Sierra Leone: City of Rest

The Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Centre front door in Sierra Leone where we went to an international Christian fellowship.

We walked through a metal door in a high concrete wall with a sign on the side that says "Mercy Ships Sierra Leone: Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Centre".  Years ago, Mercy Ships helped to construct and staff a women's fistula clinic in this area of Freetown, Sierra Leone.  Slowly and carefully it is being turned over to the Freedom from Fistula Foundation. We went there and made a quite expected connection.

Sierra Leone - Land of Beauty

Our first impressions of Freetown as we went up to the team house on the hill that first day were of beauty and majesty. We will never forget it.

The Pocket Notebook

On our journey from Ithaca to Texas to Africa, we've collected a few things along the way.  However, none have been so helpful and used to such benefit than one spontaneous and seemingly insignificant gift from a friend in up-state New York.  It's a little nicely bound pocket notebook.

A couple pics from Benin

We just wanted to update you with a few pictures before we depart Abomey, Benin tomorrow.

This is Mama Arlette, the Children's home leader, where we worked with the kids and on some various building projects.  The kids are awesome.  She's reading out some letters the kids wrote to us on the last day.

This is Abbalo.  He's one of the orphans at the Children's home.  We got a chance to have a full-on water balloon fight in the courtyard.  Boys vs. Girls.  Abalo was the last man standing, so we eventually snuck up and doused him with water from the balloon bucket.  He was still smiling though.  

More updates to come.  We are on the eve of our departure to Togo.  Pray for safe travels!

Up-Country Adventures in Togo: Healing in the North

I love this report.  It shows both the difficulties of practicing medicine in the poorest places of the world, but also the transformation it can bring to people's lives.  It's only 11 days till we get on the plane to Africa, and we are more than excited.  We hope you enjoy this story, written and photographed by Mercy Ships staff:


Dr. Tony Giles, maxillofacial surgeon, and his wife Ann, an OR nurse, have worked with Mercy Ships in many capacities over the past fourteen years. Recently, they conducted a 28-day screening tour in the northern areas of Togo, from Dapaong to Kpalime. It turned out to be quite an adventure!


Travelling more than 2000km through plateau, jungle, mountain pass and desert scrub, they encountered high winds, downpours, sudden electrical storms and power outages. They worked twelve-hour days – screening and performing surgeries with sub-standard equipment and local anesthetics. A power outage occurred during one surgery, but the flickering light of Dr. Tony's mobile phone allowed him to complete the procedure. And in Dapaong, Dr. Tony removed a pear-shaped growth from the forehead of a 99-year-old man under local anesthetic.




Tony and Ann were greatly encouraged by their Togolese team members. The two observers from the Minister of Health, realizing what was being done for their citizens, took an active and very helpful part in the screenings. The five volunteer translators, two of whom were drivers, helped to transport patients to and from the ship, the Hospitality Center, and testing facilities. They also organized minibus taxis to take patients home and to bring new patients to the screenings. Since they were so closely involved with the screening process, Dr. Tony trained them in pre-screening. As a result, they were able to continue the process with 95% accuracy during the week that the Tony and Ann returned to the ship to cover for Dr. Gary Parker.


Madame Adjeh Assoupi, from the Office of the Minister of Health, joined the team at Atakpame. She was instrumental in solving many of the problems encountered on the tour. Because the surrounding area consisted primarily of farming communities, there were many hernia problems – more than could be handled on the ship. Many of these people could be treated locally, but couldn't afford surgery. So, Madame Adjeh arranged for government funding for them to have hernia surgery at the hospital for a very small charge.


Shortly before leaving Atakpame, a 60-year-old man named Koffi arrived with a limpoma, a large growth on his back attached to his neck. Surgery had been completed for the day, and the team was about to move on to Kpalime. Madame Adjeh suggested transporting Koffi to Kpalime, where Dr. Tony could perform the surgery. She also made sure a diatherm ( to prevent bleeding) would be available for the surgery. She then made overnight arrangements at the local hospital for Koffi, and he went to Kpalime with the government film crew the next day. Using the hospital's instruments, Dr. Tony removed the 12-pound growth, the largest ever to be removed under local anesthetic. The entire procedure was captured by the government film crew. Madame Adjeh and the Assistant Director of the hospital even secured some badly needed clothes for the man and arranged for him to be returned to his village the next day.



Koffi Before






Koffi After


Dr. Tony and Ann told the people, through the interpreters, that goitres are caused by poor diet and a lack of iodine. The film crew interviewed them and also got the local dietician to talk about it on camera. Then the crew went to the local market and filmed the foods, like fish and shrimp, that would help with these problems. This type of adult education can go a long way toward eliminating these problems.


The screenings were advertised through churches and on government radio. The President's TV crew joined the screening team in Kara to film the proceedings, which were broadcast daily in ten-minute segments. The word definitely penetrated the area, but no one realized that such publicity might cause a security problem. By the time the team reached Kpalime, there were so many people surrounding the screening site, an open circular shelter in the ground, the team couldn't get in. The Prefect of Atakpame tried, unsuccessfully, to control the crowd. Finally, the army was called in to restore order. Dr. Tony described the incredible scene: “People just invaded. We were surrounded. We were stuck. We couldn't move. We got a megaphone, but people still didn't want to get out. They didn't want to lose their chance of seeing us. But we couldn't see anybody because we couldn't move. They swarmed everywhere – around us, behind us, in front of us… cramming in. I thought they'd crush us.”



Crowds pressing in at an up-country screening in Togo


They saw many facial tumors, cleft lips and cleft palates, VVF women, burns, hernias, and orthopedic problems – in all, over 3,000 people during the tour. They performed 31 surgeries with local anesthetic and selected 200 patients for possible surgeries. However, Dr. Tony is quick to acknowledge that their primary interest is in the individuals, rather than the numbers.




Due to the strong relationships forged during the screenings and everyone's willingness to help, the partnership between the government and Mercy Ships was played out once again with a remarkably successful result.




Dr. Tony and Ann have seen many miracles over the years, and this screening journey has added to their list. “You see all sorts of things happen. You begin to get confidence,” he explained. “It works … God does it. And these people's lives are changed!”


Story by Elaine Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina

A Visit With Edoh

We have shared Edoh's story with some of you before.  Recently, a team went to Edoh's village and made a report.  That report is printed here.  If you haven't heard Edoh's story read on.

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."

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

What's in a name: African Roots to American Fruits

My Grandmother is a wonderful storyteller.  She weaves stories that put you on the edge of your seat, and that make you stop to think.  She holds a huge library of fiction and non-fiction in her head, and you never know what story she'll choose from the annals to entertain you with.  Here's a recent one that tells the story of my family's Surname, "Tarter".

Gustav Tata grew up in South Africa to Indian ex-patriots.  It was in Africa that he was educated and became an educator himself.  He became well known on the island of Zanzibar, where he lived, off the coast of Tanzania.

Zanzibar

He became a leader in education, eventually throughout an entire district of Tanzania.  Through his close ties to England, and by virtue of being educator to some of the British who were in Tanzania, he fell in love with a British lady, I think her name was Penny.  They had 3 children in Zanzibar, but she was not interested in staying.  She took the children to live in England despite the fact that Gustav would not come to England.  It was a multi-cultural marriage, but it seems neither of them were ready to start a family outside their own culture.  It came to pass that Penny legally changed her family name to the more British-sounding "Tate" instead of enduring the questioning glances and ill repute of having a very Indian surname.  

Gustav visited his wife and children in England very seldom, and much legend and story grew up around him in his absence.  They told stories of Gustav's exploits as a big game hunter on the plains of the Tanzanian savannah and the jungles of the African continent.  They called him "Bowana the Hunter", and passed the tales of daring and danger on to their friends and later, their children.  The middle child, Peter, who is my Grandfather, was rather individualistic, funny, and inventive.  Over the course of time he decided to change his name once again.  For some reason, he legally changed his surname to "Tarter". He met his wife, Patsy, in London, had 3 boys, and moved to the US in 1956.  The three boys grew up to marry, and have children of their own.  Peter Thurston, the middle child, had two boys.  One of those boys is me.  

I had no clue of my Tata heritage, spanning from India to South Africa to Tanzania to England, only to be changed twice in one generation.  The strangest thing is that when I went to college and started using on-line identities for chat groups and AIM, the screen name I chose was "Nate Tata".  It seems that unwittingly I went back to my roots and dug up the old family name without knowing a thing about it.  My actual idea was that "tata" is close to how you'd say the word "Tarter" in Massachusetts, with the typical New England accent.  Further, I had no idea I would marry my wife, starting my own multi-cultural family.  I am confident we will not have the same difficulty my great grandfather experienced as his family was split across continents and oceans.  My wife and I are solidly "in it together", wherever the Lord may lead us. 

Now Cecilia and I travel to Africa on an adventure of our own.  We will be in a completely different part of the continent, but who knows? I will certainly be on the look-out for some long lost Tata relative as we traverse the landscape and seek our place in the world.  If I find them, they will probably look much more Indian, or African than me.  I imagine what a family picture might look like, going back just 3 generations.  We'd look African, Indian, Scandinavian, and South American.  Blood from all over the world runs through our veins.  I have no "homeland", and I am thrilled by the opportunity to work internationally with countless others from all over the globe.  

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Mercy Ministries in Benin, 2009

This story was published in 2009.  I include it in this blog because we will be a part of this type of work starting in Togo, then Sierra Leone.  Cecilia and Nate will be land-based "host receivers", as part of a team to further coordinate the work of Mercy Ships on land.  Please read to see one side of the work Mercy Ships is doing to bring hope to a world of need.

Many crew members of the Africa Mercy hold positions that involve little or no interaction with the local community.  Thus, in every field service, Mercy Ministries provides opportunities for crew members to work within the local community through partnerships with longstanding, land-based ministry projects.  "Many of the crew work eight-hour, very routine jobs onboard the Africa Mercy," said Mercy Ministries Coordinator, Ines Kronester.  "I think they appreciate the opportunity to get a feel for what is going on outside in the local community.  It's important to see how other ministries are working in Africa."  

Mercy Ships crew member visit children at the School of the Deaf in Benin.  It's one of several land-based ministry sites crew members regularly visit.

Before the Africa Mercy enters a country, a small team is sent in advance to begin forming relationships with local ministries.  Upon arrival, Ines identifies approximately ten ministry sites crew members can partner with throughout the field service.   

"Ideally we find team leaders for each site.  Crew members can then sign up to go out and minister at theses sites during their spare time.  Ideally, most opportunities occur in evenings and the weekends," said Kronester.  "It's very low-key at the beginning.  We start by doing visitations, playing with kids, and supporting long-term ministries in practical ways like painting and cleaning."

During the 2009 Field Service in Benin, ministry opportunities have included working at a home for trafficked and abused boys, alongside the Missionaries of Charity, and supporting Soeurs Salisiennes, a skills training program for market girls run by the female branch of Don Bosco.

Ines Kronester, of Germany, reads a story to children at the C.E.O. Boy's Home for abandoned and trafficked street kids. 

The skills training program has been one of Kronester's favorite ministry sites.  "It's an amazing program," she said.  Participating girls come from the harsh market, where they have a rough and stressful daily routine.  Each is given the opportunity to complete two of the six-month courses on baking, pastry-making, cooking, or soap-making.  Girls are taken in overnight for a small fee and complete the skills training in the mornings, returning to sell in the market in the afternoons.  The program is designed to enable girls to sell better items in the market or leave the harsh environment altogether.   

One of the children at the C.E.O. Boys Home works on a special art project. 

Mercy Ships crew have had the opportunity to share the message of Jesus Christ during their visitations.  "We visit the program every week.  Because it's girls who are coming from the market, it's not a place where everyone is well-behaved and quiet.  They can be really rude and competitive. But many have never really heard about Jesus.  We try to bring a piece of the Gospel message across with very simple language, visualizations, and acting out scenarios," said Kronester.   

Market girls participate in the Soeurs Salisiennes skills training program.  "We visit the program every week.  It's an amazing program," said Ines Kronester.

On average, eighty crew members visit various Mercy Ministry sites every week.  Often, crew members discover serious needs of land-based partners.  Many times, crew members have offered further assistance through financial offerings and special projects.  "It often becomes much bigger than visitations.  Crew members feel like they've left something behind, something very purposeful," said Kronester.  "We try to offer a broad range of ministry opportunities so everyone can find their place.  We've gotten a lot of feedback from exiting crew members saying these are often the most valuable times for them.  It's been well-received." 

Written by Megan Petock

Edited by Nancy Predaina

Learning French

I am psyched about learning French.  
It is a wonderful language, especially when spoken by our tutor, Germain.  He is a wonderfully strong-willed man, originally from Congo.  He came from a rural village to study in France and has been back and forth many times.  He has been in the US for about 6 years now, and has been teaching at Syracuse University, and tutoring high school students French here in Ithaca.  He has a heart for teaching, and we have a great time when we get together.  We don't just have a French lesson, but we talk about Africa, about world issues, about history and the problems of the day.  He is African, and he has an African perspective.  He is also schooled in Europe and has a very unique viewpoint from there as well.  He can see things from both sides.  He knows what it's like to be both African and European.  We have a great time talking and I always look forward to his arrival at our home.  God has brought many people into our lives to prepare us for this adventure in Africa with Mercy Ships.  Germain is one of those people, and we thank God for his presence in our lives. 

Je suis heureux!

Rusty old boats in the Congo river, Brazzaville.

Useful boats in the Congo River, Brazzaville.

Togo History and Culture

We are headed to Togo in just a few months.  Here's a great website on the history and culture of this very small country in the West of Africa.  You can find articles on most of the countries of the world here.

http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Togo.html

Here's an excerpt:

M EDICINE AND H EALTH C ARE

Similar to other underdeveloped, tropical nations, Togo's population is challenged by numerous health problems, including parasitic, intestinal, nutritional, venereal, and respiratory diseases.

Public health problems are exacerbated by inadequate waste disposal, sewerage, drinking water, and food storage.

In the 1990s, life expectancy at birth was fifty-one years, though this is declining steeply with the onset of AIDS. Malaria, commonly referred to as palu, remains the leading cause of illness and death. Other common diseases include schistosomiasis, meningitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and HIV/AIDS.

Traditional healing methods and preparations continue to be the most widely used form of health care in Togo.

Houses like these in Tata village house a large number of Togolese citizens.

Every small town has an herbalist, and one market in Lomé specializes in the sale of medicinal herbs. Frequently medical treatments are coupled with visits to the local vodou house or fetish priest.

“Food For Life” Agriculture Training Program

This story was originally published by Mercy Ships and is re-printed here to illustrate the kind of projects we will be working on as land-based team members with Mercy Ships in Africa.

Jean Claude Mouditou has always loved agriculture.  “Agriculture is a part of my life.  It’s something that is very precious to me,” he said.  Utilizing his education and experience, Jean Claude is spreading this passion to farmers in Benin.

Every day, he leads 30 men and women, equipped with machetes and tall rubber boots, into the fields of the recently constructed Bethesada Community Development Agriculture Training Center in Hévié, Benin.  Jean Claude is running a three-month agriculture training program, “Food for Life,” which teaches farmers biblical, organic, agricultural skills in nutrition and crop production. 

“We begin the day at 8 a.m. in the morning,” said Mouditou.  “First, we learn a lesson in the classroom.  Then, we go to the farm to practically apply what we learned.  Usually we work in the fields until 5:30 p.m.”

In Benin, many farmers practice misguided agricultural techniques, which decrease crop production.  The inability to adequately produce food largely contributes to poverty and diminished health, a problem which has been specifically targeted by the government.   

“Our system is very different from the traditional practices of farmers.  Farmers think you need to burn the land and use harmful insecticides.  But with our system, we are teaching farmers to use the material and principles.  These techniques have not been seen before,” explained Mouditou. 

Both students and community members have been surprised by the efficiency of Mouditou’s agricultural principles.

“Using local seed and organic farming principles, we grew corn in six weeks.  Normally, it takes farmers 3 to 4 months to grow a crop.  The corn we grew was much larger than the local farmers.  It was a very big surprise to the community.  Never before have they seen anything like what we are doing,” said Mouditou. 

Both the “Food For Life” program and the training center are the result of a partnership between Mercy Ships and Bethesda, a Benin-based NGO (non-governmental organization).  Bethesda will oversee the continued use of the training center for agricultural development when Mercy Ships leaves Benin.    

Thirty farmers are currently enrolled.  Seven have been training with Jean Claude throughout the past six months, being educated to become agriculture trainers.   In conjunction with Bethesda, the trainers will conduct “Food For Life” after Mercy Ships leaves Benin.  Already, they have begun taking ownership of the program.

“The seven trainers are doing most of the teaching now.  At the moment, everything is going very well.  I am here to support and answer any questions they have,” said Mouditou. “I am so excited to see those I trained are able to lead the program and train others.”

Each farmer involved has made a commitment to share their newly acquired knowledge with other farmers, creating a lasting impact on Benin’s agricultural community. 

One of the students spoke for the group saying, “Thank you, Mercy Ships, for giving us the opportunity to attend this training for free.  We are determined to finish this training, no matter what difficulties we face, to help our country to reduce the problem of poverty.” 

Mouditou is excited about the progress of the students.  He considers it a great privilege to serve God with his agricultural knowledge. 

“The Bible says Apollo planted the seed and Paul watered it, but the Lord grew the seed.  We can obey and put the seed in the ground, but the Lord grows it,” said Mouditou.  “Through the program, students are discovering the Lord.  They can see the beauty of the Lord through agriculture.  I am so grateful to be a part of that.” 

 

Written by Megan Petock

Edited by Nancy Predaina

Photos by Megan Petock 

Maomai Dangbenon: Salvation Has Come

This story was originally published by Mercy Ships and is re-published here to show the kind of restorative work Mercy Ships does in the lives of people.  


It was the middle of the night, and Perlagie couldn’t sleep.  The image of Maomai, her three-month-old baby girl, flashed through her mind every time she closed her eyes.  A huge tumor the size of the baby’s head was jutting out of Maomai’s neck.  Perlagie looked over at her daughter, peacefully sleeping in her hospital bed, and began to cry.      

For over a week, Perlagie had stayed in the hospital, waiting and praying for a doctor to help Maomai – but no one came.  In the morning, they were being sent home.  Perlagie didn’t know what to do.   

When Perlagie finally fell asleep, she had a dream.

“In that dream, I saw a person, who told me I should be quiet and pray – that salvation shall come.”

The next morning, Perlagie felt confident and peaceful.  She didn’t know where help would come from, but she knew God was going to take care of her baby.

***

Maomai was born with a teratoma, which means monstrous tumor.  It started out as a small, golf-ball sized lump on her neck, but within three months, the tumor had grown to the size of her head. 

Everyone in Perlagie’s village was afraid of Maomai.  The grotesque tumor was difficult to look at, and the villagers thought they could be contaminated by it.  No one would touch or play with the small baby.        

“One time I was in the bathroom, and the baby was crying. People were around the baby, but they would not touch her because of the tumor.  They left her crying, alone.  Even the members of my family,” said Perlagie.

Perlagie was alone.  Maomai was a precious, beautiful baby girl, and she could see that, but others simply couldn’t see past the monstrous tumor. In a country where perceived physical differences mark people as outcasts, Maomai was treated like a monster instead of a baby girl. 

“I was very, very, sad.  I was not able to sleep,” said Perlagie.  “Every day, I was crying.  Also, I was not eating.  I had no appetite because of the condition of my baby.”

Perlagie and her husband wanted to get Maomia help.  They took her to a local hospital, but there was no surgeon to perform her surgery.  Perlagie didn’t become anxious or fearful.  She confidently left the hospital, trusting God to bring healing and deliverance from the tumor. 

  

When Perlagie returned to her village, her sister-in-law told her about the Africa Mercy, a hospital ship filled with doctors and nurses, which had come to Cotonou.  She had just returned from the ship after being treated for an eye problem and thought they could help Maomai. 

Perlagie brought her daughter to the Africa Mercy and was screened by the medical team.  It was obvious that she needed immediate surgery.  But the tumor had made it difficult for her to feed, and Maomai was very underweight – too underweight for surgery.  The Mercy Ships medical team placed her on a feeding program and scheduled her for surgery in one month. Mercy was on its way. The salvation Perlagie had dreamed of was becoming a reality.        

A month passed, and it was time for Maomai’s surgery. The morning of surgery, Peralgie worried it would not be successful. 

“I started crying. Some nurses and translators told me the operation was possible with God.  The doctor will be successful with surgery, the tumor will be removed, and the baby will be healed.  They gave me that hope,” said Perlagie.  

   

After six hours of surgery, Maomai’s tumor was removed.  It weighed 375 grams, 15% of her body weight.  The monstrous tumor was gone, and the beautiful baby girl remained.

Maomai spent over a month recovering in the hospital.  Still struggling to maintain her weight, she had to be fed through a surgically placed feeding tube.

The nursing staff encouraged Perlagie to use the feeding tube.  At first, she was hesitant.    Perlagie distanced herself from Maomai.  But as she grew more comfortable in the hospital, things changed.  The nursing staff taught Perlagie how to use the feeding tube.  As she took ownership of Maomai’s care, their relationship thrived.    

“Initially, we were worried about her,” said pediatric nurse Ali Chandra.  “But now she’s been here for over a month, and she’s blossomed.  Perlagie has completely bonded with Maomai in the time they’ve been here.  And it happened as we started teaching her [to use the feeding tube].  She’s doing really well,” says Chandra.       

Maomai has continued to grow stronger since her surgery.  Not only has she gained weight, she’s gained vibrancy. 

“Maomai used to be this kind of listless baby, and now she’s bright.  She’s doing more age-appropriate things than before,” says Chandra.

Psalm 13:5 says, “I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation” (NKJV).

Perlagie knows this to be true.  She trusted God to take care of her baby, and He brought her salvation.  Perlagie is rejoicing in His mercy. 

“I thank God, and I thank each of you, for all you have done for me.  God is healing and still working.  I have seen my salvation in this child,” she concluded.  

Written by Megan Petock

Edited by IOC Editing Team

Photography by Debra Bell and Megan Petock

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.

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.

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!