The big question continues

So, as promised, here is the continuation of “The big question”. (drum roll please…) Another event that has taken place here on board is a dance party on deck 8 for the birthdays of 3 crew members. And this wasn’t just any dance party, this was a costume dance party. Now, another question you may ask when looking at the pictures from the party is “where do people, living on a ship, in Africa, get all this stuff!” My honest answer would be “I have no idea!” I do know that people come up with some pretty amazing stuff with things that can be found around the ship, in the boutique and at the clothing and material markets here in Benin.

Around 7:30 people started showing up. I was dressed as Pippi Longstocking, Bess was there as a gypsy, and a couple of my other friends were there dressed as a clown, the tin man, a skater chic and twin mimes. A few minutes later the Joker came walking up the stairs, and let me tell you, we were genuinely terrified! Not surprisingly he placed second in the best costume, only after Mario and Luigi. A few minutes after the party officially started, Bess noticed that John wasn’t there yet. She asked me if I knew why he was late and I told her that he was probably going to make as grand entrance, as him and 3 other guys were dressed as Spartans from the film “300”. Sure enough, a few minutes after the party had officially started, the Spartan army (a very small division of them anyway,) came marching in from behind, and assumed battle formation, swords, shields, spears, skirts…oops I mean battle kilts, and all. After shouting their profession, and letting loose with a mighty battle cry, they joined the rest of the party guests in dancing, chatting and eating cupcakes.

Some of the other creative costumes that night included a box of cheerio’s, a couple of nerds, a light-eating robot and a ghost buster. Charlie Brown was also present, along with a flight attendant, a thug, a mad scientist and we even found Waldo! Everyone from Jr. high up to…well lets just say those waaaaay out of school, were there, and seemed to have a great time dancing and socializing under the stars. Earlier in the year there was another birthday party that was also a dance party, an 80’s dance party and this time it was mix of a little bit of everything. Bored people on a ship in West Africa can come up with a lot of fun things to do!

Once again, there may be a continuation…maybe I should make it a weekly blog…hmmm….

Alanah

P.S. Don’t take that thing about bored people the wrong way…I wouldn’t want to turn anyone off from coming to see us!

Remember

The past several years have seen us celebrating Rememberance Day in Paraguay, South America, Texas USA and this year here in Benin, West Africa. As we were driving to the ship this morning we thought of John McCraes famous poem, In Flanders Field. In schools and at Cenotaphs all around Canada ceremonies will most likely include these famous words. I have included a copy of the poem below…Lest we Forget

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Academy Mid Terms and Open House

Mid Term exams were written in mid October and reports were released Oct 21st. As homeschooling parents, we had some hesitation as to how well we have been doing with our childrens education. We have been encouraged by some great test and assignment results and now we have concrete evidence that Alanah, John and Bess’ hard work and adjustments to a new school situation have paid off. Their report cards are filled with A’s and B’s and the teachers comments both on the report and during Parent-Teacher interviews are positive and encouraging. Here are a few of the comments.

Alanah’s Bible, Math and IT teacher, Tommy Farrell states “She is an excellent team player, working well with others in whatever role she is given to produce the school newspaper. Her responses in the Bible course have displayed a maturity and honesty that has, at times humbled me as her teacher. It has been a genuine privilege to contribute towards her understanding of her faith.”

Kim Robinson English and Speech Teacher says, “John is a deliberate and thoughtful student. He is becoming increasingly well organized in both his time and materials, and in his thinking and writing. I am seeing marked improvement. He is sincere and competent. I enjoy teaching him!”

Ben Calvert Phys Ed teacher says, “Bess is a naturally quiet student and has a great understanding of activities and abstract principles. She accomplishes skills above the required standard but her real talent is in teamwork and sportsmanship.”

We have an amazing staff and they are available to our kids anytime and they are great encouragers and role models for our kids.

Just a few weeks ago the Academy held an Open House for the crew of the Africa Mercy. Normally the Academy is off limits as it is a fully functioning school and we do not want our kids and staff to be on ‘display’, so an Open House is held so crew that are curious can tour the classes, enjoy some homebaked cookies, observe science projects and a sampling of the students work is also available to see. On this particular night the Senior Phys Ed class also did some Judo demonstrations out on Deck 7.

Alanah will be writing her ACT on the 21st of this month and then the kids will be heading into final exams at the end of the month and the semester will be over by the time the ship sails in early December. Please pray for each of them as they prepare and write their exams. Test taking is still quite new to them and the teachers have encouraged and offered help and suggestions for studying etc. We are truly blessed and thankful for all the work our teachers do. It is difficult to remove yourself from your job and students when you live mere steps away from one another and share meals together in the same dining room! That is it for now. Alanah has some more interesting blogs to share and I may try to upload the school newspaper that Tommy mentioned in Alanahs report…The Box Ship News.

All for Jesus
The Palmers

The big question…

A lot of people ask what 400 people on a ship do for fun on the weekends.  Well, besides giving local businesses a LOT of business, people come up with a lot of fun stuff—sometimes crazy things, like squirting people on the dock from deck 8 with a super soaker—and some things are a little more organized.  A couple weekends ago we had one such day of organized shenanigans (thank you Sarah for the great word).  This event was called the Benin games. 

If you have a BIGGGG imagination you can think of this as mini Olympics—on a ship.  The crew came up with teams of 6 and also came up with a name, costumes and a team chant.  The day began with each team being introduced and performing their cheer.  Our team (Bess and I) was called team ME! And we dressed and acted like a bunch of self-obsessed teenage girls.  One of the teachers here on board is a gymnast and cheerleading teacher, so she taught a couple of stunts the previous day and we incorporated our chant of “Me, myself, and I…There’s no I in team, but there’s me!  GO TEAM ME!!  into it.  John was part of a team named “The Disneyland revolutionaries”, who modelled their chant after the Spartan army in the movie “300”. In reality they were about as far from the cute Disneyland characters as you can get.  They dressed in jeans, black muscle shirts and drew tattoos all up their arms.  In total, there were 19 teams and 11 events scattered throughout the ship.  The youngest players were 2 and 5, members of “The pirates (who don’t do anything)”.  Those who didn’t join a team volunteered to run a game station to make it all go smoothly.    

Some of the games played that afternoon were the ring of fire, relay races, and “The perilous platform of epic ascension to a triumphant pose”.  Most of the games were team building games that gave lots of opportunity for encouragement.  Even though we were supposed to be obsessed with ourselves, and our chant was Me, Myself and I, at the end of the day when all the games were played, the judges bribed and the final scores tallied, we weren’t surprised to win the “Most unique team spirit award”.  Thanks to Linde, who we offered to the judges as a slave, we also won a certificate for the most creative bribe.  The Disney Land Revolutionaries went home with the 3^rd place award.  The day ended off perfectly with a delicious celebration meal of barbequed chicken and roasted potatoes.

Now you may say, “well that’s only one day a year…what about the other 51 weekends?”  Well, my reply may go something like this…”HA!! You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!!”

to be continued…

Alanah

BCC Update

Just wanted to send a quick note along to say that the results came back on my BCC biopsy and Dr. Tertius was able to get all of the affected area!! Thanks to everyone that has prayed and inquired about the results. If you would please pray for Mark and I as we travel to Togo today to try and find a house for next year. Pray that we find one that is suitable and that we find one quickly as we have a team arriving in 2 weeks that we need to prepare for. I will post some about our last team and a few other interesting stories soon. Take care

All for Jesus
Nari

All in a day…

Thursday was a busy day for me this week.  With a team departing on Monday night and a new one arriving Friday night, there was no time to take a break.  I spent all day Tuesday doing 10 loads of laundry; Thursday morning I spent the morning cleaning the team house from top to bottom and making all the beds.  Thursday afternoon Mark and I went shopping for all the groceries and supplies we would need for the team.  We arrived back to the ship at supper time and enjoyed homemade pizza and ice cold Pepsi that we bought while we were out.

Just as we finished our meal our friendly Purser Rob came by the table to give me a message.  I was to call the lab asap.  This can only mean one thing.  They need my blood!!  I headed to the nearest phone and they asked me to meet them in D Ward.  I went back to tell Mark where I was going and asked him to grab the camera and meet me there.  When I arrived, I relaxed on a bed and the technician prepared things to take my blood.  Mark was there to get it all on film.  It took only a few minutes and I was rewarded with a Coke to rehydrate me…a pepsi and a coke in less than half an hour!  I rested for a few minutes while the technician filled out the appropriate paperwork and then I was on my way.  I was told the recipient of my blood was a 3 year old boy named Aurel, who had just had palate repair surgery and they wanted to give him some blood to boost his system and aid in a faster recovery.  I went to meet Aurel the next afternoon.  He is one of many children who are afraid of us yovos (white person in Fon-a local dialect).  He leaned into his grandma and cried most of the time I sat there.  Neither of them spoke French so I tried to encourage him to colour a picture and then distracted him with a silly, noisy penguin toy.  By the end of the visit, he did allow me to get a bit closer but I could tell he would be much happier if I left. So I did.  The man in the next bed seemed to enjoy my visit…only because he found it quite comical, my attempts to appease Aurel.  At least it wasn’t a total loss.  Aurel is in my thoughts and prayers and I am thankful that I was able to help in this way.  I look forward to the opportunity to give again as most Africans are typically B- or B+.  And I do like to B positive!!!

Air France, Daniel and the faithfulness of God

Last week we led our final Medical Team for 2009.  Our team included 2 doctors, a pharmacist, a Physicians Assistant, 5 RN’s, a retired Nursing Assistant and a LVN.  They ranged in age from 26-67 years old.  For many this was their first experience in missions.

Our team was to arrive on Friday, October 2 on Air France flight 814 at 1905 hours.  Early in the afternoon we received a phone call from the office in Texas to inform us that 2 of our team members were stuck in Paris.  Their flight out of Dallas/Fort Worth left late and then while en route a passenger died and they had to divert and land at another airport resulting in several more hours delay and ultimately missing their connecting AF flight.  Once in Paris, AF informed them that they would have to purchase a whole new ticket to fly to Benin…this is because AF was not the carrier that resulted in the delay.  The pair had flown out of Texas on a United flight(something to keep in mind when travelling in the future).  They ended up purchasing another ticket with Air Morroc, spent the night in Paris, had a lay over in Casablanca and finally landed in Benin on Sunday, October 4th at 300 hours.   A bleary eyed pair arrived at the team house by 330 and quickly headed to bed and remained there while the rest of the team headed to the ship to attend church on the Ward.  We packed up everyones luggage, medical supplies and medication after a quick lunch and headed an hour north of the city to our host clinic CIEVRA.  We set up the pharmacy and provider stations, briefed on the day ahead  and enjoyed a tasty meal before heading to bed for the night.

 

 

 

 

Bob was the lone male on this team and was a great sport being surrounded by 13 women the entire time we were at the clinic…it sure looks like he suffered eh?

 

Here is a rough schedule of our clinic day.

Devotions-630

Breakfast-700

Dr. Yevi Teaching-800

Prayer and Praise at Clinic-850

Open the clinic-900

First Lunch-1200

Second Lunch-1245

End of Clinic day-1630

Dinner-1800

Debriefing-1900

Personal Time-2000

Our team also included 9 translators.  They collected personal information on each patient, worked with our medical providers to communicate with the patients, worked with our Pharmacy team to explain each prescription, translated letters that a SS class sent with their teacher to give to some local children, helped with crowd control and communicated with the security staff etc.   We could not do what we do at these clinics without our amazing translators, who speak at least 3 different languages!  Not only are they good at translating, but they are compassionate and want to see their fellow Beninese live a better life.  A HUGE thanks to Ifede, Franck,Debra, Ondine, Bankoyle, Sylvan, Solomon, Jean Paul, and Daniel.

Daniel.  He was with us for just two days.  On Wednesday morning on the drive out to the clinic the motorbike he was riding was hit by a truck and he was killed.  We started the clinic in his absence assuming he was running late.  When he was close to 2 hours late we called his cell phone to see what was the matter, whoever answered said it was not Daniel and so we hung up.  We then called another translator that knew Daniel to see if he could track him down and see why he was not at the clinic.  Ernest called back with the devastating news that Daniel was dead.  Joy and I then had to make some decisions.  Do we shut down the clinic for the remainder of the day?  How do we break the news to our team?  We began the week with just 7 translators and had already adjusted our schedule for Daniels absence.  We needed to find another translator to work the remainder of the week.  We were blessed to find two more translators who helped out on Thursday and Friday-Franck and Ifede.  Many of our team were asking where Daniel was and we simply said he would not be here.  We gathered everyone together at lunch including our translators and gave them the news.   Anguish, tears, disbelief and questions filled the room.  We comforted one another and prayed for Daniels wife Dorcas and his two young daughters.  We decided to keep the clinic open for the afternoon and sought out one another for comfort through the day.  Daniel was also a translator on the hospital ward of the ship so there were many prayers being lifted for everyone who knew him.  That evening we shared our memories, though few, as we only worked with Daniel for two days, it was obvious he loved his wife and girls and was passionate for his Lord and Saviour.

Even with this devastating news we continued to increase the number of people seen from the previous two days.  In total we saw 613 people over 5 days.  For the most part we treated Malaria, parasites, malnutrition, dehydration, scabies and general aches and pains.  We saw many more very sick children this time compared to our April and May teams.  We were also seeing people from different villages than we had seen before.  But what remained the same is the faithfulness of our God.  He was our strength, he was our comforter, and our shelter.  Thank you Lord.

All for Jesus

The Palmers

Plastic Surgery!

Recently it was discovered that I had BCC (Basal Cell skin Cancer) on my left cheek.   Our initial thought was to have it removed while we were home for Christmas.  However, we have a very talented South African plastic surgeon on board who confirmed the diagnosis and recommended surgery now, as opposed to waiting any longer.  My initial appointment was on a Tuesday morning and Dr. Tertius performed the surgery the next day after his surgical schedule was finished for the day.

So I donned a pair of scrubs, cap and booties and was escorted to operating theatre number 3 by a wonderful nurse named Mel from Australia.  Once I signed a medical release form I was ready to climb  on to the table and start the procedure.  Dr. Tertius explained everything as he went and other than the fact that we are dealing with cancer here, I can honestly say I would rather have this done than go to the dentist! (Sorry Dag)  Once he cleaned and numbed the area all I felt was some slight pressure and pulling on my cheek.  He also removed some lumps on my chin that he is sure are not BCC, but would be something that would continue to grow as time went on.  Dr. Tertius was assisted by another doctor who basically was observing.  At one point as he was stitching my cheek he said, “See here.  If you pull the stitch in this direction it will pull at the eye lid.”..and a moment later I could feel a slight pull on my lower eye lid and gave a grunt of affirmation!!  He then proceeded to pull the stitch in the proper way and then began layering a ridiculous amount of steristrips to both my chin and my cheek.  I was instucted to not remove them or get them wet until I returned to see him on Monday.

Well that was not to be.  The surgery was finished just before supper, which means I ate, which requires you to open your mouth and chew.  And we had none other than BBQ pork sandwiches!  No small nibbles there.  All this to say that I had to add some bandaging when I got home that night to keep things on.  By Thursday afternoon the bandaging was again dangling from my chin and I re applied it as best I could, but while standing at my muster station on the dock during a fire drill it fell off as I was talking.  I went to the crew clinic to have new dressings applied, which were off when I woke up on Friday morning.  The only choices I had were forget about the dressing, as the nurse said the incision had closed up nicely or quit eating and talking…You got it.  For the rest of the week until my appointment on Monday everyone got to see my incision instead of a big white dressing!  On Monday, Dr. Tertius cleaned both sites and yep, re-applied new, but smaller dressings to the incisions!

I will know in another 2 weeks whether he got all of the affected layers and confirmation that it is non-melanoma.  I have a wonderful feeling of peace about the results.  If he did not get all of it, I will have to be opened up again and have the rest removed,while I am home. (Dr. Tertius left last week) Please pray that it is not necessary to have further surgery(especially since a plastic surgeon would not be an option at home)and that the test confirms that it is non-melanoma.  I have included some information below that I copied from the Canadian Cancer Society regarding non melanoma skin cancer.

What is non-melanoma skin cancer?

Skin cancer starts in the cells of the skin. The skin is the body’s largest organ. It protects the organs inside your body from injury, infection, heat and ultraviolet light from the sun. The skin helps control your body temperature and gets rid of waste materials through the sweat glands. It also makes vitamin D and stores water and fat.

The skin has two main layers. The layer at the surface is called the epidermis. Below the epidermis is the dermis.The epidermis is made up of 3 types of cells:

• Basal cells are continually being made deep in the epidermis. Newly made round basal cells push the older cells toward the surface of the skin to become squamous cells.
• Squamous cells are old cells. As they move toward the skin’s surface, they become thin and flat.
• Melanocytes are also found deep in the epidermis, in between the basal cells. Melanocytes are cells that make melanin, which gives colour to your skin.

The dermis contains nerves, blood vessels, sweat glands, oil glands and hair follicles.

The most common types of skin cancer are squamous cell cancer and basal cell cancer. Both are known as non-melanoma skin cancer and they can usually be treated successfully.

Exposure to sunlight and having fair skin are the most common risk factors for developing skin cancer. People who work, play or exercise in the sun for long periods of time are at greater risk.

Surgery A decision to have surgery depends on the size of the tumour and where it is. During the operation, all or part of the tumour and some healthy tissue around the tumour is removed. Most tumours can usually be removed using a local anesthetic to numb the area. If the tumour is large, a skin graft may be needed. The doctor will use skin from another part of your body (such as the thigh or behind the ear) to replace the skin that was removed. This is usually done under local anesthetic (freezing), but sometimes is done under general anesthetic (you will be unconscious). You may stay in the hospital for several days after the surgery. Surgery for skin cancer can be done in several different ways.  ** Excisional skin surgery: The surgeon removes the entire tumour and a margin of healthy tissue around it.

**This is the procedure Dr. Tertius performed on me.

Those of you from Canada should check out the website www.cancer.ca to see some of the unique ways people can help raise funds and awareness.  Many of you know that I lost my dad 3 years ago to Lung cancer and if I were home I would love to participate in a number of the ways they offer.  I am actually thinking of rounding up all the Canadian women on board to have our own Ladies Night In event.

All for Jesus

Nari

Isaiah 58:7-12 (The Message)

 We have been here in Benin for 38 weeks. Everyday we are confronted by the needs of the Beninese people.  Beggars at almost every intersection in the city.  They are blind, crippled and overwhelmed by life.  Masses of people continue to line up at our eye and dental clinics hoping for an appointment card that may literally change their life.  Babies too malnourished to receive a life changing surgery, struggling to gain weight, their mammas struggling to learn how to help their precious child.  We have only 10 more weeks of this outreach left and very few spaces are left on our surgical schedule.  Many people will not receive any medical intervention.  It’s frustrating.  It’s heartbreaking.  It’s tough!  Scripture tells us that God sends both ‘good and bad times.’  Though we can never know the reason for every problem, these tough times can teach us things that nothing else can.  Difficulties can lead us to God.  They teach us not  to trust in our own strength and they build our character, patience and humility. To be honest, we are here for ourselves as much as we are for the Beninese.  God has something for us.  

 

 ^7-9What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
   sharing your food with the hungry,
   inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
   putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
   being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
   and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
   The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
   You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

 ^9-12“If you get rid of unfair practices,
   quit blaming victims,
   quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
   and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
   your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
   I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
   firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
   a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
   rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
   restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
   make the community livable again.

This passage from Isaiah instructs us to ’start giving yourselves to the down-and-out.’   We have been giving ourselves for 10 months and  God has been faithful in the good and the bad.  This passage goes on to say, ‘Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,  your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.  I will always show you where to go.  I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places.’    Benin is the birthplace of Voodoo and I can honestly say that our presence here has brought light to the dark places.  Lives have been transformed.  Not only physically, but spiritually as well.  We have shown love and compassion to the unlovely.  We have demonstrate love in action.  In our obedience, God continues to lead us and has absolutely given us a ‘full life in the emptiest of places.’  It is my prayer and the prayer of many serving here on the Africa Mercy, that those that have been blessed will go forth and build anew.  That they can bring transformation to their families, their community and ultimately their nation.

 

 

All for Jesus

The Palmers

The Challenge

I have been looking at the Bible to see what God has to say about the poor and missions.  Among other things he commands us to be fair to the poor, to be openhanded toward them and Proverbs says He is the maker of both the rich and the poor and ultimately the poor have value in the eyes of the Lord.  That is why we do missions.  It is not because the people we reach out to are poor, Muslim or abused.  We reach out to them because they are valuable to God.

Over the past year and a half we have been encouraged by family and friends regarding our work among the poor.  More times than I can remember people have said, “I could never do what you are doing.  I could never leave my home and move to Africa.”  Well, guess what? You don’t have to!  Phil Astwood, former Chaplain onboard the Anastasis and Africa Mercy, spoke last night at our communtiy meeting.  He talked about how when we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour we become part of His family–the church.  He asked if we knew any Christians that claimed they did not need the church?  He stated, “I have news for you.  If you are a part of Gods family then you are in the Church–the body of Christ.”  He went on to say that this community is also automatically immersed in mission.  And mission is going to look different to each of us.  After all, we are created with unique characteristics and qualities.  This means some may seek mission in their own neighbourhood, whereas others will seek mission overseas, as we have.

 

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4

During my devotions this morning while reading this verse, there was a short challenge written in the sidebar of my Parents Resource bible that I will share with you.

How aware is your family of injustices done to the poor, the afflicted, the fatherless, and the destitute?  This Psalm calls us to act on behalf of poor families in our community and in the world; on behalf of families afflicted with illness, broken relationships, alcoholism, or other family pain; on behalf of children whose fathers have in some way left them, whether through death, divorce, separation, or lack of love; on behalf of people who are destitute–at the end of their ability to hang on.  In what way can you share your resources with families who lack money, food, love or hope?  Consider ways that can involve everyone–Mom, Dad, the kids,anyone else living with you.  Talk with your children about it to help them learn compassion for the poor.

Did you notice that in the above challenge we can simply offer love and hope?  That is ultimately what mankind is so deperately searching for and we as Christians know the One who can offer it to them.  And God longs to use us to deliver it.  Now it is up to you, whether you accept the challenge.  God Bless.

All for Jesus

Nari