18 December 2019
Merry Christmas dear friends around the world
Always a special time on board one of the Mercy Ships is the Advent / Christmas season – so many nationalities in our crew and ways to participate in their celebrations. 
So far, over 500 Senegalese have received their healing through specialized surgeries in one of our operating rooms on the Africa Mercy.  Over 2,600 adults and children have received dental care at a dental clinic site outside of the Dakar area for those with less access to care as requested by the Ministry of Health and Social Action.  Over 730 health care professionals from every region in Senegal have received continuing education/training either in the capital in one our internationally recognized courses or through mentoring on the ship or through our Safe Surgery Team traveling to the regional hospitals.  
I haven’t shared much about the new ship, the Global Mercy, but you will be hearing more in 2020 when it is finished and ready to be launched.  Though in order to get ready to have two large ships working in Africa, we need to 

make some improvements with our programmatic reporting and this is something I have been responsible for on board.  I have been requested to move to the International Support Center in East Texas for a short term assignment to help make this possible.  I agreed and arrived over the past weekend.  We are not sure how many months this will take.  Then I plan to apply for a position back on the Africa Mercy or for the Global Mercy as I love Africa and her people and being and serving in Africa.  

As I am stateside for Christmas – first time in many years, I plan to travel up to Indiana and stay with my family as we celebrate.  It will be my first visit back after Dad’s death and so I don’t know how that will feel.  I will go daily to see Mom at the nursing home – often I find at meal times is the best as I can do something for her – cutting it up and feeding her – just like she did for me and my brothers and their children many years ago.
Photo: my little Christmas spot for the holiday.

Merry Christmas to you and yours