Along with the national director for Mercy Ships Southern Africa, our Advance Team visited one of the shipyards who submitted a contract to our organization for the generator replacement project scheduled for later this year – September – December. I will share more about Advance and the upcoming Shipyard phase in a future KRB Update.
Currently I am serving on the Advance Team in South Africa. Part of our responsibilities include finding suitable accommodations ashore for the crew who will have to move off when the ship goes into drydock in South Africa. We were blessed with the tour of the facilities by the staff at El Olam – such hospitable people.
We are so grateful for the local Liberians who served with us as dayvolunteers. We were searching for two of our former dayvolunteers who worked with our water well projects. They got the message and showed up at our evaluation in Cheesemanburg – Boaki & Andrew. They were real helpful as we went to visit some of the wells Mercy Ships put in the area.
Cora Roberts is the officer in charge at the Tenegar Medical Clinic – she has her three year nursing degree and was previously one of our local Liberian dayvolunteers with the Africa Mercy. She is doing a good job caring for the people of the Tenegar region.
Part of our official evaluation process was to observing a child from his/her arrival, the consultation, and receiving of the needed medications. Our team leader Mark had researched and obtained all the appropriate documents that we needed to use.
During the evaluation time in Liberia, I was able to visit some friends I first met in 2006 – James and Kathleen Ngenda – James was our Field Representative for Mercy Ships for a couple years. We had a good visit.
Anyone who has been to Liberia in the Rainy Season would recognize this scene out the front of our vehicle on one day during our visit to Monrovia.
Prior to leaving during one of my visits to the orphanage, I was able to share with them some cookies/bisquits that I purchased locally so that they could have a treat.
My birthday gift to my friend Brenda was buying recharge/scratch cards enough so that Kennedy could talk with Brenda who was in South Africa. The children also gathered around to sing Happy Birthday to her.
During my visit to the orphanage in Monrovia, Nico (almost known as Moses) is pictured in the middle with my mobile phone – he was working on some settings for me and entering some numbers for me – he promised not to make any international calls.
