Madagascar here we come!

We are preparing to rejoin the Africa Mercy in August. 

It's quite a different deal to be going back as a couple and leaving our offspring behind. We met on board the Anastasis when we were serving as singles; we have served on 4 ships as a family, and now it is a very different kind of phase we are heading in to. As Jason and Chelsea are working, and Daniel is a university this year, they will be remaining in Auckland while we ’leave home’.  (The younger two will be 'flatting' in our house with others to share the expenses.) This puts a very different emotional cost on leaving, but we are so sure this is a season that God is leading us in to for a year.

The Africa Mercy will be returning to Madagascar for a second consecutive field service. While it sounds like a most amazing place, the health care needs of the 23 million Malagasy are huge, and Mercy Ships is dedicated to not only relieving immediate surgical and dental needs, but mentoring local healthcare processionals to enable them to more adequately meet the overwhelming and relentless demands they face.

Meanwhile with Mercy Ships in New Zealand ... the most exciting we have been involved with in a long time is the recent release of a music video, Hope On My Horizon. It is absolutely awesome and well worth a quick look!

We have been working on this music video project with Kiwi musician Peter Woolston (husband of Miriam Artinian who was on the Anastasis with Graeme in 1983) for a few years, and we are so stoked about the result. Peter and Miriam have such a heart for Africa's most vulnerable people and Mercy Ships' work to bring God's love to them. 50% of all the iTines, EP and CD sales will be sponsoring Mercy Ships - that's pretty cool!

Remember, if you want to come along on this remarkable journey to Madagascar with us, you'll need to sign up to our new blog, as we can't just transfer you onto another list. We'd love to stay in touch.

Your prayers mean a huge amount as we have so very many things to get organised before we leave. The Lord provided our airfares in the most amazing way, but we are still trusting Him for many other details including the house (and people to rent rooms), the well being of our kids while we are gone(18, 21, 22), and of course that the Lord would be preparing our hearts for the roles He has for us over the next year serving Africa's poor. 

We will start sending notifications in a new formats from the new blog before we leave. Mandra-taty aoriana! 'Until later!' (Malagasy sure is a mouthful!)

Andriamanitra anie hitahy; God bless, 

Graeme and Sharon

Africa, here we come!

We heard the news seven years to the day after our family left the Africa Mercy in Liberia!

The countdown is now on to August when Graeme and I will be leaving NZ for a year. We are re-joining the crew of the Africa Mercy in short term roles; Graeme in Finance and myself as a writer in Communications. At that time the ship will be returning to Madagascar for a second consecutive field service. 

Laundry sign-ups, 4 minute showers, queuing (lining up) for meals, and the sharing of deep and abiding friendships - community life – we love it! However, we are most excited about the opportunity to be back at the ‘coal-face’ of Mercy Ships' ministry with the poor. We are really looking forward reengaging with the people we are serving; hearing their stories, learning from their lives, and once again living in Africa.It will be an invaluable experience as we return to our roles at Mercy Ships NZ afterwards.

Perhaps the easiest way to gain insight into the ship's work in Madagascar's is to glimpse into someone’s world.

Image attribution: Mercy Ships

Sambany and his grandson walked for three days, Sambany struggling to carry the massive benign tumour that hung around his neck like a millstone. Someone had told them the Mercy Ship was in port, and maybe the burden he had carried for 19 years could be lifted. So together they began their courageous journey.

 When they finally arrived at the Africa Mercy, Sambany was tenderly received by the screening team and rushed for a CT scan on board. Maxillofacial surgeon Dr Gary Parker was up front with Sambany about the huge risk in operating on a tumour of this size in his throat region.

 Days of careful, fervent and prayer-saturated discussion followed as our medical team pored over his results and health condition. Together with Sambany they eventually reached a decision. Knowing the risks, he would go ahead with the surgery. 

 The ship's crew were mobilised to undergird the operation in prayer, and a small army of 17 donated blood before, during and after. The maxillofacial team began surgery on the largest tumour Mercy Ships had ever attempted to remove at 7.4kg (16lb). It took the surgical team twice as long as expected to conclude the operation. Around midnight they staggered to their cabins, exhausted but exhilarated. After almost two decades of anguish, the tumour was gone.

 When Sambany saw himself in the mirror for the first time after the surgery, he said, “I like it. I am happy.” His eyes now sparkle with joy. "God saved me! I am free from my disease, I've got a new face!"

The Madagascan language – Malagasy- has hugely long words with complex meanings. Sambany’s name means ‘This is the first time this has happened, something like this has never happened before’.  So very true!

Madagascar sounds pretty exciting, but it’s a far-cry from Disney’s dancing penguins. The east African island which is twice the size of NZ has a population of 23 million with more than 90% living in extreme poverty. Health care is out of reach for the average person, and that’s easy to understand after learning there are only around 5,000 nurses in the whole country!

‘So, what about the kids when you leave?’, I hear you ask. As Jason and Chelsea are working, and Daniel is a university this year, they will be remaining in Auckland while we ’run away from home’.  The younger two will be 'flatting' in our house and we will be advertising for a young couple and a single to move in and share the expenses (which will cover the mortgage etc). So, if you know of someone that is looking for a fabulous place to stay close to public transport and near the city, please tell them to get in touch!

The Irony

31 years doing something you really hate does seem ridiculous. Confession, they say, is good for the soul, so here goes.

Let me ease into it though. If you know us, you know the 'good' stuff ... the incredible privilege we have of serving the heath care needs of the forgotten poor over three decades. Over those years  we've worked with 4 Mercy Ships, in 7 major start-up or ministry transition phases, ministered in 32/ 54 countries (depending which of us you're speaking to). We've raised our kids across the world in our calling to serve Jesus by serving the most desperate. Each one of us is richer for it, what a life!

                                                                       

But we're not good about talking about the hard stuff, and the most consistent difficulty we have faced over those years has been raising personal sponsorship,

We are facing a major crunch as our long-term and largest supporter sends their last cheque in December. This church has had a change of regional focus and is no longer able to include us with their missionaries. Added to a dramatic increase in house rates in our region, our monthly deficit will be around $1,500.

So would you please pray for us. Pray for a release in finances, and please consider and pray about being part of the answer to our need for missions partners to help cover

• $1,500 in monthly support 
• $2,000 for upcoming dental and opthalmic bills
• for a desperately needed and long over-due first laptop/tablet for my work 

So, we do that stuff we hate - like fundraising -  because of what we love - following Jesus example in helping 'the least of these'.

If you want to make a gift towards our ongoing ministry with Mercy Ships, we would be hugely grateful. Please head to www.mercyships.org/international and select your nation of origin . By making a donation at the correct location you may be eligible for a tax receipt. Be sure and designate your gift for GRAEME & SHARON WALLS or it will go into the general fund for the ministry. Alternatively, please email us and we can provide the details you need.

As we watched this video recently it reminded us all over again of why we hang in there in order to do what we love. NOTE: this video comes with a mascara warning! Watch video>>  I know it will bless you too!

Phew! Thanks for 'bearing with'.

Many blessings,

Graeme and Sharon

Plans!

A red-carpet Premiere honouring some true unsung heroes. I am soo excited about this extraordinary event.I am soo excited about this extraordinary event a group of post-grad uni students is working with us to host on October 9^th. This totally impacting trailer is 4 minutes long and well worth the watch >>>

So, if you  are in Auckland on Thursday next week, you and your friends are invited to attend the FREE Premiere of The Surgery Ship. Medical people and uni students will be particularly interested in the angle taken in the documentary filmed on the ship in Guinea. The details and booking form are here>>>. We would love to see you there!

It is with immense heart-ache that we in Mercy Ships have been watching and praying as the Ebola virus had ravaged the nations we serve, and thrown the lives of many friends and their families into turmoil. Our hearts desperately want to be there to help, but prayerful risk assessment tells us that the presence of the hospital ship would be simply counterproductive in the situation where people flock to any hope of help. The Africa Mercy has very limited isolation facilities and the crew is not equipped to work in these kinds of conditions.

So what can we do? Mercy Ships is using our African channels of relationship to send desperately needed equipment and supplies into the affected areas. We’re praying, and we remain completely committed to serving the people of this region. But we are unable to make a return visit until the situation has stabilised. It is so very, very hard!

In a 12^th-hour contingency, a prayerful course correction has Mercy Ships returning to serve the people of Madagascar, 18 years after the Anastasis’ visit. In early November the Africa Mercy will begin a seven-month field service on one of the world’s largest islands,  off Africa’s east coast. Unlike the Disney depiction, this nation of 22 million suffers under extreme poverty with over 90% of the population surviving on less than $NZ 2.50 per day.

I often lean into this verse these days; “Man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” Please pray with us for an end to the Ebola epidemic, and for the Lord to bless our work for the poorest of the Madagasky people.

On the home front, we are preparing to step into a new season as Daniel, our youngest, finished high school in a few weeks. Where did the years go? Chelsea’s nursing degree has been held up a little this semester as she has been gaining perspective from the other side of the hospital bed – she badly broke her ankle skateboarding. The empathy gained will certainly make her a better nurse, and she has been such a trooper ... but glad her cast will be off for the summer,

Graeme and I? Well, we have some VERY exciting plans for 2015, but that will have to wait for another time!

Thank you for your encouragement, financial support, and prayers as we serve the Kingdom through Mercy Ships.

Many blessings!

Graeme and Sharon

Making some noise

We had some "David and Goliath' type excitement recently. The Mercy by Moonlight  fundraising event we ran for Mercy Ships was awarded first in the Not-for-profit category of the Public Relations Institute of NZ's annual industry awards.

This was the only sector to have conjoint firsts, and we felt honoured to stand alongside Telecom Foundation's Give A Little campaign. Other sector winners included Fonterra, ANZ and Westpac Banks, NZ Police and Porter Novelli - so it certainly profiled Mercy Ships NZ on a professional platform! We had immediate opportunity to communicate WHY Mercy Ships does what we do and the foundation our faith plays in bringing hope and healing to the poor.

Mercy by Moonlight was an evening ferry cruise on Auckland's Waitemata harbour. It was created to raise awareness, increase media exposure and fundraise for free surgeries provided onboard. Our 258 guests sailed for two jazz-filled hours while enjoying wine and canapes, silent auctions and inspirational storytelling by the local crew. A dynamic video tastefully focused the evening on the life-changing services Mercy Ships provides. The event raised more than NZ$13,000 for free surgeries onboard, and 20 different articles appeared in local and national media, including front page coverage.

Our wee Mercy Ships NZ team received a huge amount of help in running the event from Rhema Broadcasting's Laurel McCullock, and MIT students Christine and Shivani ... the event was also the application component of my (Sharon's) Communications studies at uni. Now that's what I call two birds with one stone!

PRINZ Judges' comment: Mercy by Moonlight was a one-off event with long term positive repercussions for the organisation. Mercy Ships had an almost non-existent budget, yet still managed to grow it's database and strengthen media relationships. This project obviously touched the hearts of those who could support Mercy Ships.

The other great family news is that Jason, who is completing his last year of his Business/Communications conjoint degree has just been offered a full-time job at the National Business Review - his first choice and one of the country's most prestigious business publications. We are thrilled. Chelsea is loving nursing and is working through her second year of studies, and is living life with enthusiasm. Daniel is contemplating what he will do after his last year of high school concludes in November. Graeme keeps us all on an even keel and chuckling at his puns and tricks - which is a mean feat given the amount of responsibility he caries. In addition to his directorship of Mercy Ships NZ, Graeme has been serving for a couple of years as the Chairperson of the local church we attend and really enjoys it. This year I have finally graduated with my Diploma in Communications.

After just 10 months in the Republic of Congo, more than 2,200 people received a free, life-transforming surgery onboard the Africa Mercy. People like 17-year-old Grace (above),  who now has a regular teenage's expectation for her  future, and young Jordis who can now play soccer with his mates after his foot's 'elephantitus' was corrected, and pint-sized Clare - the courageous woman barely topping four foot whose goitre comprised 35% of her body weight. Each of these amazing people were weighed down with not only terrible physical conditions, but were also the subjects of frequent torment and superstition.What a privilege to be a part of setting them free! 10,000 people in pain received dental care, and hundreds of others received eye and other treatments. Hundreds of other received training in agriculture, sanitation  and hygiene, and mentoring and further education in areas of health care and surgery.

Now it's transition time for the Africa Mercy. The vessel is in annual dry-dock in the Canary Islands and many of the long term crew are having some R&R. In August the ship will sail to Benin for the next 10 month field service in this desperately needy French-speaking nation.

Thank you for your encouragement, financial support and prayers as we serve Jesus and His heart for the broken and forgotten.

Many blessings!

Graeme, Sharon and family

Check out our website for more ship information, videos, and patient stories

Emmanoel's Tomorrow

An individual, a personal story, a life changed forever. Whenever anyone asks about what we do, the answer from me is always about transformational change.  As Mercy Ships approaches the final weeks of our 10 month field service in the Republic of Congo, the statistics are beginning to be complied. For many (those wired a little more like Graeme, maybe) it's vital to be able to measure our impact and hold us accountable logistically - not that I mind, just don’t ask me to crunch the numbers! (Do you want to see the stats?) Me? Well, I want to tell you all about Emmanoel.

As this precious wee man reached his second birthday, he struggled to breathe.  His parents were able to get him to a local doctor who diagnosed malaria, but instead of improving, Emmanoel's breathing became more restricted and laboured. Eventually the doctor informed them the cause was in fact a tumour growing rapidly in the toddler's palate - he would not live until his third birthday. The doctor knew what to do to treat the wee patient, but had no surgical skills to save his life.

Emmanoel and his parents were among the 7000 people who attended the Mercy Ships surgical screening day at the beginning of the field service. While they were waiting in line to be accessed for treatment, Emmanoel stopped breathing. His parent's distress altered the emergency medical team who were able to resuscitate him, and he was placed at the top of the surgical schedule.

Because of the tumour, Emmanoel's mother had never heard his voice. She didn't have long to wait ... his first word was Mother! His second word was Uncle (a bit to his father's concern!). The third word Emmanoel ever uttered was ... tomorrow!

That one word sums up why we invest all our 'todays' in serving the poorest of the poor. What a privilege to be part of bringing 'tomorrows' to people in such need of both hope and healing.                                                                                                                                                      

On the big picture scale, we do have some exciting news - there's a new baby coming on the block! Well, the sea. Mercy Ships has started work on building a new hospital ship from the ground up. Already with a significant percentage of the costs specifically donated, the new ship at 37,000 gross tonnes will be larger than the Africa Mercy. With more than double the number of hospital beds and 200 more crew, this vessel with dramatically increase our capacity to provide desperately needed health care services to the West and Central Africa region. There will  be a strong focus on training and mentoring local medical professionals in the nations we serve. With deployment expected sometime in 2018, our task here in New Zealand to recruit crew and raise funds for surgeries and operational costs just became a lot bigger. Exciting, scary, wonderful!

Your support and prayers are hugely appreciated as we work to serve the Kingdom by serving 'the least of these.'

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 

2012 in nutshell - with a freebie

I do miss Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. Down Under we have the end of the academic year, summer vacations and Christmas all rolled into one and it does make life rather hectic in the midst of loving the summer sun. It can be a struggle to stay focused on the true meaning of the season, but our Christmas Eve and Christmas morning services at our local church are a fabulous part doing that for our family.

This year it was made all the more special by Graeme’s participation in a combined churches Christmas Cantata and a portion of the choir sang at our midnight service. The other very special event was that my older sister Rhona was over from Australia to spend the holidays with us.

A major mile-stone was reached by Chelsea in November as she wore her school uniform for the last time. She has applied to a few universities to begin her nursing degree in February, so we all wait with baited breath for her exam results in mid-January. We are very blessed that she can live at home while studying, which is a massive financial saving.

At 20, Jason is entering the 3^rd of 4 years in a Communications/Business conjoint degree at AUT. He still loves working part-time with his clients with intellectual disabilities, and he has also been Disabilities Representative on the student board at his uni. He does come home with some funny stories!

Daniel also had a major “first” – his initial national exam. He heads into Year 11 this year, with 2 more years at high school before him. At 16 he is now the tallest man in the family, and at the rate he’s eating and sleeping we expect him to follow in the footsteps of both his Grandfathers and Uncles, and top 6 foot before he’s done.

Graeme’s and my event of greatest significance this year was entering our 30^th year in missions. We both joined Mercy Ships in 1983 (I then had 6 years in YWAM before we met onboard the Anastasis in 1990). It has definitely been food for thought and reflection. Our conclusion ....

  We feel incredibly privileged to be still serving in this mission to change the lives of the world’s poorest and most forgotten, for Jesus.

We are pretty flabbergasted as we call to mind all the dear friends who have and still financially support us as we trust the Lord to provide all we need to continue His work. THANK YOU THANK YOU!

It was rather a shock for this to be acknowledged a bit publicly recently. All glory to Jesus! http://mercyships.org.nz/assets/files/Central%20Leader%2019Dec12.pdf  It has been commented that the placement of this article next to a Wanted poster was not an accident! (Thanks to The Central Leader)

Oh and here's that free link to download Don Stephen’s book “Ships of Mercy” http://www.mercyships.org.nz/ships-of-mercy.php  Please bear in mind it was written with reaching a wide, general audience in mind with this remarkable story. We trust you are inspired.

Game On!

It’s felt like I was stuck in an X-Box game lately. Every time I made progress, another more difficult obstacle would suddenly appear to replace the one just conquered. Finally though, a champion arrived (yeah for Matt!) and defeated the techno- giant that was preventing me from accessing our Walls Treat Journal blog! Yeah! It was a long fight, but we’re back! I hope you missed us.

Since we were last connected, Mercy Ships completed a six month outreach in Togo, so I have added a summary and some surgery details for those interested. Check out the side bar.

Mercy Ships ministry focus since August has been Guinea - West Africa. (We are not in the Pacific, so nowhere near PNG). Thousands of people arrived for their conditions to be accessed on the Screening Day (pictured above), and after seven weeks of ministry in Conakry, we have already been able to transform a lot of lives. Thankfully, this is just the beginning. We’ll tell you more about that on our blog next time.

We find it hugely important to stay connected with how our work here is affecting the individuals that Mercy Ships is touching in West Africa. I would think it’s the same for those incredible people in our supporter team. Here’s just one story of a family whose world was turned upside down just a few months ago. It’s one of the most impacting testimonies we have encountered in all our years of ministry. Pop across and have a quick read http://mercyships.org.nz/family-receives-sight

As Graeme and I continue our roles here in New Zealand; recruiting crew as well as raising finances and awareness, it’s is really exciting to hear the stories from Kiwi crew onboard. We love hearing what our nurses and other volunteers are experiencing during their service on the ship. A significant chunk of what I do is writing that into articles for their local newspapers. You can read a recently published story here http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/papakura-courier/7435369/They-really-need-our-Kiwi-nurses

Striving with technology has been a common theme for us in the past few months, and among other things Graeme has been focusing on changing our Mercy Ships communication from hardcopy newsletters to a digital Enews format. It involved a lot of database preparation and we are very pleased with the end result. (You can sign up on our MSNZ homepage www.mercyships.org.nz). He has also been speaking at quite a few Rotary and other service clubs, and is particularly looking forward to preaching his first sermon in a while – so big thanks for Rev. Simon Cornwall for the invitation to Greerton Presbyterian next Sunday. We are really looking forward to it!

Family news – (how to make this fast enough not to be boring yet detailed enough for those who want to know?) ... Jason is completing 2^nd Yr of his Communications/Business double major and still loving it. He’s been working hard with IHC and World Visions and buying a car this week – yikes! ... Chelsea only has a few days left of High School! She’s very focussed on her exams and has applied to do Nursing at AUT next year She has just landed a job with the new Warehouse opening in our area, which is fabulous ... Daniel got his Learner Driver Licence last week, so APB warning for road users in Auckland! He is sitting his first national exams next month (School Cert/NCEA1) so those are both milestone ... I also have an uni exam for the Public Relations papers I’m doing (only 2 to go – yeah!), so while other four of us are in exam mode, Graeme is very sensibly leaving the country! Each year he attends National Directors meeting at the Mercy Ships HQ in Texas. Aside from all the important work stuff, it’s always a great time for him to network with so many folk he has served with onboard the ships overs the years.

Phew, so that's us. Next time it'll be shorter- I promise! 

Togo Field Service Jan - June

Mercy Ships  recently completed our fifth field service to the nation of Togo.  Due to a change of our annual schedule. this was a short, five month outreach. For those who are interested in the details of what was accomplished, please find a summary of the information below.

Eye surgeries                                               732
Eye services & treatments                  6,083

Max fax surgeries                                      281
Cleft lip & palate                                         34

Plastics & Reconstruction                        72       

General (eg hernia & goitre)                292

Obstetric fistula                                          49

Palliative homecare patients                14

Dental procedures                             10,518

During the outreach 1373 mercy ministry visits were made by crew in their 'off' time, and they distributed 321 bibles. It is estimated that at least 738 people made solid commitments to Jesus (that we know of)

Counselling was provided to 2,390 patients, and another 290 HIV counselling sessions.

We are placing greater emphasis on training and capacity building. During this time 22 African surgeons participated in mentoring programmes with our surgeons.

54 people were trained in organic agriculture

186 health workers, police, teachers and prisons personel were trained in mental health workshops
30 children attended a 5 day trauma healing camp

1986 church and community leaders and day workers attended leadership conferences

Be-Kpota Anfame Clinic was significantly renovated.

New notches on the passport

The Africa Mercy is nearing the end of the current field service in Togo, West Africa. Many of the medical staff including a number of Kiwis are now flying home. The shore projects are wound up. The school children have finished for the scedemic year and many of their families have taken holiday time to visit family and supporters 'back home'. As the finial surgeries are completed, many tearful goodbyes are said with the amazing folk who have translated, served, and worked alongside us in Lomé and further afield.

Later this month the ship sails to the Canary Islands (located between Africa and Europe) which is the nearest fully-functioning dry dock capable of taking us. Annual 'Warrant of Fitness' will be undertaken in the shipyard, then supplies for the new field service loaded, and an influx of new short term crew arrive.

Early August will see the Africa Mercy sail to the port of Conakry in Guinea, West Africa where our ministry will focus to serve the local people for ten months.

Would you please pray with us for all that's on God's heart to be completed before the ship leaves Togo, and for the new field service ahead? There are still some key positions to be filled to have a full crew ready to hit the ground running in Conakry.

Down in the mouth!

Last week in Togo, the Mercy Ships dental team treated their 4,000th patient since February. That announcement brought back a lot of memories for me – some good and some pretty awful really.

Perhaps strangely, it’s my third-world experience in the dental clinic that brings back the good memories. While the ship was in Ghana and Liberia, I ‘volunteered’ (how do you volunteer for something when you’re already volunteering anyway? Never-the-less…) to help out sterilizing instruments in the on-shore dental clinic once a week. It was a huge learning curve to identify all the various instruments the dentists and hygienists used, as well as to learn to process of sterilizing -all in a very challenging environment. For the duration of the outreach, Mercy Ships had been given the use of a couple of connecting rooms in the local hospital for our dental clinic (pretty routine). The hospital itself has irregular electrical power, only a few taps with running water, and no window – only cinder blocks for ventilation, and very minimal toilet facilities. Every day we set up our own generators to enable the dental team with clinical lights and to use their state-of-the-art equipment to treat the constant stream of patients seeking relief from their pain.

The most remarkable thing I came across was one day a man came in with extreme tooth pain and infection. I must say when Lawrence opened his mouth, the horrendous odour quickly spread throughout the room despite all the fans! Dr Keith, who has served in these conditions for many years, quickly identified an abnormality and sent Lawrence off to the ship for an immediate x-ray. The resulting story was astonishing.

The xray exposed a foreign body embedded in Lawrence’s jaw. Stunned, he told us about being attacked many years earlier, and how the culprits had stabbed him in the mouth. Sure enough, what was imbedded in his jaw was 2 inches of knife blade! It had only recently started acting up again after the initial injury. You can see it here.....

Dr Keith performed a simple 30 minute surgery under a local anaesthetic, and Lawrence was free from source of pain and infection. He took that blade home though!

Helping people like Lawrence receive such significant healing was a source of healing from my own bad experiences as a child. I had a hereditary condition which meant the enamel didn’t form properly on my baby teeth, so I had a huge number of fillings. Small child, slow drills, no pain relief; you get the picture. Should I mention I was actually banned from all the dental clinics in my area because I’d bite the hygienist's fingers? It is really significant to me that while I’m still abit of a nervous patient in the dental chair , I have been significantly more peaceful since I helped in the clinic (haven’t bit anyone’s fingers in years now ! J). God blessed me with emotional healing while I was intent on bringing physical healing to others. Now, isn’t that just like God?!

In Liberia there is only one dentist per one million people! The patients queued from the early morning hours, and were admitted to a waiting areas where one of the local translators would provide oral hygiene instruction. They’d also watch the Jesus film in their own language while they were waiting. Their history was taken, then they’d be placed in one of our four  mobile dental chairs (mobile I the sense they were moved at the end of the outreach, not while the patient was sitting in it!) Mostly people had extractions, but often there were some very complex procedures to be done by the dentists. People’s teeth were so strong from eating tough food all their lives that it was physically exhausting for extractions, and sometimes the results of untreated cavities and fractures became literally life-threatening  because of infection.

Family Ties

We just gotta love those airpoints! Easter was a really special time for our family as we were able to attend a Jason-Smith family wedding in Australia, which was also a long-overdue extended family get-together. Such a special thing for our kids to hang our with 'the cussies' who are all young adults. As we are always spread throughout the world, it was a very rare event - last time Daniel was only 1 year old! It was a totally fabulous time.

The girls heels make this photo a bit deceptive, but the 3 lads all tower over us and we expect Daniel to take the lead very soon.Where has the time gone?

We were also able to get up to our old haunt Newcastle (NSW, not Upon-Tyne) and spend a little time with friends, supporters, and our sending church. Awesome!



Celebrating Sight

Yesterday on the dock beside the Africa Mercy in Togo, there was a Celebration of Sight. Patients who recently had cateract sugery with LAG laser treatment returned to the ship for a final check up. These men, women and children had received a mircale - their world of darkness was no longer! The

festivity is always in fabulous African style - the compelling beat of African drums inspiring dancing and clapping; an outpouring of joy over a changed life and a new future!

Globally, one person goes blind every five seconds—and one child loses his or her sight every minute. Of the 45 million blind people in the world today, almost half of them could receive their sight through a short cateract operation.

Our Chief Medical officer poignantly observed that every time a person's sight is restored, at least 2 people's lives are freed; the person who was blind, and the person who needed to lead them 24/7. (The nations we serve have no disability accesses, ammenities, or welfare benefits. The sightless are completely dependent).

 "The lame walk, the blind see, and the gospel is preached to the poor'.