Can we be serious please?

For real... is this really work? :) Thank you everyone at Duke PICU for letting me come experience these fun days with the patients on Mercy Ships!

Fredrick and I being a blowfish :)

This is dear Francisca- a miracle to say the least. This young teenage girl suffered from a condition called Noma. Noma is a disorder that causes sudden, rapidly progressive tissue destruction. The mucous membranes (e.g., gums, lining of the cheeks) become inflamed and develop ulcers . The infection spreads from the mucous membranes to the skin. The tissues in the lips and cheeks die. Rapid, painless tissue breakdown continues and this gangrenous process can destroy the soft tissue and bone. After multiple surgeries and some very bleak days, Francisca is healing and has blossomed into a beautiful, happy, giggly young girl. Pray for her as she will have many days of adjustment after her time here on Mercy Ships.

"My boys": From left, Daniel, Robert and Fredrick looking out at the ships in the harbor.

Daniel's tro-tro! I have had many many rides on this. We always go round and round in circles up on deck and make up cities and little places that we "are going to". Daniel is still here on board as his hand still needs healing before he can go home. A couple years ago, Daniel fell into hot oil and was badly burned. He has lost parts of his fingers and had burn contractures. If he went home now, the risk of infection would be great- and there would not be any medical followup for him in his area. So for now, he gets daily dressing changes and in the meantime, we play on Aft deck, wear out the UNO card game and watch lots of movies. He has taught me the majority of my African songs and I have taught him nursing skills :)

Daniel's friend below is Joseph. He was first seen by Mercy Ships 10 years ago for a palatoplasty. He is a kind young man and has been a great addition to the pediatric patients we have on board. His mom, Merci, and I have had some great conversations. She is a devout believer and has such a kind and gentle spirit. I have really enjoyed getting to know them.

Oh dear... really Kristen, can you please take your job seriously? Some professionalism would be nice please :)

"A joyful heart is good medicine"...

~Proverbs 17:22a

Polyclinic and a Sad Goodbye

Our Tema Polyclinic is almost finished- but still there's a lot to be done before the opening ceremony in early February. During my first week here, I was able to go for a site tour of our Community Development Service Projects- one of which was the Tema Polyclinic. The demand for maternity health care is great in Tema. With the addition of this new clinic, more patients will be able to receive proper care covering everything from prenatal checkups to delivery. So Tuesday, I put on my bandanna, rolled up my sleeves and set out to do some painting! :) Yes, my job was the ceiling, and that is a large drop of paint that landed on my forehead before the picture was taken.

The picture below shows some of the crew. Naomi and I were the volunteers this particular day. We worked alongside the Ghanaian day workers, and the Mercy Ships CDS team.

Here I'm showing off my Martha Stewart skills :) I think she would be proud.



We look like a good team don't we? :) That afternoon for lunch we were served a very traditional Ghanaian lunch. White rice with fish curry. Then the special treat: either a fish head or tail. I took the tail :)

One of my dear friends here on Mercy Ships has served in both housekeeping and on the CDS polyclinic team for the past 6 weeks and left for his Australian home this past weekend. We miss you Karl!

Here we are having fun with some of our bestest buddies up on Aft deck. Right before this picture, Robert, the young man to the left, threw one of the playground balls overboard :) Oh Robert... but believe it or not, Karl came up with a crazy plan, and now the ball is back safe and sound on board.

So after Aft, we all held a goodbye party for our Aussie mate on the bow of the ship- lovingly referred to by me as "the pointy end" of the ship. I've never been one for technical terms. :) Bonus points go out to Kat and Andrea as they created a very colorful and tasty chocolate cake~

Well, it's not a wrap around porch and Cracker Barrel rocking chairs- but we managed to find some cozy spots to sit on :) I think mine ended up being one of the best!

Have a safe trip home Karl! We miss you and are praying for you!

Yahweh-shalom

A dear friend of my family, Pastor Bill from my home church in PA, shared Yahweh-shalom with me in an email during my preparation months for Africa. So I wanted to share it with you all as it has served as a comfort to me these last two weeks. Yahweh-shalom means, "God is peace".

Our dear friend and brother, Kee Thapa, passed away two weeks ago in his sleep. He had been serving with Mercy Ships for the past 6 months as a security guard and was due to go back home to Nepal the following day. Please remember his family during this difficult time as he leaves behind a wife and young daughter. Kee's death was a solemn reminder to our crew of the brevity of life and how quickly the Lord can choose to take us. Kee's death marked the beginning of two very hard weeks here on board. The next evening, one of our crew members took a nasty fall and was transferred for surgery on his leg. There have been multiple malaria cases among the staff here, all of which has kept our medical team very busy on top of an unusually heavy work load.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. 1 Peter 3:12a

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Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

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Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am among them. Matthew 18:20

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Thank you all for your prayers; they are the ropes that uphold the ministry. For me personally, I just want to say that through it all, the Lord is good, and He is indeed peace. When things seem chaotic, and hardships come, it is when I spend time bringing those things to Him in prayer, He reminds me that He holds all these circumstances in His hands.

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Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:4-7

Cape Coast

In 1957 Ghana became the first black African nation to gain independence from British colonial rule. Today, Ghana is the leading developed country in West Africa. Everywhere you look, you will see evidence of the colorful and hospitable Ghanaian culture. Yet, years ago, the Ghanaian people were not so free. In the 1600s, the British built castles and forts signifying the beginning of many years of gold searching and slave trade. The history of this place, Cape Coast, is painful and horrid at best. Today, it's hard to imagine that over 20 million African's died in this place as a result of slave trade. Cape Coast was the main site of slave export to the Americas, Caribbean, and Europe. Below: British Castle



Below: This was the site out of my hotel window. Today, this area is a bustling fishing village.



This is the view from the courtyard of the British castle. For being built in the 1600s, the architecture of this place was beautiful and grand indeed.

This was one of the 3 major dungeons. They consisted of the: male, female and condemned dungeons. Each door led down to multiple huge holding rooms where the slaves were kept until sent out to the ships.

Here our guide is sharing with us about the gruesome treatment these slaves endured. As I walked down these corridors, the Civil War took on a new light in my mind. I had never before imagined what these people had endured before coming to the states. The British soldiers raped the women and then demanded that the sons bear their own names. "a son of William" became Williamson, the last name of the boy when he was sent over to the Americas.

Dad- for some reason, I think you will chuckle at this picture. :)

The picture above is of the "door of no return". From the holding dungeons, the slaves were then forced through a long tunnel out to this door. The tunnel was filled with sharp glass and pottery that made it very difficult to pass through. Many of the men and women were too weak to make it through this tunnel. For the ones that could not make it, they were taken to the dungeon of the condemned where they met their deaths. For those who were successful, they walked through the "door of no return" to meet an unknown fate on the other side of the Atlantic.

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The picture below depicts two of my explorer buddies: Karl (my Australian mate that will be going back home this week) and Ben Cubbage, (my American buddy from Silver Spring, Maryland).

Ben was a guide along the Appalachian trail during the last two years. On Mercy Ships, he is working with local prisoners doing agriculture training. This ministry trains these men and women to raise rabbits, to do bee keeping and gardening. These are very culturally applicable and will give these individuals a trade to practice after they serve their prison terms.

These are some of the shackles saved from the era of slave trade.

Overlooking the castle wall out to the Atlantic.

This is now the sight you see when you step through the "door of no return" :)

My dear Aussie buddy here: Kat.

As you can see, my flip flop died... may it rest in peace. After many attempts of resuscitation, I gave up and did some local Ghanaian shoe shopping. My new "friend" and I bartered back and forth till finally I was able to buy some new fashionable local wear for a fair price. :)

On our way home, we were able to do a canopy walk! Suspended over 40 meters high in this jungle was a suspended rope bridge. It took over 3o minutes to get through the whole thing. It was so much fun- probably the closest experience I will ever have to swinging from tree top to tree top ;)

A great weekend of learning and reflection and fun.

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It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galations 5:1

Shai Hills

Over Christmas break, the ship was not near as busy, and I was able to enjoy seeing Ghana's countryside and learn more of her history. Today we took off to Shai Hills- approximately a 40 minute drive from Tema port. Daniella, Andrea, Kallie and I piled in back of the Land Rover and off we went. :) I must say, I did feel a little "caged in".

In Ghana, there is not much opportunity to see the wildlife you usually associate with Africa, but here in Shai Hills, there are some baboons to see. This one found a very unique hang out spot:




We drove through the park "safari style" and was able to see much of the countryside. So much fun~




An hour hike takes you high into the mountain side where you can see for miles around. Years ago, these hills and caves housed African tribes as you will see evidence of later on. :)




As you walk along the trail, there are many worn rocks that look like mortars, or bowls. These rocks were in fact used as such to grind down various ingredients to make food, medicine, etc.



Rock walls are seen as you approach the caves, bordering the area where the tribe lived. These caves served as a great source of protection from predators and the elements.

I think in this picture, I'm thinking, "Now how do I get up there?" :) I never did figure it out. Next to where I am standing was a smaller cave where the tribal chief slept. It was tucked away from everything else.

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures! This week we will be getting our new VVF patients, and I will be going through additional medical training before they come. In a further post, I will share with you about these amazing women we will be serving.