Is the world always Black and White?

Interesting picture, don't you think? I love this picture. I went to a Bead Factory in Accra, Ghana a few weekends ago, They gave this amazing demonstration about how they make all their beads from hand. We got to this station in the demonstration, and as I took this picture, it was such a perfect picture of my world. The beads are made from all colours of glass - green, yellow, white, blue, red - crushed together to make a powder, then the 'designer' intricately decides which colour will go into a handmade mold, turning out a beautifully crafted bead.

As consumers, we rarely think about those who 'produce' the goods we buy. This part of West Africa is reknowned for its bead making. The workmanship is amazing; the craftmanship is handed down generation after generation.

My world over the last seven years has been focused on doing my part to help the poor and needy of this world. I've stopped seeing the world as 'black' and 'white'. Instead, it's all blurred together. I now see people who need God, people who are hurting, people who want acceptance in spite of their colour or want others to see beyond their deformity. The part we play may often
seem insignificant. I've done this long enough where I recognize that it's HUGE! No matter how small a part - if it touches someone else life, what more can we offer! To give of yourself, that's all God asks us to do. Whether it's giving blood (I even made it through the fact that the person drawing my blood - well, it was her FIRST time). It hurt some - but the rewards were GREAT. The blood was for Mohammed - a little six year old boy who was having a facial tumour removed. Mohammed has since left the ship holding his head up high, not afraid of the stares that once were a constant part of his life. What an amazing journey I have had! And you all get to be a part of it just by reading this. I hope it encourages you to see how you can impact someone (maybe not in Africa, but perhaps in England, California, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, South Africa, Singapore, Thailand, Hawaii (just a few places where I know some of you are located!). I appreciate all of you.

Miracles Do Happen !!!

The Anastasis maintains a 'walking blood bank' on board. All crew are invited to donate blood if they so desire. All they have to do is sign up at the Lab, and a list is posted as to who has which blood type. Late one night (last week), we had an emergency when one of the patients (pictured on the far right) who'd had a grapefruit-sized goiter removed began bleeding out. Goiters grow in the neck, very close to the arteries, and her Thyroid Artery had burst, and was spraying arterial blood. They rushed her to the OR to save her life. Soon we began to hear various pages being called over our emergency system...it didn't take too long before we all knew we had an emergency onboard. Soon we began to hear pages for those whose blood type matched hers. When it was obvious they weren't getting enough blood fast enough, they simply paged, '"all those who have blood type A+, please come to the lab immediately". The lab was an interesting picture of donors lying down as soon as the bed was free. They were so short of room, they ran out of bed space, and our cook, who lives down the hall from the lab, was woken up so they could use his bed to draw blood. The patient, Eunice, was saved, despite losing an incredible amount of blood! Eight liters is the amount of blood the human body has and eleven pints were used on her, so suffice it to say, Eunice lost all of her blood, and is now walking around with the blood a dozen Mercy Shippers. Eunice is alive and well, thanking God for her good fortune. It was another one of those times when we could sense God's presence as we experienced another miracle, and a reminder of 'who's' in charge!

My head is spinning. I've been in Ghana, West Africa (the city of Tema) and in some ways, it feels like forever. The sights, the smells...all of it is coming back to me as I walk into the market place. The stalls, the raw meat, the creative carvings and outfits, the dirt, the signs - it's the culture of a 'typical' African country. And yet, Ghana is considerably more developed than other areas I have been.

I've been here a week. I've returned to an 'old home' - the m/v Anastasis. The ship looks the best I've ever seen it. I can tell many people have put in many hours to make her look so well cared for. As I walk the decks, everything is clean, painted, and shiny - a place that is obviously much loved. I feel privileged to be here before she is retired.

Today I spent the morning in an Orphanage. From the time I stepped foot out of the Landrover, I gave a bit of my heart away. The children were so excited to see everyone. Hugs came frequently, and the more comfortable the children became with me, the more I received smiles, hugs, climbing onto my lap. I didn't care how dirty their hands were (although the children were well kept, they are still children!) .

Doreen, the 'mother' of these 35 children is an amazing woman! I spent some time in the 'kitchen' which is outside, with one area covered by a few pieces of wood where they have kettles on an open fire cooking their soup made of palm nuts (from Palm trees). I wish I could accurately describe the process to give you a good picture. My words are probably inadequate, but they start with the plain dirty nuts, then they boil them for about 10 minutes. They are then pounded down in a 'concrete' kind of small bowl with a long pole until it looks like soft straw. The 'straw' is then taken by hand and dipped in water until all of the juices, color, nuts, etc, are extracted from the 'straw', and then put in to a strainer - the end result is a big bowl of pumpkin coloured soup. They then add things like tomatoes, meat, etc to it. They use it throughout the week to feed the children.

They were also taking mini snails (long and narrow), chopping off the ends of them, then they boil them and suck the meat out (I didn't try it, though!!).

Wow... an all day process for their one meal of the day. Like I said, this woman, Doreen is amazing. The orphanage was clean, but sparse. The classroom desks were old and shabby, but I could tell they were being put to good use. I lost a bit of my heart today as I watched those children - so happy to see us - so happy to receive a bit of our attention and love. I am truly blessed and humbled.

Full Cirlce

My life in Mercy Ships feels like it is coming Full Circle. This picture is our current Africa Mercy Human Resources team (L to R: Tatyana from Brazil, me, Denise from US, Pat from US, and Cindy from Canada). As many of you know, I started out in Human Resources in Mercy Ships back in 2000 onboard the Anastasis. Because many of our crew are currently in Africa, I was somewhat filling in for Brenda Cole, our Africa Mercy HR manager, who is in Africa as well. Since coming to the Africa Mercy, I have moved to the public relations side of things. But in just over a week, I am heading to Ghana, West Africa to once again, work in HR onboard the Anastasis doing exactly what I was doing 6 years ago arriving the exact day 6 years later!! I have come full circle ... what does that even mean?

Living onboard a ship lends itself to a lot of analogies. We use a lot of rope onboard our ships. And I'm not talking about the skinny rope used for jump ropes. I'm talking about rope so thick, it's hard to put your arms around it let alone lift it!! (but we are fortunate to have some strong deckies working for us!). This is the rope (known as mooring lines) to anchor the ship to the berth in which we are docked. It's just like coming full circle. My life is tied into the people you see in the picture. My life is tied into people who are NOT in the picture. It is just like those mooring lines. My life is strengthened because of the people I have met; the people who are influencing my life, my thoughts, my viewpoints. My life is interwined with theirs - we share a common vision of why we are here, what we are about, and in whom we believe. They 'anchor' me and help me stay 'tied to the dock' rather than 'float off' into the unknow - in other words, they help keep me grounded. The bible has a verse that says ... when a brother or sister is down, the other picks him up...(paraphrased). The 'sisters' you see in the picture (and those you don't) are the ones who encourage me when I'm down, rejoice with me when I'm up. My life has been strengthened because of them. Full circle is a good thing!

Step By Step We're Moving Forward

Here we are ... the Africa Mercy Crew at our first onboard Community Meeting. We needed test out our sound system, lighting, monitors, etc... and we had a great time doing it. I'm privileged to serve with such a great bunch of people. Can't wait for the day we get to merge our two crews!! 

A Cabin Waiting To Happen

Here I am sitting on my bed (in my 'future' cabin)... can't wait for the day when I get to actually move everything in ... soon (I KNOW... I keep saying that!!)... thank you to those of you who've sent things to help decorate my cabin. I look forward to the day I can send you a picture of what it looks like actually decorated!! Pictured above me is Lorah (you met her in an earlier posting). She said she'd pose as my 'first guest' in the cabin. She's peeking into the wardrobe that will hold my clothes and to the left of it is my kitchen unit.

Deck 8

This deck looks COMPLETELY different from several weeks ago!! Our deckhands have worked so hard over the last three months needle-gunning this entire deck, then repainting it green. When we are sailing, this is the deck that will store our vehicles, and when we dock, the vehicles will get offloaded by cranes (that you can't see from this angle). The big ball that you see is our satellite system that will give us internet and phone access. It'll be a stateside number (Florida) so for all of you who have national calling - you can call me free of charge!! This is also the deck that will have a canopy covering (while we are in port) where the crew can relax and not get too sunburned. There will also be an area for the children to play as well.

Gourmet Chefs - waiting to be discovered

This here is our Crew Galley (there are six ovens available, along with cooking islands) where crew can go, and cook whatever they want...cookies (or biscuits as they are called here in England), perhaps a birthday cake, whatever their heart desires. This was one of the rooms that we didn't think we were going to have time to finish, but with the delays, it's actually worked to our advantage, as we were not only able to finish the crew galley, but also various accommodation areas. 

Wishy Washy

Not one of the most glamourous rooms onboard the ship, but definitely one of the most used and coveted ... these washer and dryers will help 'service' the 474 crew onboard as we book in our laundry slots once a week. The flooring is done (covered by cardboard to protect it). Next, the folding table is being installed ... another room, soon to be finished!! Woohoo!! 

Pirates and Fairies

Just so you don't think it's all work here, and no games... think again! In order to strive for a balanced life in this 'foreign' country... we have had all kinds of 'theme' parties. This one was by far the best. Everyone went all out to dress up as a pirate and fairy (we even had someone dress up as a 'hairy fairy' which was 'VERY SCARY'!! (he knows who he is!!). Here I am pictured with two of my very dear friends, Pat (left) and Carrie (right). I'm the middle in case you haven't figured that out!! You are probably wondering why a 'fairy' would wear all black... well, I decided I'd wear black (cuz no one can be good ALL the time), but I also threw in hints of pink to show off my good side as well!)... (I know... those of you who know me well are asking 'what good side???')

Pat has become one of my closest friends here. She's funny, witty, sensitive, and is my mentor and friend. I have learned so much from her. We've started to walk a few days a week in the early morning (5:30 am is EARLY for me!!), but I so look forward to our time together to exercise, share what's happening in our lives, and pray for one another. She is soon leaving Mercy Ships, and returning to Texas, which makes me very sad, but I know that I have made a friend for life (friends really, as her husband, Terry, is a great guy). I just try to think of it as 'one more friend' I have to visit somewhere in the world.

My South African friend, Carrie, is such a blessing in my life. We have a lot of laughs together. She has unselfishly included me in her family, and I absolutely adore her two daughters (Katie, 2 and Rachel, 4). It makes up (a little bit) for not being able to see my nieces and nephews. Carrie and I enjoy scrapbooking together, shopping, planning parties, cooking ... you name it, and we'll find a way to have a great time doing it.

I thank God for good friends. It makes up (a bit) for missing my friends and family back home.

Take a Tour of the Africa Mercy

I just learned how to use Flickr.com - a great way for me to able to post a series of photos, so you can get a better grasp of what the ship really looks like from the inside out. Click here to take a Tour of the Africa Mercy. Keep in mind that when it opens, to get back to my blog, you'll have to re-enter my blogspot address: www.albertasantecdotes.blogspot.com. You can also use the photo on the right.

Ship Shop? or Ship Shape?

This will be another place onboard that I'm SURE the crew will frequent!! It's called the 'Cafe' (coffee is donated by Starbucks!). It's located in the area of the ship that we call the Town Square. The Town Square contains not only the Cafe, but also a seating area for the crew to relax and lounge, go shopping in the Ship Shop (where you buy personal toiletries, etc), view the Partner Wall (which lists our major donors) or just simply hang out and have fun!

Too Many Cooks...

Actually, in our case, you can never have too many cooks onboard a ship. This is only one PART of our galley. There's a lot of existing items from when the ship was a former rail ferry, but we've also added quite a few new items as well (See the big mixers in the back? Those are new). The Galley is just about finished; still needs a good cleaning. Now all we need are a few good cooks - anyone interested??? ;-) I always find it fun and challenging to cook for 25-30 people; 450 people is an entire different matter. When I was onboard the Anastasis, I helped out in the galley a few times cooking for Easter and Christmas, as well as helping to whip up a 'few' cakes (try 20-30 rectangle cake pans!!). It's one of the few times in life where I could have my cake and eat it too! 

You've Got Mail

Onboard the Africa Mercy, our crew will have access to an email cafe that will accommodate 18 flat screen computers (through a generous donation in honor of one of our IT staff from the UK office who passed away this year). This is one area that will always be busy, and will keep our crew happy! When you are thousands of miles away from home, nothing puts a 'cap' on your day like sitting down at the computer, opening up your email (and possibly hearing that sound: You've Got Mail). Hearing from friends and family is what often keeps me going when I'm tired, missing all of you, and wanting to be somewhere else. Then I read a 'funny quip' from my niece, Erica, and I feel like a part of me got to share in what everyone else shared in even though I wasn't there in person!! (see Erica - I DO ready your emails!! Fortunately, I'll have a computer in my office so I won't have to queue up for one of these commodities, but nonetheless, I still love hearing from all of you! 

Meet Lorah

This is a picture of Lorah Styer and myself. Lorah is a godsend!!! She has recently transferred from our Texas office and joined me here at the Africa Mercy as our Special Events Assistant. All of my other staff are currently on the Anastasis in Ghana, so I am grateful for Lorah. Since I spend most of my time moving furniture, installing furniture, giving tours, talking to outside folks who are interested in Mercy Ships, managing the communications aspect of what we are doing, etc...Lorah has jumped right in and is currently handling all of our Hospitality needs... which entails getting rooms ready for new crew and guests, as well as cleaning up after someone leaves. She's also blessed us with incredible cooking talents (that she didn't even knew she had!) as well as utilizing her skills as a hairdresser by providing hair salon services for our crew once a week. I couldn't do all that I do without her... She's a true blessing, and worthy of you meeting (through my blog!).

Brief Reprieve

I am getting too brief of a reprieve here in the US for the event of my niece, Erica's, wedding. As you can see, she is absolutely beautiful! We had so much fun running non-stop for a week getting ready for the big day. She had a dessert buffet, so I think we are all needing to go off sugar after the reception (not that I had any time to try out all of the goodies with all of the running around we did. Anyway, I hear that there are quite a few new things done onboard while I've been gone, such as the cookers being placed in the crew galley, the floors completed in the crew lounge, crew galley, and laundry room. I will put up some pics when I get back to the UK in a few days. Can't wait to see all the changes! For those of you praying for my mom, her surgery went well. Thanks for your emails and prayers. It was important and special that I was able to be with her during that time. Keep checking back here. I hope that as our time gets closer to the ship being deployed, I have more pics to put up on my blog! Feel free to email me if you have any questions (not that I have any answers!

Class...Please Come to Order!!

Here's the promised photo of the largest school room - the area you see in this section is the Computer Lab and the Library. I had a ton of fun putting this together with much help from our Deck Dept, and especially from Amy van Dyke (a deckie from Canada). Can't wait to see the school filled up with kids, teachers, and lots of creative learning! This picture, along with the 3 pictures below will show you some of the areas within the academy. There are other areas that are not posted here.

This is one of our actual classrooms (holding up to 8 students). With a maximum of 26 families onboard, we have the luxury of having a great ratio of teacher to students (often 1:7). The classrooms are a good size, and the furniture turned out great...I'm very pleased with the results! 

This is the Science Centre in the Academy. It'll be interesting to see what kind of 'experimentation' takes place in THIS lab! Don't worry...there will be a lot of supervision from our very abled teachers! 

This is Amy van Dyke (one of our Deckies who hails from Canada). She was such a HUGE help in helping me put the school together. She did all the assembling of tables, cabinets, desks not to mention all the heavy lifting. She was great to work with on this project! This picture is our School Office which will house the Principal and a school secretary. 

Two ORs in One

We will have 6 Operating Rooms onboards (they call them 'theatres' here in the UK). The one you see above is actually two ORs in one...In the center of the picture (back wall) is a white folding door that divides the OR into two ORs, but on occasion we may need to open up the door to make one room allowing for an extensive Orthopaedic surgery, or perhaps a film team, or if we are teaching other physicians...it has great flexibility for us. I can't wait for the day when I can show a picture of this same room, but filled with doctors, nurses, and a patient! Soon...very soon! 

It's Hard Work Here!

I figured since most of you probably think I'm living a 'cush' life that I should throw in a pic of me working a 'hard day's work'...yes, I get to make the fashion statement of the year by donning these 'cute' overalls, steel-toed boots, and a hard hat. I'm in the midst of setting up the furniture in the classrooms, as well as loading on some of the two-seater sofas. I'll put up some pics when I'm done with those rooms. Although it feels great to do physical labor, it doesn't feel so great being all sweaty in hot overalls, plus aching feet after going up and down stairs all day (don't you feel sorry for me??). But more than not, I enjoy it! Can't wait to show you the finished product...coming soon to my blog near you! 

Contemplating Life

I think we all, at times, just need to 'sit' and contemplate life. It's good to stop and take 'toll' of where we've been, where we are, and where we are going. I have recently spent some time reflecting on my last 6 1/2 years in Mercy Ships. I am amazed at how time has flown. I am grateful for the people with whom my life has become entwined. And I am in awe of a God who has led and directed me even during times when I, myself, wasn't sure where I was headed. I have seen much - I've seen poverty, I've seen sickness, I've seen diseases that are horrendous, but I've also seen happiness from a child who has nothing; I've seen hope in the eyes of someone who once was blind, but now can see; I've seen people rejoice over the gift of a hug. I am forever changed by what I have seen and witnessed. And I am grateful to those that help me in experiencing this journey - my family, my friends, churches, my fellow crew members, and of course, the people we serve - the world's poor and needy. 

Medical Gas Piping

Our hospital is really looking like a hospital! We have the CT Scanner as well as other x-ray machines in place. This picture is of the Medical Gas Piping ... since I'm not a medical person, I can't explain to you all that it does, other than...It's Important!! :-) Actually, the O2 System takes the oxygen out of the air by separting the oxygen from the nitrogen which will then be used in the hospital for patient usage.

Books, books, and more books!

The library is looking good! The shelves all went in yesterday. Today I spent the morning unloading school (Mercy Ships Academy) furniture. The little chairs for the children are just so cute (and little!!!). We are already getting quite a collection of books (and I've probably already read a ton of them as that's one of my favorite pastimes!). It'll be a great place to relax and enjoy a good book! 

Spring is here

One of the things that I have grown to love here in England is SPRING TIME...the local councils take such great pride in their gardens. This is a beautiful garden that shows off how flowers grow so easily here in England. 

Loading the Real Thing

After having just completed my Basic Safety Training, we soon had the arrival of our life raft. On our BST course, we used 12 person rafts. The one you see here is a 35 person raft. This will be of our safety equipment onboard the Africa Mercy. Just aft of the life raft, you will see the davits (painted white) that will hold one of our life boats. Much work has gone into this part of our ship by our own deck crew who are doing a great job!