More About Mercy Ships

There are only two weeks until I leave, as I was reminded of today!  By this time on September 24th, I'll be waiting to board my flight overseas.

As I was browsing though the Mercy Ships International website, I found an article that details some of what Mercy Ships does, as well as the "press release" for when the Africa Mercy arrived in Benin, West Africa.  I thought I would use this blog post to share a little bit about what my time will be like, although I will not know definitely until I leave.

I will be flying to Cotonou, Benin, which is the large, port city of a tiny country in Western Africa.  The capital of Benin is Porto Novo, which is further to the east (about an hour), but Porto Novo is not a port city.  The M/V Africa Mercy will stay in Benin for 10 months, and already has been docked in Cotonou for three weeks.  M/V stands for "marine vehicle".  The ship does not travel from place to place all the time, performing surgeries at sea.  In fact, the sea is much too rough for this, and the hospital equipment has to be cleaned and stored when the ship is in transit.  For 10 months of each year, the ship docks at a port city in the country they are serving, and people travel to the ship to receive free surgeries.  Then for 2 months in the summer, the ship will sail to Spain for maintenance, and then prepare to go to the next country.

Some friends have asked how large the ship's crew is, and I have found out that there is an average of 450 people working on the ship at all times.  This includes hospital front-line staff (nurses and doctors) and support staff (OR sterilization department, hospital administration), ship crew members (captain, sailors, electricians, engineers, plumbers), academy teachers (there is a school on board), and families of crew members.  Not all people live on board the Africa Mercy with their families, but in some cases, while one member of the crew volunteers on the ship, their spouse and children can also stay aboard and attend classes to keep up with their schooling.

In terms of accommodations, it sounds as though I could be in a cabin with a total of between 2-8 girls.  I will not find out about my living arrangements until I arrive on the ship.

One of the many interesting things about Mercy Ships is that not only are life changing surgeries performed for people who cannot afford it, but that the physicians and nurses aground in Benin will be taught how to continue providing excellent healthcare to the Beninese people.  Unfortunately, there is often poor or no electricity, clean running water, etc. in the hospitals, or other depleted resources, so it can be an added challenge to the work these men and women are doing.  Apparently it is not uncommon for locally trained healthcare professionals to choose to practice outside of Africa, in more developed nations.  The goal of Mercy Ships is provide training in some of the procedures and surgeries done on the Africa Mercy to allow the work to continue once the ship sets sail in June 2017.

During the 10 months the M/V Africa Mercy is docked in Benin, there will also be agricultural training provided to local people.  This training will help farmers and agriculturists to grow nutritious food and help prevent disease by ensuring local people can receive affordable, healthy meals.  It amazes me just how many people are needed to make this ship and organization run smoothly.  Every member in my family would have a place to serve based on their personal experience and training.  This ministry is not just about doctors and nurses, but in fact a variety of different talents and skill sets are needed to keep the ship functioning and surgeries continuing (Volunteer Opportunities).

Please pray for me and the others who are volunteering, that we would perform our skills to the best of our ability (1 Corinthians 10:31), and that we will be able to share the good news of Jesus, that He can save us from our sins (1 Corinthains 15:3-5)!

Photo credits to Mercy Ships Canada @ http://mercyships.ca/the-africa-mercy-to-sail-to-benin-in-2016/