those gifts but to use them for His kingdom and He will increase them as we use them.


Andy threw himself into the activities and had lots of fun. It was great having an extra guy on the team to help with organising the games.



Andy has come away each time feeling as I often do, wishing we could adopt them all!! The children just love to have their hands held or be cuddled.

Dennis & Comfort opened their hearts and their home 10 years ago to these children and now have nearly 70 children in their care. They are an amazing couple with huge hearts. Nevertheless, this small opportunity we have to give the children some more individual attention is precious and they soak it up.

Andy & I with Dennis & Comfort

Chris's 14th Birthday in Liberia!

Chris celebrated his 14th Birthday on the 8th of September. I can't believe my second to youngest is 14 already. Chris will no doubt be the tallest of all our children at a staggering 5ft 11 (way taller than his mum!) and several growing years still ahead of him. Chris is very much the gentle giant of the family with a very soft and affectionate personality.

Chris & Emma, the closest in age of our five children (16 months apart) are particularly close.


Chris got a skateboard for his birthday and has already spent many fun hours on the dock practising his kick flips & ollies!

On the night of his birthday he had his friends Jason & Steffan stay for a sleepover. They ended up all in the Lounge as the Air Conditioning system on the ship was down and it got VERY hot and stuffy in their small bedroom with 4 warm bodies!! Though the pic shows them sleeping, they didn't get much sleep in total that night!!

NEWS FROM STEVE - DOWN UNDER!!

"Hello from down under.

Wow - what an amazing time! DTS is great!Better then I ever expected. Lectures are going well and I’m learning more and more everyday. Let me just say God is good and as I finally come into my own understanding and faith He is pouring out His love on me. Every Saturday is Youth Street day where we get into sub cultural teams. (I’m on music team) and we hang about with the youth helping them further their talents and abilities while showing Gods love for them. Things are awesome and people are being saved at a crazy rate. Big Exo day comes up soon, which is a massive youth day where bands and motor cross bike shows and skate parks go to Sydney and show how cool following God can be. We will be taking the youth down to that and it should be an amazing time. I’ve been hanging out with kids I’ve met while evangelizing and going to concerts with them and basically trying to show love any way I can. I’m even helping one guy start up a band which is awesome. Australia is not so different to back home. I’m finding it easy to adapt to and while its winter it’s just like Newcastle England. I’ve just found out I’m going to Indonesia for outreach which I’m very excited about. We will start out in Bali. The country is one of the biggest Muslim nations in the world, so prayer support will be very much appreciated. I am still lacking some of the fee's for my outreach… any donations will be very appreciated.

Thanks for all your past support and God bless you

Steve

love you all.

My 44th Birthday!

On Saturday just gone we went out as a family for Pizza and Andy happened to mention to the waiter that it was my Birthday. After a few minutes of whispering and hand gestures to Andy I was presented with this lovely big cake which had my name piped onto it and two big 44 candles...no secret there then!!

This was another of those amazing God incidences of special blessing. This cake was freely given to help make my day special. How cool is that?

Family Get Togethers

The last week of our time in the UK was spent with Andy's side of the family. We had a very special family celebration in honour of Andy's parents 70th Birthdays both celebrated this year. It was a rare opportunity to get all the UK members of the family together. Ian, Joy & little Zoe, and also Rach, Jonathan & little Thomas were all missed as they are living in New Zealand.

The cousins pictured above, all enjoyed their few days together at Grannie & Grandpa's house.

Enjoying time with family!

I have so enjoyed spending time with Matt at his flat, looking over old photos, talking about life over the last year and what's next now that he has finished College. We had two weeks with him initially and then we went to Liverpool and spent just over a week with family and friends there. It was great to catch up with so many over that time. Especially great was the opportunities we had to meet with our home Church - City Church and share with them at the Sunday evening service, giving an update of where we personally are at and the Africa Mercy. It was just wonderful to share news of the Africa Mercy finally on location in Africa on field service after such a long time of preparation.

My beautiful sister Gill

Another highlight was a few days away in Angelsey, Wales with my older sister Gill, we had an awesome time together. Gill - you rock girl!! I love ya! The pictures below show me in Beddgelert (left), A family meal out with Gill & Silva (her husband) and our dad (back right. The bottom picture shows the kids with my mum who we visited in the Nursing Home where she lives.

We are now back in Newcastle with Matt, all staying in his room - he has a BIG room!! The kids are loving catching up with all their old school friends and Josh even got to spend the last two days of term in his old school which was an added bonus!

Re-united with Matt, Farewell to Steve!!

Well our first week back in the UK was full of emotion as we were reunited with Matt. It's almost a year since me and the children had seen him. It has been so lovely to spend time with him. Emma & Chris flew off to America the day after and had a wonderful time at Summer Camp in Boston.

After a fraught few days trying to finalise Steven's visa for Aus (which incidentally didn't arrive till 9:30am on the morning he flew - LONG STORY!!) we finally bid him farewell as he went off to Australia to start his DTS. See our farewell pic at the airport.

He spent 3 days in Melbourne with my sister and her family and then flew to Newcastle, Sydney.

We have had 3 emails from him so far and he is having an amazing time. God is really moving in his life and as he himself says, it's only just begun!!

7 Weeks Vacation time back in the UK!

With the Africa Mercy finally now in Africa and at last beginning her active service as a Mercy Ship (First surgeries began 2 weeks ago) we now feel like we can take a much needed rest. It has been an incredibly busy 7 years since we joined Mercy Ships, but particularly the last year with Andy pushing hard with the rest of the Technical Team to get the ship finished and ready to sail whilst at the same time travelling back and forth to Africa to support the family and I, as we served on the field in Africa.

Andy's last exam you may remember was taken during the run up to Sea Trials and not surprisingly he didn't manage to pass and will need to re-sit. This re-sit scheduled for 17th July, coincides with the end of Steven's commitment to Mercy Ships and his moving on to do his DTS. At the same time Matt has now finished his 2 year music course in College (NVQ3) and also Emma and Chris's flying out to the States for 3 weeks of Summer Camp along with the rest of the High School and Junior High Students from the AFM Academy. Taking all things into account & along with the fact that Liberia is in the midst of full-on rainy season, we felt it was a good time to take our break. We left the Ship on 2nd July to fly back to the UK. I am so enjoying being re-united with Matt who I hadn't seen for almost a year! The picture below is taken at the airport as we drop off Emma & Chris. We had such a short time all together as a family. When they get back, Steve will have gone to his DTS. It's been an emotional time for me as Mum as another flies the nest. Steve will be gone a whole year as he travels for 6 months to visit family and friends after his DTS.



We will spend most of our time with Matt in Newcastle however we will be visiting other family members. Our itinerary during our 7 weeks in the UK is given below:

Cole Family UK Visit Itinerary

• Mon 2nd July - depart Monrovia


• Tues 3rd July - arrive Gatwick. Travel by car to Fleet to stay one night with Laura & Owen (Andy's sister and family)


• Wed 4th July - Journey by car to Liverpool (calling in on Andy's parents en-route for lunch) Meet up with Matt and stay at Gorselands (where Brenda's dad lives)


• Thurs 5th July - Travel to Manchester airport. Emma & Chris fly to Boston, USA for summer camps. Travel on to York for Immigration Medical for Steve's Australian visa.


• Fri 6th July - Drive on to Newcastle to stay in Matt's place - Bethel.


• Wed 11th - Steve flies to Australia. Arrives 13th and stays 3 days in Melbourne with Heather & Dave before flying the short distance to Newcastle, Sydney.


• Tues 17th July - Bren takes the train to Liverpool. Andy takes his Mechanics exam.


• Sat 21st July - Andy & Josh join Bren in Liverpool


• Wed 25th July - Pick up Emma & Chris from Manchester airport at 07:35am and then onto visit Jackie & Andrew in Warrington


• Sun 29th July - Return to Newcastle - Stay in Bethel (Matt's place)


• Mon 13th Aug - Matt's 20th birthday


• Tues 14th Aug - Depart Newcastle for Sutton Coldfield (Andy's parents)


• Fri 17th Aug - Meet up with extended family for celebration - both Andy's parents will be 70 yrs


• Mon 20th Aug - Depart Gatwick for Monrovia.

Steve's Next Step

Steve has now completed his 1 year commitment to Mercy Ships and has made the decision to complete a Youth With a Mission - Discipleship Training School (YWAM - DTS). He is unsure of his future direction and so wanted to take this time out to seek direction and also find his own way in his faith in God. He has struggled at times as most teenagers do. In the struggles he came to the realisation that he has experienced some great things with Mercy Ships along with some difficult things. On his own admission he doesn't feel ready to return to the UK. He wants his faith to be stronger in order to be able to stand in the midst of the many pitfalls our young people face today.

After much research of the many different DTS options available all over the world, Steve has finally been approved for one in Newcastle, Australia (2 - 3 hours North of Sydney) This DTS is very youth & music focussed. With Steven's passion for Music this should be a great experience and opportunity for him to see how God can use the giftings in Music, particularly as a drummer, that He has given Steve.

Please pray for Steve. His DTS starts next week the 17th July and finishes just before Christmas. Please pray for the provision of Finance needed for his DTS and that Steve grows Spiritually during this time and gets all the answers he is seeking. If you would like to support Steve in this venture, then do please email us and we can give you directions on how to do that. (Email info on the left hand column of this blog)
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The Anastasis Final Sail

After 5 weeks of the Anastasis and the Africa Mercy docked side by side and the completion of the transition, the transfer of Crew, Equipment & Supplies from the ANA to the AFM, the Anastasis is finally prepared and ready for her final sail to a yard in India. The ANA is shown below sailing away on the 28th June with a small crew of 40. The sail to India will take approximately 28 days and on arrival she will be "beached" and then dismantled for scrap. The day she left was a bright and clear day and though the mood was quiet and sad, it was also a time of reflection, remembering all that has been achieved in her many years of service to the World's forgotten poor. So many lives transformed. Now the Africa Mercy will continue the work.
She still looks so elegant on the outside!

Passing the Torch from ANA to AFM

Whilst Don Stephens was still on board we had a "Passing of the Torch" ceremony. As the ANA is headed for retirement it was a very moving & symbolic occasion. The ceremony started with the torch being lit and Dr. Gary Parker, his wife Susan and their children stood on the top of the Anastasis gangway. Dr. Gary has lived and served on the Anastasis for over 22 years. He met his wife on board and their children have lived on board all their lives. The rest of the crew (over 350 people) snaked in a long line up and down the dock and up onto the Africa Mercy with Solfrid Quist (Executive Director of AFM) and Don & Deyon Stephens (Mercy Ships President and Founders) at the top of the Africa Mercy to receive the Torch. The torch was passed through the hands of each and every crew member and was symbolic of the handing over of the Ministry of the Anastasis -To Bring Hope & Healing to World's Forgotten Poor, the Africa Mercy the worlds largest non-governmental hospital ship.

The President Visits the Africa Mercy

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf came to visit the Africa Mercy. In a month from now the Anastasis will sail from Liberia to India to her final resting place and the Africa Mercy will begin full time Ministry in Africa.

The President came to see for herself the vessel that was going to be the tool of so much Hope & Healing in her Nation. She spoke words of encouragement over the crew and was a genuinely humble woman who was visibly moved by all that she saw and heard on board.

Esther Biney sings a song. If you look real hard you'll spot Andy & I in the audience.

Our new AFM Cabin

Views of our Lounge taken from both sides...

For more photos check out the Photo Link, Here's a first glimpse of our new home. The Kitchenette, and Bathroom beyond that.

We Welcome the AFM to Monrovia, Liberia

This picture shows our first glimpses of Andy & Steve and much loved friends on the AFM. Andy is the one in the red coveralls up above the bridge. The Captain is directly below him.

Steve is the lone figure in the picture on the right standing on the crane stack!!

The kids welcome them.

We moved down to the dock as the ship pulled alongside and Andy & Steve look down to the waiting crowd of ANA crew anticipating our family reunion.

This was the banner we made for Andy & Steve towelcome them. They spotted it from a long way out as they approached the dock.

THE AFRICA MERCY IS IN AFRICA!!

On Wednesday morning at around 9am the AFM pulled alongside the Anastasis admidst much emotion. The reality of what we had worked & waited for, for so long finally was before us. I had set my alarm for 5am. The family was up and dressed and on the Aft deck of ANA with our chairs and breakfast ready and waiting to catch our first glimpse of AFM approaching. Of course at that time it was still dark but there were 4 ships we could see in the distance by their lights alone and for an hour or more, with the help of binoculars we discussed with others..."Is it that one?"...The lights on that are the wrong formation...so I think it's that one!!" As the sun rose we finally got our first glimpse of the big white ship - The Africa Mercy. She was doing some manoeuvres while waiting for the Port Pilot who was scheduled for 7am. Then we learnt there was an hour delay due to another ship needing the Pilot for leaving the Harbour. The pic shows the first picture I was able to take of the AFM in the distance - centre in the picture.

The following series of pictures where also taken from the ANA as the AFM approached the entrance of the harbour.