Rob visits the Caribbean Mercy!

Rob visits the Caribbean Mercy!
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

We were blessed as the Lord (and Mercy Ships) allowed Rob to visit the ship and spend some time with the caretakers. He and Ciaran measured and met with contractors to help determine the extent and costs of getting the ship in order to continue the mission work!

The Caribbean Mercy Caretakers

The Caribbean Mercy Caretakers
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

From left around to right: Lilian, Maria Elena, Ciaran, Tom, Kathy and little Joy!

Ciaran, Lilian, Joy and Rob (taking the picture) visited the caretakers of the Caribbean Mercy the week of August 15th.

Where's the crew?

Where's the crew?
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

The dining room on the Caribbean Mercy awaits the return of the crew to once again go on outreacch after the repairs are completed.

Blog Class at the Introduction to Mercy Ships

During the Introduction to Mercy Ships week long class, Denise was able to teach a short class on Thursday afternoon for Blogging! There were about 50 attendees, including the participants attending the Introduction and also many of Mercy Ships volunteer long term staff looking to better communicate with friends, family and supporters. We look forward to seeing many of these blogs on the Internet, sharing what God is doing in many lives as well as spreading the word of the Lord and bringing Glory to God! Some of the attendees have already begun! Click on the names to see their blogs! Sue (she helped me practice) Alberta and more to come!

The Caribbean Mercy Caretakers

The Caribbean Mercy Caretakers
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

Maria Elena, Kathy, Bill, Rebecca and Tom are the caretakers of the Caribbean Mercy.

SA Blog

An article about an interview with some of the Anastasis crew and the impact in South Africa.

Wood Family Reunion

WOOD FAMILY REUNION
HOSTED BY THE CHILDREN OF
LECTER AND LESSIE BROWN WOOD

JULY 24, 2004
11:OO AM - UNTIL.........
2242 ALLIBONE ROAD
BEL AIR, MD 21015

This is a covered dish affair, so........
Pack up your picnic baskets and coolers; that takes care of the food and drink. No alcohol please. We will have lunch about 12:30
NOW.............
Bring along your family photos, genealogy and stories to share.
Wear your best smiles for the cameras.
Be sure to invite all your/our WOOD RELATIVES.

CONTACTS: Claude (Woody) and Ruth Wood
E-MAIL: Morg87@aol.com or Woody11429@aol.com

or
Sybil Lovelace
e-mail: sybil@zondu.com
We look forward to seeing everyone.

Gather for lunch and stay for dinner.

Update on what's been happening!

Where to begin ..... WOW ... the last month has been a whirlwind and we have been trying to keep up! Our May Newsletter (see the May 2005 to the left) basically left you about the time we had to leave the ship on June 6. Well, we left on June 4th and were in the first group to leave. The next group of crew left on June 6th. The Caribbean Mercy Caretakers are still on board and you can keep updated to the happenings on the ship by visiting this link:

http://cbmcaretakers.blogspot.com

They update it about daily and also put pictures on the site. We really appreciate their efforts to keep the site updated and visit it just about daily to see what is going on there!

Rob is working with the CBM Engineering Superindendant, Ciaran, on the plan to determine what repairs, maintenance and improvements need to be made to the ship before it is ready to sail once again! This is Rob's full time job while at the International Operations Center (IOC) here in Texas!

To let you know about what has been happening....here is a brief recap:

• May 23-28 - Finished up work onboard the Caribbean Mercy, packed our offices and got the work areas in order for shipyard work.

• May 28th-June 3rd - Packed up the cabin and got our personal items in order

• June 4th - Arrived at the International Operations Center in the afternoon

• June 5th - went to work to turn over the Caribbean Mercy records

• June 6th & 7th - tried to veg out and tried to plan for the next week

• June 8th - went to meetings and went out to dinner to celebrate our 32nd anniversary with our friends, Ruth and John (note: we went out for their 32nd anniversary with them in Leon, Nicaragua during our Crossroads Outreach in November 2002!)
  

• June 9th - went to the International Operations Center Prayer meeting and then left for Rob's brother's (Ken's) home in Abilene for a visit. We had not seen Ken & Kaye, Connie (Rob's sister) & Billy for over a year (and then only for a few hours).

• June 11th - Celebrated Ken's 50th birthday! (It's on the 12th...but we celebrated it by having a huge cookout with his friends)

• June 9-18 - Relaxed and had time to spend together....talk....pray....seek the Lord - it was a good time...Ken had to work and Kaye went to Minnesota, but that allowed us to just have some time! We didn't realize how tired we were, but running on adrenaline for months at a time...is not healthy! Rob was also able to get the Truimph running again - it had sat in Ken's yard for almost 3 years! We put some tires and a battery in it and it ran just fine!
  

• June 18th - drove 5 hours back to Garden Valley!

more to come.....have to go to sleep now!

Welcome to Chickasaw, Alabama.....the Caribbean Mercy's new home for the next 6-12+ months!

Chickasaw
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

Most of the crew will be relocating to various Mercy Ships locations in the next month. Some of the crew will be leaving Mercy Ships and a few (about 8) crew members will be caretaking the ship as it is docked here in Chickasaw.

The ship was escorted and powered by two tugs up the Mobile river to this dock. The ship requires extensive repairs and is being laid aside here in Chickasaw until the repairs are assessed, funding is raised and the future ministry plan for the ship is developed.

Caribbean Mercy

Caribbean Mercy Ship
Originally uploaded by Gbird9.

The Caribbean Mercy docked in the morning fog in Chickasaw, Alabama.

Newsletter - A New Challenge Awaits Us

Many of you must think we have totally forgotten how to write...not so.
In the past several months there has been much change and busyness in our lives. Sometimes the change occurred daily and even hour by hour! In the midst of all of this change our communication to you has suffered. Please accept our apology; it was not our intention to exclude you from the process.

Please allow me to recap a little. Since arriving in Mobile, Alabama in January of this year, we initially believed we would be in Mobile for about eight weeks to allow for scheduled survey and any associated work that may be created as a result of these surveys. In the beginning this endeavor seemed realistic and obtainable.

When we first arrived in Mobile, we had to deal with several unexpected mechanical failures of our onboard systems such as the steering gear and the main engine. These failures would be corrected but caused us to be under a Coast Guard restriction which would eventually prevent us from sailing to our new berth under our own power.

When we arrived in Mobile we first docked in the Alabama State Dock and shortly had to move across the river to Harrison Brothers Shipyard, at Harrison's we were unable to discharge cargo which delayed our efforts to correct the cargo hold tween deck which was one area of concern to our surveyor from our previous dry-dock phase last year.

Official Announcement regarding the Caribbean Mercy

We have been extremely busy...mostly due to the news about the ship.... The official memo is attached below.... Please drop us a note, when you can. We'll be glad to answer any questions that we can! We will respond as soon as we can and let you know about our plans as the Lord reveals them!

Mobile, Alabama - May 3, 2005

Crew and staff of Mercy Ships were informed today that the service of the Mercy Ship Caribbean Mercy will be put on hold for an estimated 6-12 months. This decision was made in response to extensive unexpected repairs required to keep the ship in service. Crew will transfer to other Mercy Ships offices and locations for the duration.

Since the Caribbean Mercy joined the Mercy Ships fleet:

-- 7,000 dental patients have been treated
-- 4,000 eye surgeries have been performed
-- 850 orthopedic surgeries have been performed
-- 160,000 presentations of the love of God have been made

Please join us in prayer for the Caribbean Mercy to return to active service as soon as possible. For information and additional updates, go to the Caribbean Mercy itinerary page at www.mercyships.org which will be updated as information becomes available.

Steve Koinis
CEO
Mercy Ships International

Paul and the phone lines!

Paul and the phone lines!
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

You may have tried to call us......our extensions are not working, but the ship's number is and you can leave a message or have us paged!

Caribbean Mercy News of April 2005

This year, the Caribbean Mercy originally docked in Harrison Brothers’ Shipyard in Mobile. Recently, the ship shifted from Harrison Brothers, down the river to Bender Shipyard. Due to the welding work required in the holds, deck crew needed to offload nearly all of the cargo stored onboard there. As a larger shipyard, Bender offered a more suitable dock and storage area for the cargo while the welding work took place. Click on the title to go to the news link.

Happy 1st Anniversary, www.mercywatch.com!!!!

It's our 1st anniversary of having a WEBSITE! April 11th - this is a special date for us - It was Denise's Grandma's birthday....double April Fools is what she called it! We hope you are enjoying our website and that it is a blessing to you! Thanks for visiting us and all of your encouraging words!

Rob and Chief Charles in the Shaft Tunnel

Rob and Chief Charles in the Shaft Tunnel
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

Rob is really busy these days in the Shipyard! He and Chief Charles are down in the shaft tunnel to take a picture of one of the parts that needed repair! The shaft in the picture connects the engine to the propeller!

We are still in Mobile, AL and have just found out that we'll be here a bit longer....this week we find out what that means! Please pray for us and our ship....we long to be in the Dominican Republic, but the Lord knows the best timing and what we need to be doing now! May God bless you abundantly as you trust in Him!

Update on Caribbean Mercy Status

Here is the latest status on the Caribbean Mercy:

It is with regret that we have to tell you that, due to the surveyors report received this week, the ship will be further delayed while repairs are completed. At this time, the Dominican Republic Field Assignment (Outreach) will be delayed at least until July to October 2005.

These repairs involve the entire dining room, Amazon Café, book store, aft lounge and the pre-school, and the surveyor decided that they should be completed prior to our departure for the Dominican Republic. Our understanding from last year’s survey was that this work needed on Promenade Deck could wait until our next Dry Dock in 2007.
Mercy Ships has hired contractors to complete this work quickly and thoroughly, so that we can move forward in planning the Dominican Republic outreach. The disassembly of the areas affected has begun as of April 11th and we are getting more estimates to help us determine how long these repairs will delay us. We hope to have more information and a timeframe by the end of next week. The field assignment will also have to be approved by the government in the Dominican Republic, once firm dates are determined.

These changes are outside our control, but we know that God is in control and we trust in Him for His time and plan. Much prayer and discussion has already gone into this decision, and we hope to have some answers soon. Please continue to pray!
We are excited about what is already going on in the Dominican Republic prior to the ship’s arrival. Our advance team has been in the Dominican Republic since the beginning of January 2005 working out all the details in preparation for the field assignment. The Community Health Education Coordinator arrived mid-March to begin teaching in the villages and Barahona. She has been warmly welcomed and has experienced high attendance in these classes in the communities. The Health Care Fairs (clinics) are going on in the villages. The Ship’s Outreach Team (Evangelism) has just arrived in Barahona to begin building relationships and assess the spiritual needs of the communities. Please join with us in prayer for His guidance, preparations and His ongoing plan for the Dominican Republic field assignment.

We pray that you will experience blessings from God for your prayers, patience, perseverance and steadfastness in standing with us during this time of uncertainty. May God bless you abundantly as you seek Him and trust in Him more and more!

Caribbean Mercy News of March 16-31, 2005

Point of Grace (christian recording artists) came to visit the Caribbean Mercy and that evening we attended their concert in Pensacola, Florida! Click on the title to read the news.

Happy Easter! Christ the Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Please send us an email and let us know about your Easter Sunday! We had a wonderful one!

We began with a sunrise service on Aft deck at 6:00. The weather was mild but quite overcast and foggy ... so not much of a sunrise! After service we had a spread of pastries for breakfast. Quite nice!

Then about 7:00 am, Rob and I took a couple of our crew out to Bayou La Batre where they were attending Sea School and finishing up their BST. Amazing that they would have class on EASTER! It's quite a nice drive about 45 minutes from the ship each way.

After the drive, we showered and got ready for church. No Sunday School class on Easter, so we went to the New Song Service at Christ UMC. Enjoyed it a lot! After service we went to Panera Bread for a sandwich and some internet at a faster speed. Got some of the website updated...but didn't get it loaded out there yet. Came back to the ship and Rob took a nap, I worked on some DVDs and then we had dinner on the ship.

WoW! Kathy Long cooked a fabulous Easter dinner. Beef Wellington and Salmon, fresh asparagus, zucchini and summer squash sauté, new potatoes and Rolls! Caesar salad and tossed salad, and strawberry shortcake for dessert! Yum Yum!

Then at 7:00 pm, we had a Scavenger Hunt...complete with some tricks from the amazing race or fear factor, I think! It was great fun! Then we settled down...sat around and talked for a bit and went to bed! It was a great day! God is sooooo good!

On the move.....

On the move.....
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

This Oil Rig went sailing by us and then sailed by the Holiday, a ship with the Carnival Cruise Line that is docked across the river from us! This ship leaves Mobile and sails to Cozumel every 4-5 days. You can see how big this oil rig is when it dwarfs the big Cruise Ship!

Downtown Mobile

Downtown Mobile
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

This picture is of Mobile and the Convention Center in the left of the picture. Coming down the river is an Oil Rig ... you usually on pass them coming into Mobile Bay from the Gulf of Mexico...The oil rigs don't usually pass you!

Harrison Brothers' Shipyard in Mobile, Alabama

We are still in the ship yard in Mobile, Alabama. We will probably be here just about another month and may need to move from the Harrison Brothers' Shipyard where we've been to finish up some steel work in the cargo holds. We've had an interesting time watching some of the traffic up and down the river here!

Ready to Go!

Ready to Go!
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

Their church has a fundraising project to help with the church budget...selling Chocolate Easter Eggs! Wow! They are made with homemade fudge, divinity, etc inside! They sell these eggs to the community and personalize the large eggs!

Rev. John and Pat Hicks at St. Andrews

Rev. John and Pat Hicks at St. Andrews
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

We've been busy and promoting Mercy Ships when we can. We spoke last weekend at Rev. John Hick's church, St. Andrews Episcopal Church, here near Mobile. John and his wife, Pat, come and volunteer whenever we are in Mobile to cook for the crew! They started this last year when we were here in Dry Dock and have continued faithfully coming to serve us! They are a blessing!

From www.pointofgrace.net

POINT OF GRACE TOURS EAST COAST! March 15, 2005
Last week saw the 'I Choose You' tour visit East Coast venues from Lodi, New Jersey to Central Florida. The two week trip included a touching 'tour' of the Mercy Ship, 'Carribean', which provides much needed medical services to third world countries (pictured). The 'ICU Reception' continues to be a special time with our friends and we look look forward to seeing many more of you in the days ahead! Remember, the latest concert listings, tour photos, and journal thoughts are just a click away!

From the Journal...
Mercy Ships March 21, 2005
Boy oh boy, what an eventful month- March madness for sure, but in a good way. We have actually been home for the last 8 days but before that we were back out on the ICU tour for 10 days. It was my favorite time so far. All the kids were with us, except Spence (he was in school). We experienced everything from snow storms in Virginia Beach, yes you heard me right, Virginia Beach, to roller coaster rides at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida. We also had an unusual opportunity to visit the “Caribbean Mercy ship” in Pensacola, Florida. Meeting some of the staff and having brunch was a great reminder of how important this ministry truly is… We were blown away with the servant hearts of each staff member. The words we were left with were from a family that has been apart of Mercy Ships for 15 years and had two kids that grew up on a ship… “We have learned so much, this experience has allowed us appreciate the little that is needed to live and the enormous satisfaction of serving and helping others.” WOW, what a message!!! Take a moment to pray for Mercy Ships please, they are a tremendous blessing to the world.

Many blessings, leigh

(Note from Denise---I was able to sit and share with Leigh at the brunch on board)

To see their Biographies.. click here!
http://www.pointofgrace.net/index.php?content=bio

The crew from the ship at the Point of Grace Concert

The crew from the ship at the Point of Grace Concert
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

On March 11th, the crew was invited to the Point of Grace Concert in Pensacola, Florida. This is about an hour from where the ship is docked in Mobile, Alabama.

Point of Grace Concert

A group of us from the ship went to a concert by Point of Grace to promote the "Ship Mates" program by invitation from Point of Grace. We had a great time at the concert and Point of Grace came to the ship that morning! We had a great time showing them around the ship and talking with them about our ministry!

Kendall and Elmo

Kendall and Elmo
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

Kendall and Elmo, her favorite pal!

February 19, 2005

We're finally back on the ship and have dug our way out of our inboxes and tasks that had to be done pronto! We enjoyed our 2 week vacation very much!!! It was a joy to stay at Jason and Jill's new (they moved in last June) home in St. Augustine! We had a great time with them and with our granddaughter, Kendall!

Jeff, Dad and Jason

Jeff, Dad and Jason
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

This picture is of Jeff, Rob and Jason. We really enjoyed our time with our sons and their families!

Grandpa and Ryan playing the PlayStation

Grandpa and Ryan playing the PlayStation
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

We were also thrilled to see our grandson, Ryan. We enjoyed playing Playstation inside and football outside with Ryan! This picture is Rob and Ryan in serious competition on the Playstation!

We should be sailing down to the Dominican Republic on April 2nd. We are delayed due to some annual survey work that is taking a bit longer than expected! Please pray that the ship will be repaired and ready to go on April 2nd!

Smile, Kendall!

Smile, Kendall!
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

It's kinda hard to smile through her pacifier...but she manages beautifully!

Ryan and just one more photo!

Ryan and just one more photo!
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

Ryan trying to be patient with Granma snapping photos as he trys to play the PlayStation!

Jeff and Valerie

Jeff and Valerie
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

We met Jeff and Valerie for dinner at the Mandarin Ale House! They have Great food there! Jeff and Valerie are doing very well and it was great to spend some time with them!

Rob and Jason

Rob and Jason
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

The morning we departed to go back to the ship...Jason had to go to work. So I snapped this picture of them.
01Feb05

January 16, 2005 update

Update : 12:23 pm (Jan 16th) We are still under our own power and sailing about 8.5 knots. The seas have just once again picked up to about 8-12 foot and the ship is sailing quite smoothly! We got some pictures of the tug, battling the waves! Most everyone is up for lunch and feeling fairly well. God is very Good!
We are once again sailing and heading towards Mobile, AL. We left Cozumel under our own power... however, the engine is once again having problems and we are praying to get to the North end of the island to anchor out and wait for the tug, Kirsten Grace, that is coming from Mobile to escort us to Mobile! We arrived at anchor in Cozumel Harbor about 9:00 pm. on January 6th .... we were there almost eight days until about 3:00 today.

The Kirsten Grace

Kirsten Grace, the Tug Boat that escorted us from Cozumel, Mexico! 

January 14, 2005

UPDATE: 6:08 pm (Jan 14)... We're underway again with our own power! Rob came up from the engine room...and I thought they had used him to drag through the clogged cooling pipe for the engine...He said no...He only got to help hold the pipe as the engineers cleaned it out! Praise the Lord! Also, the Kristen Grace came alongside us just after we started back up again! Thank you for all your prayers!
Please pray for us as we sail and as we plan to enter the US under heavy security restrictions. We pray that God will grant us favor and traveling mercies!

Rob after helping the engineers clean out a 6 inch valve! 

Update on Caribbean Mercy January 10, 2005

Currently, the Caribbean Mercy still is anchored at the port of Cozumel, Mexico. Some repairs have been completed but additional work is needed. Therefore, we are in the process of dispatching a tug to escort the ship from Mexico up to Mobile, Alabama. Currently, 50 crew are housed ashore at hotels.

To lessen the sailing crew, some of the families will fly to Mercy Ships IOC in Texas to be housed until the ship reaches Mobile. These families could be here on Wednesday, January 12. The ship could be underway Saturday morning with an estimated transit time to Mobile of four days. Thank you for your prayers.

Best Regards,
Steve

Steve Koinis steve.koinis@mercyships.org
Chief Executive Officer
Mercy Ships International

We made it to Cozumel! After a couple circles south of the island waiting for clearance to bring the ship in! 

Mercy Ships' Tsunami Disaster Response

Mercy Ships is deeply moved by the recent earthquake and tsunami that affected so many in Asia. We are assessing the needs and will respond with a focus on long-term development projects to aide in recovery from this catastrophe. Let me explain our approach as it stands today.

Dr. Glenn Strauss, our new Vice President of International of Health Care Services, has been appointed as coordinator of the tsunami disaster efforts. Assisting Dr. Glenn will be Mark Thompson as our lead field manager on this project. They will be assisted by Soo-Jin Lee and various other key, experienced Mercy Ships personnel so that we develop and then execute an excellent and effective response. Mercy Ships is experienced in long term disaster development and is preparing for a two-year commitment to the monumental task of rebuilding following the tsunami disaster.

We have already received approval for significant grant funds to commit to our long term plans. To date, those efforts include plans to send medical and construction teams to Sri Lanka and Banda Aceh, Indonesia. We do not anticipate sending any teams within the next 2 to 3 months. We will also purchase fishing boats and nets for the fishermen who lost their livelihoods in the coastal areas of Sri Lanka. We are sending a container of medical supplies and relief goods from our office in Australia to Sri Lanka.

Please refer anyone interested in being considered for one of our short term medical or construction teams in the next 12 months to our web site. There will be a special interest form to complete. We hope to be able to respond within the next 4 to 6 weeks to anyone who submits the online form with more information about our specific plans. Mostly, I thank you in advance for your continued prayers for the victims of the tsunami and for the relief work to be done. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16

Best Regards,
Steve

Steve Koinis steve.koinis@mercyships.org
Chief Executive Officer
Mercy Ships International

Caribbean Mercy Situation

After a successful sail through the night at about 2.9 knots, the Caribbean Mercy has almost reached the port of Cozumel, Mexico. They are approximately 10 miles from port awaiting clearance from port authorities to enter the port. This involves space available due to three incoming cruise ships in the port area.

Upon docking or anchorage, the Mercy Ship will be assessed and appropriate repairs will begin. Thanks for continuing to pray for the crew, particularly the engineering and deck crew who are doing a fantastic job of bringing the ship safely to port and have gotten little sleep the past couple of days.

Don Stephens
Founder/President
Mercy Ships

Caribbean Mercy Situation

The Caribbean Mercy was adrift due to engine problems, but is now under way at approximately 2 ½ knots, making way for Cozumel, Mexico. Her estimated time of arrival at the current rate of speed is approximately late evening tomorrow -- Wednesday, January 6th. It is unknown at this time if a fouled propeller or else the engine’s turbo-charger is the cause of the engine problems. The weather conditions at this time prohibit a diver from checking on the propeller. Current plans call for the Mercy Ship to continue underway at this reduced speed to Cozumel as long as she continues to hold out but contingency plans are being made in the event she will need assistance. Please keep this situation in your prayers and we will send out an update periodically as to the ongoing status. Thank you.

Don Stephens
Founder/President
Mercy Ships

We're underway again ... slowly 2.9 knots! 

We are underway, again!

Praise the Lord! We are once again underway! We're going at about 2.5 knots!Please continue to pray for us and for our technical crew! God has been amazing in that the peace on the ship has been incredible and everyone is praying and lifting each other up in prayer!

We appreciate all who are supporting us in prayer! Thank you so much and we'll keep you updated on our status!

God is amazing!

Drifting for 30 hours! 

Drifting towards the Bay of the Holy Spirit!

Please pray for us and for our technical crew! The engine cut out about 5 am on 04 January 05 and as of this morning (05Jan05)... the engineers and deck crew have been working at fixing whatever is wrong. We are praying that we will be going again this afternoon! God has been amazing in that the peace on the ship has been incredible and everyone is praying and lifting each other up in prayer!

Drifting towards the Bay of the Holy Spirit  

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! May God bless you abundantly as you seek to know Him more and more throughout the new year!

This picture was taken during Christmas Dinner. Chief Engineer, Charles and Tom, our machinist, plumber, welder and game master, joined us for dinner! We enjoyed the time, food and the view! During Christmas Day the weather was beautiful, bright and just a bit cooler (probably about 82 degrees). Very enjoyable!

Christmas Dinner 

In the evening, the weather changed as a huge thunderstorm rolled in! It began raining so hard that the scupper drains on A deck clogged and the next thing we knew was there was standing water on A deck. About 4 inches of it! So many Bailingpeople (including us) grabbed buckets, wastebaskets, etc. and began to bail the water! The deck and engineering crew scurried around and cleared the scupper's drain pipes. The engineers brought up a pump from the engine room to help pump out the water, too! We soon got the water under control (out of the ship) and then the drains could take care of it ... even though it continued to downpour the rest of the night! The rainy weather continued for several more days and just a couple days ago, cleared up just in time to load the cars on the bow of the ship.

Bailing water off A deck! 

We're all packed up and ready to go tomorrow morning (03Jan05) back to the USA. We should arrive in Mobile, Alabama on Thursday afternoon, 06Jan05. Please pray for us as we sail and as we plan to enter the US under heavy security restrictions. We pray that God will grant us favor and traveling mercies! You can keep track of us by...

Checking out the bridge cam at:

http://www.caribbean-mercy.org/golden/BridgeCam.htm

Checking out the sailing map at:

http://www.caribbean-mercy.org/golden/sailingmaps/zoommap.htm

Thoughts from our heart to yours

Hello Friends,

As we complete our first full year of service with Mercy Ships aboard the m/v Caribbean Mercy, we would like to thank each of you for joining in our journey. We have had the privilege to live our dream for the past year knowing that we are in the center of God’s will for our life. We are excited about what possibilities the coming year holds, not just for Mercy Ships but for each of you our friends.

We reflect on the past year and realize that as we start the New Year, it will be without some of our closest friends, who have gone to be with Jesus. We are sad at the physical loss of their presence, yet we rejoice in the knowledge that we’ll see them again in heaven and that they are rejoicing in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We honor their memory by continuing in the faith, to press on for the high calling in Christ Jesus.

As we embark once again on God’s adventure for our lives, we pray you will join with us in His blessings. We value your prayers, your letters of encouragement, your emails and your financial support. You have been faithful and we are blessed by your faithfulness.

In the past year we have learned to release even more of ourselves to the Lord and to trust in His guidance and provisions. Many of you helped us to release our possessions and ties as we prepared to join Mercy Ships last year. We had no idea of the freedom that was released by trusting fully in God’s plan for our lives. We hope that as we returned back to Jacksonville with the ship in November that you were able to see the difference in our lives. We look forward to the many blessings ahead in the coming year and sharing those blessings with you.

In the middle of living our dream of being in full-time missions and amidst all of these blessings it is still possible to grumble and complain. I (Rob) seem to struggle with it more than Denise. So we ask for your prayers, to have a spirit of peace and contentment. To live fully each day for the Lord, to banish those thoughts, words, and deeds from us that do not reflect the character of Jesus in us or bring glory to the Lord.

We also ask that you would pray that we would continue to seek and hear the Lord daily and not become focused on the job at hand and lose site of the privilege we have to be workers for the Lord. The message that He has for us to share with His people is far more important than the work associated with accomplishing tasks. May we not lose the message as we work to deliver it.

Would you pray that our hearts would remain soft, that we would not become overwhelmed by the magnitude of the need?

Would you pray that we would accept that we can not reach the entire world at once but that as we reach one person at a time through Jesus we many change the entire world one life at a time? And that salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit and we are to be available to plant, water or reap as workers in the field.

Would you also pray for us to see people not as the world sees and values people but through the eyes of Jesus?

Would you pray that our hearts would break as the Father’s heart when He sees so many of His children lost, hurting and having a sense of hopelessness?.

Would you pray that we may in some small way be allowed to bring them hope and healing?

Would you pray that during these prayers for us, you would listen to any special word Jesus has for you? And also share those words with us, so we may be involved with what God is doing in your life?

Would you accept that Jesus loves you and that He made you special?

Would you believe that your life has a purpose, and that if you don’t already know what that purpose is, Jesus is waiting to tell you?

Would you take the opportunity now several weeks before Christmas to think of the special people in your life? People who have influenced your life in one way or another. Friends, parents, children, uncles, aunts, teachers, brothers, sisters, cousins, pastors, Sunday school teachers, social workers, grocery workers, florist, mailmen, policemen, servicemen, beauticians. You can continue with the list. As you pray and the Holy Spirit brings different people to your memory, think of how you may affect their lives this Christmas and throughout the entire year. Then take that action as you feel lead to.

Our prayer for you is:

May each of your lives be as wonderful as they were in the mind of God the day He made you. Merry Christmas and may you have a blessed holiday season and New Year.

God’s blessings,
Rob and Denise
Mercy Ships, m/v Caribbean Mercy

Email - robert.miller@mercyships.org
denise.miller@mercyships.org
rdmiller@gowebway.com

Phone: 504 739-5193 Rob's office ext. 407
Denise's office ext. 344
Our cabin ext. 246

website: www.mercyships.org

Dinner out overlooking Trujillo Bay

Rob and Denise at Camille's Villa Coronado 

We went out to dinner at a restaurant owned by one of the ladies and her husband that translated for us during the outreach in Puerto Castilla, Honduras. Her name is Camille and they opened this restaurant in June. The restaurant is up on the side of the hill and it overlooks Trujillo Bay. It is a beautiful location for a restaurant. We decided to go early for dinner and watch the sunset! It was beautiful and the food was great! So if you are in Truijillo, Honduras...go to Villa Coronado and have a Licuado (Fruit Shake) and dinner!

Denise, Aresa and Dabney with Licuados overlooking the Bay in Trujillo, Honduras. 

The outing was really a department treat for the Human Resources Department and we brought Rob along. Dabney is transferring to the Finance Department and so sort of a farewell....although she'll still be on the ship! Dabney was the Short Term Coordinator and was really busy during the outreach when short term crew come for just 2 weeks continually.

Aresa is really helping tremendously as she is coordinating the Medical crew and in addition is basically my right arm! (Not just a hand...the whole arm!) The Lord has blessed me wonderfully with great people to work with! Aresa is a joy to work with and now we once again... just need someone else to join us in HR!

Rob's Birthday Party

Joyce made Rob a special Chocolate Peanut Butter cake! Yum, yum! 

We had a wonderful time celebrating Rob's birthday! We went out to Jack's Gringo Restaurant for lunch and then in the evening the whole ship celebrated Udo's, Rob's and Laura's birthday! It was a lot of fun. Joyce made a special cake for Rob...Chocolate Peanut Butter (Rob loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups). It was very, very good!

Tom, Game MC, gave us a word and we had to sing a song that included the word! Lots of fun! 

Tom was the Game Master and MCed a game where we had to sing a song that had a certain word in it. He would give us a word and the room was divided into two teams. One team would sing a song with that word and then the other team would also...back and forth until one team couldn't think of a song in 15 seconds, then the other team got a point!

Chuck, our chaplain, prayed for Udo, Rob and Laura! 

Rob blowing out his candle!