Hope and Healing

That is the goal of Mercy Ships. "Bringing hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor." They seek to  follow the example of Jesus, who healed and loved those who were forgotten...the outcasts of society. The longer that I am here, I see time after time how this is really happening. It's one thing to read a tragic story on a website, and entirely different to meet the person who has been through these hardships. Even once you meet them, it is still hard to grasp what they have endured. 

One sweet boy that I am privileged to know is Osman. I wish you could all come and meet him. He is currently staying at the Hope Center, which is a building used to take care of patients who are recovering from surgery, and to prepare patients for surgery. It is located about 5 minutes walking distance from the ship. I have been a few times now, and I can see that I will be hooked for the remainder of my time here. The kids (mostly boys) just clamor for your attention. I made the mistake a few days ago of sitting on the floor. Pretty soon I had a boy in my lab, one on my legs, and one hanging onto my back. 

This is Osman posing for the picture (he likes soccer). He is 9 years old. 

When I met him, obviously the first thing I noticed was how one of his legs had been amputated. Of course I didn't ask him what had happened, but I later found out. Osman came to the Africa Mercy because of an infection in his right leg from falling out of a tree. A local healer had treated him by placing strips of cloth that were soaked in boiling water on the leg. This resulted in 3rd degree burns that only made things worse. Once he was brought to the ship, several surgeries were done to save the leg and get rid of infection, but his leg continued to worsen. It was either amputate his leg above the knee or he would lose his life. 

I cannot imagine being only 9 years old, and having to face the sort of pain he has been through - both physically and emotionally. Every boy I have ever known loves to run and play...and Osman is no different! He gets around pretty quickly on his crutches, and can even play soccer. But still, even the simple things are now much more complex. The other night we were playing on the floor, and I couldn't help but notice how hard it was for him to move on the floor. Those of us with two legs can easily scoot around, but he had to use his arms mainly to move around. 

Back to the first night I met him. I discovered that Osman has a lovely singing ability. After we hung out for a while, he just began singing out of the blue:

You are my strength when I am weak

You are the treasure that I seek

You are my all in all...

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your naaaame (don't forget the inflection on the a!)

Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is your name

It seems that this is one of his favorites. While he sang this, I had to fight tears very hard. Thankfully the tears didn't win. I would have looked like a baby! I joined in with him since I knew the songs. As Osman launched into praise song after praise song (Here I am to Worship, Thank You Lord, etc) I can't tell you what that did to my heart. This boy was praising God, instead of being angry and bitter from all he has lost. 

I have so much to learn from Osman.

Here's a pic with him on the right side. The boy in my lap wouldn't say a word or tell me his name. I guess he's just painfully shy. It appears that he has had a cleft lip surgery...you can barely tell except for the stitches!

This is Evangel Baptist Church. I go there on Sundays that I am not on duty. The building itself isn't much to talk about, but the building is not the church! The people praise God, and that is what matters. In the picture on the right you can see Pastor Daniel. He is ALWAYS there to greet us, even if we're late!

Yesterday, a group of friends and I had the pleasure of walking to the local craft market. Getting there was quite an experience. When walking on the streets here, you have 2 goals: a) to not get run over by a truck or poda-poda (they will hit you) and b) to not fall in the deep gutters where rainwater, trash, and maybe sewage flow. Oh, and make sure you have a good grip on your purse! :)

This was a nice woman at the market. This is authentic Africa dress, and she was happy for me to take a photo. In the local church, this is how everyone is dressed.

The experience of buying at the market was very unique. It is mostly fun because you are bartering, but also stressful. As we walked upstairs to the main market area, there were many small "stalls". Probably 25 of them. As you walked by each stall, there would be a man trying to sell his items. But they don't just passively stand there and wait for you to decide, they try to decide for you! If they see you eyeing something (heaven forbid you touch it) they immediately pick it up and tell you all the reasons you should buy it. "This will look good on you." "I give you good price...you're my first customer today!" (yeah, right.) They REALLY pressure you into buying. If it was something I wanted, I asked what their price was. Whatever number they said was usually about double what they would charge a local person. So I would say "Hmmm..." and frown to show I wasn't happy. Then I would offer about half of what they said. If they only came down a little, I would say "No, I won't buy it then." This worked pretty well. Because we are white and they know we are rich, the prices weren't what the locals would pay. To me they were still very cheap! For example, I bought a beautiful handmade purse for 25,000 Leones, which is about 7.50 US dollars.  Not bad! I bought two necklaces for 10,000 which is 2.50 US dollars. So anyway, it was fun, and I hope my bartering skills will be even better next time!

The cotton tree in Freetown! I was so glad to finally see it for myself. And yes, it is BIG. Legend says that the tree is 300 years old. 

We ate lunch at the Crown Bakery in the city. It is so weird to go to a modern, Americanized restaurant in the middle of all the poverty that makes up 90% of Freetown.

From the left is Sandra, Savanna, Jillian, and I. Jillian is the hairdresser on the ship (don't get on her bad side)!

My new roommate, Sandra, and I. You can tell we got some sun!

My home for 4 1/2 months. :)

The sun finally making an appearance.

I know this post is quite long, but to be honest, I have barely scratched the surface of all I am seeing and experiencing here. I'm sure I will post again soon...there is so much more to say!

Keep me in your prayers!

"Snap snap!"

Hi everyone! This past week has been great, but also challenging because of all the new things I am learning. Since I work in the Hospitality department I am learning how to make beds properly, fold towels fancily, orient new crew to the ship, and give tours to new crew. It's a pretty fun position, and I'm working with a great team of ladies!

This Wednesday I had quite an adventure going into town. My friend Emily wanted to do some final shopping because it was her last full day here, so she took me and another friend Susan (who is from Nigeria) into town with her. Our walk to town was pleasant, but after about 30 minutes the streets became very crowded. We were heading to a market that's in the heart of Freetown. I was already feeling a bit uneasy about the crowdedness when a woman came up beside me and said "You need to be careful! This is a dangerous place!"I told her I would be careful, and we kept going. Then she came beside us again and was even more upset. Pretty soon she had corralled us to a corner of the street, when a large group of women including her began to shout very angrily. There were at least 50 women around us upset and yelling. At this point I was so frightened because I didn't know what they were upset about.   All I heard was "Get in the shop! Get in there now!" At the moment I had no idea why they wanted to get us off of the street. Susan who is from Nigeria speaks Krio, so she understood what was going on. Once I saw her agree and head toward the shop, I knew it must be ok. Once the woman had us off the street,  she very angrily explained that there had been several men following behind us who had knives. We are pretty sure that they were only going to use them to get our purses/money, but it was still quite scary. One lady grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled it out and stuffed my small purse down so that the men who were following us couldn't reach it. 

From that point, we headed back toward the ship. However, we knew that those men could very well still be following us, so we needed to either get someone from the ship to come pick us up, or take motorcycles. We opted for the bikes, since it was quicker. We quickly hailed three drivers to take us back. Let me just say that riding the motorcycle was much scarier than finding out we had men behind us with knives! My driver went very fast whether there were large potholes ahead or whether there was another driving coming straight towards us. Around here, the bikes weave in and out wherever they can fit. Needless to say, it was quite an adventure, and I was so relieved when we made it back to the dock. Once I stepped off the bike, my driver reached toward me, and I thought he was trying to hug me. At that point I was so glad to be alive that I hugged him. I was quite embarrassed when I realized he was just trying to get his helmet back! We had a good laugh about my mistake.

This past Friday night I had the opportunity to go out and show the Jesus Film to a nearby village. This was a great experience! As soon as we arrived, the locals began to sing for us, and didn't stop until everything was set up for the film. By the time the movie started, I believe there was around 300 people watching. More and more continued to come because they could hear it from quite a distance. Most of the people ended up standing (we did too), but didn't seem to care at all. I can't wait to do this again soon! Here's a photo I took during praise and worship.

On Saturday I went with a group to Mama Beach, which was a lovely place! Driving down to the beach we passed through this community, where this boy and girl lived. The little boy just loved striking poses for the camera! :)

The next photo is several kids on the beach. They just loved us taking their pictures (or snap snap as they say).

This is Abraham. He loved taking "snap snaps" of us and of himself! This was one of his self-portraits. :) Him and his sister, Alli hung out with us before we left the beach; they were both very sweet. Just look at his big brown eyes!

I hope you enjoy the photos. Everything is going well...it just takes time to adjust to being in such a different culture. Please keep me in your prayers! God bless!

Picture time!

I'm sorry it took so long to get pictures up! The internet here is quite slow. :)

This is during the flight to Belgium. I loved watching the sun come up over Europe!

Getting ready to land in Brussels, Belgium.

Inside the airport.

Airplane food! This meal was MUCH better than the one on the previous flight.

 Flying over northern Africa. You can tell we're not in the US anymore.

Getting ready to land in the Gambia.

The very cool-looking airport in the Gambia.

Flying over Sierra Leone! You can tell it's very cloudy because it's the rainy season.

Landing! Quite glad I wasn't on that plane...

The big bird we came in on.

Really, really tired...but glad to be on the ground!

My lovely new friend, Savanna. I'm so glad we traveled together.

Welcome! You can see how old the airport is.

This was the van that picked up our luggage. Who needs windows? You can tell there was a lot going on outside the airport.

These next few are a bit blurry. Palm trees! 

There was a big soccer game going on...looked like fun!

A small home.

A small church we passed by.

This was the ferry that took us across the waterway to get to the ship. 

The sunsets over the ocean are quite beautiful (when the clouds aren't in the way).

Lots of canoes...I believe these are used by fishermen.

A packed ferry that came into the port.

Need sleeeeeep. ;)

I had quite a nice welcome when I arrived to my cabin!

This is written by the window in our cabin. Such a great reminder!

This is the currency here - Leones. 10,000 is equal to about $2.5 US currency.

Haha...made me laugh.

My bed area. Sleeps very comfortably.

Closet area. 

The bathroom. Thankfully we have two because our cabin is a 10-berth.

These three are my view from the top deck of the ship. I love going out at night to take in the sights.

You can see how very old most of the structures are in Freetown.

This is along the bay. So many tiny houses crammed together.

I hope you enjoyed the photos! I am enjoying ship life, although it does take a little adjusting (the constant rocking for one thing). Yesterday two friends and I ventured into the city for a little while. The sights and smells were quite alot to take in. Many women and children make their living by selling produce and other goods on the roadside. This ranges from peppers, mangoes, onions, rice, and beans, to jewelry, diapers, and flip-flops. It is especially hard to see children who look 5 or 6 years old selling things. It is so hard to look them in the eye and say that no, you cannot help them. Our adventure into town was cut short once the rains started up, and we were drenched! It was a good first outing.

Then today, I went with several friends and attended Evangel Baptist Church in the Waterloo area. Not only was church an adventure, but the trip there! It took well over an hour, and you often found yourself hanging on to the handles built for such rough travel. We went for a ways up a dirt road where water drains down in the rainy season. So it was quite a bumpy ride! The worship was African style, and I really enjoyed it. We were packed like sardines in the building, which was hot, and we sat on wood benches. I am so amazed at how these people praise God, despite the many hardships I know they have gone through. I cannot imagine the difficult things they have faced. And yet they still worship God, and haven't become angry or bitter. By the time church was over, I had been greeted by nearly every person in the church. They go to great lengths to make visitors feel welcome! The sweetest thing was when children would line up to be greeted by us. They would shake our hands, and we would talk to them a bit. I have to say that Sierra Leoneans are the most beautiful people I have ever seen. Today at church I couldn't help but but notice that every woman and child there was lovely. I felt so much respect for these women today. As I greeted some of them, you can't help but notice the graceful way they carry themselves, and the pride that keeps them standing tall. I truly admire them.

There are so many humorous things I could tell you! For instance, I have seen Obama's face on several T shirts being worn, or I have seen Madonna's face on the back of taxi's. Today I saw at least 23 people step out of one small van (poda poda). I couldn't stop laughing as they just kept coming! (I won't be laughing when I ride in a poda poda.) :D

Please keep me in your prayers. I begin this coming week working in the Hospitality Department!

God bless you!
Elizabeth

Wow...where to begin??

I truly cannot believe that I am here. I feel like I'm going to wake up at any moment, but I'm not! I think this all feels so surreal because a lot of time and thought has been spent in preparation. Another reason is because I was very sleep deprived upon arriving here. Thankfully, after 12 hours of sleep in a very comfortable bed, I feel rested!

My journey here was quite interesting. Although I have flown many times, this trip was unique because I was alone. Thankfully I had a new friend for part of the trip. I met Savannah who is a friend of a friend in DC. We had emailed just prior to the trip because we heard that each other was going. It was definitely a God thing that we were going at the same time. In retrospect, I don't see how I could've made it without her companionship. Although we didn't sit together on the planes, it was great just knowing someone who had the same destination as me!
The overnight flight to Belgium was definitely the worst part. We lost 6 hours due to the time changes, and 7 were actual flying, which equaled 13 hours. Sleeping was nearly impossible since you were sitting up...so I had about one hour. Needless to say, when we arrived in Belgium I felt quite groggy. Still, I was able to take in the beautiful scenery in Brussels. While in the Brussels airport, we met up with MANY more Mercy Ships folks. First we met Desleigh, an OR nurse, who is from Australia. I loved getting to talk to her and hear about what led her to Mercy Ships. Then there was Stefan, a student from Germany. Everyone knows him because of his dreadlocks. Kelly Blair "Mr. Potato Head" who is a surgeon and his wife and daughters. The Schwebel Family - the parents are chaplains onboard the ship, and the children have grown up here! There was also Maria from Holland, Andrew from England, and many others. I believe the total arriving last night was 23!

Our last stop on the way was in the Gambia, a small country above Sierra Leone. As we landed, I began to notice a major difference: there are no paved roads. Everywhere you looked there were only dirt roads. And of course there were very few cars. It was also the same in Sierra Leone. This helped me realize how rich America is as a nation. When flying in America, you see endless miles of interstates packed with millions of dollars of vehicles. Here, almost everyone walks, rides a motorcycle, or pays to ride the poda-poda (bus). So anyway, as we prepared to land in Sierra Leone, reality began to sink in. I could see an area along the coast which looked like a large slum, with thousands of shacks built side by side. All the homes were very small, and again, mostly dirt roads. I had only imagined what this would be like, and in many ways I had no idea! Once the plane landed, we walked down a stairway onto the pavement. The airport is really just a small building made of cinder blocks. It was quite hot inside, and the large crowd didn't help.

Once we passed through immigration, we waited about 45 mins. for our luggage...I was very relieve when it arrived! Then leaving the airport was, in my opinion, the scariest part of the whole trip. It's mostly because I'm not used to chaos, and that is the only way to describe it. There was a large crowd gathered outside - some selling things, some asking for money, and some looking for people. We finally got all of our luggage into a van (that had no windows) and squeezed ourselves into a few other vans. What everyone says about the crazy driving on African roads is true. It's basically free-for-all. You zigzag between lanes at whatever speed suits you. It someone (or an animal) is in the road, you beep your horn and don't slow down. I think I heard more horns yesterday in a hour than I hear in a year in the US! haha.

Driving down that dirt road to the ferry (around 5 miles) I just couldn't believe that people live in the homes that I saw. Some were cement, thin metal, or even dry palm branches. Since there is nothing to do inside the house, it seemed like almost everyone was outside either sitting watching cars go by, cooking, or the children were playing. Their homes were tiny, and had no windows. It's one thing to hear that people live in these conditions, but another to see it first hand. No prior reading or studying about Sierra Leone (or any third world country) could have prepared me for actually seeing it first-hand. Once we arrived at the ferry, again you had several locals who would try to sell you something, so I'd politely say no. I really enjoyed the ferry ride, and our group sat on the top deck. The wind was cool and the view was beautiful. From several miles away, we could see the Africa Mercy anchored by the coast.

Lastly, we got in Mercy Ships SUV's to get to the ships. To get there we had to drive through a bit of downtown Freetown. This made what I had seen earlier pale in comparison. The streets were packed with people, and our driver said this was light traffic! Again we wove in and out wherever we could. I can't wait to see the city in the daytime and really experience it. Once we arrived to the ship, we went up the gangway and were received by a sweet lady, Roses, who works in hospitality. After quick paperwork they took our pictures for our Mercy Ships IDs (of course we all looked wonderful after days of traveling)! Then they fed us a late dinner...I was so thankful because I felt famished. Then we were shown to our rooms. Mine is a 10-berth, but there is only 8 of us here currently. There was a sweet card, welcome note, and cookies waiting for me on my bed!

Today I found out that I will be working in the Hospitality department which involves giving tours, welcoming guests and new crew, cleaning guest cabins, cooking and waitressing for special occasions. I am quite excited to fill this role. I know it will take a while to learn everything - I am very confused about the layout of the ships. Everyone assures me that it only takes time. After only one day here, I am impressed and amazed at how the ship runs so smoothly. Everyone works together well even though there are many nationalities represented here. I love having to ask people what country they're from when I meet them! The ship is just buzzing with activity all day long whether it's surgeries taking place in the hospital, small groups in a lounge, or a meal in the dining room. I am proud to call this ship home for the next several months.

Tomorrow I am heading to Burrah Beach with Desleigh, Savannah, and a few other girls. I heard we will ride a poda-poda to get there. I'm so excited to get out in the city and learn more about the culture!

Wow, there is SO much more to tell you, but I'm sure you're already bored! Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. It is only because of those two things and God's grace that I have made it to the ship safely. I am so blessed to even have this opportunity!

God bless you!

Sierra Leone...what's that??

Ok. If you're anything like I was a few months ago, you may not know much about the country of Sierra Leone, much less where it is located. I decided to dig up a little information about this country to share with you.

Sierra Leone is a small country (republic) in

West Africa that borders Guinea and Liberia. It's capital is

Freetown, which is where the Africa Mercy is currently

docked through December. The population is 6 million: 60% muslim, 30% Christian, and 10% animist. The literacy rate is only 15-30%. It is one of the poorest countries in the world with over 70% of the population unemployed.

Sierra Leone was devastated by a civil war which lasted from 1991 to 2002, and killed tens of thousands of people. As a result of this, it is the poorest country in the world according to the Human Development Index. The average life expectancy is only 41 years!

Here are a few photos of Freetown. It is a city that is literally packed with people - 1.2 million people.

This is what the slums of Freetown look like. The largest slum in Sierra Leone, called "Kroo Bay" is home to over 6,000 people. Diseases like malaria run rampant in such cramped living quarters.

I know that I often take for granted all of the luxuries that we have in America. My upcoming trip to Sierra Leone will definitely be eye-opening and life changing. Please continue to pray as I'm preparing to leave in 24 days!

**Fundraising update: I have currently raised $2,650 out of $5,000. If you feel led to give, click HERE.

"We must go live to feed the hungry, stand beside the broken

We must go

Stepping forward keep us from just singing, move us into action

We must go"

-Tim Hughes "God of Justice"

Update time!

Well, I decided it was time to update (since there's only 2 months left) and let you all know how my planning is going. First off, I have received my passport!! This is just exciting by itself because of all the potential for traveling in the future. Second, I have purchased my plane ticket to Sierra Leone! :D The part that isn't fun is in a few day I am getting vaccinations like Yellow Fever, Polio, etc, and figuring out what malaria medication to take. :/

My fundraising has been blessed so far. *UPDATE* on June 26 - I have raised $2,137 out of the $5,000 that I need for the trip. I am confident that God will provide the rest of the needed funds.

The nice thing about this mission trip is that the money is not due in one huge chunk, but in increments. Before I leave in August, I do not have to have the full amount. As long as I have raised about $3,500 before I leave, then I can go and continue to raise money while I'm in Sierra Leone.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers! I know that I must be spiritually prepared for this adventure, because Satan will surely attack in any way he can. Thank you for the prayers and support!