African Mercy

Waiting line at a Mercy Ships screening day.

The MV Africa Mercy was docked in a port city in West Africa. The medical needs were so great that people came by the thousands. The doctors would screen hundreds of patients to qualify them for surgery or treatment. Mercy Ships founder, Don Stephens remarks that screening days, while hectic and exhausting, go on with very little uproar. Africans have an uncanny inner peace that becomes apparent as they gather and wait in virtually endless lines for a chance to see a doctor.

Don Stephens and medical personnel at a screening day

This day saw a much larger crowd than usual, and the crowd pressed against the temporary fencing, risking the safety of the people at the front of the line. The crew saw they would need to shut down the medical screenings and disperse the crowd for the day. They closed the chain-link gates at the port. A man way in the back, without a hope of being seen that day held his infant daughter who had a large tumor growing on her neck that pushed against her wind-pipe. She might be suffocated before they could come back. In desperation, the man lifted his daughter up over the crowd and put her in the hands of someone who was a little closer to the fence. One by one, people passed her toward the closed gate. On the other side, the Mercy Ships crew could see what was happening, and eventually could hear the small child wheasing and gasping for breath. Africans in line, suffering horrible pain and diseases themselves, saw that this little child was in more desperate need. They passed her one by one to the fence and then up and over the fence into the arms of a Mercy Ships crew member. The child was taken into surgery soon after, and the tumor was removed from her neck. The doctor who performed the operation said it was a very close call. The benign tumor that pressed against her esophagus could have stopped her breathing within weeks.


Later, she was re-united with her overjoyed father. This is a story that makes me weep for Africa. In a land with rich natural resources, the people live in poverty. The death toll is high. Wars continue to scar the landscapes. There is so much suffering that doesn't need to happen. The people of Africa are strong and courageous. They are able to govern themselves. Most importantly, they share mercy with each other. We go to Africa to encourage and share that mercy.

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-Thank you.

Locals in Togo working together to deal with flooding in the capital, Lome.

A Musing Post

Whoa Andy, You look like a rockstar in the Riviera. Where were you, anyway? The columns in the background and the reflection in your sunglasses look like it's pretty ecuatorial... hint hint

The Calling, Chapter IV "TODAY"

What we're doing:
 Our task is to live and work in Togo near a huge hospital ship called the "Africa Mercy".  For at least 2 years, we will be hosts to the entire world by facilitating the work of volunteers who come to Africa to help make a difference in a world of need.  We will focus on building capacity and infrastructure in different countries' fragile health care systems.  We have facilitated short term work like this before in Quito, Ecuador.  We brought a group for 1 week to help a local church build a new facility and to work with kids at Vacation Bible School.  The challenges and cost of organizing and bringing a group of volunteers to an unknown environment are high, but the reward is SO MUCH HIGHER! 

Our Ecuador team leading songs for the kids at Vacation Bible School was hilarious.  Those kids just don't want to stop singing praises to God!

How we get there:

We will get to Africa only with the support and financial commitment of people who share in our vision to see lives changed for the better.  Our parent organization, Mercy Ships, is a global, non-profit organization, and will provide tax-deductible receipts to US donors.  We must be fully funded before we leave in June, 2010 with consistent monthly support.  Would you consider joining our support team at home?  If so, please CLICK HERE

Why we do it:
We were in Quito, Ecuador and despite some awkward moments of mis-understanding and language trouble, we were un-phased and started working with the children.  Outside on the playground, the scene that unfolded before me tugged at my heart:  Andrew was out playing soccer with some of the boys.  Nick had a new best friend perched upon his shoulders, walking proudly through the playground, taking photos with his big camera.  Tess was playing basketball with some of the girls, exemplifying good character in sports.  Heather, who speaks quite a bit of Spanish, was virtually buried in a pile of young girls who asked all sorts of questions about everything faster than she could work out the answers in Spanish.  The others in our group were doing likewise, loving the children they came to help.  This is a work of love, and imparting hope in individuals.  I was moved by the scene.  The week came to an end, and there were many mixed emotions and stories: 


"There is so much more to do, and no more time!"
"I'm exhausted, but it is totally worth it."
"I want to come back."
"This has definitely broadened my perspective on life."

These comments fuel the fire which burns in Cecilia and I.  We want to see people come outside themselves and see a bigger world.  A world where God works in miraculous ways, and love is expressed not just with words, but with action.  We know that every mission trip or volunteer service is a two-way street, blessing both the giver and receiver.  We have committed to facilitate the work of volunteers from all over the world in Africa, and to be a catalyst for change where it is needed most:  In the heart.

Thank you.

Ecuador team: Cecilia and Nate organizing games

Ecuador team: Heather, in her "pile" of inquisitive girls with the boys playing soccer in the background.

Instructions for Giving through Mercy Ships

You can join us in the mission to bring Hope and Healing to the world's forgotten poor!  You can donate two ways:

1. To donate online through Mercy Ships, it's easy!  Just CLICK HERE and click on the "Contribute Now" button.  follow the steps on the website.

2. To make a contribution by mail, please send a check written out to "Mercy Ships".  Write a separate note that says "Contribution to the account of Nathan Tarter".  Send your check and note to:

Mercy Ships
Crewmates
P.O. Box 2020

Garden Valley, TX 

75771

The Calling, Chapter III

Rewind, January, 2009

Ecuador in Winter is like Springtime, and we're here. Thank God, because the cold winter months in Upstate New York are pretty tough to bear for a Southern girl like Cecilia.  Before we left, I went in to my Boss' office to tell him we had bought plane tickets to Ecuador and we'd be there for the whole month of January.  Amazingly, my boss was sympathetic, and told me I could come back to work when I got back to the US.  I'm just glad I wasn't fired on the spot.
We spent Christmas with my folks in Massachusetts, and now in January it's Cecilia's turn to be home. She's been away for so long that you can't help but see it on her face. She doesn't always show it, but I can see it. Relaxation.

This time it's only me and Ceci. We don't have any special itinerary, no important things to do, just spend time with the family, travel a little, and really introduce me to Quito.  It is here that I begin to really understand a different way of life.  It is here that I get a chance to loosen my grip on my own life.  Jesus once said "If you want to gain your own life you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it."  That saying resonates with me here in Quito because there's no way to get by without a guide.  As a foreigner who doesn't know the language or the customs, I must constantly put my life in someone else's hands.  Jesus tells us to do just that.  "Lose your life.  Give it to me. Trust me."  Some foreigners who are afraid of getting hurt or dying might not ever leave the house in Quito, and it's a pretty modern city.  Cecilia grew up with a very clear understanding that she had nothing but God to take her through life's difficult struggles, and that she's at His mercy.  That was true when she went to Zamorano University in Honduras with no money.  It was true when she transferred to the University of Arkansas and arrived in the US with $40 in her pocket and spent the first $20 on cab fare.  It remains true even when we got married, we started with no money in the bank, and had to rely on God to help us pay our first month's rent.  God has provided, and given all that was needed.  I believe people who tend to desire security and financial independence, like myself, can learn a few things about faith from our brothers and sisters who grow up in poor countries.  It was not the first step, but a very important one on my road toward missions.  I am continuing to become more able and willing to lose it all for the sake of Christ.

It was a work of faith to even come here to Ecuador for a whole month.  When we came back I was encouraged that it was right.  My boss said after our return, "Nate, we missed you for the month you were away, but you picked the perfect time to go.  We might have had to lay off someone during the Winter if you hadn't taken your trip that month."
Now fastforward to January 2010.
We are looking forward to our next trip to Ecuador from January 4-28.  The tickets are bought, and we are ready to go.  I have been to Ecuador many times now, and it is not as new and dangerous to me anymore.  I believe it is almost a home away from home now.  I look to the horizon though, and prepare for our next big step of faith. We are going to Africa to work with Mercy Ships.  Our faith will grow and we will gain experience working with the poorest of the poor in the World.  I am excited how God will use our willingness to go, and I am excited for you too!  God will use you if you call upon him to take your life and make it His.  He is a truly Awesome God, and believing is seeing.

Please comment on this post if you have a great story of faith to share!  

Last "Andy" Post... The Man Speaks for Himself.

December has come with a thin, crispy coating of snow on the ground.  The snow flies often and the wind blows strong in Dryden.  Cecilia and I have come back from Massachusetts to re-enter our normal lives of travelling, writing, fundraising, and working.  Thanks for all your support of Andy, my brother.  He is doing well physically, mentally, and is "on the mend".  You can call him yourself!  It turns out his cell phone was with the police the whole time, and he got it back again last week.  So all of you who offered a phone,  thanks.

Andy, when you read this, I'm hope you start writing some comments to these posts.  Give it the personal touch that only you can give and let the world know what's really up!

Andy telling Mom, Cecilia, and Gramma Patsy what's really up. June 2009

Andy - Out of the Hospital, into the Home

As of Tuesday at 6:30 PM Andy came home to the house in Rehoboth.  We are overjoyed with the progress he is making and look forward to his recovery.
Thanks very much for your prayers and support.

Andy at home, Christmas 2008

Morning update: We're back in Ithaca

The last we saw Andrew was Sunday afternoon at 4:00PM when we said goodbye and took the car ride back to Ithaca.  He was doing well, still in pain with his broken arm, and still not remembering everything.  His memory is stronger now, but only time will tell when he gets all his short term memory back.  Now we are in Ithaca, and communicating to the family by phone and email only.  You can still visit Andy at the hospital as of today, Tuesday.  They will probably discharge him later today, and then you can visit at the house in Rehoboth if you get the chance.  Just call ahead.

I look forward to the day when Andy and I can look back on this time and remember all that it has brought to this family.  This experience, I believe, can only make us stronger.

Blessings.