AFM Commissioning

April 6 was a big event for us! We held a private ceremony here in Newcastle onboard the AFM hosting many of our donors and friends of Mercy Ships. The crew worked so hard getting everything onboard ready. They did a fantastic job! It was a tiring time, but well worth all the efforts of all those who made it happen. The deck crew even put the flags on the ship to celebrate the event

We had approx. 15o guests who joined us for an hour service that was presided over by Dame Norma Major and Lord Ian McColl. Special guests included the wife of the Vice President of Liberia, Mrs. Boakai, who gave a wonderful speech thanking Mercy Shps for being present in the country of Liberia; bringing hope and healing to so many, including her husband's family.

AFM Commissioning

This is the closest we come to getting to show you a finished cabin!! This is actually a guest cabin that sleeps two. We had the beds set up with duvets, coffee mugs, pillows, etc. It looked very cozy. Made all our crew even more excited to move into their own cabin in the next coming months! 

AFM Commissioning

Here is Jean Campbell (my housemate) giving a brief talk to some of our guests while standing in the middle of our Recovery Ward. The hospital deck is an amazing site to see... you'll just have to come see it to believe it! 

AFM Commissioning

Here's a sneak peak at one of our Ophthalmic Theatres. In the far distance are photos of two twins we recently treated onboard the Anastasis in Liberia. It's so exciting to be able to anticipate all of the people we'll be able to help once we get there! 

Here's a peak at our Dining Room that the crew worked so hard at getting ready. It didn't look like this a week earlier! And an hour after the event, everything was put back to its original place (meaning all of our chairs went back into their boxes, and all of the art work, etc. came down as well. 

The Carpet's are Going Down...

The carpet is being laid in many areas of the ship...this is one corner for our International Lounge which is where we will meet as a crew for our weekly Community Meetings. It's sometimes difficult to get pictures because as soon as they finish laying the carpet, they quickly cover it up with a type of cardboard product to protect it (and rightly so!!). It's nice to be seeing progress in these areas!

A View from the Kitchen

This is the Kitchen View (a continuation of the picture you see below which shows you the living room area). As you can see, in this particular family cabin, they will have a nice window view. We're getting there!! 

A Family Cabin a bit further along...

Hello All,

Thought you might enjoy a pic of one of the family cabins that has actual furniture in it as well as the carpets! All that's left in this particular cabin is lighting, the PA system installation and LAN sockets; then a final cleaning and sign-off and it's good to go!! This particular view is of the living area, although where you see the table, there will actually be a couch... 

World's Most Expensive Washing Machine!

More medical equipment has been installed in our hospital. This picture is the Washer Disinfectant. It is used to wash and disinfect instruments before they are wrapped and sterilized in the autoclaves. In other words, it's the initial clean that removes debri from the instruments. 

Medical Trunking Installed

Here's a pic of the medical trunking that's been installed in our wards. We will have a 78 bed hospital ward onboard (typically 20 patients to a room). We'll be able to run 110/220 voltage systems. This was all installed by our projects crew in each of the wards. It's starting to feel like an actual hospital!! 

Wanna Join??

Who would have guessed that in the tiny town of Jarrow, England there would be an 'Alberta Social Club'... I have no idea what they do there. I guess I could make up a great story and say that I've made such an impression on this little town that they've named a place after me... although being in the midst of a busy holiday season, seems like I could very well have a Social Club named after me!! If you come visit me, I promise to show it to you! 

A View From Another Side

During the dry dock phase, the ship gets put up on blocks so the underwater hull inspection can take place. I, along with about 10 other crew members, took a 'tour' under the ship. Quite a site considering you usually don't get this view.

AFM Goes into Dry Dock

The Africa Mercy is currently in Dry Dock right now. We'll be in there for about 10 days or so. We will undergo our yearly underwater hull survey that's required by Malta as well as install a 25 ton crane on Deck 8. We will also install our lifeboat guards as well as do some additional testing during this time. 

The Dining Room of the Africa Mercy

Here's the picture I promised you of the linoleum that was just laid down in the Dining Room of the Africa Mercy. Only some of the tables have been reinstalled so we have a bit of work left to do in that area.

A Future Single Cabin

Below I show you a picture of a 6-berth family cabin. Here is a pic of a single cabin (for one person). This is the type of cabin that I will have (mine is actually across the hall from this one). As you can see, there is still some work to be done. Here you can see a kitchen unit (with no sink as there will be a vanity unit going in that has a sink). There will also be shelves going in above the kitchen unit. Next to it you will see a Buffet Unit where you can store food, your computer, TV, etc as this is where the computer hookups are located. And at the end, there is a wardrobe that will never hold all my clothes!! The beds will hopefully arrive in about 3 weeks, but first the carpet needs to go in... keep looking here for updated pictures!

A Family Cabin onboard the Africa Mercy

Thought you might enjoy seeing a pic of a family cabin. This is the kitchen section of a 6 berth cabin, Deck 7 - corner cabin. This cabin gets a lot of sun! Just forward of the kitchen, you can catch a glimpse of the living area. Hopefully carpet will start to be laid this week.

The Effects of War

I was perusing some of my colleagues blogs, and came across a link to a Photo Journal of one woman's experience in Sierra Leone where her hand was cut off by the rebels... here is a pictorial story of one woman's journey...

More Changing of Leaves

Ok ... the picture below (with me in it) is for my mom's sake :-) ... she's always asking why I have scenery shots and none of me in them!! But this shot really shows you the true colors of the leaves (that will all be gone in another few weeks!). Another one of those opportunities to 'seize the moment' as they will soon be gone (and you can't get them back)!

The Leaves are Changing Colors!!!

I love this time of year, even though it's starting to get cold here in the Northeast part of England.
The leaves are all starting to change color and with it comes the reminder of how cyclical life really is. Even though we sometimes want things to stay the same, nothing really does, does it?

But then I have to remember of all the exciting things that have happened in the past, and it reminds me that there is still a lot to look forward to ... life happens in seasons. For right now, I'm enjoying the season of Fall - and the changing of the colors all around - it sure is beautiful!

Here Today, Ghana Tomorrow!

In preparation for our time in Ghana, Gina Adjei (one of our ghanaian crew members) talked with our ladies and shared with them various Ghanaian traditions and customs. She, along with another ghanaian crew member, cooked a meal for us which was delicious!! All were encouraged to wear their african style clothing. We even had a bit of 'hat tying lessons' - shown in this picture. It was not only an encouraging time for the ladies of the Africa Mercy, but a time of excitement as we anticipate our time in Ghana. We all can't wait to get there!