Patient Photos

Here are some before/after photos of patients that we took care of here in Ghana. The change is quite dramatic. You can imagine the joy on the patients face when they see their transformation.

Anastasis says goodbye

This beautiful ship will be laid to rest in a few months. It's over 50 years old and the ship is falling apart. All the pipes are rusted out and the equipment is breaking down all the time. But it belongs to an era of cruise ships that were once full of elegance and class. The Anastasis crew wishes you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Winter Wonderland

Christmas time on board the Anastasis can bring mixed emotions. Everyone who lives here are away from their families and friends during this holiday season. To some, it can be a very lonely time but it's also an opportunity to meet new friends who then become your family. Mercy ships tries to bring the spirit of Christmas to this multi-national crowd. Winter Wonderland was an event where people could sell their baked goods and handmade crafts to the people on the ship. In the photo here, my roommate Shannon sells African beaded earrings and gift boxes.

What you see at the beach

African beaches can be beautiful and dirty at the same time. Some beaches are full of trash and used as toilets, while others are clean and just amazing. I especially like to people watch and to see all the activity that's around me. Like children swimming in the ocean or vendors selling fish. The fishing boats are made out of a cut out log and some can be beautifully painted. It's fascinating to see these little boats try to fight off the heavy current as it makes its way to the ocean. A day at an African beach is always a unique and memorable experience. You can double click a photo for a more detailed view.

Christian Outreach

Mercy Ships does several outreaches to villages, prisons and schools. The Christian witness program teaches the basics of Christianity and provides them with tools to learn more about the Christian faith. Children are eager participants and are always ready to learn. In the photo here, school children are given Bibles to study and to share with their family members.

African Gasoline Station

When driving along the road here in Ghana, you find gasoline stations that look like they are from the 1920's. I don't even know what gasoline stations looked like in the 1920's but I can imagine that they looked something like this. Glass bottles filled with gasoline and hand pumped into the car. Very Strange.

Cape Coast

We've all heard about the slave trade in West Africa and how millions of African slaves either died in captivity or on their way to the Americas. Cape Coast is a city about 100 miles west of the capitol Accra in Ghana. Cape Coast had the largest slave castle in West Africa during it's reign from 1700-1850. Tours of the castle are now given to see how the slaves survived and died. Several thousand slaves would live in a dungeon with very little light or food. If they started to rebel, they were put in another dungeon with no sunlight or water until they died. A very sad and moving experience to see the historical rationale for the atrocities that were committed in this place.

Relaxation Time

Ever wonder what we do on our days off? Yes we enjoy taking naps, working on the computer or going into town. But Mercy Ship can be a floating village that gives us opportunities to be active while on board. As you can see, we have a pool though a bit small, at least it's cold water and it feels good. We also have a library that has a wide variety of books and videos. So seeing a movie either on your computer or in the TV room can easily be done.

Ship Food

Ever wonder what food is like on our ship? Well, some days it's good and some days it isn't. Most of the food is donated from all over the world so we get a variety of delicacies. The fruits and vegetables are bought locally serving tomatoes, cucumbers and bananas daily. The ship serves mainly western cuisine with a touch of African flavorings. As you can see from the photo, in the morning we have three different types of cereal to choose from. YUM!

Dental Clinic

In Ghana, there are 400 dentists for a population of 22 million. Dental Hygenists are few and preventive care doesn't really exist. People here will suffer for years with an aching tooth because there is no dentist available or lack of funds. Mercy Ships sets up a dental clinic at a nearby school for the duration of the outreach. Volunteer Dentists and Dental Assistants from all over the world come here to relieve the pain and suffering that these people have. Dental education is also given while people are waiting to be seen. What a Blessing

Weekend Getaway

Last weekend I went with a group of people to the tallest waterfalls in West Africa. It is in the northeast part of Ghana along the Togo border. After hiking for 6 hours to the upper falls, we enjoyed just standing underneath the falls and getting wet. We then hiked another hour to the lower falls. The following day, we went to a monkey sanctuary and a weaving village where they weave fabrics the traditional way.

African Road Signs

While driving around Ghana you will see interesting road signs along the way. You can get a closer look at what the picture says by double clicking the photo.

Friday the 13th

To some people, Friday the 13th may be a bad luck day or a name of a scary movie. But for me it's a good day because it's my Birthday. Yes, I'm another year older but I still feel like I'm 21. For my birthday, the entire ship sang "Happy Birthday" to me at dinner time. My roommates decorated my room and gave presents of diet coke and candy. That evening, there was a cake bake off fund raiser and I bought a pineapple upside down cake. My three roommates and I went away for the weekend to a beach resort and had a wonderful time.

Interesting week

Living on board a ship and following a routine can get boring after a while. So it makes life a little more interesting when unexpected surprises come our way. Earlier this week, our ship was hit by a cargo ship. Apparently, the tug boat that pulls the cargo ship out of the harbor had let go of the ropes too soon. The cargo ship couldn't get the engine started fast enough and hit the side of our ship. The impact caused a big dent but fortunately it was above the water line. The ship is still safe to live on.

We also got the chance to experience a little bit of American soil. An American Naval ship was docked in our harbor and the Mercy Ship crew was able to take a tour of the naval ship. It's not a battle ship, but a smaller war ship called a Frigate. It mainly does search and rescue operations, but can defend itself in the event of an attack. The ship had two helicopters as well as missiles and torpedoes. The ship is touring the world doing naval training exercises as well as some public relations. Some of the naval crew members toured our ship and joined us for Thursday night worship.

Later in the week, I was curling my hair like I always do but this time the curling iron was too hot and melted my hair. My hair caught on fire and set off the smoke alarms. The next thing I hear overhead is, "Safety Officer Fire On Board". By this time, smoke had filled up the cabin and hallway. The fire team came to my cabin within a minute to see what had happened. My cabin mates who saw the entire thing happen were most impressed by the efficiency of the fire team. Don't worry, I still have a full head of hair it's just a little bit uneven.

Power of Prayer

On Thursday morning we hear an announcement overhead, "Medical Response Team to the promenade deck ASAP". That never sounds good and the mood of the crew was very somber during breakfast time. Five minutes later, our executive director of Mercy Ships made the announcement that the persons'condition was very serious and urgent prayer is needed. The entire ship stopped what they were doing and prayed either alone or with a group of people. Later, we found out what really happened. Ruth, who works in the finance department had collapsed on the promenade deck while reading her devotions. A crew member noticed that she wasn't breathing and had no pulse, CPR was then started. Immediately the medical response team arrived and CPR was continued for 15 minutes. Cardiac drugs were also given during this time. The heart had to be shocked 5 times before a pulse could be felt. Ruth was then transferred to the Operating Room where she could be put on a breathing machine. Prayer continued. By the afternoon, Ruth was taken off of the breathing machine and all cardiac drugs. She was awake and talking. She doesn't remember anything that had happened and was feeling fine. Later that afternoon, Ruth was transferred to a University hospital in the Capitol city Accra to be monitored in the Intensive Care Unit. She will be flying home to California in a few days when she is more stable. If this incident had happened while Ruth was off the ship, she would have died. We thank God for the power of prayer and His ability to perform miracles.

Local Market

About a mile away from the Mercy Ship is the Tema local market. It can be quite a shock for someone who has never been to a third world country before. The sights and smells is something one never forgets. It's difficult to fully explain in detail what one sees at a local market. Meat is butchered right in front of you sparing no parts and there is no refrigeration of the meat. Fabrics, beads and shoes are sold in individual stalls with eager salespeople trying to make a sale. Bargaining is a must in this society. Especially when they see white skin, the asking price is usually doubled. As you can see from the photos, pigs feet are sold along side with beads and fabrics. Women are able to balance a baby and cargo on the top ot their head at the same time. It's definitely a cultural experience as well as an exciting one.

It's that time of year again

School is in session. On board the Mercy Ships, we have a school for pre-school up to grade 12. The Academy, as it is called, currently has 35 children from ages 3-16 years. This multi-national school does many activities on and off the ship. The students do fund raisers on board the ship to buy toys for the orphanages. They do school plays, bake bread for the crew, and go on field trips around the city. The Academy is a blessing for families who have children and come on board to serve. Not only do they get a "Family Cabin" which has 3 bedrooms, kitchen and living room. But they also get a good Christian education for their children.

Computers Everywhere

In the society of information technology, us westerners can't live without computers. That's why we have computers everywhere on the ship. We have an internet cafe as well as computers in offices around the ship. For those people who brought their personal laptop computers, there is also a computer lounge. Because the ship has satellite service, we usually have good internet access. It's a blessing for us to be able to connect to our family and friends so easily. Imagine, just 10 years ago we didn't have this luxury and now we can't live without them.

My Brother Paul

My older brother Paul passed away suddenly on August 31 from an apparent heart attack. It's difficult to really know for sure because he was autistic and couldn't speak. If he was having chest pains we wouldn't know it. My parents said that on that day he was his usual normal self. He had his dinner, had his bath and was ready to go to bed when my parents heard him fall on the floor. They immediately went into his room to find him pulseless and not breathing. CPR was done immediately but he was gone. My younger brother Charlie, who is also autistic witnessed the entire event. It's difficult to know for sure how much of it he understands. He does cry every now and then and I know that he misses him. Paul was able to donate most of his skin tissue for burn victims. He was 38 years old and will be missed. A poem was read at his memorial service which I find very encouraging.

Heaven's Very Special Child

A meeting was held quite for from earth
"It's time again for another birth,"
Said the Angels to the Lord above,
"This SPECIAL CHILD will need much love."

"His progress may seem very slow
Accomplishments he may not show
And he'll require extra care
From the folks he will meet down there.

He may not run or laugh or play
His thoughts may seem quite far away
In many ways he won't adapt
And he will be known as handicapped.

So lets be careful where he is sent
We want his life to be content
Please Lord, find the parents who
Will do a special job for You.

They will not realize right away
The leading role they're asked to play
But with this child sent from above
Comes stronger faith and richer love.

And soon they'll know the privilege given
In caring for this gift from heaven.
Their precious charge, so meek and mild,
Is Heaven's very SPECIAL CHILD."

Written By: Edna Massimilla

Third Class Dungeon

The nurses call their rooms by different names... the cave, the hole, the dungeon. Mercy Ships has put all the nurses in one location, at the very bottom and towards the front of the ship. All rooms have six beds, dormitory style and the toilets/showers are upstairs. Fortunately, I only have one other roommate, an American named Shannon. The two of us want to keep it that way as our 10 X 15 foot room can get crowded with 6 people living in it. Already, we have completely occupied our room with our stuff. Some of the nurses have been able to get a free upgrade to a first class cabin. But as long as we don't get another roommate, I'm happy where I am at. As you can see, I prefer the top bunk. Some of you may already know the reason why.

Craft Market

This past weekend I went to the craft market in Accra. People on the ship had warned me that the sales people were pushy. When I arrived, there were dozens of stalls selling artwork, printed fabrics, beadwork and wood carvings. I saw people in the stalls applying shoe polish to unfinished wood carvings. The black shoe polish gives the wood its rich deep color. One sales person was trying to sell me a wood carving stating that the wood was ebony. I replied that it was shoe polish and not ebony. He quickly said that it was indeed shoe polish but still wanted me to buy from him. I took my business elsewhere.

Being in Port

Mercy Ships usually stays docked at a port for 10 months while doing the outreach. Ghana has one of the busiest shipping ports in West Africa. We see shipping containers coming in, unloading and leaving everyday. Mercy Ships does the same thing as we see patients come in, unload their disease, and leave everyday. What a Blessing.