'whatever you do for the least of these you do for me'

These are not easy times, but they are incredible times.

We delayed our departure to Benin so we could monitor the Ebola situation especially in nearby Nigeria. The Ebola cases in Lagos were less than 120 km from where our team was preparing for the ships arrival in nearby Porto Novo, (the capital of Benin) and Cotonou (the large port city). However, the Ebola situation in Nigeria was far from contained – as those who have being following the news will know. Therefore we took the decision to cancel the ships deployment to Benin for this year. This was a very difficult decision. But crew safety was important, and also a desire not to worsen the Ebola situation was at the forefront of our minds.

How could we worsen the Ebola situation? Our ship, offering free healthcare, acts like a large magnet. Many people travel great distances in search of help. Countries in West Africa are like Europe, where the national borders are easily crossed and are no barrier to people movement. We frequently care for people outside the host nation who come to the ship, desperately seeking help. So being in Cotonou Benin, where literally hundreds of people cross the border back and forth to Lagos, Nigeria each day, was considered not a wise idea. The best thing to control Ebola is to restrict the movement of people, not encourage it. 

Our Advance team have been in Benin since April preparing for the ships arrival. They have hired approximately 200 local people to help us and had begun training them. Literally hundreds of posters have been distributed, radio and TV announcements were advertising our main patient selection on September 9^th. Applications forms for our healthcare education programs have been collected and two large ship containers were in Benin full of equipment and supplies – ready and waiting for us. Suddenly it is all change.

For the last few weeks this same team have been packing up, and pulling out. The radio and TV announcements now tell people that the patient selection is cancelled. However, some people had already started turning up – so sad. The 200 people hired for the year are being told they will no longer have a job. Thankfully the newly renovated buildings that we would have used for our dental clinic and Hospital Out Patient Extension (HOPE) Centre will still be able to be used. So at least we have left something behind. But then again, I believe it really is more than just buildings that we have left behind.

On one level it seems like we went to Benin and gave the people hope, and then that hope was snuffed out. But that is only part of the picture. We will be back – just not sure when. Benin will remain in our hearts and prayers because Mercy Ships is committed to West Africa and we are committed to serving the poorest of the poor. And now after Ebola, this region will be poorer than ever, especially countries like Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. At times like these I take my hope from the words of Jesus,  ‘whatever you have done for the least of these you have done for me’. So every encounter, every smile, every hand shaken by our Advance Team was a Jesus encounter. A chance when love was shown, hope was sown, and an opportunity for more was born. It isn’t just about Mercy Ships bringing a hospital ship to a city. It is about people having hope for the future. The ship might not have come to Benin, but love did. Love in the form of a small team made up of 8 friends of mine, who poured heart and soul into Cotonou and the surrounding areas. Why? Ultimately because they believe in something bigger than Mercy Ships. They believe in a God who can bring hope and healing in ways the ship can't. Ways bigger than simply healthcare. They believe in a God who can make all things new. They believe love has a face and so do I. And that is one of the reasons I am here and why I do what I do.

And the great things about belief and faith like this is, that despite these very sad, very real, and very devasting consequences of Ebola – love still has a face. Every encounter is a Jesus encounter. My heart goes out to the people of Benin, I have been there twice before and I was looking forward to going there again. And I pray for the opportunity to return. But meanwhile, God is expanding our territory. No longer is Mercy Ships limited to West and Central Africa – we are now headed to East Africa. We will be serving the people of Madagascar instead. They are excited about the opportunity to host us and we are excited to be going. Sadness on one hand for Benin, but on the other hand - so thankful for the opportunity to spread our surgery and capacity building efforts to another part of Africa, Madagascar……here we come.

Extra note: ‘Love has a Face’ is also the title of a book by Michele Perry, which I highly recommend.

Ebola

Mercy Ships made this public announcement a few days ago (August 8^th).  But things change rapidly and since then there have been several suspected cases of Ebola in Cotonou.

As our hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, prepares to leave for its ten-month mission to perform life-changing surgeries and train local healthcare professionals in Benin, West Africa, Mercy Ships continues to be acutely aware of the Ebola situation in the region. The organization is taking appropriate steps to protect its volunteers and staff. In April, Mercy Ships redirected its upcoming mission from Guinea to Benin out of caution for the safety of its crew. Benin has no reported cases of Ebola.

The Africa Mercy is the world’s largest civilian hospital ship, designed to operate as a surgical specialty hospital. It is not configured to provide the type of treatment required by Ebola patients. In addition to having changed its itinerary, Mercy Ships has also implemented strict travel restrictions to the affected areas and will continue to monitor the situation closely, making programmatic adjustments as needed.

Founder Don Stephens commented, “The well-being of our patients and dedicated crew is our greatest priority. It is fundamental to our continued service to the forgotten poor in Africa. Our prayers go out for the countries impacted by Ebola. These are places and people we know well because we have served them in multiple visits over more than two decades.”

Even if the suspected cases in Benin test negative, the threat remains real. We were due to set sail for Cotonou, Benin later this week but we have decided to postpone our departure for two weeks. Simultaneously we are making contingencies plans and praying for God to intervene and curb this epidemic.

For those of you who have been following Mercy Ships and/or Ebola, you will know the epidemic began in Guinea earlier this year, and rapidly spread to the neighboring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Since then it has spread further through West Africa, where like Europe, travel across national borders for people from the region is easy. No visa’s are needed, the borders are porous. Although now there are reports of travel restrictions and various countries in the region have declared ‘state emergencies’.

Mercy Ships was originally planning to go to Guinea for ten months starting this august. But the Ebola outbreak in Guinea unfortunately meant we had to change plans at the last minute and divert to Benin. Last minute changes are a lot of work and our team currently in Benin has been working hard for the last four months building relationships and making everything ready for us to serve there. With confirmed cases of Ebola in Lagos, Nigeria approximately 2 hours away the possibility of confirmed cases in Cotonou is very real either now or in the future until this outbreak is under control. For those reading this who are intending to work with us in the next field service, know that crew safety is the highest priority for Mercy Ships.

The Ebola outbreak is unprecedented.

It is an extraordinary situation, and extraordinary situations require extraordinary solutions.  

So please pray for wisdom for me and the senior leaders of the organisation as we decide the best way forward.  The safety of our crew IS the priority. Our mission IS to follow the 2000 year old model of Jesus bringing help and healing to the forgotten poor. These two statements are not incompatible, even in the face of Ebola, and I will use all the skills that God has given me to ensure we do both to the highest level possible.

Learning French

I spent the month of June in Lausanne learning French. There were moments when I really thought, ‘this is one of the hardest things I have ever done!’ and then other moments when I was overwhelmed by the beauty of things I was experiencing.

Why French? For the most part, Mercy Ships works in Francophone countries in West Africa. The working language on board our ship is English, but for training doctors and nurses on the land we must work in French. One can use an interpreter but to make lasting relationships you need to connect with people and that requires communication. I know communication is more than simply the spoken word, it is also actions, for example, the words we ‘say’ with our smile or our touch. But words do bring extra depth. They permit sharing thoughts and feelings, emotions, all the things we treasure in a relationship. And without them, there is only so far a relationship can go.

In a teaching context, I can teach knowledge and skills using an interpreter, and attitude can be modelled. But if I (or you) reflect back on the people who have influenced us most in our professional or personal lives, it isn’t just the academic things you remember people for. Often it is because someone took a personal interest in you, and somehow helped you discover more about yourself and released you to fulfil your potential. It is personal, and that is why I want to learn French. To give to the people we train, something more than just academic knowledge, to get to know them as people and encourage them to reach higher than they dreamed before.

Why Lausanne? Simply because Mercy Ships has an office here and I have friends here. What a good decision that was – I had no idea how much I would need a good friend beside me. I was told recently that I talk a lot….I wasn’t aware that I did….but now I know it is true! When I arrived here and couldn’t speak, it felt like I was suddenly muted. When you can’t speak, you can’t express yourself. Normally I love meeting new people and enjoy finding out who they are or discussing things in a work context. But that was impossible. And it felt so un-natural not to say anything. There are those people who will go out for an evening with friends and not really say anything…..I am not one of them…..but I became one of them…and it felt awkward. Also, I am not a natural linguist. I found scientific things much easier at school, and I am also a little bit tone deaf. So, if I hear a music note, I can’t reproduce it. That makes it a bit tricky learning a new language. The French sounds ‘en’, ‘on’ and ‘an’ are not easy for me to hear the difference, let alone reproduce it when I speak, neither are the verb endings –é and –ais. Some of you reading this will be laughing….but it is true. I have really found this difficult.

I was in language school from 8.30 – 14.30 and would come home and do 2-3 hours of homework and practice. In many ways I worked harder than I did for some of my medical exams. But I absolutely loved it, although there were days when I found myself in tears. The feeling of being mute, and incapable of expressing myself was humbling. Every single day I was out of my comfort zone, and I didn’t want just to resort to speaking English, which would have been so easy here, as everybody speaks English! I set my standards high and gave myself little challenges like getting my haircut and speaking to the hair dresser in French ! And gradually despite the tears, I could see my progress. I was actually surprised how quickly my oral and written comprehension improved. Speaking though was, and still is slow…..the brain has to think so much quicker when you speak! Especially someone like me who likes to speak! 

I have been very lucky to be living with a friend, during the 4 weeks at language school. Sophie is from Lausanne, and we worked together on the ship for almost a year. She has been (and still is) a faithful and committed friend. She was generous with her time, driving me all the way into the city centre for my first day at school, and then helping me find my way around the city to various other meetings for Mercy Ships. She was patient with me, speaking French slowly at home most evenings, but still allowing me to speak in English when I was tired or frustrated! She graciously included me in most of her social activities with her friends and family and church. There I heard French spoken continuously and everyone was extremely welcoming. I also enjoyed meeting with the staff in the Swiss Mercy Ships office and I think they valued being able to meet a doctor from the ship. Several of Sophie’s family would also often correct my poor grammar in a way that was kind, helpful and not destructive. We did many fun things on the weekend such as climbing mountains; going to the Carabana Music Festival & Montreux Jazz Festival, eating fondue, drinking rose, celebrating Philippe and Francoise’s 40^th wedding anniversary, watching French movies and the World Cup. More than all I could ask or imagine. Good memories of beautiful experiences adding immeasurable value to the language learning.

So after 4 weeks I have learnt some French, and have acquired the necessary tools to help me with the next steps of increasing my fluidity in speaking and expanding my vocabulary. And instead of just ‘gritting my teeth’ and surviving, I have many precious memories of time with a friend and her family. 

After the rain, when there is sun, a rainbow appears. After my tears, there was joy, and then heaven appeared. I think that this month, I found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.