Reality check

Saturday 24th April: This morning, all 5 of our family went to the Africa Mercy's Hospitality Centre 3 kilometres from the ship, to spend time with the pre-op and post-op patients, and it brought us back down to earth with a bang. The only patients we see on the ship are those with dressings covering their wounds; we rarely get to see their conditions before their operations, but at the Centre today I saw the worst case of burns I have ever seen - on Tani, a little girl who had lost her upper lip, nose, left eye and left ear. How she survived these burns is a mystery for me. She tried to wear the sunglasses of one of the girls in our group, but they fell off because she had no nose or ear to keep them on. Maybe Dr Tertius will be able to give her a new nose and lip next week. We also saw a lady with facial tumours growing out of tumours - she must have 5 hanging off her cheeks and chin, a couple of them the size of footballs. Likewise, maybe she'll have a new face this time next week. Although our trips to the Centre are always hot, uncomfortable and long, they serve to remind us of what life is all about and why God has called us to work with Mercy Ships. Olly