Sailing again

Our family are sailing again, 18 months since our last sail with Mercy Ships. It feels great to be out in the clear blue ocean again, without a spot of garbage in sight. We left the Freeport of Monrovia around noon on Friday, and followed the coast of Liberia until it disappeared into the dusk. We could clearly see the huge shape of Cape Mountain, from where Libby's Vai Tribe comes from, and where she was born. The sea is very calm, although the Africa Mercy rolls and wallows much more than the Anastasis ever did. Friday morning was taken up with a Stowaway Search, then a Fire and Abandon Ship Drill, and then another Stowaway Search as we started to sail. We spent the afternoon continuing to secure the ship, and getting used to the rolling motion, which makes us tired - Sally and I slept from 9pm Friday until 7ish Saturday. This morning we opened the curtains on a beautiful sunrise over a flat sea, and after breakfast saw a school of dolphins swimming alongside the ship. Now we are enjoying the change of pace and enforced restful weekend, and settling into the routine of the six day sail to Gran Canaria. Olly

Please pray

Would you pray for one of our crew mates please? She is an 18 year old American girl, who has malaria but recently suffered complications, and yesterday she had to go on a ventilator as she could no longer breathe on her own. Today a Jordanian Army Ambulance took her from the ship's Intensive Care Unit to the airport, under escort from the US Embassy, to meet a hospital plane that will fly her to Germany for medical help. She is still in a critical condition, but stable. Her parents are flying to Germany now to be with her. Please pray that she recovers quickly with no side effects. Olly

24 hours until we sail

Yes, in 24 hours we will slip our mooring lines and sail out of Monrovia, destination Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Everyone on the ship has been working very hard all week to finish securing and packing in case of bad weather, but today we are seeing the job very nearly completed. Photo of the Land Rovers on Deck 8. Olly

UN Drive Roadworks

As the Chinese begin their massive road renewal scheme here in Monrovia, part of UN Drive in Sinkor has been seriously dug up, and diversions are in operation with long delays. Photo of UN Drive taken outside Mona Lisa, facing the city with the Royal Hotel on the right and City Gas Station on the left (really bad photo isn't it?). Olly

Mercy Ships -v- Nepalese Army

This evening the Mercy Ships' soccer team beat the Nepalese Army's soccer team 3-0. Hurray. Olly

Earthquake

An earthquake with magnitude of 5.6 occurred near MONROVIA, Liberia at 10:13 on Wednesday Nov 27, 2007. Source: US Geological Survey.

(It was actually 550 miles from Monrovia, and we didn't feel a thing. Olly)

Rude awakening

We had a Fire and Abandon Ship Drill at 6am this morning, when we were all still fast asleep. I really hate being awakened by screaming alarms. I went to fight the fire whilst Sally and the kids waited on the promenade deck wearing their lifejackets and waiting to abandon ship. The kids were very well behaved. We were all back in our cabin by 6.55am, which is still before our usual waking-up time of 7am. Now we're tired and grumpy. Olly

Mercy Ships Palliative Care Team

We have a small Palliative Care Team on the ship to care for the seriously ill that we have been unable to offer surgery to, and are dying because of their illnesses. Candy, pictured, has a massive untreatable and unoperable cancerous tumour growing from her eye, and Jean and Michelle visit her regularly at her home to dress the tumour and pray with the family. What brave ladies they are. Their strength can only come from God. This is a sad time particularly for them, as they say goodbye to Candy and other patients in the knowledge that they will most probably have died by the time the ship returns to this country next year. Olly

Hello Mr & Mrs Becker

Our good friends Josh & Sarah Becker have returned to Mercy Ships. They met on the Anastasis in 2005, and got married three months ago. Its great to have them back! Olly

Goodbye Chapman family

Yesterday the Chapman family left the Africa Mercy, to spend the next four months in the USA raising funds before returning to Liberia next April to open a dental clinic. Noah and Anna have grown up with Lauren and Taylor since late 2003 when we first met in Texas, and more recently Samuel and Libby too. We are very sad that they have left the ship, but our return to Liberia next year means we will be able to see them again fairly regularly until we leave Liberia for good in late 2008. Olly

Whoops!

Q: What do you get when you try to move a 25 ton shipping container on a under-maintained flatbed truck?

A: See photo.

Olly

Last day for Day Workers

Today is the last day for Day Workers on the ship - these are Liberians we hire for $5/day to work as translaters, cooks, cleaners, painters, electricians, engineers, mechanics, watch-keepers, drivers, and nursing assistants. Some of these dear folk have been with us on-and-off since early 2005, and will be returning to work with us in February. They are happy to have jobs to return to, but for the next 2 months they will join Liberia's other 85% unemployed, and try to make their wages last out until their next pay-packet by typically living off less than $1/day. Yet in the midst of their terrible poverty, many of them have presented crew members with traditional Liberian clothes or carvings, as a way of saying thank-you for the last ten months of employment. We look forward to seeing them and working with them again in February. Photo of me and some of the Deck Department's Day Workers. Olly

Last day for patients

Today is the last day for patients on the ward. The hospital is being cleaned and packed away in preparation for our sail to Gran Canaria at the end of next week. One of our Liberian day-workers who lives ashore has been trained in wound dressing, and has been equiped with all the supplies she needs, so any patients needing additional medical care can refer to her whilst we are away. It is an emotional day as we say goodbye to patients who we have prayed for and spent time with, and who have become part of our lives here, especially for me and other technical staff who work alongside the hospital. As I walk the corridors today the four wards are getting more and more empty. There is an atmosphere that reminds me of the last day of school term. I'm sure we will see many of the patients again as they visit us next year, and some will even be re-admitted for follow-up surgery. Photo of Nurse Rachel and Nurse Becky and some of the last patients. Olly

Christianity Today article

The December issue of Christianity Today magazine features an article about Mercy Ships, and our work in Liberia. Keep your eyes open for it! Olly

More emergency power

International maritime regulations are very specific about the amount of emergency power a ship must have, which is why yesterday we took delivery of a second emergency generator to power water pumps for fire hoses and sprinkler systems throughout the ship. The preparation and instalation of this generator and pump system is mostly what myself and many other colleagues have been working on in recent months - it involves miles of cabling and piping, tons of steel, and acres of additional fire-roof insulation. Photo of the new generator on Deck 8 awaiting instalation. Olly

Ceilidh time again

We had another Scottish Ceilidh (dance) on the dock on Friday night. Looking back, it was again a very weird experience - a couple of hundred white people of all ages dancing away under the watchful eye of four Ghanaian soldiers with big black guns. The dance was attended by no less than 5 genuine Scots, but there was not a kilt or sporran in sight. Olly

Libby's school photo...

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Anna's school photo...

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Noah's school photo...

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School photo

Here is the Africa Mercy Academy's most recent school photo. Click on it to enlarge to see all 48 children and all 14 full and part time teachers. Olly