May 2009 Video Report

In out latest webisode, our host, Dr. Andy Rosson, continues to explore the unique world of Mercy Ships. He reports on a recent visit by the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to Texas in support of Mercy Ships; a collaboration between Mercy Ships and the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses to help staff our operating rooms and ends by explaining to us how and why Mercy Ships sends container loads of supplies to the Africa Mercy.

You can access it at the following URL:
http://alumni.mercyships.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=322&Itemid=9

Where are we really?

Hello Friends,

We send greetings to you from Cotonou, Benin (West Africa). We’ve had a little fun this past month establishing where we are actually. Yes, we are really here in Benin.

Let us explain…we received a letter from our credit union asking for some details our physical address for their records. Since it takes several weeks for mail…we called them to verify our address. We use the PO Box 2020 of our International Operations Center (IOC) in Texas as our mailing address and our permanent residence is our oldest son, Jason’s, address in Florida. When the IOC receives mail for us, they forward it to the ship through the agent here in Benin. So, after establishing the account with the representative, we asked her if she wanted the street address of the IOC where our mail goes. She asked if we were physically there. No, we are in Benin. Where? Benin is a country in West Africa.

She responded, oh what a wonderful vacation, but where do you live? On a ship here in Benin, we’ll be here in Benin until December 2009. Yes, we live on a ship, the Africa Mercy. Do you want our permanent address? No, she needed the address of where we actually are. Alright, so Denise told her we are in Port of Cotonou, Benin. Zip Code? No. When you return home where is your address? This is our home, since September 2002, we have been with Mercy Ships. As you can see we were not solving this question very fast and it didn’t fit on her form. So she excused herself to speak with her supervisor.

Upon her return she again asked for the physical address, so Denise thought ok, I’ll start with our mailing address…M/V Africa Mercy…to which she asked, what does M/V stand for? Denise explained, motor vessel, we live on a ship docked in Cotonou, Benin (West Africa). Denise also explained about Mercy Ships. Finally, the representative decided she would submit the Port of Cotonou, Benin address.

After a couple days, she called back to advise us of our physical address! We were glad to hear she had determined where we actually are as far as their records are concerned. Through their research it was determined that our physical address is Lausanne, Switzerland! Interesting …Mercy Ships does have a National office in Lausanne, Switzerland staffed with a wonderful staff. We’re not physically there, but the credit union is happy with this address. Maybe someday, we’ll be able to visit our new physical address! However, we don’t think that the ship will be able to sail there! (The picture below was a picture of Lausanne that we found on the Internet--- It looks beautiful and there is a big lake!)

Now for a little more news…Denise has been working with a local organization here in Cotonou, Benin mentoring two young men and a woman (social worker) in the use of computers and associated software. This organization is a local ministry to protect and care for abandoned babies and promote the family. A traditional practice is that the babies, are left by the side of the road (the mothers may have died in childbirth or the family is unable to care for them) and the police bring them to this facility where they are cared for. In addition to teaching these young men about computers and the different software, Denise is able to hold and love on these precious babies and bring some other crew members that can spend the afternoon with the babies. Her mentoring efforts also benefit the ministry by allowing them to take their skills and teach computer classes to children of the community on Saturdays. One of the recent applications for their learning was to build a spreadsheet to account for the loans they are giving to women in the community for starting up a small business so the women have an income to raise their families. Denise goes there every Tuesday afternoon. The website for the Foundation is www.frabenin.org (this site is in french). The following picture is from the website where there is an article about the donation of the 5 used computers from the ship. Denise was able to present them to the President of the Foundation. It is an honor to be able to represent Mercy Ships and partner with this Foundation.

As we enter the third month of this field service, Rob continues to work with the engineering department sourcing the required parts and supplies to help maintain all of the ships systems. Rob works with the combined efforts of crew in our International Offices such as Mercy Ships Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom with direction and coordination from our International Operations Center. This past month, we’ve made several trips out of Cotonou to other cities mainly at the request of an invitation from our friend James. One such outing was to visit his family which is a three hour ride away. So we had a beautiful ride through the country and at one point going through a large forest we were surprised to see. There were gates and guards at both the entrance and exit of the forest, otherwise James indicated the local people would cut the forest down for building and making charcoal. James’ family was very glad to see him and they are very gracious hosts. James’ father has been a cook for many years and prepared a wonderful meal. We all sat eating family style in their living room. James’ father raises goats to sell in the market; they are penned in a small area adjacent to the house. At one point after bleating to be fed without success, a goat managed to get past the gate and worked his way into the house scurrying around as the children and father attempted to catch him. So the living room, kitchen and hallways became very excited and interesting places for a few minutes as everyone was trying to corner or catch and direct the hungry goat back outside. Jame's father was able to chase the goat back outside and then he went to go feed them.

With the three hour return trip we could only stay two hours as we had the vehicle checked out for a total of eight hours. Many times on the road we would see small Peugeot trucks very overloaded struggling under there loads. James indicated that many of these trucks were 30 years old or older. He says with a smile in Africa, we just keep them running. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the visit and the ride very much. It was the second time that we really were able to get out of the city and drive through some of the country since we arrived in February.

A couple weekends ago, we were invited to go to church with James in Porto Novo. A friend of his, Pastor Prince, is the pastor. We were able to take six of our fellow crew members along and enjoy a wonderful service and meal together. The service was in English with interpretation in French. Pastor Prince can speak French, but is from Nigeria and his first language is English. He doesn’t feel he speaks French quite well enough yet to preach in French.

The pictures above are of our group from the various nations of Ine - the Netherlands, Sarah - England, Beth - South Africa, Betina - Romania, Melanie - New Zealand and Barbara - the US. The ladies were from the church and cooked and served the meal. The tallest man is the pastor's brother, Joesph and the Pastor is standing next to Denise. James is in the front row. The other picture is our friend, James; Pastor Prince and Denise.

It was interesting that the group of us was from all different nations and that the Pastor's theme for May was "Taking the Gospel to the nations." God used us to bring the nations to his church! We had a very good time and a lovely meal! The next weekend, the Pastor, his finace and his brother came to visit us on the ship and attend worship at the Sunday Night Service onboard. We gave them a tour of the ship and enjoyed the time with them.

Health Care Development Supplemental Programs has broken ground and begun building at Bethesda a dormitory for the Agriculture Class. It is to be used by participants of the Agriculture Class. The students will be coming from all over the country of Benin to attend the class for 3 months. Rob is looking forward to be able to help with this project in the future.

We know that sometimes, where we are and what we are doing can be confusing along with how to actually communicate with us. If we call, is it an international call? Nope…it's a US call, through Miami. So, we thought maybe we’d give you a little update on how to contact us here in Benin… Our personal email addresses are as follows:

Denise 's email : mercywatch@gmail.com or denise.miller@mercyships.org

Rob's email: mercywatch2@gmail.com or rob.miller@mercyships.org

Our Blog site is http://mercywatch.blogspot.com

Our Website is www.mercywatch.com

Our phone number is 954.538.6110 (W) 1215 Rob, 1632 Denise, (H) 4423 our cabin.

This is a Florida, USA number so if you are calling within the United States it is not international.

Our snail mail address is:

Rob and Denise Miller

PO Box 2020 Africa Mercy

Lindale, Texas 75771

We realize at times it is easy to read our newsletters as news and nice information to know but they don’t necessarily spark a desire for you to respond by email, letters, or phone calls. So we are asking that you would respond to us and let us know if you enjoy receiving these updates and how things are going with you! If they have become bothersome to you, and you would like to discontinue receiving them, you may unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the “Unsubscribe” link. We love to hear from you and realize that you have busy lives! We so appreciate your prayers and support!

May God bless you abundantly!

God's blessings,

Denise and Rob

currently in Cotonou, Benin (REALLY)

Article about Lauren Fadely at Boston College

The Boston College Chronicle - Boston College

Another article - Lauren "Elle" Fadely Congratulations, Lauren!


A lot of people ask about the kids on the ship and have questions about their education. This article is about Lauren, who was raised on the Caribbean Mercy. We knew her as a High School student while we were onboard. Her family had been on the ship for 9 years at that time. She was accepted to Boston College and has now graduated from there. She was awarded Boston College’s top Commencement honor as the winner of this year’s Edward H. Finnegan, SJ, Memorial Award, which recognizes the senior who best exemplifies the University’s motto “Ever to Excel.”

The article tells about what she has done at Boston College and how her experiences onboard the ship influence who she is. Please click on the title or The Boston College Chronicle link above to read the article. Another article a little more personal was also written about Lauren and given in a comment from Boston College's Public Relations Office. Thank you, Kathleen for permission to link to it!

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Video about the Dental Team

Click on the above title to see a short video about our Dental Team working off the ship.

The Mercy Ships Dental Team works five days a week at a new medical complex owned, but unused, by the Ministry of Health. The clinic performs teeth cleaning and extraction, fillings, and replacements, while also providing dental education. The dental team sees 60 people a day and distributes toothbrushes and toothpaste to patients.

Eleven day-volunteers help with translating, discipling, and mechanical work. Three of them are local dental assistants being trained by the Mercy Ships team. The dental team has a goal of treating 11,500 individuals and providing basic oral health education to almost 14,000 people during the 10-month field service.

Sunday Morning

Good morning from Benin! A relaxing day with no particular plans, except Church on board tonight at 7:00.

Rob woke up and while taking his shower...he discovered...no vacuum system! Here on the ship the sewage and all the drains go through the vacuum system...so when it is not working the water doesn't drain. He got out of the shower and found that not only was the shower not draining...the water was coming up through the bathroom floor drain. So soon there was an inch of water all over the bathroom floor!

After a couple hours the system was again working - thanks to our wonderful engineering crew! Rob is now down cleaning the bathroom!

He set me up in the dining room (those of you who have been here...in our usual place) with my computer to catch up on blogging, writing, answering, reading and surfing!

Bye for now!

Pilot Webisode - April 2009 Video Report

This is the first of a new video report from the Alumni Team at Mercy Ships. In this webisode, our host, Dr. Andy Rosson, interviews Mercy Ships veteran Peggy Cummings. Join us as she shares her mission to change the lives of former child soldiers living in the Freetown cemetery by revealing a few simple truths from the most powerful book ever written.

You can access it at the following URL:
http://alumni.mercyships.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=307&Itemid=9

Mercy Vision

Photo Credit: Mercy Ships, Photo of the Day 2009-04-24

Mother with her three blind children: son Alexis 7 yrs, daughter Adej 3 yr and yr old son Ricardo, will receive eye surgery by Dr Strauss on the AFM. Picture taken before Surgery.

Between February and December 2009, the Mercy Vision Team will return sight to 3,000 Beninese people suffering from blindness. On the ship, ophthalmologists perform free surgeries to remove cataracts and provide other specialized eye procedures.

Off the ship, Mercy Ships runs four remote eye clinics, in a different area each day, primarily to find candidates for surgery. The eye team also educates the patients in basic eye health.

Over these 10 months, the eye team will see approximately 200 people each day. They will evaluate and treat 20,000 patients for basic eye disease, as well as distributing 5,000 pairs of sunglasses and 5,000 pairs of reading glasses.

To ensure that people are healed more widely and for years to come, Dr. Glenn Strauss of the USA will train surgeons, both local and from abroad, in the specialized cataract procedure he has developed during years of working in West Africa.

Happy Easter!

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Hello Friends and Family, Happy Easter! We have a 4 day holiday – Good Friday to Easter Monday. So we thought we’d start off with an update for you! When we last wrote to you in February we were preparing to have our large screening day here in Cotonou, Benin. As we prayed and prepared to go to the screening, we asked God to prepare our hearts for His people, to give us grace, a peaceful spirit and to help us show His love in each opportunity. As we arrived at the screening at just about dawn, the people were already there waiting. Some people had been waiting since the day before. Many people in Benin had hopes of being helped by the free Mercy Ships specialized surgeries. This is a picture of about the middle of the line going past the Arts and Crafts Market to the Hall des Arts in the distance (upper right hand corner). Over 2,500 people came to be seen (not counting the caregivers and relatives) during the two day screening in February. We were able to give appointments for surgery to 423 people. We were able to refer 600 people to screening at the Mercy Ships Eye Clinics held 4 days every week throughout the Benin Field Service. We were also able to refer another 263 people for a later specialty screening. We will hold another screening day for specialty surgeries on June 8th. The Beninese people waited patiently in line as the screening began, moving slowly towards the Hall des Arts entrance gate. The line of potential patients winds around as it comes in the gates of the Halls des Arts. The pre-screening was just in front (outside) of the stadium and in the line are the potential patients and usually a caregiver or relative. The Eye Screening team set up a pre-screening just off to the side of this line. Rob worked with the security team to help keep the long lines orderly. Rob was positioned at the very end of the line which began from the entrance gate and went down the block in front of the Hall des Arts and around the corner for about another block. There were many curious “Zemidjan” (pronounced zemi john) drivers who would stop to enquire about the screening. Fortunately Marcus, another team member working in security spoke a little French and could communicate with the drivers. As one “Zemidjan” driver would stop to talk, soon there was a small crowd of drivers setting on their motorcycles all wanting to get the latest word. Several times we had to walk away from them as they seemed to have their own understanding of what was happening. As the line became shorter in the afternoon, he came closer and closer to the Halls des Artes. In the picture - Rob has on the tan hat, black slacks and bright yellow vest with orange shirt. The colorful wall behind the people in line is the wall around the Central Arts and Crafts Market in Cotonou. The heat was incredible and the people didn't want to get out of line for food or water. Some brought food and water with them, others didn't. Mercy Ships crew go up and down the line with water and then about lunch time handed out bread and butter to the people waiting. Most of the people waited for hours and hours in the heat. A friendly face and a cup of water was a welcome sight. Denise worked inside of the Hall des Arts compound, at the beginning of the screening line, to escort those selected for further screening into the Hall des Arts to the appropriate station or to escort those we couldn’t help to take them to the prayer team or out of the compound to return to their home. A video of the screening day can be seen here (Click this link). We can't view the video from the ship...but we think you may see Denise in a bright yellow shirt and green and white long skirt near the end escorting a patient (if this is the right video). This is a view of the pre-screening under the tent. The people come through pre-screening after standing in the lines for hours. This is the first place they meet with some medical personnel that will give them entry into the Hall des Arts to meet with a Doctor or they find out that theirs is a condition that we cannot help them with. The patient escorts met them here and walked with them into the stadium to wait for the next step (patient history) or if we couldn't help, a walk to the prayer station (shown in the picture below) or to the gate if they didn't want prayer. It was difficult to take many people to the prayer station or to the gate! It was a blessing to be able to take them into the Hall for further screening! We spoke with Dr. James, one of the Orthopedic Surgeons and Mercy Ships Orthopedic Coordinator, about all the bowed legs we saw in children and in adults as well. He said it was not due to the moms carrying the babies on the back and they couldn't determine a vitamin deficiency for the cause either. He said this condition seems to be more common here in Benin than in other African Countries. There hasn't been a study on this condition, so they just don't yet know what causes the condition. While standing outside the Hall des Arts along the line of people, the hardest point for Rob was when a young girl and her mother came to the line for screening and the young girl was unable to stand with her back straightened up. As she stood, unable to straighten up, she was bent over at the waist, and her legs were also bent partially. If she could have straightened all of the way she may well have been 4 ½ to 5 foot tall. In her condition her head was only about three feet high in a constantly looking down position. Both she and her mother were in the same color dress, appearing to be new. As the line moved the mother stayed in line to maintain their place for screening and the daughter sat down leaning against the wall. Slowly the lined moved forward and the young girl was left by herself leaning against the wall. It was not possible for her to walk forward to the position of her mother in line, but it seemed so unkind that she was being left behind. Unsure of the cultural acceptance of my thoughts to assist her, I hesitated. Finally as she was about 50 yards behind the line, I had to act. Going forward in the line I found the mother…fortunately they were wearing the same color outfit. I returned to the daughter as she sat leaning against the wall, unable to speak to her in French, gesturing to pick her up. I’m very thankful God has made me a strong man. She accepted my offer, so I carried her forward to be with her mother. I wasn’t thinking of the impact this would have on the people standing in line…I just didn’t want this young girl to be left behind. As I gently put her down next to her mother, she smiled saying “merci beaucoup” (thank you very much). As I returned to my spot at the end of the line, the people still standing in line smiled at me, some giving me the thumbs up sign. I thought the attitude of those standing in line became a little gentler, more considerate of each other. As the morning progressed the line eventually shortened until the end of the line was inside of the compound of the Hall des Arts. So I now had a new job, I got to go inside of the Hall des Arts and escort patients who had finished screening and received an appointment card to the front gate. As I was returning from one of these trips, the young girl I mentioned earlier was trying to make her way out of the Hall des Arts after screening. She and her mother looked a little overwhelmed at the task. Again I gestured towards her and she allowed me to pick her up. As I carried her, the tears ran freely down my face. Whether we are able to treat her or not I’m unsure. I pray we are and I’ll look for her and her mother. Dr. Glenn set up a pre-screening for the eyes. Normally, our eye surgery screening is done at the eye clinics offered 4 days a week - every week throughout the field service. There were 660 people at screening for eye issues. So, Dr. Glenn pre-screened and referred 600 people to the eye clinics as they waited in the line, before they reached the pre-screening tent. Dr. Glenn is one of the Eye Surgeons and Mercy Ships Senior Vice President Health Care Initiatives. He has developed a technique that is great for the larger and harder cataracts seen here in Africa. This little girl is patiently waiting on her mama's back. Mama has hopes for her little girl to have a life changing surgery and spends the day waiting through the line, testings,etc. prior to receiving the long awaited appointment card. We see the physical deformities here and feel great compassion. We wonder at times how our spiritual deformities must grieve our Lord and how He has compassion for us. As we are adjusting to Benin after being in Liberia the biggest difference here seems to be the spiritual warfare we are experiencing. So we ask that you would put on the full armor of God and pray with us and for us for protection and the strength to accomplish the task God has set before us. Denise and I have been reading several books lately one we just finished is called Beyond Surrender by Barbara J. Singerman which speaks of her experiences along with those of her family ministering in Benin. One story she shares, especially highlights the benefit of prayer; to the point that their very lives were spared because of faithful prayer for them. Admittedly, we don’t live in the villages; we are very safe and secure onboard the ship. However, Denise will be going out once a week to Calavi to help teach computer software to a couple men with a foundation that teaches children about computers. (More about this in the next newsletter) We are reminded of Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. As you pray, please do remember Ephesians 6:10 Finally be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Just in case your wondering about our spiritual armor - Ephesians 6:14 to 18b Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request. One prayer request we just heard of today is for one of our Mercy Ships doctors. His name is Dr. James McDaniel (mentioned above) and he had a heart attack last night. He was here with us on the ship a few weeks ago, but is back in Texas now. He is the Orthopedic Coordinator and one of our Orthopedic Surgeons. He is having a triple by-pass on Monday in Texas. Please keep him in your prayers. He is a good friend of ours and his wife’s name is Nikki, she is a prayer warrior! This picture was taken of Dr. James at the screening in February. In addition, please pray for the health of the crew. We have had many crew come down with a flu that lasts for about 2 weeks! We have been blessed (thanks to your prayers!) and have not been sick. We value each of you and appreciate the prayers you offer on our behalf! We will continue to pray for you. We would consider it a privilege to pray for any specific prayer needs you would like to share with us. Please call, email or write ... we love to hear from you! May your Easter be blessed as you celebrate what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus! God’s blessings, Rob and Denise currently serving in Cotonou, Benin (West Africa)

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In the Stillness... There is Mercy

In the Stillness... There is Mercy
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

This poem was written and the pictures were taken by Esther Biney, Mercy Ships Photo-Journalist. Esther is from Ghana and has lived much of her life on a ship, the Anastasis and now the Africa Mercy. She also sings and writes her own songs. Her parents (Faithful and Mary) were on the Anastasis when she was a child and then they went back to Ghana and founded a YWAM base in Accra. They also run a school for children. Esther will soon be going back to Ghana and she will be very much missed here on the ship!

She has a way to put her feelings into words so well. As you read her poem you will get the feeling of what it was like to be at the screening day. It is so hard to put that feeling into words. I appreciate that Esther has given it a good try!

If you double click on the photo you will be taken to where our pictures are stored, you will be able to read the poem about our medical screening day. You can also see this file by clicking here. Please write your comments and encouragements and I will pass them on to Esther.

Along the road to Calavi - bread and oranges for sale!

Along the road to Calavi - bread and oranges for sale!
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

We went for a drive to get out of the city last weekend. We drove a total of 72 kilometers so only about 36 kilometers from the port. The traffic was horrible just about the entire drive. We did see some interesting sites - although I didn't bring my camera...I found these on the transfer drive and we passed these same sights!

Down the road to Calavi

Down the road to Calavi
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

On our drive, we saw lots of red clay....this will soon be a mess during the rainy season. Rainy season is just about upon us, last night there was quite a big storm.

Bread stand along the road to Calavi

Bread stand along the road to Calavi
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

This was the best stand of bread that we saw! The bread is carefully wrapped in plastic bags. Many of the bread stands along the way did not wrap the bread and I'm sure the red clay dust must land on it! Some were covered by a paper like doily. Oh...I forgot to tell you that although we drove only 72 Kilometers...we were on the road for about 3.5 hours...that should tell you about the traffic! Most of it due to construction most of the way!

The Africa Mercy Docked in Cotonou, Benin

The Africa Mercy Docked in Cotonou, Benin
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

This is my favorite photo of the ship (thus far into the outreach) The credit for this photo goes to Arnold who is serving in the dining room. Thanks, Arnold!

Video and article from Tyler Paper

Volunteer Information Meeting For Mercy Ships Set At Green Acres Baptist Church

Last week the ship docked in Cotonou for 10 months of service to the West African nation of Benin. People interested in volunteering for Mercy Ships of Garden Valley are invited to an information session, 4-6 p.m. Sunday at Green Acres Baptist Church (in Tyler, Texas).

Green Acres Baptist Church (Tyler, Texas) will hold a volunteer-information for Mercy Ships of Garden Valley from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The 499-foot Africa Mercy, the world's largest nongovernmental hospital ship, docked in Cotonou last week for a 10-month term of service in the West African Nation of Benin.

The Mercy Ships meeting at Green Acres will be held in the Galilee Room. The theme of the event is "Get on Board with Mercy Ships."

"This meeting is designed for people from all over East Texas, not just at Green Acres, to hear about volunteering opportunities with Mercy Ships," said Angela Fadley, of Mercy Ships.

The state-of-the-art hospital ship began sending medical screening teams into North Benin shortly after docking to increase health care services. The pro-active approach helps insure medical services are provided equitably throughout the country, said information from Mercy Ships. About 300 to 500 North Benin candidates for surgery are expected to be screened.
Surgeries offered include maxilla-facial, cleft lip and palate, tumors, flesh-eating noma, release of burn contractures, obstetric fistula and orthopedic issues.

During the 10-month tenure in Benin, hundreds of volunteers from around the world will carry out a wide range of medical and community development services. A dental clinic in Akpakpa will provide up to 20,000 dental care procedures, and vision clinics will be offered.

The Mercy Vision project aims to help reduce the number of the estimated 48,000 blind people in Benin, and treat those with crossed eyes, pterygium, children under 16-years-old born with cataracts and "older people" who can see some light. In 2009 an estimated 3,000 cataract surgeries will be performed. Medical teams will set up community clinics in Godomey, Ghanhi, Porto-Novo and Akpaka to evaluate and treat up to 20,000 people for basic eye diseases.

To RSVP or for more information call (903) 939-7045.

First Screening Day in Benin

Yesterday, February 19th, the crew of the Africa Mercy held our large mass screening at the Hall des Arts. Almost two thousand potential patients came to be seen by the crew. There were 1,952 potential patients attended along with their family member(s), so we estimated about 4,000 people. Don Stephens, Mercy Ships Founder/President arrived on Wednesday evening and he told us last night that this was the most successful screening he has seen. It was well organized and the flow of people through the various stations went very smoothly and effeciently. The people of Benin were shown great love and care as they patiently waited for their time to be seen. Approximately, 600 were referred by Dr. Glenn to one of the 4 field eye team clinic locations around the greater Cotonou area, which started today and will continue 4 days a week until the end of November 2009. The opthalmac surgical (eye surgery) candidates are selected from the field eye team clinics. Another 60 people were told that their eye problem was not something we could assist with. As the people (1,292 people on this day) entered they came to the pre-screening tent set up in front of the stadium. Of those, 635 people were given cards to enter the stadium to go through the appropriate screening stations. The others, were prayed with and/or walked to the exit.

We do not know yet how many were actually scheduled for surgery and given an appointment card. Many came to the two prayer stations also. Those not able to go through the whole process today were given cards to come back today - Friday, the 20th. Hospital crew and non-Hospital crew returned to the stadium to continue the process today. We would ask for your continued prayers. (statistics from: Keith Brinkman, Programs Administrator)

Screening in the North of Benin

In partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Africa Mercy North Benin Screening team, (Operation Access) saw over 200 potential patients in Parakou on Thursday. 57 persons were scheduled for surgery and an additional 18 individuals have been referred for orthopaedic and VVF screening in Cotonou. The team went to Natitingou on Friday and screened in the afternoon and Saturday before returning to the ship on Sunday. (Keith Brinkman, Programs Administrator)

We have arrived in Cotonou, Benin (West Africa)!

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Hello Friends, We have arrived safely in Cotonou, Benin West Africa after a nine day sail from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. We thank God for hearing our prayers and providing us safe passage! We had a very pleasant sail and at one point were in the Doldrums for a day or so. Thankfully we are a motor vessel and not dependent upon the wind in our sails for movement. Rob commented to the Chief Engineer on the calmness of the sea and then learned about the Doldrums. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doldrums) This is a picture of Oliver Glidja, one of our crew members from Benin, carrying the Republic of Benin flag down the gangway shortly after arrival. Our Managing Director, Ken Berry and his wife, Ann are following Oliver down for the Arrival Ceremony. Our arrival in Cotonou was not uneventful though. On Monday, 9 February, when the process began of going through the checklist prior to proceeding to the Pilot station a few technical difficulties presented themselves in systems that had been checked previously and had operated correctly. As the engineering and deck departments worked to resolve these challenges, a call went out for prayer. Crew met in the International Lounge and interceded in prayer. Our shipmates in Marine Operations, once advised of our situation, joined in prayer. The Advance Team and Mercy Team ashore at the Port of Cotonou waited with the many invited dignitaries and guests that had come for a 2:00 pm Arrival Ceremony. At 5:00 -6:00pm, they held a worship service on the dock and offered prayer. As daylight was giving way to nightfall the Captain advised the crew we would spend the evening at anchor just within sight of Cotonou on the horizon. The engineers would work through the evening into the night checking and repairing these issues and by early morning all was well. We weighted anchor around 0745 as the majority of the crew was in the International Lounge for Tuesday morning devotions. At 0800 we proceeded to the Pilot station for a 0830 rendezvous with the Pilot. The picture below is of the dock as we entered the port with the pilot onboard Tuesday morning about 9:00 AM. The welcoming party was smaller but very excited to see us come in! On the dock is our Advance Team (in Orange) and the Mercy Team (Green and White) as well as government officials and others. We arrived at our berth without incident docking to starboard side. We normally dock to port, but the Captain needed to ensure there was adequate depth of water under the ship to protect the propellers and rudder. As we go further into the port the depth of the water becomes shallower. So docking to port allows the aft (back) of the ship with the propellers and rudder to be in the deepest portion of water available. Next week, we may turn the ship around. The picture below was taken shortly after the Arrival Ceremony was finished. The dock looks quiet and peaceful now. Once the ships arrive on our bow (in front) and stern (behind) this will change alot! We were quite blessed in Monrovia, Liberia for our berth. We had the entire dock, pretty much to ourselves, allowing for a great deal of flexibility for crew in moving around on the dock and restriction of motor vehicles. In the evening, the children would play and ride bikes on the dock unrestricted for the most part. Here we are one of many ships berthed along the dock with working vessels both our bow (front) and stern (back). We’ve been advised by the Captain that our berth may change over the next several days…we may move forward, we may have to turn around, we may have to leave the port for a short period going a little out to sea and then returning. Not to worry…if we return from town and notice the ship sailing out of the port not to be alarmed. They’ll be right back. Denise and I had the pleasure of walking into town on Wednesday evening after dinner with Al and Betty Lou Bennett. The people of Cotonou are very friendly and warm; smiling at our efforts to communicate in French…”Bonsoir” (good evening). This picture is taken along the main road from the port into town. The Catholic Church is a landmark and can be seen in the red and white brick on the right hand side of the road. This is about 20 minutes walk from the ship. It is a blessing to be able to walk into town from the ship! We wanted to give you a little update on how we are and the events already starting to take place. Tuesday evening, the 10th of February crew was cleared by Immigrations to go ashore Wednesday afternoon, the 11th of February a Medical Team "Operation Access" leaves the Africa Mercy going north to Parakou and Natitingou for screening of potential patients Thursday, the 12th of February vehicles are off loaded from the Africa Mercy to the dock after only two days. We are still waiting for the vehicles to be registered and cleared to drive in Benin. Thursday morning, the 12th of February, a visit by the Minister of Health Thursday afternoon, the 12th of February, a visit by the US Ambassador Friday afternoon, the 13th of February, a reception for the Civic and Media, including the ambassadors from the US, South Africa, Germany and France Friday, 13th of February last day to sign up and volunteer for the Screening Days on the 19th and 20th of February - here in Cotonou! Oh....we wanted to include one picture from our last newsletter...we weren't sure if anyone was able to take a picture of the Killer Whales...well...Yes, of course someone did. Here is the picture of the Orca alongside the Africa Mercy! Denise actually saw it even more out of the water than this with its belly showing! We are excited to be here in Cotonou, Benin as we start the 2009 Field Service! Here are a few prayer points for this time: Please pray for the screening - for people that God has a purpose for will come and those that don't will not come to the screening (Dr. Gary put it this way as some people will come that we can't help in a physical way, but God may have a purpose for them to come) Please pray for those we will have to say no to at the screening Please pray that our actions will glorify God in all we say and do Please pray for our health and the health and strength of our crew Please pray for the many volunteers that will serve during this Field Service Please pray for the families, of all of the volunteers as they release their loved ones to service (including our family!) Would you allow us to pray for you? We do pray for each of you in general terms often, yet at times we know there are many more specific prayers we could be praying. Would you allow us to intercede on your behalf this year? We would consider it a privilege. You can email us or call any time. We love to hear from you. God’s Blessings, Rob and Denise Phone: (954) 538-6110 cabin ext. 4423 (this is a US number) email: mercywatch@gmail.com or just reply to this message!

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