We took a long weekend and traveled to Inverness, Scotland for Thursday, 9Feb06 - Monday, 13Feb06! We traveled by train on the GNER (Great Northeast Railroad). The train ride was Rob's first ever! We had a lovely ride and really enjoyed our time!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Kathy, Yvonne and Denise on the train
We had a great ride up to Scotland. Train travel is not like I remember it! Bump, bump, bump! It's very smooth and they have Wireless Internet! Unfortunately, I have not reloaded my wireless since the computer crash this fall...so I wasn't able to take advantage of the 5 hour train ride with Internet! We did enjoy the lovely scenery and green hills! How do they keep the grass so green all winter? I've not yet figured that out!
Snow on the mountains!
As we continued North...we did see snow! The green hills gave way to snow capped mountains! Still beautiful scenery from the train!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
A concept drawing of the Reception Counter
This drawing is a concept of what the Reception Counter will look like. The single shelf will be up against the wall in the reception area and the double shelf will be the counter top and the desk area for the equipment in the reception area. I hope this gives you an idea of what reception will look like when completed.
Reception Area of the Africa Mercy
This photo was taken on 5 February 2006. The area was cleaned up and the wiring and ductwork has been worked on recently. You can see outside to the gangway out the glass doors. The insulation is being prepared to install.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Prayer Requests and Praises
1. Praise!!! Denise was able to invite three of the five receptionists that she will be serving with to come join the Africa Mercy crew on the weekend of March 11th! Please pray for them as they prepare to join us. They are Helen, from Canada; Penny from South Africa; and Rachel from the UK! We will have a training class the first week they are here and then prepare to sail to London on April 3rd!
2. Financial Support - we are nearing...but not quite fully funded for our next season on the Africa Mercy! We have some financial needs to prepare for our cabin and jobs...uniforms, chair, TV, Linen, kettle, transformer (we need to replace the 110 voltage with 220 voltage UK). Please pray that God will supply our needs financially!
Praises - Thank you for the gifts while we were visiting the East Coast prior to coming over to England. We have paid for the flight over and are up to date with our crew fees for the ship, and rent for the last month in Texas. In January, we will still have some utilities and medical bills to pay.
3. Transportation - Please pray for Rob as he is driving a big mini bus here in England to transport some of the technical crew to and from work. The Land Rovers and a few other cars are available to sign out for short periods of time.
Praises: So far...driving has not been necessary for personal use and the Metro train and bus are convenient and easy to use. We are also getting good exercise walking to the grocery store, shops and church, just a brisk 5-10 minute walk from our flat.
4. Housing - Not yet on the ship. Please pray that all the crew will be able to move on the ship in April 2006, if not before! It is very expensive for the ministry to house crew in flats off the ship. So the crew has been limited to only those with technical positions ... to prepare and finish the ship.
Praises: We have picked our cabin...4423 and our fellow crewmembers are currently picking theirs, too! We are privileged to be here as a part of the predeployment crew. We are living in a lovely flat with the Transportation Manager, Andy. We know that the Lord wants us here in England and He has mightly provided for us here! Praise the Lord and give Him the Glory!5. God's guidance for the work we'll be doing in planning for the future ministry of the Africa Mercy and for our outreach in Ghana, West Africa in the spring!
Praises: The advance team to Ghana and the assessment team to Liberia (our next field assignment after 10 months in Ghana) leave in February! The tickets were purchased last week- January 26!
The Lord has given us our hearts desire to join the crew in England before sea trials! We have much yet to learn about serving with the Africa Mercy.....we will keep you updated with the news as it progresses.
2. Financial Support - we are nearing...but not quite fully funded for our next season on the Africa Mercy! We have some financial needs to prepare for our cabin and jobs...uniforms, chair, TV, Linen, kettle, transformer (we need to replace the 110 voltage with 220 voltage UK). Please pray that God will supply our needs financially!
Praises - Thank you for the gifts while we were visiting the East Coast prior to coming over to England. We have paid for the flight over and are up to date with our crew fees for the ship, and rent for the last month in Texas. In January, we will still have some utilities and medical bills to pay.
3. Transportation - Please pray for Rob as he is driving a big mini bus here in England to transport some of the technical crew to and from work. The Land Rovers and a few other cars are available to sign out for short periods of time.
Praises: So far...driving has not been necessary for personal use and the Metro train and bus are convenient and easy to use. We are also getting good exercise walking to the grocery store, shops and church, just a brisk 5-10 minute walk from our flat.
4. Housing - Not yet on the ship. Please pray that all the crew will be able to move on the ship in April 2006, if not before! It is very expensive for the ministry to house crew in flats off the ship. So the crew has been limited to only those with technical positions ... to prepare and finish the ship.
Praises: We have picked our cabin...4423 and our fellow crewmembers are currently picking theirs, too! We are privileged to be here as a part of the predeployment crew. We are living in a lovely flat with the Transportation Manager, Andy. We know that the Lord wants us here in England and He has mightly provided for us here! Praise the Lord and give Him the Glory!5. God's guidance for the work we'll be doing in planning for the future ministry of the Africa Mercy and for our outreach in Ghana, West Africa in the spring!
Praises: The advance team to Ghana and the assessment team to Liberia (our next field assignment after 10 months in Ghana) leave in February! The tickets were purchased last week- January 26!
The Lord has given us our hearts desire to join the crew in England before sea trials! We have much yet to learn about serving with the Africa Mercy.....we will keep you updated with the news as it progresses.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Kathy arrived safely at the Africa Mercy!
Kathy and Rob in front of the Africa Mercy! Kathy arrived late on January 24th about 9:15pm. She came in on the 25th to fill out her paperwork, go to the safety briefing for the Shipyard and see the ship! We're glad to have her here!
Denise in Reception - January 25th
Rob came rushing over to the Business Office to tell me that the Shipyard workers were cleaning up the reception area! Nothing much had changed in the looks of reception for just over a month, but they had been working all over the ship in many other areas!
So today, it doesn't look much different from the photo..but they took a lot of parts that they had stored in the reception area and moved them to where they were installing them and it opened up the reception area quite a bit.
The shipyard has added a sign in the reception area to indicate the number of days left before completion and it is in the post below.
The Shipyard's Project Status sign
A&P Shipyard put this sign in the reception area of the Africa Mercy this week. Monday, January 30th will be 60 Days! We pray that this is an incouragement to the shipyard workers as they see the number of spaces complete increase!
Africa Mercy on Outreach (Drawing)
This is a conceptual drawing of the Africa Mercy in a West African Port. The Africa Mercy plans to be in Tema, Ghana in May 2006.
Greetings Crew,
Thought you might like to know the story behind the picture of the AFM. This picture was painted by a local artist for the A&P Shipyard. They regularly have this done for their 'big' customers, and once the ship is completed, they hand the picture over to the ship, keeping a copy on display in their Main Office. The artist was instructed to 'imagine' the ship in operation, which is why you see a developing nation background.
The handing over of this picture is something I have dreamed of since I was first made aware of it almost 3 years ago. That will truly be a day to celebrate!
Blessings,
Ken Berry
Executive Director
M/V Africa Mercy
The big day to celebrate is currently planned for March 31st, 2006! The A&P shipyard has placed a sign in the Reception area of the ship to encourage the shipyard workers and us!
David and Karen
We enjoyed meeting and serving with David and Karen, a couple from Norway. They came to translate the original Danish engineering manuals into English for us. They were here for 10 days, this time, and have come regularly each year for several years(except last year) for a short while to get this job completed. They are originally from the US, but have lived the last 30 years in Norway. Karen's family is Norwegian, as was my Mom. David served mainly on the ship with Rob and Karen served in the Business Centre as she recently had knee surgery. We appreciate their faithfulness in helping to get the job done so the ship can sail to Africa to serve the poor and needy! We hope to see them in Ghana next year!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Africa Mercy Tour - Part 2
Hello, Friends!
We heard from many of you and that you enjoyed to tour of the ship...so we thought we’d continue on the tour, today. But first....we have to tell you our exciting news! We were able to pick our cabin...it is 4423! It’s on deck 4 and just down the stairs from the Dining Room. It is easy to find and this is the main reason that we chose it! Again, God has blessed us so much!
Many crew have picked cabins before (and we are holding ours loosely) and have had to re-pick due to the tenure, seniority and length of service of other crew (including us) coming after them. So we feel very blessed to be a part of the crew on the ship and now selecting what will probably be our future home for years to come! Most of the cabins for couples are basically the same...so really it doesn’t much matter which one, but since we were given the opportunity to pick...we picked this one so Rob would be able to find it easily after a long...hard day! When the full crew gets onboard and there is a maze of cabin doors down the hall.....we don’t want Rob going in the wrong one! Actually, he hasn’t gotten lost on the ship....but the ship is very big and his nickname is still "wrong way Rob"! As the ship keeps changing daily...Rob has to keep finding new landmarks! Once all the scaffolding comes down...it should be easier to find your way around. Here’s a picture of us in the new cabin on Saturday...the day we selected it!
All the ceiling panels are stacked up behind us and just awaiting the inspections before being installed. We have a window and a bathroom! Yeah! …Of course most of the couple cabins have a window and also all the cabins have a bathroom! The cabin is 22 square meters or about 66 square feet. We are standing by the wardrobes and the beds will go in behind us. Our understanding is that there will be two twin beds that we can push together …. So a King size bed! Wow! Note: Rob's new jacket! He loves it! You can’t miss him! Connected to the wardrobe on Rob's side is a small desk and shelves and drawers. I’ll load some more pictures out on http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercywatch. The ceiling is not yet in but it is a hanging ceiling and it will be just about 4-5 inches above our heads…just above the wardrobe tops. The window is just about centered in the cabin and the door is just about straight ahead of me. We are standing about halfway into the cabin nearer to the back. There is a sink and cupboard on the wall that is in front of where Rob is standing. The bathroom is behind the sink…just as you come in the cabin to the left. We hope this helps you get a feel of what’s going on!
OOPs - I thought I hit Preview.... Africa Mercy - Part 2 Rob and Denise Miller Jan 23 2006 05:24PM Hello, Friends!
I'm sorry for the last email...we were still working on it and editing it down...so it may be a bit wordy! I thought we hit preview...next thing I knew it said posted successfully! OOPs!
Anyway...you can see we are excited about our home to be! To continue the tour...
Rob taking a peek at the carpet for the cabins! It's a pretty blue with a beige speck in it. Of course...I like it ...it's blue (my favorite)!
OK...let's go down to Deck 3...the hospital! Some of the equipment has been installed.. here are some of the autoclaves (sterilizers). These pictures were taken in December and this equipment is now unwrapped and installed.
The view looking down the hospital corridor... hasn't changed a lot recently, but they've been putting in the sinks and electrical panels in the wards.
And when you think that this was just a huge empty open bay for railcars! The ceiling...was not even there (there was no deck 4 at all just open to below for the railcars). WoW! It's changed ALOT!!! And it won't be too long and this corridor will be busy with Doctors, nurses and PATIENTS who would never be able to go to a hospital that can transform their lives!
Rob and I had duty on a Saturday a couple weeks ago and he took me ALL over the ship for our rounds. Our first round took 4 hours..I saw every nook and cranny on the ship!!! A round usually takes about an hour to walk up and down all the corridors (inside and outside on the decks) and see if you see, hear or smell any thing that doesn't seem right. So I hadn't been on the ship much and was not very familiar with it....so he showed me all around!
It's getting late here...so we'll say Cheers! to you and leave you with a picture of Rob (my favorite subject!) sitting in one of his favorite spots up on deck 7 overlooking the Tyne River!
And me with our friend, Jim Peeler, from Atlanta...just stopping by for a couple hours to see the Africa Mercy! He and his wife were in London and he came up to the Northeast for the day! Janet...stayed in London to shop!
We are encouraged by the great responses that we have been getting from these brief newsletters with pictures...so we will try to keep them coming! Thank you so much for your encouragements!! This past week we have had some internet problems and have been unable to upload many new pictures...but we'll keep trying and in the next letter we'll have some more recent pictures of the ship!
We pray that God will bless you abundantly as you seek Him more and more this new year! "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. " Colossians 3:15-17
God's blessings,
Denise and Rob
Mercy Ships, M/V Africa Mercy
www.mercywatch.com
http://mercywatch.blogspot.com
We heard from many of you and that you enjoyed to tour of the ship...so we thought we’d continue on the tour, today. But first....we have to tell you our exciting news! We were able to pick our cabin...it is 4423! It’s on deck 4 and just down the stairs from the Dining Room. It is easy to find and this is the main reason that we chose it! Again, God has blessed us so much!
Many crew have picked cabins before (and we are holding ours loosely) and have had to re-pick due to the tenure, seniority and length of service of other crew (including us) coming after them. So we feel very blessed to be a part of the crew on the ship and now selecting what will probably be our future home for years to come! Most of the cabins for couples are basically the same...so really it doesn’t much matter which one, but since we were given the opportunity to pick...we picked this one so Rob would be able to find it easily after a long...hard day! When the full crew gets onboard and there is a maze of cabin doors down the hall.....we don’t want Rob going in the wrong one! Actually, he hasn’t gotten lost on the ship....but the ship is very big and his nickname is still "wrong way Rob"! As the ship keeps changing daily...Rob has to keep finding new landmarks! Once all the scaffolding comes down...it should be easier to find your way around. Here’s a picture of us in the new cabin on Saturday...the day we selected it!
All the ceiling panels are stacked up behind us and just awaiting the inspections before being installed. We have a window and a bathroom! Yeah! …Of course most of the couple cabins have a window and also all the cabins have a bathroom! The cabin is 22 square meters or about 66 square feet. We are standing by the wardrobes and the beds will go in behind us. Our understanding is that there will be two twin beds that we can push together …. So a King size bed! Wow! Note: Rob's new jacket! He loves it! You can’t miss him! Connected to the wardrobe on Rob's side is a small desk and shelves and drawers. I’ll load some more pictures out on http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercywatch. The ceiling is not yet in but it is a hanging ceiling and it will be just about 4-5 inches above our heads…just above the wardrobe tops. The window is just about centered in the cabin and the door is just about straight ahead of me. We are standing about halfway into the cabin nearer to the back. There is a sink and cupboard on the wall that is in front of where Rob is standing. The bathroom is behind the sink…just as you come in the cabin to the left. We hope this helps you get a feel of what’s going on!
OOPs - I thought I hit Preview.... Africa Mercy - Part 2 Rob and Denise Miller Jan 23 2006 05:24PM Hello, Friends!
I'm sorry for the last email...we were still working on it and editing it down...so it may be a bit wordy! I thought we hit preview...next thing I knew it said posted successfully! OOPs!
Anyway...you can see we are excited about our home to be! To continue the tour...
Rob taking a peek at the carpet for the cabins! It's a pretty blue with a beige speck in it. Of course...I like it ...it's blue (my favorite)!
OK...let's go down to Deck 3...the hospital! Some of the equipment has been installed.. here are some of the autoclaves (sterilizers). These pictures were taken in December and this equipment is now unwrapped and installed.
The view looking down the hospital corridor... hasn't changed a lot recently, but they've been putting in the sinks and electrical panels in the wards.
And when you think that this was just a huge empty open bay for railcars! The ceiling...was not even there (there was no deck 4 at all just open to below for the railcars). WoW! It's changed ALOT!!! And it won't be too long and this corridor will be busy with Doctors, nurses and PATIENTS who would never be able to go to a hospital that can transform their lives!
Rob and I had duty on a Saturday a couple weeks ago and he took me ALL over the ship for our rounds. Our first round took 4 hours..I saw every nook and cranny on the ship!!! A round usually takes about an hour to walk up and down all the corridors (inside and outside on the decks) and see if you see, hear or smell any thing that doesn't seem right. So I hadn't been on the ship much and was not very familiar with it....so he showed me all around!
It's getting late here...so we'll say Cheers! to you and leave you with a picture of Rob (my favorite subject!) sitting in one of his favorite spots up on deck 7 overlooking the Tyne River!
And me with our friend, Jim Peeler, from Atlanta...just stopping by for a couple hours to see the Africa Mercy! He and his wife were in London and he came up to the Northeast for the day! Janet...stayed in London to shop!
We are encouraged by the great responses that we have been getting from these brief newsletters with pictures...so we will try to keep them coming! Thank you so much for your encouragements!! This past week we have had some internet problems and have been unable to upload many new pictures...but we'll keep trying and in the next letter we'll have some more recent pictures of the ship!
We pray that God will bless you abundantly as you seek Him more and more this new year! "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. " Colossians 3:15-17
God's blessings,
Denise and Rob
Mercy Ships, M/V Africa Mercy
www.mercywatch.com
http://mercywatch.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Jim and Denise
We had a surprise visit from a friend of ours and Mercy Ships that came to the Caribbean Mercy almost a year ago! Jim was in London with his wife, Janet and decided to stop by to visit the Africa Mercy! He was only able to stay a few short hours, take a tour, take Alberta and I to lunch and then go back to London! It was great to see Jim again! He also served on the Anastasis during her last shipyard in South Africa. Jim is a consultant and fits in time with Mercy Ships whenever he can! He works with the ShipMate program, with sponsoring crew, has taken the Introduction to Mercy Ships class and the Basic Safety Training! We look forward to seeing him again soon!
Mario
We recently had a man named Mario come to work on the ship for a few weeks! Mario is from Italy and doesn't speak alot of English, but enough to be able to be understood and to understand others usually! One thing we learned from Mario is persistence and patience! He first applied to Mercy Ships 20 years ago. At that time it didn't work out that he could come, but he kept Mercy Ships in his heart and desired to come to help others! This was his second trip to work for a few weeks. The last time was a year ago and his english has improved and he desires to come back again, hopefully in Ghana! Mario has a HUGE heart and blessed us greatly! We look forward to seeing him in Ghana! May God abundantly bless you and your family in Italy for your faithfulness, Mario!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Load Tests
The white trailer is a load tester which placed a full+ load on our generators for the first time in 7 years. We passed the test all systems GO!
Saturday, January 14, 2006
We are so privileged to be here! (Africa Mercy Tour - Part 1)
Hello, Friends! We are at the library here in Jarrow to give you a bit of an update on how the ship is progressing! It is so wonderful to be able to share pictures with you through an email! We received many favorable responses to our first posting with pictures! We are so excited to get so many responses...what an encouragement! It is like going to your mailbox and it's full of letters from your friends and family! Thank you so much!
To help put these pictures in perspective...imagine building a new home and you watch it from the groundbreaking....the pouring of the foundation....installation of the electrical and plumbing...when the home is 80% complete, you would be full of excitement as it nears completion! If on the other hand you first view it at 80% complete...you think....there is a lot to do yet. Well, we came in at the 80%, however...God has given us the view as though looking at the ship from the first beginning stages. Having been through several shipyard phases with the Caribbean Mercy, we've seen how it can all come together quickly! So we share these pictures with you to help you see the coming together of God's tool and blessing to Africa! ... our ship the Africa Mercy! It is incredible!!! We hope you'll enjoy seeing these pictures! So, come on up the gangway with Rob! Be careful as the gangway is a bit steeper in the afternoons as the tide comes in!
Denise will welcome you into the ship from reception ...this is where she'll be serving once the ship is operational. For now she is working in Accounting at the business office just a short ways from the ship. Be sure to have on your hard hat and your steel toed shoes as this is a requirement for entry onto the ship while in shipyard.
Right now some of the equipment to be installed is being staged here. Just to the right of where Denise is standing is a TV screen with the Mercy Ships videos being played .. this helps give understanding to many of the shipyard workers about how we serve in developing nations. Let's walk down the stairs in front of Denise to take a look at one of the couple's cabins!
Rob is standing just inside one of the couple's cabins. Currently, the crew is selecting their cabins by a system that gives priority to the length of service, the position serving in, and length of commitment to serve on the Africa Mercy. We hope to be able to select our cabin in the next few weeks! It's an exciting time to be here! Lot's of preparations!
Let's go down to Deck 3 and see the Hospital!
As you can see, the wiring, the gas lines and the ductwork is complete! The gray bracket in the foreground will support one of the large Operating Room lights! The connections on the gas lines have just completed their testings and soon the suspended ceiling will be put in.
The ceiling panels are all ready to go in their proper time! This is one of the 20 person bed wards. The boxes in this picture held the operating room mounts and Rob was able to use these boxes to ship out the pistons for one of the engine's spare parts to be reconditioned in Rotterdam.
If you cannot view these pictures in this email ... you can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercywatch/ and see them. We'll show more progress and future pictures in upcoming newsletters. Things are happening quickly here on the ship and in just 76 days we'll take possession of the ship from the shipyard! We look forward to sharing these exciting days with you!
Please write to us and let us know about you and what is going on in your life! We miss you and appreciate all your care, support, encouragement and love!
God's blessings,
Denise and Rob
Mercy Ships, M/V Africa Mercywww.mercywatch.com and http://mercywatch.blogspot.com
To help put these pictures in perspective...imagine building a new home and you watch it from the groundbreaking....the pouring of the foundation....installation of the electrical and plumbing...when the home is 80% complete, you would be full of excitement as it nears completion! If on the other hand you first view it at 80% complete...you think....there is a lot to do yet. Well, we came in at the 80%, however...God has given us the view as though looking at the ship from the first beginning stages. Having been through several shipyard phases with the Caribbean Mercy, we've seen how it can all come together quickly! So we share these pictures with you to help you see the coming together of God's tool and blessing to Africa! ... our ship the Africa Mercy! It is incredible!!! We hope you'll enjoy seeing these pictures! So, come on up the gangway with Rob! Be careful as the gangway is a bit steeper in the afternoons as the tide comes in!
Denise will welcome you into the ship from reception ...this is where she'll be serving once the ship is operational. For now she is working in Accounting at the business office just a short ways from the ship. Be sure to have on your hard hat and your steel toed shoes as this is a requirement for entry onto the ship while in shipyard.
Right now some of the equipment to be installed is being staged here. Just to the right of where Denise is standing is a TV screen with the Mercy Ships videos being played .. this helps give understanding to many of the shipyard workers about how we serve in developing nations. Let's walk down the stairs in front of Denise to take a look at one of the couple's cabins!
Rob is standing just inside one of the couple's cabins. Currently, the crew is selecting their cabins by a system that gives priority to the length of service, the position serving in, and length of commitment to serve on the Africa Mercy. We hope to be able to select our cabin in the next few weeks! It's an exciting time to be here! Lot's of preparations!
Let's go down to Deck 3 and see the Hospital!
As you can see, the wiring, the gas lines and the ductwork is complete! The gray bracket in the foreground will support one of the large Operating Room lights! The connections on the gas lines have just completed their testings and soon the suspended ceiling will be put in.
The ceiling panels are all ready to go in their proper time! This is one of the 20 person bed wards. The boxes in this picture held the operating room mounts and Rob was able to use these boxes to ship out the pistons for one of the engine's spare parts to be reconditioned in Rotterdam.
If you cannot view these pictures in this email ... you can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercywatch/ and see them. We'll show more progress and future pictures in upcoming newsletters. Things are happening quickly here on the ship and in just 76 days we'll take possession of the ship from the shipyard! We look forward to sharing these exciting days with you!
Please write to us and let us know about you and what is going on in your life! We miss you and appreciate all your care, support, encouragement and love!
God's blessings,
Denise and Rob
Mercy Ships, M/V Africa Mercywww.mercywatch.com and http://mercywatch.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Happy New Year Greetings from Rob and Denise at the Africa Mercy!
Happy New Year! We are enjoying our time in Northeast England in Tyne & Wear! We pray that you will have a wonderful new year filled with God's blessings!
It snowed on the 28th of December and we took this picture just outside the Africa Mercy Business Centre. Our inJesus group just added the ability to send pictures this way...so we wanted to try it out by sending you greetings! We've not been able to get this to work from our flat, yet. We'll work on that and write some more soon... Please let us know if you have any difficulty receiving this message or can't see the picture. Thanks!
May God bless you abundantly as you trust in Him more and more in this New Year!
God's blessings,
Rob and Denise
Mercy Ships, M/V Africa Mercy
It snowed on the 28th of December and we took this picture just outside the Africa Mercy Business Centre. Our inJesus group just added the ability to send pictures this way...so we wanted to try it out by sending you greetings! We've not been able to get this to work from our flat, yet. We'll work on that and write some more soon... Please let us know if you have any difficulty receiving this message or can't see the picture. Thanks!
May God bless you abundantly as you trust in Him more and more in this New Year!
God's blessings,
Rob and Denise
Mercy Ships, M/V Africa Mercy
Monday, January 09, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Checking the furniture ready to go aboard!
Susan, our Crew Services Manager, is checking the furniture for damage prior to putting it onto the ship!
Africa Mercy Furniture
These boxes are the wardrobes (clothes closets) for the cabins prior to placement on the ship.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Marceline and Lineke
Marceline and Lineke, both from the Netherlands, on the Flag Landing of the Caribbean Mercy. December 2004
In memory of a dear friend, Marceline Goedegebuure
Just today...we received sad news of our friend... We will miss you, Marceline! We were blessed to know you and will cherish that! We are rejoicing for you as you enter your eternal home and see Jesus face to face as He speaks the words "Well done, Good and Faithful Servant!"
Dear AFM Crew,
It is with great sadness that I bring you news of the death of a faithful member of our Mercy Ships family. Marceline Goedegebuure has since the 24th November been sailing as an Engineering Officer on the M.S. Prinsendam of the Holland America Line. All we know at this time is that when she failed to show up for her scheduled watch on the 30th of Dec, shipmates located her in her cabin, hardly breathing. Attempts to keep her alive failed.
Marceline has served with Mercy Ships for extended periods of time since completing her DTS on the Anastasis, both as a Deck Officer and as an Engineering Officer on the Anastasis and the Caribbean Mercy, and as a Deck Officer on the Africa Mercy. Her most recent assignment was as Chief Officer of the Caribbean Mercy on the difficult sail from Honduras. Tim Tretheway who served as Master on that voyage, gave Marceline very high marks for her leadership, initiative and great seamanship abilities. Beyond her wide ranging technical skills, Marceline brought a sweet and gentle spirit to the shipboard community that expressed itself in care for individual crew members, small group activities and community worship. She will be sorely missed.
Please lift up to the Lord, her family and all those who knew and loved her, during this difficult time of grief. And rejoice that when the last trumpet calls, Marceline will rise in victory over this untimely death. II Cor 15: 50-56.
Ken (Berry)
(Executive Director, Africa Mercy)
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Rob and Denise at the Africa Mercy!
This photo was taken just outside the portacabin that Denise and 12 other crewmembers work in. You can see the ship behind us. Rob works on the ship preparing the engineering stores for sailing (all the parts-big and little)with lots of help of the engineers!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Denise in the Reception area of the Africa Mercy!
This is the Reception Area as you walk on the ship. Where I am standing will be the reception counter and I will continue to take pictures as the area is completed. My job on the ship is Head Receptionist and we will be working in this area as the ship gets completed. Currently, I'm working as Accounting Assistant in the Business Centre just down the way from the ship in a "Portacabin". This picture was taken on 15Dec05.
Don't ask for grits here in the UK!
This is a grit box alongside of the road. The Grit here is used to melt the ice and snow, basically like rock salt!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Rob on the gangway of the Africa Mercy
As you can now see... the Africa Mercy is quite a bit larger than the Caribbean Mercy! When you enter the ship through the gangway you are on Deck 5 at Reception. That's where I'll be working on the ship!
Sunday, December 18, 2005
A blessing for us in the City of Newcastle!
We went into Newcastle with some friends to see a Christmas program at their church on December 18th. The program was mostly Christmas songs, beautiful songs! After the program, we went into the Chinatown part (including a huge Tori Gate) and had Chinese food for dinner. It was very good! Then we walked through the town to go down to the river to see the Gateshead Millinneum Bridge which is lighted with blue light at night. And we had an added blessing...the city was celebrating the Winter Festival and we were there just at the right time to wait for the fireworks which began just about a half hour after we reached the river! It was great! You can check out the beautiful bridge and other pictures of the city by clicking on the Slideshow of the pictures of Newcastle, including the fireworks!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
We are in Northeast England and crew of the Africa Mercy!
Greetings from Northeast England! We arrived on 29Nov2005 and were greeted at the Newcastle Airport by our friends and crewmates, Mark Biddell and Yvonne Riddick! It's great to be here and we are settling in, however the internet connection is only at the office! We will have a phone at the flat on 22Dec and are looking forward to be able to communicate more through the internet on the blog and website. We enjoyed our time with friends and family, the week of Thanksgiving and loved seeing everyone! It was too short a time...but when we got to the Africa Mercy...we found out why they needed us here so quickly! The crew is still small in numbers and lots of work to do! In the next few days and weeks, I'll try to get the pictures of the ship out on the blog. I took several pictures of the ship this past week and I'll try to keep you updated on the progress.
I'm having trouble getting to the website to update it...so I'll keep going on the blog. Today, we took a ride on the Metro up to Tynemouth. It's a beautiful seaside town with an old abbey on the shore. We took some pictures, so we'll get them out this coming week. The sea is the North Sea...so it was very cold and windy! Big waves and beautiful scenery! Wow...a photograph can just not capture the beauty! This town is at the mouth of the Tyne River and the ship is docked up the river in Hebburn at the A&P shipyard.
I'm having trouble getting to the website to update it...so I'll keep going on the blog. Today, we took a ride on the Metro up to Tynemouth. It's a beautiful seaside town with an old abbey on the shore. We took some pictures, so we'll get them out this coming week. The sea is the North Sea...so it was very cold and windy! Big waves and beautiful scenery! Wow...a photograph can just not capture the beauty! This town is at the mouth of the Tyne River and the ship is docked up the river in Hebburn at the A&P shipyard.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Rob with the SpaceSaver in the Pharmacy on the Africa Mercy
The SpaceSaver was installed in the Pharmacy on Deck 3 just this past Wednesday and Thursday. This will make it easy to store all the medications needed for the patients in Africa!
Thursday, December 01, 2005
We're in Northeast England!
We have arrived in England and are now a part of the Africa Mercy Crew! We are privileged to be here as a part of the pre-deployment team working on the Africa Mercy project and then will also be a part of the post-deployment crew longterm on the Africa Mercy!!!
We are settling in and are enjoying getting to know our crew mates and feel very blessed by this wonderful community! Lots of work is happening on the ship and in the New Year...even more will be happening! Many more of the contracted workers (about 100) will be working around the clock seven days a week and another 70 will be working 2 shifts daily to get the ship ready to go the first part of April 2006! It's exciting to see the level of activity increase and imagine that all the hard work for so many for so long is coming together to be able to go to Africa!
We know that many of you have questions...please email us and we will be glad to answer any questions for you that we can. We loved seeing those of you that we could while we were in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, High Point, Rockville and Baltimore before coming to England! We miss you!
May God bless you abundantly as you seek Him more and more throughout the New Year!
God's abundant blessings,
Rob and Denise
We are settling in and are enjoying getting to know our crew mates and feel very blessed by this wonderful community! Lots of work is happening on the ship and in the New Year...even more will be happening! Many more of the contracted workers (about 100) will be working around the clock seven days a week and another 70 will be working 2 shifts daily to get the ship ready to go the first part of April 2006! It's exciting to see the level of activity increase and imagine that all the hard work for so many for so long is coming together to be able to go to Africa!
We know that many of you have questions...please email us and we will be glad to answer any questions for you that we can. We loved seeing those of you that we could while we were in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, High Point, Rockville and Baltimore before coming to England! We miss you!
May God bless you abundantly as you seek Him more and more throughout the New Year!
God's abundant blessings,
Rob and Denise
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Rob and Denise on the way to the Africa Mercy
Dad and Vivian gave us a small family party to celebrate that we were joining the Africa Mercy and going to serve in Africa.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Kendall at the Cathedral in St. Augustine
Prior to Kendall's baptism, Kendall enjoyed walking around the front part of the Cathedral. She especially liked the kneeling pads on the altar rail.
Kendall's Baptism
Shelley and Scott are Kendall's godparents. Hannah and Noah are their children.
From right to left: Shelley (Jill's sister), Hannah, Jason, Kendall, Jill, Scott (Shelley's husband), and Noah.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Article about the Beekeeping Project, "Busy Bees," to be done in Ghana, West Africa in 2006.
This picture is of some of the crew wearing the beekeeping hats donated for this project.
(check out the ship - Africa Mercy behind them)The Busy Bees Project (Proposal) is a micro-enterprise concept and may train up to 10 women in 8 villages (80 women total) to keep bees and operate a honey farm of 10 hives.
The boots in the picture to the right have also been donated to this project.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Caribbean Mercy hosts Relief Team from Tyler, Texas
This article is from a local TV story by Molly Reuter, reporting on KLTV
Mercy Ships is doing it's part to help in the hurricane relief effort. It's Caribbean Mercy ship is down in Mobile, Alabama housing volunteers working in the disaster areas, and the ship was just at the right place at the right time.
Jerry, Sam, Craig and Jeff are a diverse group of guys. One's a judge, the other a construction worker, but they all had the same goal, to get to the Gulf Coast.
"We were trying to go down to New Orleans because there was just so much media on New Orleans and our hearts were just breaking for these people," said Craig Carter, volunteer. "We tried for like two weeks, but the door just kept getting closed." But as they always say, when one door closes another one opens.
"One of the guys in the group called me and said Mercy Ships is looking for a team from Tyler, so we jumped right on it," said Carter. Mercy Ships docked their Caribbean Mercy ship in Mobile, Alabama last January for repairs. That's where it was when Hurricane Katrina came rushing in.
"We evacuated the crew and it was actually eleven days after the hurricane came that the water subsided," said Ciaran Holden, Chief Engineer of Caribbean Mercy ship. When it did, the ship's crew saw an opportunity to help.
"It was ideal because on board the ship we have a lot of diesel on board, so we can generate our own electricity and we have fresh water," said Holden. "We could use the Caribean Mercy more or less immediately to house relief teams coming into the area." The crew from Tyler took advantage of that option.
"The beds were comfortable and we had hot water and the meals were good at night," said Sam Griffith.
"Ships are built for shorter people," said Carter. "We bumped our heads a few times and I have no padding, so we had a few knocks." It's not the living conditions they say they will remember the most. It's the time spent cutting trees and building houses for those that needed help.
"You go down there to help people, but you come away like they helped you," said Carter. "They just made your life better through the experience." Now these four guys are not done helping. They say they are planning to go to Beaumont and Port Arthur in a few weeks to help those affected by Hurricane Rita.
Molly Reuter, reporting. mreuter@kltv.com
Mercy Ships is doing it's part to help in the hurricane relief effort. It's Caribbean Mercy ship is down in Mobile, Alabama housing volunteers working in the disaster areas, and the ship was just at the right place at the right time.
Jerry, Sam, Craig and Jeff are a diverse group of guys. One's a judge, the other a construction worker, but they all had the same goal, to get to the Gulf Coast.
"We were trying to go down to New Orleans because there was just so much media on New Orleans and our hearts were just breaking for these people," said Craig Carter, volunteer. "We tried for like two weeks, but the door just kept getting closed." But as they always say, when one door closes another one opens.
"One of the guys in the group called me and said Mercy Ships is looking for a team from Tyler, so we jumped right on it," said Carter. Mercy Ships docked their Caribbean Mercy ship in Mobile, Alabama last January for repairs. That's where it was when Hurricane Katrina came rushing in.
"We evacuated the crew and it was actually eleven days after the hurricane came that the water subsided," said Ciaran Holden, Chief Engineer of Caribbean Mercy ship. When it did, the ship's crew saw an opportunity to help.
"It was ideal because on board the ship we have a lot of diesel on board, so we can generate our own electricity and we have fresh water," said Holden. "We could use the Caribean Mercy more or less immediately to house relief teams coming into the area." The crew from Tyler took advantage of that option.
"The beds were comfortable and we had hot water and the meals were good at night," said Sam Griffith.
"Ships are built for shorter people," said Carter. "We bumped our heads a few times and I have no padding, so we had a few knocks." It's not the living conditions they say they will remember the most. It's the time spent cutting trees and building houses for those that needed help.
"You go down there to help people, but you come away like they helped you," said Carter. "They just made your life better through the experience." Now these four guys are not done helping. They say they are planning to go to Beaumont and Port Arthur in a few weeks to help those affected by Hurricane Rita.
Molly Reuter, reporting. mreuter@kltv.com
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Well Drilling Rig Re-commissioning Ceremony
From left to right: Mark Thompson, Mercy Teams Director; Udo Kronester, Africa Mercy Programs Director; Bob and Gloria Atkinson, original donators of the rig; Don Stephens, Founder and President of Mercy Ships; and Rob Miller, future well digger and caretaker of the rig!
There was a re-commissioning ceremony held for the well-drilling rig that was once onboard the Caribbean Mercy and is now being sent to the Africa Mercy. This drill will help drill 38 water wells during the first Ghana field service.
Bob and Maggie Atkinson, who gave Mercy Ships the rig, traveled to the IOC to participate in this ceremony. Don Stephens, Mark Thompson and others prayed a blessing on the rig - for its future service in Africa, as well as for the family who has donated it.
During the ceremony Bob shared with us that he and Maggie had attended a Crossroads Discipleship Training School in 1996. During their outreach, they served with Mark Thompson in Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch came through and destroyed many villages there. The Caribbean Mercy had left a group of well diggers and the well drilling rig from the Caribbean Mercy on land in Nicaragua after the ship's field service there prior to Hurricane Mitch. The need was great for clean water and it was decided to leave it there for service while the ship went back to the US to resupply and have a Public Relations time.
The impact of the need for fresh water and the exuberant joy it brought to the people served by the well helped Bob and Maggie decide to invest in a well drilling machine. They dedicated this new rig to serve on the Caribbean Mercy in honor of their parents to leave a legacy of how they served other's during their lives.
This machine was taken off the Caribbean Mercy, two years ago, when the planned outreach assessments did not find a need for drilling wells for the outreach locations. This well drilling rig will be sent in the near future to the Africa Mercy for use in Ghana where the two locations that ship will serve have great need for potable water. In one area only 42% of the population have access to potable water and in the other area there is only 17% of the population with access to potable water! We look forward to the time when this machine is again drilling to bring hope and healing into a community needing clean water!
Bob and Maggie Atkinson, who gave Mercy Ships the rig, traveled to the IOC to participate in this ceremony. Don Stephens, Mark Thompson and others prayed a blessing on the rig - for its future service in Africa, as well as for the family who has donated it.
During the ceremony Bob shared with us that he and Maggie had attended a Crossroads Discipleship Training School in 1996. During their outreach, they served with Mark Thompson in Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch came through and destroyed many villages there. The Caribbean Mercy had left a group of well diggers and the well drilling rig from the Caribbean Mercy on land in Nicaragua after the ship's field service there prior to Hurricane Mitch. The need was great for clean water and it was decided to leave it there for service while the ship went back to the US to resupply and have a Public Relations time.
The impact of the need for fresh water and the exuberant joy it brought to the people served by the well helped Bob and Maggie decide to invest in a well drilling machine. They dedicated this new rig to serve on the Caribbean Mercy in honor of their parents to leave a legacy of how they served other's during their lives.
This machine was taken off the Caribbean Mercy, two years ago, when the planned outreach assessments did not find a need for drilling wells for the outreach locations. This well drilling rig will be sent in the near future to the Africa Mercy for use in Ghana where the two locations that ship will serve have great need for potable water. In one area only 42% of the population have access to potable water and in the other area there is only 17% of the population with access to potable water! We look forward to the time when this machine is again drilling to bring hope and healing into a community needing clean water!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
A Little Update on Rob and Denise
I'm new to blogging, Denise always does all of the hard work. So I, Rob, decided it was time for me to try my hand at this. Denise tells me if I really mess it up she can go back and edit it...so here we go.
Thankfully, we weathered Hurricane Rita without incident.
We have submitted our transfer request to go serve aboard the M/V Africa Mercy.
Many of you have been very supportive of our serving with Mercy Ships over these past three years. We had hopes that when we first came to Mercy Ships that we would be making a lifelong change, but didn't really know what the Lord had in store for us. With much prayer and a little trembling we have been on an adventure of a lifetime. The experiences that we have shared, the lives we have seen changed, add a whole new meaning to our lives. Have you ever enjoyed something you were doing so much you just didn't want to stop?
Ok, OK... have you been fortunate enough to have this experience at work? Denise and I can't say that every experience working and living on a Mercy Ship is one we don't want to stop, but the overall total package is a life that we wouldn't trade for the world.
The best way we can describe it is like when in the song the songwriter says about every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that all tribes, nations and countries will bow down and worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, that they will cast down their crowns at the feet of Jesus.
We see a small part of God's kingdom working and living together. Many different nations, all living and working together to share a common cause to spread God's love and His Word. Through acts of kindness, bringing hope and healing through His power and strength and to His glory.
So as you read that our love and desire is to be aboard the ship, in the middle of community, working hand in hand with our brothers and sisters to help change lives one at a time, maybe you can understand our hearts. Not just to change lives but to share the love that God has shared with us...to look for the opportunity to be a servant to each other and people we have yet to meet.
So as we get excited about this next season the Lord is bringing us into, we ask for your prayers and continued support of us. Will you join with us for another couple of years? Will you help us follow the path that the Lord has placed before us? We pray that you will and that God will bless you abundantly for your part in what we are able to do together and with God!
Our prayer for you is that your life will be as wonderful as it was in the mind of God on the day He created you!
God's abundant blessings,
Rob and Denise (editor)
Thankfully, we weathered Hurricane Rita without incident.
We have submitted our transfer request to go serve aboard the M/V Africa Mercy.
Many of you have been very supportive of our serving with Mercy Ships over these past three years. We had hopes that when we first came to Mercy Ships that we would be making a lifelong change, but didn't really know what the Lord had in store for us. With much prayer and a little trembling we have been on an adventure of a lifetime. The experiences that we have shared, the lives we have seen changed, add a whole new meaning to our lives. Have you ever enjoyed something you were doing so much you just didn't want to stop?
Ok, OK... have you been fortunate enough to have this experience at work? Denise and I can't say that every experience working and living on a Mercy Ship is one we don't want to stop, but the overall total package is a life that we wouldn't trade for the world.
The best way we can describe it is like when in the song the songwriter says about every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that all tribes, nations and countries will bow down and worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, that they will cast down their crowns at the feet of Jesus.
We see a small part of God's kingdom working and living together. Many different nations, all living and working together to share a common cause to spread God's love and His Word. Through acts of kindness, bringing hope and healing through His power and strength and to His glory.
So as you read that our love and desire is to be aboard the ship, in the middle of community, working hand in hand with our brothers and sisters to help change lives one at a time, maybe you can understand our hearts. Not just to change lives but to share the love that God has shared with us...to look for the opportunity to be a servant to each other and people we have yet to meet.
So as we get excited about this next season the Lord is bringing us into, we ask for your prayers and continued support of us. Will you join with us for another couple of years? Will you help us follow the path that the Lord has placed before us? We pray that you will and that God will bless you abundantly for your part in what we are able to do together and with God!
Our prayer for you is that your life will be as wonderful as it was in the mind of God on the day He created you!
God's abundant blessings,
Rob and Denise (editor)
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Africa Mercy? Yes, Lord ...we heard You!
Thanks for all your prayers and support! We have applied to serve on the Africa Mercy! Please join us in prayer that we are clearly hearing that this is God's will for our next season!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Preparing for Hurricane Rita
I must apologize to you for not updating the website and blog as often as I'd like to and I'm sure you'd like me to! I've been experiencing trouble with our laptop (it's over 3 years old now). I've had to restore the hard drive and in that process lost many emails and email addresses. Please send us your email address again to be sure that we have it. Also, the laptop will now sometimes turn on and other times is not able to. So....it's been a real challenge for me...those of you who know me well will really understand that!
Anyway... we wanted to let you know that we are fine and preparing for Hurricane Rita that at the last update is directly headed for us! Of course, we pray that it will only be a tropical storm or depression by the time it reaches us. We are quite a way inland (about 4 hours). In the update from this morning....we are located just about on the 7 am Sunday spot.
Anyway... we wanted to let you know that we are fine and preparing for Hurricane Rita that at the last update is directly headed for us! Of course, we pray that it will only be a tropical storm or depression by the time it reaches us. We are quite a way inland (about 4 hours). In the update from this morning....we are located just about on the 7 am Sunday spot.
The most recent 4 pm update has it arriving about 1 pm on Sunday, since it stalled out and slowed down a bit this morning. Needless to say, we are preparing and will continue to monitor the situation and pray for God's mercy to calm the storm. We especially pray for those on the coast and those already hurting from Hurricane Katrina. We'll keep you posted as best we can!
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Caribbean Mercy in Chickasaw
Caribbean Mercy in Chickasaw, originally uploaded by MercyWatch.
Praise the Lord! We know that the Lord had His hand on the Caribbean Mercy during this storm! We are encouraged that He knows His plans for her and has kept her safe. A team from Mercy Ships International Operations Center and the crew will be leaving early tomorrow to check her out up close!
Map of Chickasaw, Alabama
The location of the ship is marked near the center of the map. The dock is located about 6.5 miles north of downtown Mobile, Alabama.
Caribbean Mercy after Hurricane Katrina
We just received some pictures of the ship after Hurricane Katrina. A team will be going to the ship tomorrow to inspect her inside and out!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Before and Afters Blog
A blog that shows a few before and after pictures of patients on the Anastasis. These photos were captured by Scott Harrison.
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