Bye for now

We shall be away from t'interweb for two weeks from 28th December to 11th January as we take a vacation in south Tenerife...so, in the meantime HAPPY NEW YEAR! Olly

Christmas in Tenerife

Christmas Eve, 10am: We toured a Russian sailing ship...

...home to 200 plus eighteen year old Russian merchant-navy cadets...

Christmas Eve, 5pm: The Africa Mercy Christmas Dinner: a Christmas tree made of green and black olives...

...and Noah chowing down on turkey, ham etc.

Christmas Day, 8am: These are gifts left outside our door by other crew, a Mercy Ships tradition.
Christmas Day 2pm: An afternoon on the beach - beautifully warm (25 degrees) but windy.

A very pleasant and relaxing day. Hope you had a great day too. Olly

Fire Watch

Whilst Tenerife's best welders work on securing the new pool to Deck 8, we must stand Fire Watch on Deck 7 below the pool, to make sure the welding doesn't start fires. Here, Colin (from London Fire Brigade by coincidence) and Dag (from Norway) are on watch...

Below, the deck begins to smoke and glow red-hot...

...and BOOM...a real fire!

In this incident I was sprayed with sparks as the weld burst through the deck before setting fire to the insulation. Colin casually put the fire out whilst I ran around screaming like a girl. I now smell of singed hair. Olly

Welcome Danique Eveleens!

Tuesday 22nd December, 9.30am: Danique Elisabeth Eveleens has been born, third daughter to our good friends Annette & Marcel and sister to Joyce and Norah. Congratulations you guys. We miss you! It's been over a year...Olly

Cruise ship visit

The P&O cruise ship Oriana came into Santa Cruz port this morning - and on her was our good friend and crew-mate Third Officer Matthew Parker from the UK, who served with us on the Africa Mercy for a month in Benin. He invited us onto the ship and gave us a 4 hour tour of the leisure facilities (seriously, VERY impressive!), and even fed us twice (breakfast and lunch) and treated the kids to a few minutes in the hot-tub and pool before he had to go back on duty.

What a fun time we had. We've never been on a fancy ship before (having lived on more basic ships for over 4 years), so it was a treat to see how paying customers live, and how a commercial shop operates! Thanks again Matthew! Olly

New swimming pool

When plans for the conversion of the Dronning Ingrid into the Africa Mercy were drawn up in the late 1990s, they included the installation of a swimming pool on Deck 8...and yesterday, the pool arrived! It was fabricated in Tenerife, and lifted onto Deck 8 by a monster crane...

Here it is, below, being craned into place: longer, wider and higher than a 40 foot shipping container: I think it'll be 16 meters long and 6 meters wide when it's properly installed and operational.

Below: it's final resting place. The climbing frame will be re-erected on the site of the kids paddling pool.

Days of welding, fire-watch, and re-installation of fire-proof insulation and ceilings on the deck below are still ahead of us. The pool will have a staircase, and platforms and handrails surrounding it at water level (ie 3 meters above Deck 8), and the whole thing still needs liberal amounts of paint...but hopefully in the next month or so it will be finished and ready for use once we reach Togo. Olly

Happy Birthday Libby

Our beautiful Liberian girl was five yesterday! We had her birthday party a week ago on the sail (before all her little friends left on their Christmas holidays)...

...so we celebrated yesterday with two meters of German sausage. Yum!

Happy Birthday Libby! Olly

Carol service in Silencio (and the best British fry-up in the world)

Yesterday (Sunday) we took two Land Rovers of Africa Mercy crew and headed down the motorway to join our good friends at Silencio Christian Fellowship for their annual Christmas carol concert. As you can see from the photos, the service was in a shopping centre surrounded by bars, cafes and even a tattoo parlour. Many of the British ex-pat congregation joined us on seats where the bars usually do trade, but others joined-in from the comfort of the cafes and continued to eat their traditional British fried breakfasts whilst heartily singing carols and thinking of home. And what a service! The guys in SCF don't do things in halves: the service was very hard-hitting and thought provoking, and nobody could ever say they came away from it without being challenged! This is what church should be like! We heard testimonies from two people who have recently become Christians - one of whom had been a heroin addict - and we were all challenged in our lifestyles and walks with God by pastor Bill.

Above, the Avenue Cafe (traditional Scottish grub) and Stella's Cafe (traditional English grub); Starlights Nightclub (where our kids usually have Sunday School when we attend SCF) and Tommy Todgers Bar.

Above: Tattooing & Piercing and the Euro Bar.

After the service we all went to Stella's cafe for the best British fry-up in the world. Each chip had been lovingly hand-made. Even our American and Canadian crew-mates were impressed!

I can't even begin to describe the good works that SCF does amongst the British ex-pat population in Tenerife. They work tirelessly with alcoholics, drug addicts, the homeless, sex-trade workers, vulnerable girls, young bar staff, broken families, the bereaved, the friendless, and the unloved. Many of the church have serious histories and shocking stories, and their commitment to the Lord is a great testimony of his love and the love of his people for the vulnerable ex-pats in Tenerife! Olly

Tenerife YEAH!

The pilot came onboard at 7.30ish yesterday morning, and we were at our berth by 9am. I was part of the sideparty team - we lowered the gangway etc, and I was the first crew member to step on Spanish soil (and I was so grateful that I knelt down and kissed the ground!). What a relief it is to be here, after such an uncomfy sail. We spent until about mid-day unloading our vehicles, and then I got the afternoon off and we spent it in Santa Cruz's beautiful parks with the kids, sucking-in the coolness, the green trees, the green grass, the beautiful flowers and plants, the deep blue skies, and the mountains in the background. It's so good to be here. Our batteries are beginning to charge already. Today we're off to the Christmas carol concert with our good friends at Silencio Christian Fellowship, and then a leisurely day hanging out of the beach in Los Christianos. Tenerife weather is a bit iffy at this time of the year - sometimes sunny and hot; sometimes cloudy and windy and cool, but today looks good! Its currently cooler in the ship than outside. Photo of Captain Tim on the bridge wing during the arrival. Olly

Land ho!

2.30am, Saturday 19th December: We could see the light pollution from Tenerife and Gran Canaria at about 8pm last night, but still continued to rock and roll violently...until I awoke just before 2am to an almost calm ship. We are now on the leeward side of Tenerife, and slowly sailing up the east coast. The sea is like a mill pond, and I am enjoying watching the island's villages go by as we move slowly to meet the pilot at Santa Cruz around 7am. Hopefully we'll be berthed by 8am, and all the vehicles will be unloaded by early afternoon...then we can take a well deserved break ashore. The last 3 days at sea have been the most trying we have ever experienced. Olly

Tenerife tomorrow!

Today me and Anna were just saying "I can't believe that we are going to be in Tenerife tomorrow!" We are just so excited, it is just so nice to come from a developing country, to a developed holiday country. We also can't wait for the 28th of December, that is when Nanny, Grandad(my mum's step dad), Uncle James, Auntie Amanda, Alex, Grace and Natasha come for a weeks holiday down south in a villa with them. Noah

Benin presentation on Picasa

Our Polish Chief Officer, Marcin, has just produced a presentation of the Africa Mercy's 2009 Field Service in Benin. It is absolutely fab, and a must-see for any recently departed crew. Marcin has posted it on his Picasa website - click here to view. Please, have a look! It brings a lump to my throat every time I see it! Olly

Thousands Gather to Protest Against Global Warming

Thanks, Chuck in Texas, for this very amusing photo. Olly

Last day at sea

The last couple of days have blended into one long, sleep deprived and rarely vertical discomfort. I guess we're getting more used to things crashing and sliding around, but we can't wait to get into the lee of land where hopefully the water will be calmer and we can start tidying the ship. This time tomorrow we'll be docked in tenerife, hopefully. Even typing this blog entry is a challenge, as my chair keeps on rolling away from my desk...anyway, we've had a couple of things to take our minds of the rolling: more beautiful sunsets and the presence of a couple of French navy ships a couple of nights ago (very exciting - they started following us, and some of us thought they were going to board us and search for bad guys or bad stuff); more dolphins on the bow; and the school musical - Bethlehem Express (adapted from the movie Polar Express), where all the kids danced and sang as well as had roles - Noah was one of the main characters, Anna did a duet with her friend Jana and Libby was a cow (again). Olly

Day 9 at sea - big swells

2am, Thursday: we hit big swells late last night, and the ship is wallowing so much that I haven't been able to sleep yet. Everything has fallen off our shelves, and even our Christmas tree has fallen over in the regular rolls (that must reach 20 degrees). Not a happy bunny. There will be some tired and miserable crew at breakfast later today. Olly

Day...erm...whatever, at sea

Maybe it's Day 6? Sail still going well: calm seas, clear blue skies etc etc. We are keeping busy with Christmas activities - cookie bakes, craft making etc. Today I started work as the ship's carpenter - which will keep me busy for the week until we arrive in Tenerife and unload the vehicles. I've really enjoyed fixing cupboards and doors, and the day has sped by! Big meteor shower last night and tonight. Spectacular! Bye for now, Olly

Benin statistics

I know, it's not all about numbers, but here goes: during the Africa Mercy's ten month Field Service in Benin, the following was achieved:
996 reconstructive and plastic surgeries;
185 cleft lip and palate repairs;
1161 general surgeries;
2 local surgeons trained;
3,521 cataracts removed;
570 other eye surgeries (pterygia and stabismus);
2 local eye surgeons trained;
33,851 eye evaluations and other treatments;
7,083 pairs of sunglasses distributed;
5,689 pairs of reading glasses distributed;
18 community eye field workers trained;
154 obstetric fistulas repaired;
4 local surgeons trained in fistula repair;
231 orthopedic operations;
10,175 dental patients seen;
794 dental hygiene patients;
13,174 oral health education;
25 oral health teachers trained;
2 dental assistants trained;
28 patients received palliative home care;
6 Burkitt's Lymphoma patients received palliative support;
19 families trained in wound care;
10 agricultural staff trained;
23 local agricultural trainees;
1 hostel constructed for agricultural college;
19 mental health workers trained;
119 church & community leaders trained in mental health;
50 prison officers and workers trained in mental health;
2 church leaders conferences attended by 602 attendants;
and 12,000 people watched the Jesus Film and many made a commitment to Christ.

Wow! That's a whole lot of people. Nearly 80,000 have been directly exposed to hope and healing brought by the medical facilities of the Africa Mercy, and a great many of them made a personal commitment to Christ as a result of the love and care they were shown whilst receiving medical attention onboard or at our mobile clinics. Praise God! Olly

Praise God

Praise God for a safe and successful Outreach in Benin. We didn't have to go to anchor; we didn't have to move to let a palm-oil ship into our berth; and we didn't get covered in cement dust from neighbouring ships - these were the three major fears I had of the port in Cotonou. We had only 3 or 4 cases of malaria in ten months, and no fatal road traffic accidents (and Chitra, our Gurkha who was badly injured by a motorbike has made a full and speedy recovery). We had a good relationship with the local police and army, and saw no swimmers attempting to board the ship to steel from us, and we had over 200 local staff come on board every day with no thefts. And we as a family have been well throughout, with no significant illnesses and only a couple of coughs and colds. Praise God indeed! Olly

Winter Wonderland

This evening we had our Winter Wonderland - an evening when the Mid Ships Lounge was transformed from a place of relaxation and snoozing shift-workers into a Christmas bazaar, with stalls selling home-made crafts and snacks and decorations...

Sally ran a stall selling items sewn by the young girls from Cotonou's La Maison de l'Esperance...

...and Anna, Jana, Fride and Esther did a Christmas dance (three times) to the delight of the hundreds of people in attendance.

A very pleasant evening, with a lot of money raised for good causes! Olly

It's raining

It's raining, would you believe. I've never experienced rain before at sea in West Africa. I guess that means we're probably somewhere near one of the wettest countries in the world. Olly

Day 4 at sea

Still calm and overcast. A lazy Saturday so far - a lie-in and a late breakfast whilst the ship showed Ice Age movies to the kids. We are preparing for Libby's birthday party later today, which we'll have tomorrow even though her birthday isn't until 22nd December (when many of her little friends will have gone home for Christmas). The ship has been much cooler over the last couple of days - the second compressor on the air conditioning plant has been started plus we're away from the heat of Benin, so we've all dug out our jeans and sweatshirts, which we'll live in until we return to West Africa in February. Olly

Work permits in Liberia

In September, Liberia's Ministry of Labor issued Regulation #17 of the Labor Practices Law of Liberia, increasing the fee for a non-Liberian Work Permit from US$450 to US$1,000, in a bid to keep non-Liberian "store boys" out of the country and provide jobs for Liberians only. I'm not sure that's the best way to help their economy...maybe Liberia should be attracting more foreigners to open more businesses...For full article click here. Olly

Britain Contributes US$22M toward Rebuilding of Liberia’s Infrastructure

Great. Need I say more? Click here to read full article. Olly

Day 2 and 3 at sea

Day 2 was as perfect as day 1; calm waters, clear blue skies and a deep blue sea. Conditions have ever-so-slightly deteriorated so far on Day 3; the sea is slightly less calm, the sky is slightly more overcast, and the sea is slightly less blue. One of the great things about sailing is that we can see the sun setting into the sea again, which we couldn't see it for all our time in Benin. The sunsets are wonderful around here! Olly

Planned Land Rover disposals for 2010

Following my recent blog entry about recent Land Rover disposals and some comments from ex-crew; I plan to dispose of a couple more in 2010 - namely 1997 models #077 and #376, which are still going strong (but are getting very tired). BUT I can only dispose of them if we have funds to buy replacements - so if you have $40,000 US burning a hole in your pocket, let me know! Olly

Black and blue

A couple of things have struck me as we're sailing along: just how BLACK it is at night at sea, with no lights from a port or neighbouring ships, or even our own spotlights (which is quite scary - I suffer from a mild form of nyctophobia). And just how indescribably BLUE the sea is by day, away from land and pollution and garbage and dust. Simply beautiful. Olly

Day 1 at sea

17.55: A beautiful day: clear skies, calm blue seas and a cooling wind despite the heat. We've just sailed close to a water spout (pictured) and within ten minutes of that saw a school of dolphins, and within five minutes of that saw whales! (And no, dolphins and whales can't push our ship over, Libby!). Olly

Day 1 at sea

What a pleasant sail so far! Very smooth, with clear skies and deep blue sea. No sea-life yet so far though. Olly

Land Rover disposals

For all ex-crew interested in the shape of the Africa Mercy's fleet of vehicles: this year I sold #743 (a 1993 Land Rover 5-seater pick-up) and #557 (a 1995 Land Rover 10-seater). The fleet is now made up of 20 Land Rover Defenders (yes, still including #077, #376, #333 and #482), and 7 Nissan Patrols. We are sailing to Tenerife with 5 Nissans and 10 Land Rovers, and the remainder are waiting our return to West Africa in Togo. Fascinating stuff, eh? Olly

Stinking rotten fish

There has been a strong smell of fish on Deck 8 for a couple of days, which I mistook it to be the smell of cooking fish from the Crew Galley. Today, however, my colleague from Sierra Leone sheepishly admitted he had tried to dry fish in the back of a Land Rover (such is his passion), but they had started to rot instead. We opened the Land Rover (#998)...and it was CRAWLING with maggots happily feeding on stinking rotten fish. He is still up there now, repeatedly washing out 9#98 whilst the maggots are all fleeing across the scorching hot deck. Tonight I look forward to smelling freshly deck-roasted maggot instead of rotting fish. Olly

Bye bye Benin

Tuesday 8th December, 11.40am: The Pilot came onboard surprisingly early, and the gangway was lifted by 10.30. We are already in the open sea, and rolling ever so slightly. Leaving the port sent a shiver down my spine - the dock contained many cheering well-wishers, some of whom we didn't even know, but also including the Togo Advance Team, the Togo Mercy Team, and the Togo Water & Sanitation Field Coordinator - all of whom will now drive to Togo to prepare for the Africa Mercy's arrival in February (please pray for them - Brenda, Joan, Chris, Michaell, and Mark & Nari & their family). Thus begins day one at sea. Olly

 

False alarm

Last night we heard a rumour that we would have a surprise fire and lifeboat drill at 6.30am this morning...ever mindful of the drill we had at 6am in 2007, we were all up at 6am and dressed and well ready by 6.30...and now it's 7.15, and the alarm still hasn't sounded yet. The source of the rumour knew that the Captain wants to do another drill sometime before we sail, and put 2 and 2 together to get 6.30...Still, at least we'll be ready in time for school (although I wouldn't have minded another hour asleep). Olly

Why we had another black-out

On Monday 30th November I blogged that the black-out on Saturday 28th had been successful - it took a team of Engineers all day to rod-out the thousands of little tubes that make up the main coolers - click here to see the blog entry and photo. But engine tests on Thursday revealed that one of the the coolers was clogged again - and this is what it looked like when it was opened again on Friday afternoon (see photos above) - full of barnacles, bits of plastic and even a crab. Had someone not replaced the sea strainer properly? We'll never know. The cooler was cleaned again in record breaking time whilst the ship once again lay dark & silent. All OK now though, and ready to sail! Olly

Fish & Chips

Sunday 6th December, 4.50pm, Cotonou, Benin: Tonight we're having fish & chips for dinner. We can smell them cooking in our cabin, which is only a few feet away from the galley. Yum. Olly

Gifts from West Africa

Every year, as we pack the ship in preparation for our departure from our host country, our local staff and friends ashore bombard us with gifts (which must cost them one or even two days wages!). This year I have been given two full African outfits (suits of clothes in African fabrics); two beautiful carvings (that will remind us of Benin forever), a drum, two tambourines, a couple of papaya fruits and coconuts, and a framed picture of the Dove of Peace. The generosity of the gifters are humbling! Olly

Congratulations Keith!

Congratulations to Mercy Ships' very own Dr Keith Chapman, who came second in the 1st Annual Surf Liberia Contest. He also came first in the BodyBoarding division. For full article on the contest, click here. There he is, on the right of the photo. Olly

Brown-haired Sally

Remember blond-haired Sally? Well, she's now brown-haired Sally. Great eh? Olly

This Blog...

Mercy Ships have redesigned their website, and it now includes a contents index on the front page which includes THIS BLOG! Wow - I'm humbled! Click here today to see our (tiny) smiling faces, before they are replaced by someone else's. Olly

Swimmer Watch update

Tonight is my last night on Swimmer Watch. I've been on duty from 10pm to midnight for a whole week, and am looking forward to an early night tomorrow already. God bless the guys who man the watch throughout the wee small hours - they make way more of a sacrifice than I do! Olly

Engineering (and black-out) update

Today our Engineers ran some pre-sail engine tests, only to find out that they were STILL overheating, despite the coolers being cleaned last Saturday. So guess what...yes, this coming Saturday we'll have ANOTHER black-out, as all the generators are turned off and those poor guys spend the day rodding out the coolers yet again. Please pray for them - for their strength and their patience. It's the time of year when the ship's engines are awakened from their ten-month slumber and weaknesses and breakdowns are found. Plus we're aware that our time in Benin has been a great success by all accounts and our enemy doesn't like that - I'm sure his followers are praying for our failure (like last time we left Benin on the Anastasis, when we had not one but TWO engine fires on the sail). Olly

Loading update

With only a few days left in Cotonou before we sail, loading is well underway. My workshop and trailer are now on Deck 8, along with 9 Land Rovers. The remaining Land Rovers and Nissans will be loaded tomorrow. The Deckies are really working hard, in tremendous heat - please spare a minute to pray for them. Olly

Togo convoy - update

The drivers returned from Togo at 11.15pm - over thirteen hours since they left Cotonou. The journey should have only taken 6 hours max, but they lost an hour changing a wheel bearing, and another hour at the border, and could only drive slowly because of the size of the convoy and the age of the vehicles. I met the drivers on the dock as they climbed out of the two vehicles that had brought them back, and each one of them said they'd had a great time and they'd do it again! Bless 'em all! Olly

Convoy to Togo

Several weeks ago I was asked to coordinate a convoy to take our oldest Land Rovers from Cotonou (Benin), to Lome (Togo), where our next Field Service will be...and today the convoy left the ship at 10am. In theory the journey should only take 3 hours, but it actually took our 8 oldest vehicles NINE HOURS! As I write (8.15pm) the drivers are probably still in Lome, and even at top speed in two new vehicles they won't be back on the Africa Mercy until gone 11pm. Those poor guys! They had two breakdowns on the way there, plus a lengthy border crossing. What an absolute disaster. Photo of me and the convoy just before they left the dock this morning. Olly

My colleagues

Here's a photo of the guys who work with me: Moses (from Sierra Leone - the guy kneeling on the right with the hammer) is a crew member and Head Mechanic. Mathieu (from Togo - sitting on the tyre) is also a mechanic; Luke (from Benin, standing on the left of the photo) and Adrien (also from Benin, standing on the right) are both car-cleaners. Together they have done a great job in keeping the fleet of 28 vehicles presentable and on the roads of Benin over the past ten months. Mathieu will serve again with us in Togo next year, whilst Luke and Adrien will remain in Benin. Olly

 

 

 

Vultures feast on Liberia!

The Vultures have struck again! Their latest prey: Liberia, a country that ranks in the bottom 15 for basic living standards. With life expectancy at a shocking average of 45 years, the country's democratic government has been making concerted efforts to address the legacy of the civil war and crushing poverty. This morally reprehensible news is even more shocking in the context of Liberia’s recent victory in April, when the country reached an agreement canceling $1.2 billion of its commercial debt.  This past weekend, while Americans enjoyed their turkey and mashed potatoes, Liberia had little to be thankful for when news hit that two Vulture Funds were awarded $20 million from a 30 year old loan and that was originally only worth $6 million.  The UK Court’s settlement of $20 million represents all of Liberia’s 2008/2009 education budget and 150% of the funds allocated for health expenditures.  In total, 25% of Liberia’s poverty reduction spending will go to two Vultures located in tax havens.

To read more on Blog The Debt click here. Olly