Healing Provided!!!  I have exciting news about the young baby girl with cleft lip the Patient Selection Team and I registered in Senegal.  I shared about her in my last update.  Two weeks ago, I received news that she was able to gain sufficient weight with the infant feeding program – 5 kilograms (11 pounds).  Yesterday, I felt I should reach out to see if the baby girl will have surgery this year or next year when the Global Mercy comes to Senegal.  A team member wrote back almost immediately to say that Baby Girl Sangalkam is in surgery now.  I quickly responded that I am praying for her and our team providing her healing.  I received this note yesterday afternoon:  “The baby is back on the ward, looking like a princess.. still sleepy and not too happy, but no more cleft lip. Thank you so much for finding her and all the other precious patients! and thank you for all the prayers!”  I waited on publishing this update as I wanted to share this good news with you.

What’s Happening in Liberia – my team and I are busy hosting various Mercy Ships teams coming to Liberia for their activities here including:  

• Nurses Training and training-of-trainers training provided in partnership with Medical & Surgical Skills Institute (MSSI) of Ghana including visits to the previous participants’ hospitals.
• Primary Trauma Care courses including one day of training-of-trainers – also with our friends from MSSI.  Two day training which was well received.  I joined them for their closing ceremonies.  
• Follow-up visits were conducted by Prudent and Clement with 23 of the 24 young entrepreneurs who went through the Food for Life / Nutritional Agriculture course earlier this year.
• Leadership Training with four hospitals in Liberia – one team member from Norway and two from Liberia
• Mental Health – two one-week trainings in Greenville, Sinoe County – one week with healthcare workers and one week with church leaders – preparing and planning – to take place in November.
• Soon the biomedical project manager and his team member will return to finish the visits to all 15 counties of Liberia to see the biomedical technicians in their normal environment and provide one-on-one mentoring.  This team will be the most traveled of all of the Mercy Shippers for Liberia.  
• Distribution of Nurse Assessment Kits to nurses and midwives to aid them in performing their duties.
• Planning for other strategic donations with hospitals and the Ministry of Health.

Unlike on the ship and where we would change countries every year, I have the opportunity to call Liberia home and to experience life in one country for activities like:

• Wedding – a friend from 2007 – celebrating their union
• University Graduation – a young man who I met in 2007 when he was a boy and now to be here last week to cheer for him at his graduation from university.  See photo above
• Funeral – sadly to attend a friend’s husband’s funeral after his death from kidney problems
• Birthdays of my team members and friends.  For mine last month, I was with the team from Ghana and we visited Redemption Hospital then in the afternoon we went to Evelyn’s for lunch/dinner – took photos and sang Happy Birthday, and they prayed a birthday blessing over my life.
• Staying in contact with former surgical patients and also meeting new ones like Bestman who saw the Mercy Ships vehicle with our logo on the side.  I could see in my mirror that someone was running next to the vehicle, I stopped and rolled down the window.  Bestman had surgery with Mercy Ships in 2006.  So we visited together while he pulled out of his backpack his discharge document and very worn photo of him with two crew members, one crew member I know and the other I don’t.  

So I hope this ‘What’s Happening in Liberia’ update gives you insight into what is taking place here. 
I am so thankful for God’s protection, health, His guidance and direction, and safety for myself and the teams when they are in the country.  I am thankful to my financial supporters who continue to stand with me as I serve here and big thanks for your prayers when God brings me to your mind.