We finally made it into port about a week ago, but not before the engines gave out right outside the port entrance. We had to float around one extra day to be able to fix everything that had beforehand been working just fine. This is not the first time our ship has had trouble entering this VOODOO capital of the world. We had trouble with crash landing incididents both in 2000 and 2004 I believe. Only in this country... Coincidence???
Well I can definatly tell you it lives up to being "the armpit" of Africa as temperatures outside the ship, with humidity, come to around 100 degrees F daily. I was surprisingly a bit timid to step out of the ship again and begin exploring, but after several good adventures venturing block by block until I finally got to town and beyond, I feel my love and excitment for all the magic Africa holds coming back again. I have to brace myself not to pick up and kidnap every stickin CUTE kid i see. Not speaking a lick of French is a bit aggrivating as it really keeps you from being able to participate fully in the culture, but a handful of English speaking locals or Liberians have come and greeted us warmly. I feel very safe here, besides the hundreds of mottos zooming by in unorganized chaos :) We have seen families up to 5 people on one tiny moto zipping around town! No helmets, crashing here and there... a nurses nightmare. We have been asked not to use this form of transportation if at all possible so that means we are all getting out our walkin' shoes!
I will try to put Google Earth of our Port on here. If you zoom in you can see quite a bit of the area that was taken before our ship came, including the little fishing canoes that neighbor us :) 
Just outside the Port gates I have already run into a woman with a cataract, a boy with a facial tumor, and a little girl with rickets. The rumor about Mercy Ship's arrival is starting to spread and it is exciting to actually walk past poverty and illness and be able to say "We CAN do something about that". Its more exciting and refreshing than I can even express! I keep papers in my pocket that have information about our screening days coming up this week. On Thursday and Friday of this week we will hand out hundreds of free surgical appointment dates to the canidates that fit our visiting surgeon's abilities. Since the last time I was onboard, a Pediatric Surgeon has come that can do some Gastrointestinal surgeries that we in the past had to say NO too.
My job was to take the lab work off the future patients after their assessment, but I have been asked to switch to being in charge of water management in the long waiting lines, making sure everyone is well hydrated and not passing out. It is very hot and chaotic on these days. Please pray that God gives me wisdom in how best to manage this task and the people on my team. It is however an answer to prayer, because handing someone a cool glass of water and a smile is a universal communication, that even fluent French cannot touch. P.S. I was told they do NOT like to stay in lines so PLEASE pray for our security teams and for organization; Also please say a prayer for those whom we have to say NO to because of medical problems that are beyond our ships specialties. These people are desperate and will repeatedly get back into line after beeing seen by a surgeon and told there is nothing we are able to do for them. It is a crazy emotional day!
Well I can definatly tell you it lives up to being "the armpit" of Africa as temperatures outside the ship, with humidity, come to around 100 degrees F daily. I was surprisingly a bit timid to step out of the ship again and begin exploring, but after several good adventures venturing block by block until I finally got to town and beyond, I feel my love and excitment for all the magic Africa holds coming back again. I have to brace myself not to pick up and kidnap every stickin CUTE kid i see. Not speaking a lick of French is a bit aggrivating as it really keeps you from being able to participate fully in the culture, but a handful of English speaking locals or Liberians have come and greeted us warmly. I feel very safe here, besides the hundreds of mottos zooming by in unorganized chaos :) We have seen families up to 5 people on one tiny moto zipping around town! No helmets, crashing here and there... a nurses nightmare. We have been asked not to use this form of transportation if at all possible so that means we are all getting out our walkin' shoes!
I will try to put Google Earth of our Port on here. If you zoom in you can see quite a bit of the area that was taken before our ship came, including the little fishing canoes that neighbor us :) Just outside the Port gates I have already run into a woman with a cataract, a boy with a facial tumor, and a little girl with rickets. The rumor about Mercy Ship's arrival is starting to spread and it is exciting to actually walk past poverty and illness and be able to say "We CAN do something about that". Its more exciting and refreshing than I can even express! I keep papers in my pocket that have information about our screening days coming up this week. On Thursday and Friday of this week we will hand out hundreds of free surgical appointment dates to the canidates that fit our visiting surgeon's abilities. Since the last time I was onboard, a Pediatric Surgeon has come that can do some Gastrointestinal surgeries that we in the past had to say NO too.
My job was to take the lab work off the future patients after their assessment, but I have been asked to switch to being in charge of water management in the long waiting lines, making sure everyone is well hydrated and not passing out. It is very hot and chaotic on these days. Please pray that God gives me wisdom in how best to manage this task and the people on my team. It is however an answer to prayer, because handing someone a cool glass of water and a smile is a universal communication, that even fluent French cannot touch. P.S. I was told they do NOT like to stay in lines so PLEASE pray for our security teams and for organization; Also please say a prayer for those whom we have to say NO to because of medical problems that are beyond our ships specialties. These people are desperate and will repeatedly get back into line after beeing seen by a surgeon and told there is nothing we are able to do for them. It is a crazy emotional day!
