Under Construction

The day that I left the ship I ran around and got a few pictures of the construction going on. They are replacing some wore out equipment and doing some simple upgrades to other area. The type of work that they are doing is not possible in a West African port especially during a field service. That's why we sail to the Canary Islands. With the ship being in a world class shipyard they are able to get these items done and in a quick time. Please pray that they would be able to finish all the projects with out delay.

While I've been home I've been reading a book that talks about intimacy with God. What causes it, what prevents it and many things that are impacted by it. I'm hoping to share more as I get further into the book.

This week I'll be leaving home. Going on vacation with my parents in NYC and then flying to Europe from there.

Many hazards around to get access to various places.

The wards were completely emptied to get new floors.

The old CT scanner has been removed and a new one installed.

The laundry room is a getting two new industrial strength laundry machines.

The walk-in refrigerators have been removed from the galley to get ready for new ones.

With all the construction in the Galley the food is being cooked in the Crew Galley .

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Guinea Statistics

Every year Mercy Ships releases the statistics from the field service. The numbers are always astounding. More than I could ever imagine. I look at the numbers and try to put a physical value to it. Like the 45,000 teeth procedures we did this year. I compare it to everybody in Festus (my home town) getting a procedure. And when I see the patients on the ship and see how much we can change one persons life it gives these numbers so much more meaning. So when strolling through the list try to imagine how many peoples lives have been changed for the Glory of God. 

Thank you on behalf of all of these people for what you do to support me while with Mercy Ships

Eye Team

Cataract Surgeries

1,475

Eye Evaluations & Treatments

13,483

Distribution of Glasses

3,706

Hospital

Maxillofacial Surgeries

490

Cleft Repair Surgeries

176

Plastic Reconstructive Surgeries

99

General Surgeries

312

VVF Surgeries

63

Orthopaedic Surgeries

116

Clubfoot Corrections

51

Palliative (Hospice) Care

29

Dental Team

Dental Care - Extrations

12,209 Patients

45,168 Procedures

Dental Hygiene Services

950

Dentures/Replacements

577

Mercy Ministries

Partner Ministry Visits

307

People Reaches

10,417

Hospital Chaplaincy

One-On-One Sessions

3,806

Bibles Distributed

192

HIV Counseling Sessions

418

Education

Mentoring African Healthcare Workers

140

Community Health Education

2,962

Training in Organic Agriculture

18

Mental Health

Heath Care Training

71

Church Leaders

36

Social Workers

26

Leadership Conferences

Church Leaders

463

Community Leaders

423

Government Leaders

313

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Amistades para toda la vida

The sail from Guinea was really great.    There weren't any storms the whole week and the ship didn't seem to rock at all. It's an amazing feeling to look in all directions and only see water for several days in a row. Gives me a small understanding of how immense God's creation is. Several different types of wildlife were seen. I only got a shot of some pilot whales, but turtles, dolphins and flying fish were also seen.

We pulled into Las Palmas, Grand Canary; wich is part of the Canary Islands, Spain on Thursday the 6th of  June. Since we left Guinea a day early and has such smooth sailing it allowed me and most of the crew another opportunity to enjoy this great island before leaving. There have been many good times spent over the last five days. With over 150 crew members leaving on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday there have been many goodbyes. Many of us are just going on vacation, but several have finished their time of service with Mercy Ships. No matter if we know when we'll see these people again or not, it's always hard to say goodbye. When you experience miracles happening and life changing things everyday you form amazing bonds with each other.

I'll be leaving the ship on Wednesday for my whirlwind three week visit home and then traveling for a week on the way back to the ship. I'm still hoping to wrap my mind around everything that happened in Guinea and the last year during my time with Mercy Ships. Yesterday marked one year since I went to Texas for training. I could never be happier to have joined my amazing Gateway Family.

Stay tuned, I will be posting the final numbers of our Guinea Field Service soon.

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Bon Voyage

This afternoon we left Conakry! It's still processing in my mind. I feel like when I wake up tomorrow and look outside that I should see the same dock I have the last ten months, but I won't, there is no land in site! We will be sailing the next 6 days to the Canary Islands where we will go into maintenance period. (& I'll leave for vacation!) I hope to get some good pictures of a few sunsets.

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