We pray that this season will be filled with the many blessings of God's love.
(Click on picture to enlarge)
We pray that this season will be filled with the many blessings of God's love.
(Click on picture to enlarge)
Last Week we received the special honour of a meal at the Presidents palace. The occasion was for Mercy Ships to receive a high honour by the President of the Republic of Benin, H.E Dr Thomas Yayi Boni, for the work that has been done in Benin. At the special state dinner the President conveyed the gratitude of his government and the people of Benin to those who serve on board the Africa Mercy. All the Cabinet members from President Boni’s administration were in attendance. 334 crew members were transported by landrovers and buses to the Governmental Palace and met in a big hall for pre-dinner drinks. The President insisted that all Mercy Ships crew were honored and even delivered 80 meals to the ship for those who had to stay and work. There was a bit of uncertainty for the beer that was also delivered as there is no drinking of alcohol on board! After the drinks we proceeded to the main dining hall where the presentation ceremony would take place before eating. Medals were awarded to Mercy Ships crew that bestowed diplomatic status and the privilege to report directly to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in honor of the 2009 Mercy Ships Field Service. This rare privilege is primarily reserved for national diplomats and not charitable organizations. Commendations of Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Benin (or Commanders of the Republic) awards were given to Mercy Ships co-founders, Don and Deyon Stephens, and to Chief Eye Surgeon on the Africa Mercy, Dr. Glenn Strauss. This medal is highly regarded in all nations and is a lifetime award. Don Stephens accepted the honor on behalf of all staff and supporters worldwide and the Mercy Ships family who have been involved in over 31 years of the ministry. Daslin Small Oueounou, Mercy Ships Benin Field Director, was named "Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Benin" and our Managing Director, Ken Berry was made "Officier de l'Ordre National du Benin". President Boni also congratulated Dr. Gary Parker, who was presented with the Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Benin medal by President Mathieu Kérékou in 2001. President Boni conveyed his thanks to Mercy Ships for their second visit to his nation this decade and for the love and care they showed the people of Benin.
You can always tell when it's coming up. The ship starts to get a lot hotter than usual, sometimes even the floors start to get slippery from condensation building up on them. Then you see the flippers coming, yes the Africa Mercy Dive Team are called in. Now you're probably thinking, wow, people get to dive for Christ. I guess you're right, they do, but forget the images of clear blue sea with big reefs, this is not how it is in Benin...maybe replace that image with murky, polluted water, a nice film of sewage and, well, we're not too sure what it is, but it's yucky.
The Africa Mercy’s machinery is cooled by seawater pumped in via intake valves on the sides of the ship. Without a continuous intake of cool water, the generators that power the ship and the various facilities onboard, including the hospital, would all stop working. Also, the air-conditioning system would shut down, resulting in a rapid increase of temperature that would cause discomfort for crew members and patients, as well as creating a risk for certain pieces of hospital equipment that require a steady temperature to function. The emergency fire hoses receive their water supply from the same intake valves. Thus, the need for constant monitoring and regular maintenance of these valves, as well as having standby divers for emergencies is all of great importance.
With the Africa Mercy being docked for a long period in slow-moving, severely polluted water, the intake valves are often getting blocked up by refuse and restrict the flow of water into the ship. Sometimes the layer of refuse surrounding the ship is so thick it looks like you could almost walk on the water. It is then that the dive team go down and clear the vents, often removing plastic bags, barnacles, seaweed and when we were in Liberia our biggest problem was jellyfish. We currently have 9 divers. At the beginning of the week the dive coordinator contacts the divers to find out who is available to dive as they all have other jobs that take priority. On occasions, divers have been required to suit up and descend below the ship as early as 4 AM. Night diving is extremely dangerous, but even diving during the day can be hazardous. The water is usually so cloudy, they can’t see their feet. Visibility is only six inches, which sometimes makes it difficult to find the intake valves. But a lack of visibility is not the only risk facing the Dive Team. The sewage discharged from the Africa Mercy is fairly sterile, but the sewage from other ships in the port is a problem. Before any crew member attempts to dive, the medical department assesses their vaccination forms to ensure they are covered against serious diseases like hepatitis C, typhoid, and cholera. Whenever the divers have got water in their mouths, they’ve ended up with an upset stomach. Most of the Dive Team’s equipment is getting old and worn-out, some of which is more than fifteen years old. New equipment is needed, including full-face dive masks, that would drastically decrease the health risks that divers endure so frequently and ultimately increase their efficiency and effectiveness. However, they are quite expensive. Until then, the divers continue to risk their health to keep the Africa Mercy operational, ensuring that Mercy Ships can continue bringing hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor. One diver said "even though it’s dirty work, I’m happy to dive every week, it’s all part of serving the crew and continuing this ministry.”
Nathanael wants to share a song with you this week, he continues to share it with us EVERY meal time so we thought it would be nice for others to listen to him for a bit.
For our church service tonight we had an international worship night, where groups of crew brought something from their different countries. So we thought we'd share bits of this service with you.
Sharon ended up being in the group from Wales-6 of us considered Cardiff as home, but only 1 was actually Welsh speaking. Another was half Canadian and half Welsh and was born in Bridgend. We read Psalm 23 in welsh and sang the great hymn "Guide Me O Thy Great Jehovah". (as a footnote we apologise to any Welsh speakers out there who might cringe at the pronounciation of some of the words...we gave it our best shot....must admit we don't think we will be taking up Welsh in the near future....we'll stick to French!)
We also had music from Ghana, which got everybody up and dancing.
....and even this baby slept through the whole thing whilst tied to her mothers back.
Then we had the South African's
Followed by a contingent from Poland who sang a very lively version of Hallelujah.
It was all finished off by the German speaking countries.
It's great to be a part of such a big International Crew and share worship together.