Baptisms in the African Bush

Today a team from the Ship went to a village about an hours' drive away. This village of Hevie (pronounced HEAVY) has a history steeped in VooDoo and idol worship. According to the Pastor - Pastor Theodor, the land around the village was very unproductive, but he had a vision over 10 years ago that the land was to be used for the building of a Church. Pastor Theodor explained that as a result of the Jesus film the people really got inspired and motivated to see the fulfillment of that vision and the church was built. It is a simple structure - an open frame with a zinc roof.

Mercy Ships sends out teams 2 - 3 times a week into the villages around Cotonou to show the Jesus Film. This is done in the Crew's own time, evening & weekends. The Jesus Film is translated into the local languages of French and also Fon.
This is such a powerful way of sharing about Jesus and why He Came, why He died and how He was raised from the dead to save us from our sin, to transform us into Life Eternal. They don't just hear the message but get to see it through this powerful, visual representation of the Gospel message.

It's wonderful to see people responding and giving their lives to Jesus. Our teams ensure local Pastors are present so that any new Christians can be connected into local Churches so that they can be encouraged and grow in their new found Faith. From time to time we get requests to be involved in the Baptism of these new Christians.Andy shares a message before the Baptisms begin.

The visit today was three-fold:
1. It was to Baptize 12 people:
Andy & Arthur (also from the UK - our Chief Electrician) were asked to be those who Baptized the new believers. Other Mercy Ships Crew had some key roles in the proceedings. One of our crew preached the message, Andy & Arthur and Ananda prayed for the new Pastors and various crew prayed at different intervals throughout the service.










2. To dedicate this new Church plant in the Community and to commission the new Pastor. During the service they shared communion. This was a first - no.... not a first to share African communion, but a first where the "wine" was actually Coke!!
3. To dedicate a miracle baby to the Lord.

The testimony about the baby is remarkable. A month before the baby was due the mother went to the local hospital as she had gone into early labour. The hospital sent her home telling her that the baby had died in the womb and that she should wait till the baby was expelled naturally. The Church got together and prayed in earnest for the mother and for this child to be quickly delivered. 15 days ago the mother felt the baby start to move again in the womb and 5 days ago, she gave birth to a normal healthy baby boy that she & her husband have called Joshua. What a day of Joy!
It was such an exciting day, to see what the Lord has done and is doing in this Community.











These two lovely pictures above show Andy & Arthur in prayer at the end of the Baptisms with two African brothers. Andy & Arthur work closely together in Engineering, and are very good friends. Today, however was an extra special blessing for them to share.

At the end they shared a simple meal together of rice an egg and local vegetables.

View From Our Cabin Window

What do we see when we open our curtains in the morning?

Looking straight out of our cabin we have a great view of the working Port of Cotonou. Huge container ships and other vessels make their way carefully across the harbour to a berth.

The Port Tug boats that guide the ships in are parked to the right, but especially during the week they are busy much of the time.

If we look further to the right, there is a busy fishing village with fishing boats passing by our ship all through the day.These guys spend their lives on the water, fishing to support their families.

Mercy Ships Founders receive Humanitarian of the Year award from Variety Club

PRESS RELEASE
Garden Valley, Texas, May 6, 2009: The founders of the world’s largest hospital ship charity were honored with a humanitarian award at a glittering ceremony in London last night.
The annual Variety Club International Humanitarian Award, whose previous winners include Sir Winston Churchill and Audrey Hepburn, was given to Don and Deyon Stephens who founded Mercy Ships in 1978. It was in that year the couple had a dream to find a ship, equip it as a hospital, fill it with volunteer crew and sail round the world providing life saving medical care to the poorest of the poor. 30 years later, Mercy Ships has completed over 560 port visits in 53 developing nations and 17 developed nations providing medical care and humanitarian services valued at more than $748 million, impacting 2.16 million people. The international charity has treated more than 230,000 people in village medical clinics, performed more than 41,000 operations such as cleft lip and palate, cataract removal, straightening of crossed eyes, orthopaedic and facial reconstruction. They have treated over 79,000 dental patients with more than 206,000 dental procedures performed and completed over 1,058 community development projects focusing on water and sanitation, education, infrastructure development and agriculture. Speaking about receiving the Humanitarian Award, Don Stephens said, “In challenging economic times which affect us all, the worlds poorest suffer even more. 20% of newborn babies will not live to the fifth birthday, largely due to preventable disease. The average lifespan of women where our ships serve is 46 years. 3,000,000 women in sub-Saharan Africa suffer from obstetric fistula in nations whose GDP translates to families living on less than a dollar per day. Medical care, both primary and surgical, are scarce commodities and when they do exist are often far beyond the financial reach of the poor. Mercy Ships offers hope and healing to the world’s poorest. On behalf of the world’s poor and our dedicated professional volunteers, it is an honor to be considered for this award.”
Previous winners of the Humanitarian Award include Sir Edmund Hillary, Sir Alexander Fleming and Dr Albert Schweitzer, with last night’s award present to the Stephens by TRH Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Deyon Stephens added, “Living on board the first mercy ship with our four children for ten years was an experience rich in significance, adventure, adversity and satisfaction. Mercy Ships has now seen 30 years come and go. Millions of the world’s most needy have now felt the compassionate and healing hands of those serving onboard."

Mercy Ships’ current ship, the Africa Mercy, spent seven years in Newcastle being converted from a rail ferry into the world’s largest charity hospital ship, and is now serving the people of Benin.
Staffed entirely by volunteer crew, the ship provides a wide range of free surgeries including maxillofacial (usually the removal of large benign tumors), cleft lip and palate, flesh-eating noma, release of burn contractures, cataracts, obstetric fistula, and orthopaedic issues.
Mercy Ships CEO Sam Smith said, “Don and Deyon Stephens have an incredible vision to serve the forgotten poor of the world and have tirelessly worked for over 30 years to make this vision a reality.
The impact of their work has been felt the world over and people are alive today thanks to the great work provided by Mercy Ships volunteers. Currently, our flagship, Africa Mercy, is setting new records for the number of people we are able to impact with our services. The Stephens are very humble people that have strived to make a difference, and the international family of Mercy Ships is grateful to the Variety Club for honoring these “Champions for the Poor” with their Humanitarian
Award. They deserve to be placed among the great humanitarians that have previously been so honored.” Further information on Mercy Ships can be found at www.mercyships.org

Pauline Rick
U.S. Public Relations Manager
Tel: 903-939-7649
rickp@mercyships.org
www.mercyships.org
Diane Rickard
Int’l Public Relations Director
Tel: 44.1438 727 800
rickardd@mercyships.org
www.mercyships.org
Notes to Editors:
The history of Mercy Ships can be found at www.mercyships.org
• Don Stephens is Founder and CEO of Mercy Ships International. Deyon, a registered nurse, serves as the Director of Training and oversees the Ships Watchmen program. Married in 1966, Don and Deyon have four grown children and became grandparents in 2002. Don Stephens has received the Two Hungers Award and the Religious Heritage Award. He is also a Paul Harris Fellow through Rotary. Conversant in German and French, Don lectures internationally and is the author of three books, Trial by Trial and Mandate for Mercy. His third book, Ships of Mercy is published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK & Thomas Nelson in the US.
• Mercy Ships is a global charity providing developing countries with free medical and surgical services. It also helps local communities develop sustainable water, sanitation and education programs. The charity operates the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship – staffed with volunteer doctors, nurses, engineers and agriculturists – that visits ports in some of the world’s poorest countries.

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/

Screening Day - Benin Field Service 2009

Mercy Ships volunteers screen almost 2500 people at Benin screening day

Mercy Ships held its general screening day on Thursday, 19th February 2009, in Cotonou, Benin. At the Hall des Arts, Mercy Ships volunteer nurses, doctors, and support staff screened 1,952 patients. The number was so large a second day of screening took place on Friday, and over 500 more patients were screened.

Over two hundred people were already waiting when Mercy Ships security arrived at 3:30 am on Thursday, and they continued to flow through the afternoon. Seeing that many patients in one day is challenging, even for Dr. Gary Parker, Chief Medical Officer and maxillo-facial surgeon with Mercy Ships, who has worked at nearly fifty screening days.

"We see these thousands of people," Dr. Parker said. "Each one of these people is a fellow human being, and they all have their story, and they all have their hopes and dreams. We have to see them in such a way that respects them and their dignity as a fellow human being."

Patients received appointments for maxillo-facial and general surgery. Secondary screenings for eyes, orthopedics, releases for burn contracture, and vesico-vaginal fistulas will take place over the next few weeks. Mercy Ships plans on providing 7,000 free surgical interventions over the next 10 months.

But more than simply attending to medical needs, Mercy Ships volunteers strove to be the face of love in action, serving water and food to the patients, playing with children (Chris Josh & Emma spent the day doing this as seen in the picture above), and counseling any patients that could not be offered treatment (picture below). Many remarked on how calm and peaceful the atmosphere was.
The Junior High and High School students were released from school for the day to be involved. They had a great time playing with children and keeping them entertained as they waited to be seen. Josh tells a great story of his interaction with one little boy who was about 3 yrs old. The little boy was very serious and wouldn't smile or join in with the play, but Josh persisted in trying to get a smile and to include him. Eventually Josh said to him in the local language of FON "A fong en gia?", "Eh a fong en gee" which basically means "how are you? I am well...." The little boys face little up in to a huge smile and he promptly "went ballistic" (quote by Josh) so excited, jumping around and laughing and had a wonderful time playing with Josh. It made Josh's day!

"There was a joy, and a peace, and a comfort in that place," said Ans Rozema, Patient Services Coordinator. "With family members included, there were close to 4,000 people that came to us. It's really amazing what we can do together."

And to make the surgical procedures of Mercy Ships accessible to the people of North Benin, Mercy Ships volunteers also screened in the provincial capitals Parakou and Natitingou between the 11th and 15th of February. Sponsored by the Ministry of Health of Benin, the North Benin screenings were a range of conditions, including cleft-lip and palate revisions, orthopaedic treatment, and tumor removal.

Don Stephens - Founder of Mercy Ships flew in for a couple of weeks and was therefore in attendance at screening. Brenda can be seen in the bottom corner of this picture below (in blue, back to camera). Brenda and her HR team have been responsible for the registration of the patients for the last few years. The patients were pre-screened outside and then sent inside. Registration is the first station the patients come to. With the help of translators we asked for the patients name, age and basic contact details and then we weighed them. Benin is a French speaking nation, but in addition to French, the people speak a whole range of local languages as well including Fon, Mina, Yorouba.... From registration they move on to the next station for medical history details and basic obs, blood pressure, pulse etc and then on to several other stations before their examination by the surgeons/doctors

Between the two locations, 63 patients were scheduled for surgery, mostly for maxillo-facial or general surgery. Eighteen more were referred to the ship for orthopedic and VVF assessment. Eye candidates were given referrals to Mercy Ships eye clinics in Cotonou.

But for 17 year old Gyslain, who has had a large tumor hanging from his jaw since birth, those numbers aren't as important as the change in his own life and the lives of others he saw waiting around him in the Hall des Arts.

"I am very happy that Mercy Ships wants to help me to remove my tumor," Gyslain said smiling. "In my village, many people would laugh and say bad things. I will be really grateful if they can help me and I can live normally among other people...and if Mercy Ships can help other people, that will be very good."

[Coles Chronicles] BENIN - We're Here!

BENIN - We're Here! Brenda Feb 15, 2009 Our scheduled arrival on Monday 9th didn't quite go as planned. We were making our approach to the harbor when it was announced that there was a problem with the engines and that this would affect our ability to use the bow thrusters. The port of Benin is a very tricky port to navigate into, so neither the Chief Engineer (Andy) or Captain were willing to proceed without bow thrusters. What did we do? We went to Anchor while our engineering & electrical teams set to work to find the faults. It proved to be not an easy fix. Eventually at around 10:30pm after times of prayer on board the ship and prayer via satellite phone with our Marine Operations Department in Texas, the problem was solved. By this time it was of course dark, and though Benin is a 24/7 port we decided to wait till light and proceed into port the following morning 10th Feb. It was a shame as there had been a big elaborate arrival ceremony planned for us with local church choirs and dancers etc....Instead we spent the night at Anchor! That turned out to be a very uncomfortable night, with the ship rocking and rolling, not many crew slept. I lay awake hearing all our dishes and plates and cups crashing around in the kitchen cupboards. Our bed faces port to starboard so every roll had your head pressed up against the wall and then as it rolled back your feet pushing hard against the foot board. Emma's bed faces the same way as ours, but Chris & Josh's beds face bow to stern, so they were rolling from one side to the other, good job they have a side panel on their beds to stop them rolling out!! Around 8 am the following morning we pulled up the Anchor and began our approach once again. There is a Mercy Ships short term mission trip team just arrived in Benin to spend two weeks helping us prepare for this field service, so they and our wonderful Advance Team who we sent ahead of the ship in November to prepare for our arrival were all there waiting for us on the dock. It was a small group of maybe 25 people instead of the planned large group of participants of the Arrival Ceremony. Nevertheless we were very happy to finally pull alongside. The dock is a finger pier similar to Liberia, but there the similarity ends. It is a working pier, a cement dock, not very pretty and we certainly don't have the luxury of exclusive use like we did in Liberia. What we have discovered though is that everything is within easy walking distance to the dock, the local market and shops, as well as numerous hotels with pools whose facilities we can enjoy at the weekends. Our Advance Team procured us huge discounts so that we can go and swim at very low cost. This will be wonderful, especially for the families with children after Liberia, that had very little. One of the first things you notice about Benin is the heat. It is a lot hotter than Liberia with temps around 39 - 40 degrees F and 90 - 95 % humidity. Sunhats, Suncream,Water bottles and Flannels for mopping your brow are the essential items you take whenever you go out! Yesterday, Saturday 14th was our first trip into town. Benin is much more developed than Liberia with shops and good roads with pavements. It's much cleaner and more organized, but the biggest difference is that it is a French speaking nation. Emma and I have really enjoyed the opportunities we've had to use our French and are fairly confident with basic conversations, the down side is that the guys in the family tend to leave it to us girls. Emma and I are determined to be fully conversational in French by the time we leave here. I attended French classes on board for a couple of months organized by our Staff Development Department and taught by some of our French speaking crew. It is surprising how much I learnt and how much came back from when I studied French in School and then took my French GCSE in 1992 at night school. Apologies for the incorrect date on the photo. With yesterday being Josh's birthday we walked to one of the local hotels to check out the pool facilities. Today we will go with a group of 16 young people for a pool party in honor of Josh becoming a teenager! We bought Josh a new bike while we were in Tenerife, so he enjoyed riding on the dock and also when we went into town. He kept to the pavements because the traffic is chaotic, apparently there are rules of the road but no-one seems to know what they are, it's every man for himself and you take your life in your hands when crossing the roads. There are of course cars, and I must say they are in considerably better condition than the cars of Liberia, however the main mode of transport here is the Zemidjan (pronounced zimmyjon - a motor bike), again you would take your life in your hands to ride on one - not to be recommended!! We are very happy to be here in this beautiful nation with very lovely, friendly people. Though more advanced than Liberia and even it would seem Ghana, there is still incredible need here. There is a reasonably good healthcare infrastructure, but it is not free which therefore means the poorest of Benin are not able to access even the most basic health care. Our big medical screenings happen this week 19th & 20th at the "Hall des Arts" we anticipate thousands of people coming. Please join us in praying that God will leads us on both of those days to those He has purposes for, and that we would see many lives transformed both physically and spiritually as we extend the two hands of the Gospel, following the example of Jesus during our next 10 months here in Benin.