African Birthday

Last Saturday I celebrated the 4th anniversary of my 25th birthday (otherwise known as my 29th birthday, but I choose not to refer to it as such). My parents sent me a package in the mail, and it arrived two days before my actual birthday. It was so much fun to receive mail in Africa that it was all I could do not to open it until Saturday. At 12:01 A.M., I opened my package and was excited to receive cards from my parents, grandparents, brothers (actually 4 from Ryan...haha), aunts, uncles, and cousins. They also sent new earbuds for my iPod, two DVDs, a CD, and an Auburn toothbrush (hey, if that's the only way to support my tigers from Africa, then I will brush my teeth with my War Eagle toothbrush with pride). :)

My friends on the ship made the day really fun as well...

Jamie and Kelly decorated my cabin door.

Several of us went to dinner at Bangkok Terrace, a Thai restaurant in town.

Leah and Becca had a little trouble eating with chopsticks.

Not Danae and I--we couldn't get enough of our delicious Paddthai.

Christina, Julle, and me

Then we came back to the ship for cake. Julle baked a cake in the shape of a flower, with homemade buttercream frosting...yum! Needless to say, there weren't any leftovers.

I had such a great day! I'm so thankful for wonderful friends and family who made my first African birthday one of my favorites! Love you all!

God Hears

My students have been studying ancient Mesopotamia, and we started by exploring which modern countries occupy the area today. My plan was for us to learn a little about each country and pray for those countries throughout the unit. I have to be honest. My initial motive for praying for each country was more about adding some variety to our social studies lessons than it was about compassion for the people of these nations. Thankfully, God knows how to bring about His good results despite my bad motivations.

On Monday, we learned that most of ancient Mesopotamia was located in what is now Iraq. We also learned that out of a population of almost 29 million people, 97% of Iraqis are Muslim. That's 28 million people who do not understand, and may not have ever heard, the truth of the Gospel. And that’s just one country out of a world of 6.8 billion people.

It hit me that day that if I really believed what I say I believe, I would be doing something. At the very least, I would be praying (and not just as part of a lesson plan). In all honesty, those are still just numbers and statistics in my head. But they really aren't numbers and statistics; they're people. People who don't have a relationship with Christ, and who will spend an eternity apart from Him if they continue in unbelief. I know this in my head, but my actions testify that I do not believe it in my heart. Either I don't believe it, or I’m too wrapped up in my own little world to care. It’s probably the latter, and that's even worse.

So we prayed. In class, my students prayed for the Iraqi Muslims and for the believers in Iraq. By myself, I prayed that God would help me believe...really believe...and love the Iraqi people enough to at least genuinely pray for them. That was Monday.

Tuesday was back to business as usual. (How quickly I forget.)

On Wednesday, we had our weekly community meeting on the ship. Each week, we take up an offering for a different need—sometimes a need of someone in the local community, sometimes a need on the ship, and sometimes a need far away. Can you guess what our offering for this week supports? God put it on someone's heart that this week the Mercy Ships crew needs to donate to a church in Iraq! There has been a recent outbreak of attacks on churches around Baghdad and Mosul, and the donation will help one church restore its building from the devastation caused by two car bombs. (If you'd like to know more, the following news articles give details about the recent church bombings: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/07/13/iraq.church.bombings/index.html, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8146922.stm, and http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=15827.)

God's timing is so amazing. What a testimony to my students (and to me) that God hears our prayers and responds. Now not only do we have the opportunity to pray for the believers in Iraq, we have the opportunity to give too. Please join my students and me as we pray for restoration of this church, protection from future attacks, wisdom for its leaders, and a spirit of grace and forgiveness for the believers so that others may come to know Christ through their actions.

African Church

On Sunday several of us went to one of the local churches. The people were extremely friendly and hospitable. One of the pastors spoke English, so he translated the service the entire time. African church is very different from church in the U.S. For one thing, the services are much longer (averaging around 4 hours). Several different people give a message, not just one pastor. Praise and worship is much more energetic. They had all of us dancing up front during a few songs!

I really enjoyed the messages, the worship, and the people. I definitely want to go back soon!

Life in 4th and 5th Grade

I've been hesitant to share too much about my role on the ship simply because it involves the children onboard. However, I feel like I never write about what I actually do here. I decided to ask the parents if they would mind if I shared some photos from class, and they graciously granted permission. Without further ado, I'd love to introduce you to my fourth and fifth grade class!

Sharing our "My Culture" projects... From left: Noah, Nate, Jan, Jana, Elliot, Josh, and Josie

Acting out our Bible memory verse...
Vocabulary Pictionary

Examining rocks and minerals with magnifying glasses...

Writing an essay...

Sharing our writing...


After all this hard work, sometimes we need to take a silly break!

Aren't they adorable? They definitely keep me on my toes!

I can't end this post without sharing a story that makes me smile every time I think about it. Birthdays are kind of a big deal in our class. Earlier this week, one of my fourth graders began his prayer with, "Dear Lord, I wanna thank you so much for birthdays. I thank you so much that Noah is turning 10--WOW, HALLELUJAH!--and thank you that he will be able to go through the line by himself in the dining hall..."

It's always the little things--WOW, HALLELUJAH! :)

Clouds over Josué are Lifted

The following patient story was written by Richard Brock, writer for Mercy Ships.


For Cécile, a 26-year-old tailor, the birth of her second son, Josué, was a momentous occasion. The tragic memory of the death of her first-born child was slightly alleviated by the arrival of a second joyful baby boy. Yet, after only six weeks, Josué’s health, too, deteriorated, and Cécile became fearful of losing another child.

A milky layer began to form over both of Josué’s eyes, affecting his vision. Cécile did not understand what was happening to her newborn son. Her husband and family were also baffled. Her in-laws decided that the only possible explanation was that Cécile was cursed. Because this was the second of Cécile’s children to experience health problems, her in-laws were convinced that she had brought evil into their house. So, they told Cécile to leave and return to her own parents.


Distraught and confused, Cécile left the house with Josué. “I became very anxious and felt completely helpless and depressed,” she said. “My in-laws accused me, but never did they question that, if this was a curse, could it possibly come from their own son – my husband?”

But Cécile did not return to the house of her parents. Instead, she remembered an advertisement she had seen on the television about an organization called Mercy Ships. Deep down, she believed that somebody onboard the “big ship” in Cotonou could help her. And she was right!

After a four-hour journey in a taxi to the busy streets of Cotonou, Cécile and Josué ventured onboard the Africa Mercy where Dr. Glenn Strauss, Senior Vice President of Health Care Initiatives and a renowned ophthalmic surgeon, assessed Josué’s tiny, clouded eyes. The conclusion was that Josué had bilateral congenital cataracts and would require surgery in order to save his sight. “The cataracts were not grossly obvious, but they were certainly there from birth,” said Dr. Strauss.

Josué is the youngest patient to receive cataract surgery in the history of Mercy Ships. At only three months old, there were certain risks in attempting the surgery. “Children under one year of age have an increased risk in eye surgery, particularly relating to the cornea and the inflammation of the eye,” Dr. Strauss explained. “It’s a microsurgical procedure, and an eye that is half the size of an adult eye increases the challenge of surgical manipulation.” He continued, “But it’s better to do this surgery sooner rather than later to decrease the chance of amblyopia (lazy eye).”

A few days later, Cécile sat with Josué in her lap as Dr. Strauss examined the results of the delicate procedure he had performed to remove the cataracts. The outcome was extremely positive. “Josué was in very good health, which is important because congenital cataracts are often associated with many other congenital complications – such as heart, lung, and neurological problems,” said Dr. Strauss. “His eyes were properly aligned, and there was no involuntary movement. It looked like he would gain good vision during recovery.”

Now that Josué’s cataracts have been removed, Cécile says the family is happy again, adding, “This situation has surprised them and made them realise that it was not definitely a curse.”

The clouds that covered Josué’s eyes have lifted. The work of Mercy Ships has given a young boy a bright future and has restored his mother’s hope. “My heart is refreshed and calm,” Cécile said with a smile. “I pray that this child will become a great man and care for me in my old age.”

“I’m very thankful for Mercy Ships. What the enemy said about my baby was stopped. God changed things. He used a specialist to help my baby. May God be glorified, and may this work continue and be a blessing to many people. I believe that this ship is the glory of God,” Cécile concluded.

Written by Richard Brock
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photographs by PJ Accetturo & Megan Petock

Olympic Gold!

Onboard the Africa Mercy, we are always looking for free ways to entertain ourselves when we aren't working. Two weeks ago, we held our own version of the Olympics. Meet my team, the Average Joe's:

No, we don't normally dress or pose like this. :)

presenting our team chant...

A few of our competitors:

the Tooth Fairies (aka dental team)...

the Lost Boys...second star to the right and straight on 'til morning!

the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (remember Veggie Tales?)...

the Warriors...

Team TERSH...

the Super Squirrels...

And many more...Let the games begin!

Here I am being lifted through the "ring of fire."

Group Skiing

How long can our whole team balance on a block of wood?

Round Robin Ping Pong

victory picture after setting the new ping pong score-to-beat

blind-folded search

And first place with the highest number of overall points goes to...THE AVERAGE JOE'S!!!

Allez les ecureuils!

Go squirrels!

Earlier this month, Benin played Ghana in the World Cup Preliminaries. Although this is not the type of football I am used to (football to the rest of the world is soccer to Americans), I haven't been able to support my Auburn Tigers very well, so I figured the Benin Squirrels would be a close second. :) It's funny how with everything I do in Africa, the world gets a little bit smaller. A sporting event looks pretty much the same here as it does in the States.

From the flags flying en route to the big game...

to the game day traffic...

to the crazy fans...

to the crowded stadium...

to the pre-game celebration...

to the singing of the national anthem...

to the friends...

to the gameday shirts (This one says "Go Squirrels of Benin!")...

to the star players...

to the victory celebration...

to the connection with strangers simply because you are cheering for the same team.

Allez les ecureuils!

Ever miss a deadline?

Our principal sent us this cartoon recently, and I thought it was hilarious. We have just finished our first quarter of school, and it's been a crazy couple weeks. Between grading, finalizing report cards, and getting ready for parent conferences, I haven't had much time for blogging. Sorry about that! I promise I'll post a real update in the next few days. Until then, I hope you laugh as hard at this cartoon as I did. :)