The Africa Mercy arrived in Guinea two weeks ago! We were welcomed to our new dock in Conakry with music, dancing, joy, excitement...and a massive downpour. It is wonderful to be back in Africa once again for my 4th field service with Mercy Ships and I'm looking forward to being a part of what God is doing here. I'm sorry for my silence the past few months as I've been sailing, traveling, resting and spending a few weeks home with family (please follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more frequent updates and to see what daily life is like!). After a busy year in Cameroon, this time was exactly what I needed to recover mentally, physically and emotionally and prepare for the next year of service. We have one more week until patients arrive on the ship so here is a quick introduction to my new home!
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All of June and July, the ship was sailing or in the shipyard in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain to have maintenance and repairs. While this is somewhat of a rest period for parts of the ship like the hospital, for the engineering and deck crews this is the busiest time of year!
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| One of my favorite parts of sailing is a tradition called Worship on the Bow. This area of the ship is usually off limits to crew for safety reasons except for calm days during the sail. It's great for quiet sunbathing, naps or sealife sighting but once or twice per sail we set aside some time to praise God from the deck surrounded by open ocean! Almost the entire crew attends and things can get pretty rowdy when they pull out crowd favorites like Jabulani Africa or Days of Elijah :) |
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| Here's our Captain John making a phone call on arrival day. For a sea-loving captain, it can be pretty boring to live on a ship that only sails for 2-3 weeks per year. Most of the year is spent making sure the ship is in 'ship shape' for sailing - and when that day comes, it's finally time to shine! |
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I've been to 4 African countries with Mercy Ships: Madagascar, Benin, Cameroon and Guinea. Guinea is by far the most needy of them all! The difference could be felt from day one just in seeing the port and surrounding areas - and Conakry, the port city, is one of the wealthier areas. Guinea has a population of over 12,000,000, of which 35% live below the poverty level. The ship was last here in 2012-13 and since that time, the Ebola outbreak hit Guinea very hard, nearly crippling the healthcare system and making outside aid organizations hesitant to work in the region. There are approximately 40 hospitals in the country with less than 100 surgeons and 10 anesthesiologists between them (those are very generous estimates since the actual numbers are hard to determine). The life expectancy is only 59 years. All that being said, we have much work to do here and are excited to see how God plans to use this ship and willing people to bring hope and healing to a place that so needs it.
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Last week, we held a Mass Screening event in the capital city of Conakry. Over 6,000 people passed through the gates. It proved to be a challenging day, as crowds began to multiply before sunrise in hopes of relief from medical conditions rarely seen in any other setting. By the end of the day, 1,135 people were offered follow-up appointments to return for a more in-depth health assessment. In the coming months, the team will also continue to screen patients from four regions in the interior as well. Thank you for your prayer on this hugely important day that enabled us to find a huge portion of our patients for surgery this year!
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Also happening during the time since our arrival is the annual cleaning and set up of the hospital. We have had an awesome crew working tirelessly to set up the wards, operating rooms, and other parts of the hospital to prepare for patients to arrive soon!
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I can't get enough of these gorgeous sunsets from the deck of our ship out over the Atlantic Ocean! A different view of God's creation every day!!
As we've been setting up the hospital and preparing for the year ahead, I've had the chance to do a little exploring around the Conakry area. The surrounding streets near the port are mostly small shops and neighborhoods, but just a short boat ride away are several beautiful islands with hotels, restaurants and beaches. While I love most things about living on ship, the ability to get away for awhile and relax in nature is an added benefit, especially after a busy work week. Guinea has many beautiful sights and I hope to see more of them during my time here!
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Prayer Points:
- URGENT: One container of supplies, including the tents that go on the dock and other important equipment that should have arrived before the ship, has been diverted from Cameroon. It needs to arrive in Guinea ASAP and also be cleared quickly through customs to allow those teams to have a place to work when patients start arriving soon!
- Further screening continues this week for patients who were pre-selected at the mass screening. Four other screening events in different cities all over Guinea will be held in October to fill any remaining spots.
- Over 100 new crew members have come onboard the ship since our arrival in Guinea. Pray for smooth transitions and quick training for many people in new positions.
- Surgery begins September 4! Pray for the patients and crew who will care for the hundreds of surgeries that will be done in the next 9 months.
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