Birthday Fun!

Benin is the best place to celebrate a 24th bday. My mom sent me a great packages with fun birthday crowns (which I made everyone wear), and I got 2 birthday parties.

My wonderful roommate Jen and our friend Judy. Jen made me a crazy great cake decorated with marshmallows. Yum!

The HR Department threw me a party with a bowl of Goldfish! Best Bday treat ever!

Screening Days

Screening days. 2 of the most impactful and meaningful days of my life. Over 5,000 people came to see Mercy Ships, in hopes of life altering surgery for themselves or for their loved ones. There were orthopedic cases, maxillofacial, plastics, goiters and general surgery. There were dozens of people with tumors, from infants to elderly. There were babies with cleft lips, and people with burn scars. The Human Resource department worked at Registration, the first stop inside after hours in the heat. With the help of our lovely translators, we filled in their personal and contact information, and sent them on to be seen by nurses and doctors. Each potential patient was individually escorted from station to station, and each received encouraging smiles and hugs letting them know how much we care.
The Hospital opened a few days after the screening, with all 6 Operating Rooms being used for the first time. 20 surgeries have already been done, the Eye and Dental Clinics are up and running, and the ward is filling up.
Thank you all so much for supporting me and praying for Mercy Ships and they people we serve. You are just as much a part of this mission as I am, so as you look at these faces, remember that you are helping to change their lives.

Cotonou, Benin

Mercy Ships has reached Cotonou, Benin! We arrived on Tuesday, and were granted shore leave on Wednesday evening. It has been an amazing experience to get off the ship and walk around Cotonou. Due to the lack of suitable ports in the majority of West Africa the port in Cotonou is a huge economic hub. The city is much more developed than I expected, there is electricity on the major streets, and street vendors selling anything and everything, from sunglass (no, no, you need these, they from Paris!!) to socks, suitcases (I still don't understand this one), and anythign else imaginable.


Another major phenomenon in Cotonou is the motor bikes. It is estimated that there are 80,000 motor bikes in Cotonou, and about 5 helmets. Some are taxis, called Zimidjans, that will take you anywhere for cheap. I think I would rather walk.





All of the locals carry EVERYTHING on their heads. It is really impressive the weight they can hold up!



There is a small market nearby the port, just a short walk from the ship. I will spare you most of the sights of the meat section, but these are chickens and ducks for sale.

There is a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in the markets in Cotonou.

This is about 20 minutes away from the ship, next to the river that splits Cotonou in half. Despite the development a majority of the city lives in shacks like these. They are spread throughout the city, rows of small shacks next to large buildings. All of the buildings seem to have been left by the French in the 1960's, with very little stable building since Benin's independence.

Here is the most recognizable Catholic Church in Cotonou. The inside also looks incredibly Islamic. There are striped archways and mosiacs common to the Middle East. There are large numbers of both Christians and Muslims in Cotonou, it isn't uncommon to see groups spreading out their mats and kneeling to pray in the middle of the day.

This is the view to the left of the ship. It is a very colorful fishing village, with flags from a variety of nations hanging from the masts. Each day the little boats go out, loaded with people. There are fish for sale everywhere in the city, so they must be successful!

Here are some crew members on the way out to dinner. There are some good restaurants within walking distance and it is a real treat to get off the ship and go out for meals!

In the Eastern Hemisphere

After 9 days of sailing, we will reach the port of Cotonou, Benin tomorrow. It has been an ideal sail, very smooth, with incredible sunrises and sunsets.

Along the way we seen some incredible wildlife (keep in mind we have a transfer drive for crew to share pics, I did not take these).

Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning...

Willy!

There was a pod of 4-6 Orcas that swam next to the ship. When they announced there were Orcas, the entire crew RAN for a glimpse. I was in the middle of making Top Ramen, don't worry, I didn't spill.

Row Row Row Your Boat...

Here are some photos of the ship leaving the lovely port of Tenerife and heading out to sea.

This is the sunrise on Saturday morning before we sailed.

Every time Mercy Ships sails in or out of Tenerife, Teodoro meets the ship with his trumpet. He played hymns and other songs for the crew as we all stood along the deck. It was so beautiful!

There were crowds (ok, a small crowd) to see us off!

Here is a better view of the dock. It really was a 20 + minute walk to get in to town.

Saying goodbye to Tenerife. I loved it, but was not sad to say goodbye!