Our gift for you this Christmas

We are delighted to be able to share a special gift with you this year ..... as part of my finial uni project, I (Sharon) worked on a gift package of 2014 calender images for your desktop wallpaper (you know, the picture behind the icons on your computer screen). It's a funny story actually, as I have always just had the default picture my computer screen - so this was a real learning curve - but an exciting one.

So this is how it works. Head over to this page on our Mercy Ships NZ website, and you can see some of the African and nautical images that, along with inspiring quotes from across the ages, make up the different wallpapers  http://www.mercyships.org.nz/wallpaper.php  You sign up to download the January image, then at the beginning of each month Mercy Ships NZ will email you the next month's wallpaper. Nifty eh?

I had you in my heart in the midst of the design process - a small way to say thank you for all your support and encouragement and friendship over the years (Really, I absolutely did!)

Christmas blessings to you and yours from us all!

The Surgery Ship

“They” say you should never start a communication with an apology ... so I’m not sure how “they’ deal with the feeling rotten over being so overwhelmed with work, commitments, uni, and family events that there actually hasn't been time to communication significantly with people you care about, in a while? If you know “them”, please ask and let me know, OK?

Entering the Congo

Our Mercy Ships field service in the Republic of Congo – also known as Congo-Brazzaville - began with a huge event. The process to gather patients in a nation involves a Screening or Patient Selection Day. The ship medical staff set up in a local event centre where people were examined, medical histories recorded, blood samples taken, assessments done. The patients we are able to help are booked for appointments. More than 300 of our crew worked 12 hours that day to facilitate and process the more than 7,000 desperate people looking for help for their conditions. The last patients were examined by torchlight.

The French speaking nation has huge needs despite receiving much aide over many years. Still, 1 in 14 children die before their 1^st birthday! Pygmies are still held in indentured labour by other tribes, and the war in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (which ironically is neither Republican nor democratic) has roll-on effects for many even as far away as the coastal region where the Africa Mercy is docked in Point-Noir – with a bunch of Kiwis serving onboard, we’re delighted to say!

Our work in the New Zealand office under girds the transformation of the outcast and forgotten through the provision of surgeries, medical services and associated projects by recruiting volunteers and raising funds to carry out the work. From NZ we currently have an anaesthetist, ward and theatre nurses, an engineering store man, a second officer, a housekeeper, a dentist and administrators serving on-board the ship – with a surgeon arriving shortly. Each play an vital  yet diverse part of bringing hope and healing in Jesus' name to people who have no means of getting their needs met under normal circumstances.

Surgery Ship

... is a very real and raw piece of television (medical professionals will LOVE the surgery scene) which revealed something I have never heard before – the (translated) overheard conversations between patients about what they really think about Mercy Ships and the God they have glimpsed through the love and care they have received. It's an utterly astounding programme!   You can view the short trailer ;     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHvquE8fNg 

Unfortunately The Surgery Ship doesn't want to link, but it is well worth copying and pasting into your browser to view!
 If you are in Australia, this really incredible documentary is to be aired 8;30pm on December 10^th on SBS.  (They  said if there is enough feedback, it could be aired in NZ too, so please make a comment!)                                                                                          

Milestones

One of us recently turned 50, and another of us turns 21 shortly (any guesses?!). We've been busy with planning various themed celebrations, having fun together, and enjoying the really special extended family visits that have/will happen as part of it all.

In the midst, I had the privilege of attending the Mercy Ships Global Leaders Workshop with Graeme in Texas this year. On the way we spent time in both California and Idaho with some amazing friends who have stood by us in prayer and financial support of our ministry for many years. It is wonderful how we can pick up mid-sentence after years of not hanging out, and still have such great fun together. On to the Mercy Ships International Operations Centre where it was hugely exciting to hear more of what the Lord is doing. The main take away for me (apart from fabulous time with fantastic friends from way back – and a surprize party!) was the focus on stopping a report to thank God for the particular blessing, or to pray for a desired outcome in the midst of challenging circumstances. The Lord is firmly in the driver’s seat of Mercy Ships and we’re excited about where we’re headed! More on a NEW SHIP next time!

Event-city!

Life has been a mad scramble from one event to the next this year, but as a great friend says ”growth problems are good problems,” and we are really excited to see Mercy Ships NZ growing – in fact we have seen the charity’s income triple since our roles began here in 2008. That’s a whole lot more lives in desperate need impacted by the services Mercy Ships is able to provide. 

Here's a bit of a run-down of the past few months.

Mercy By Moonlight  was a special event we ran in May- an evening cruise around Auckland harbour, with drinks and nibbles and silent auctions. 

The fundraiser was a double whammy as it also served as my (Sharon’s) project with two other uni students for the Event Management paper I was doing.

We had a fabulous evening with 272 people on board the Fullers ferry (donated for the cruise) and they all seemed to enjoy the lovely harbour lights and moonlit water,jazz music, great food and wine and an opportunity to hang out with their friends doing something a little different for a great cause. We were blown away that $14,000 was raised to pay for surgeries aboard the Africa Mercy (and that we got an A+ for the project). A great number of people new to Mercy Ships were involved, which is just fabulous.

World Press Photo Exhibition is the world’s most prestigious showcase of photography, and this year the winner of the ‘Staged Portraits” section, Stephan Vanflateren, took his photos of our patients during the last field service in Guinea. 

“People of Mercy” are hauntingly beautiful images that really underline the dignity and courage of these wonderful people. It is incredible exposure at an unprecedented level in a rather new audience – all of which has to be good, right?!

©Stephan Vanflateren

Graeme and I gave a series of short presentations of “People of Mercy – the story behind the lens” on a couple of days at the Auckland exhibit, as well as for the event organisers. We shared the photographer’s heart to capture the person behind the disability, and the bigger story around the challenges facing people in developing nations. 

People were particularly interested to see and hear the before and after story of Mamadou, the young man with an entrepreneurial passion and an incredible determination to overcome. You can read his story here https://www.mercyships.org/mamadous-many-abilities

Goodbye Guinea, hello Congo-Brazzaville! After providing 2,400+ surgeries and 57,500+ other medical and dental services to Guinea wonderful people over the last 10 month field service, June saw the Africa Mercy in transition again – dry-docking, maintenance, restocking- then upping anchor to make the 12 day sail to the next port of call. 

Yesterday the ship arrived into our 11^th west coast port - Pointe Noir, Congo-Brazzaville - also known as the Republic of Congo. It’s the first time Mercy Ships has worked in the Central African region, and we are very excited about what the Lord has in store. We will have a strong emphasis on mentoring and training local medical professionals, as well as all the usual surgical and dental work.

Your prayers are appreciated for the Africa Mercy crew as they set up and begin screening patients, and for the patients to have courage, strength and hope as they wait for help.

NOTE: This is not the infamous Democratic Republic of Congo (or, as our kids call it, DR Congo)

Another Mercy Ship? We received the incredible news this week of a dedicated couple who gifted US$20 million towards the next Mercy Ship. The plans are already on the drawing board for the ocean-liner sized hospital ship, and tenders are being sought. Exciting, and intimidating as we can appreciate more than most after 5 ½ years in shipyard with the Africa Mercy, what a huge project this is! We need to rely on the Lord more than ever to see the new ship released in the next few years to minister to the vast health care needs of the poor in this region. Please pray with us to see the Lord's plans established.

You can visit the website for more information http://www.mercyships.org.nz 

Graeme's cameo appearance on national television

'60 Minutes' aired on schedule last week in New Zealand, and we were deeply impacted by the integrity and professionalism of the piece. Not only did they get what we do correct, they really captured the essence of why we do what we do! In addition to the edited version of the US documentary, another eight minutes of interviews with New Zealand nurses was added and it became a 25 minutes feature - and played twice on PRIME in one week!

How about popping on the kettle, making a cuppa and watching it right here? It's really worth the look - unbiased  I know! Just scroll down the page till you see it  (if you only want to see the second chapter with the Kiwis nurses then begin at minute 10).

 '60 Minutes' on Mercy Ships NZ Homepage 

Did I mention that Graeme features towards the end? There are some strict confidentiality regulations about filming in New Zealand hospitals which they required his help to overcome  ... I guess  you'll just  have to watch it, and I'm sure we'll get another influx of cheeky emails from those who have!

The next project for us is Mercy by Moonlight; an evening cruise event we are conducting in May. We'll tell you more about that soon .......... 

Totally incredible news!

'60 Minutes' is airing their segment about Mercy Ships here in New Zealand, with  an additional six minutes of interviews with Kiwi nurses added to make it the feature story! (The documentary piece was originally aired in the US a couple of weeks ago - see the previous post)

This seems to be the break through we have been praying for, for years! This exposure for Mercy Ships will give us a profile within the country that is mind-blowing! Please help us by passing along the news.

Would you please pray for Graeme and I as we work hard to get all the logistics in place so that this opportunity is fully captured logistically. Would you pray that people are challenged to see Jesus accurately through the programme which airs on Monday night and 'encores' on Tuesday night. Pray that a new wave of Kiwis get involved with ministering to the poor though going and giving. We could also use prayer for sanity in the midst!

Graeme and I had a lot of fun on Friday with the '60 Minutes' Producer and Cameraman as the Kiwi nurses were interviewed, 'cut away' shots were filmed in various locations around Auckland, touching stories were told and impacting pictures were shared. It really was a very interesting experience. Now we wait to see the outcome!

The programme should be uploaded to share later in the week, so 'watch' this space for a peek. We'll also post it on Facebook (Graemesharon Walls)

Wooo hoo! Go God!

Mercy Ships on 60 Minutes

We are totally blown away by the 12 minute segment that just aired on the renowned documentary 60 Minutes. They covered the work of Mercy Ships in a profound and impacting way - we couldn't be more blessed

For your viewing pleasure at http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50141230n   '60 Minutes' doc on Mercy Ships

There are also four short clips on the page including Raising Kids at Sea - Meet the Parkers, and Helping Patients Battle Fear and Shame. They are definately worth a look and are a very real and insightful piece about many of the challenges and experiences our family has faced in our 30 years with Mercy Ships.

I'd love to hear what you think about the documentary!

Thousands of Smiles

Amy is a young Kiwi nurse who was so hooked after her five month service on the ship's wards in Togo in 2012 that she recruited her best friend from Starship hospital here in Auckland to join her. Together they signed on for three months on the following outreach in Guinea. Amy deeply touched the lives of many paediatric patients with her bubbly personality, but her professional career was also significantly impacted by the experiences she had nursing onboard. Her relationship with God was challenged, stretched and deepened. She came with a heart to give, and left feeling that she received much more than she was able to impart.

This is a significant part of what we do here in NZ - connecting passion, skills and calling with opportunity for service, and thus meeting the healthcare needs of some of Africa's most desperate people. And we LOVE IT!

I get that some people hate what they call the numbers game, and love to focus on the individual's story (that would be me!). Others like Graeme tend to find the accountability of statics and feedback vitally important as they look at the integrity and sustainability of a project. As I thought about bringing you up to speed on our health care work in Togo and Guinea work over the past year, it makes sense to share from both angles.

Over on the right you'll find Hadiatou. Her story is just a glimpse into one person's world that has been completely turned around because of a surgery on the Africa Mercy. Hadiatou was born with a cleft lip. Her father's horror at her birth defect was evident by his refusal to even name the tiny girl! Her mother fiercely loved her despite the superstition around this mis-understood condition, and named her Hadiatou -  meaning 'well loved'. After  17 years enduring ridicule and shame because of her cleft lip, something incredible happened to Hadiatou....... (read the whole story here http://www.mercyships.org/hadiatou-the-girl-with-the-well-loved-name/ )

We're half way through our Guinea field service. We have been able to meet our targets  and are pleased to be able to make a brief summary of the health care services provided since August 2012.  Again, as we glimpse over these figures, I constantly come back to the individual and their family who have had a life change and a new hope for the future as a result of ministry. In the 2012 calendar year we performed 28,852 surgeries and procedures from the ship including:

11,496 eye evaluations and treatments
743 cataract surgeries
241 maxillofacial surgeries
88 cleft lip repairs
116 orthopaedic surgeries
20,546 dental procedures

…the list goes on – and that’s just the first half. Glory to Jesus! Please pray for our patients as we are now well into the second phase of the field service, which concludes in June.

Photos ©Mercy Ships