Rest in Cape Town, South Africa

As you would recall, we visited friends and family in Europe during June and July, returning to the ship in late July.  Since then, we have been in a state of flux.  For a while, we were a ship without a country.  It was decided that to go to Benin, whilst Ebola cases were uncovered in Lagos, Nigeria, may do more harm than good.  As you can well imagine, bringing a hospital ship into a country brings hope to sick people.  However, we are not a hospital ship designed to treat Ebola – we are actually more of a surgery ship.  So we could potentially be a magnet for sick people that we could not treat – therefore possibly magnifying the Ebola epidemic, rather than helping the situation. So where are we now?

Well, we had extra time in the Canary Islands first, to rectify some engineering issues and to wait and see what happened in West Africa.  Then, quite miraculously, doors opened for us to serve in Madagascar.  So after just under three weeks at sea, we are in Cape Town, South Africa for a short Public Relations and replenishment visit.  We will then travel to Tamatave, Madagascar by the end of October.

It has been a crazy few months.  The excitement of going to Madagascar is tempered by the disappointment of being unable to assist in West Africa in their hour of greatest need.  Our family, and I suspect a majority of crew members, have been see-sawing between the adrenalin rushes of new challenges and the normal work routine.  In fact, we are just coming to the end of the first school quarter now, yet we are in this strange state of in between as we are not in Madagascar yet but have left Europe behind.

For us personally, it has been a time of challenge.  It is easy to deal with community life when you can walk out to Deck 7 and see patients on the Wharf.  You are immediately connected to the Ships mission, knowing that in a small way you are contributing to their healing.  Without the patients and Day Crew, it can be a strain to focus beyond your own petty issues. It is interesting to me what I can whinge about when I am in a state of transition – the smallest things have me fuming.  Funnily enough, when Annie was here in Congo, those same issues would not have even appeared on my radar.

A huge blessing in all this is to be in Cape Town.  What a beautiful city!  How blessed we are to stay in the V&A Harbour.  For Aussies, imagine being berthed at Darling Harbour, Sydney and you get the general idea of where we are here.  

• We visited Table Mountain and had the most glorious, clear day on the top – with no “blanket” (cloud) in sight.  We could see all the way to the Cape of Good Hope! 
• Our pastor from our Church in England is now living in Cape Town, so we were fortunate to attend his church in Mowbray this last Sunday and to catch up with Dave and Bev. 
• And yesterday, Mick and I headed over to Robben Island museum to pay our respects to the political prisoners of the Apartheid era.
• We are hiring a car and heading down to Boulders beach and the Cape of Good Hope this weekend – to get some time away.
• Every morning we have been able to see seals out of our cabin window and we pinch ourselves for being so fortunate.

If I stand back though, I imagine that this is a time of rest for a reason. 

• What is coming up next in Madagascar? 
• Which challenges can we expect as an organization and as individuals? 
• What is waiting for us in Tamatave? 
• Most importantly, who is waiting for us?
• Who has been praying for us to come?
• Who is waiting for Hope and Healing?

As we prepare to sail those last 9 days to our start our Field Service, please pray over those questions above and especially for patients to safely travel to Tamatave. 

And also pray for perseverance for our crew, finally coming to the end of this unusual season of transition that started in May this year.

“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance” Thessalonians 3:5

Guinea, Benin or Wherever but Canary Islands for now

The ship is down there somewhere!

Summer vacation is over and we are back onboard. We rejoined in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria just as the ship was finishing the shipyard maintenance period. Personally I felt a little guilty leaving during shipyard, however I knew from experience that the family and I needed a break from the ship and a vacation to re-charge our batteries. We had a great holiday in Europe and have come back refreshed and positive. It has also been fantastic to witness all the other returning crew so upbeat as well.

From Gran Canaria, we sailed across to Santa Cruz, Tenerife to complete preparations for the next field service. However, as I am sure many of you are aware, there is currently a severe outbreak of Ebola Virus in the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. This is the first outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, and to date, the worst in history. Guinea was to be our next field service but this was switched to Benin in April due to the outbreak. Now due to the proximity of Benin to Nigeria and the porosity of the borders, the leadership of Mercy Ships have delayed our departure from the Canary Islands whilst the situation is monitored and assessed further.

Much as it pains us not to deploy, we agree with the decision. We are a hospital ship but one equipped for specific surgeries, not for treating Ebola. If we deployed to West Africa, we risk being a magnet for infected people.  As we are not presently equipped or staffed to manage this disease onboard, it would irresponsible to our volunteers, our home countries and most of all, to the patients, for us to travel into affected areas.

Alongside the sailing delay, we are experiencing a technical delay. During shipyard, both shafts were removed to renew the stern seals. In addition, both Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) Oil Distribution (OD) boxes were overhauled. Well, starboard CPP and shaft is working fine but the port shaft and propeller have not been responding correctly since leaving the shipyard. Several contractors are assisting with repairs and it looks like the problem is one or two failed seals within the servo piston. So there is a complex in-water repair to complete in the Astican shipyard in Gran Canaria.

For me (Mick), work does not change much. I was back rebuilding a sewage transfer pump last Friday night and have a backlog of maintenance work orders to complete. There are still systems to operate and maintain whether we are berthed in Africa or the Canary Islands. 

For the boys, the new school year has commenced. Jack is now in grade 7, Mark  in grade 4 and Harry in grade 2. Jack turned 13 two weeks ago and Mark turned 10 this week so we have had a couple of parties and a trip to Siam Park. Tammy is also starting a new job as the Transitions Co-ordinator, helping families and individuals transition onto and off the ship. 

Sailing was originally planned for Friday 15 August. As such, we had completed all our annual shopping for clothes, presents, toiletries and a few treats we can’t easily buy in Africa. Now we just need to be intentional about our spending and stick to our budget whilst enjoying the Canary Islands a little more. Last week Mick did a couple of awesome bike rides into the hills behind Santa Cruz and then we all rode to a local beach for a swim – good cost conscious activities when on a budget!

At times like this, it is really easy to get focussed on what we have no control over.  And there is a certain level of stress that goes with delays and uncertainty.  As we have prayed over this, two verses continue to come to mind:

"We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps" - Proverbs 16:9

and

"Be still and know, that I am God" Psalm 46:10

As we wait patiently to find out the way ahead, please pray for the four Countries affected by Ebola, for clear direction for the AFRICA MERCY and for peace in this time of transition. 

The official Mercy Ships press release on our current delay is as follows:

"Collateral hardship from the Ebola epidemic now includes a delay for Mercy Ships, which operates the world’s largest civilian hospital ship in ports on the West Coast of Africa. Already with one cancelled deployment to Guinea, where Ebola first broke out last December, the Mercy Ship now waits in the water with crew and staff, pending an end-of-August decision on field service in Benin.

The Mercy Ship was due to sail for the port of Cotonou, Benin, for its 10-month field service last week but has delayed that sail pending further assessment due to the virulence of the outbreak in neighboring Nigeria.  Earlier, in April, Mercy Ships made the difficult decision to cancel the hospital ship’s planned deployment to Guinea, where the Ebola outbreak began last December.

Currently docked in the Canary Islands, following the vessel’s annual maintenance phase, the 16,500-ton Mercy Ship is designed to deploy specialized surgical expertise and educational support. It is unequipped to treat viral epidemics, according to the charity’s president and founder Don Stephens.

“Multi-bed wards and limited isolation facilities, close proximity to crew accommodation and dining for families and children are but a few restraints,” Stephens said. “We also hire 200 day crew in each port as part of our training and capacity building for Africa.”

Stephens said the organization is closely monitoring the situation on the whole of the African continent.

“Africa is and remains our priority, but crew safety drives every decision,” he emphasized. “We request prayer as we consider all options to manage the risk, including deployment to other unaffected nations.”  This ship’s crew of 400 represents 40 nations, with up to 60 children onboard at any time.

Following the US Center for Disease Control recommendations, Mercy Ships has banned crew travel to Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. Likewise, crew guests and day crew may not board the Mercy Ship for at least 21 days after they have visited one of the four affected countries.

“Mercy Ships has many, many friends in West Africa,” Stephens said. “In the meantime, our prayers go out to all those affected by this terrible epidemic, especially those in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria.”

Docking in an African port, the ship brings high-tech equipment, state-of-the-art facilities, highly skilled doctors, free specialized surgeries, healthcare training including instrument sterilization and disease prevention, agricultural training and more.  Mercy Ships provides many types of surgeries:  maxillofacial, plastic reconstructive, orthopaedic, and general.  The organization also offers dental care and eye care, and it works alongside local government and healthcare providers to improve local healthcare delivery systems.

Since the first arrival of a Mercy Ship in 1991 to Togo, 23 of the 35 years of Mercy Ships service have been focused in Africa.  For more information go to www.mercyships.org."

The view further up the valley on Tenerife