Part of my responsibilities including coordinating and hosting Friday morning’s Programs Reporting Time – the opportunity for representatives from our Programs areas – the Hospital and HealthCare Development. In this photo, I am sharing with the crew the opportunities that are available for them to sign up and join us at various locations.
MC Community Meeting
Last night, I had the privilege to be the MC for our Community Meeting. This is a weekly meeting on Thursday evening for the entire community. We usually start with a welcome, reading from the Bible (I read from Psalm 103), announcements, offering, praise and worship and then the message. Our speaker this week was Pastor Ernest from a local church and married to a former director of the Anastasis. It is followed by fellowship in Town Square.
Togo 10 Advance Team Commissioning
On Thursday evening, we commissioned two of our team members for Advance work in Lome, Togo. Clementine Tengue and Brenda van Straten will leave on Monday overland to Togo. One more team member is yet to be confirmed. I will continue to serve as their liaison here on board the ship.
Assessment at AD clinic review map
At times, I have the privilege to serve on our assessment teams as we prepare for the future field services for the Africa Mercy. Recently, I was able to be a part of our team in Lome, Togo, the neighboring nation to Benin, as we prepare for the 2010 field service. We meet with governmental officials, leaders of the churches and with various missionary and non-governmental organizations. In this photo, we are visiting a clinic/hospital under construction by the Assembly of God church. This may be an option for our construction team to work with them to finish the first level and thus able to open the clinic to serve the people.
President Prayer Team Visit
The President of the nation of Benin has a prayer team and they are coming to the Africa Mercy twice a week to pray on board – for our needs and the needs of this nation. Earlier this month, we were able to host them and their spouses and children on board for a tour and dinner.
Hevie Dormitory Opening Ceremony
This is a photo of the Dormitory and Agriculture Training Facility that we constructed in cooperation and partnership with a local organization called Bethesda. At the same time the construction was going on, our Agriculture Trainer was training some of their staff in Biblical agriculture. Their staff will continue on with 3 month training courses with new trainees. This photo was from the Opening Ceremony.
Daslin Children Home Abomey Sept 09
While attending and helping with the IMCI course Mercy Ships was conducting at the public hospital in Abomey, we stayed at our friend Daslin’s children home – they have some guest rooms. This is a photo of some of the children as we prepared to leave – many of the children were not there that day. I think the boys on the top of the Land Rover thought I was taking them to Cotonou with me.
In Abomey with Noelle
Noelle is the girl in my arms and she had just ran up and jumped into my arms – she is a patient at the hospital in Abomey (4 hours from Cotonou) where we were conducting the IMCI training. She is there for poisoning from swallowing caustic substance and it has affected her esophagus and has a feeding tube. If you think of her, please pray for her and her family.
Benin Greeting for Men
When we first arrived in February in Benin, our Advance Team shared that the proper way men greet each other is a head butt of sort – four time from side to side – after practising with my neighbor David, we later learn that it is not the common greeting. But at the IMCI graduation, I was asked to present one participant his certificate, so I attempted to do it right – as you see from the expressions, they thought it was a bit humorous.
IMCI Abomey Course
IMCI – Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses – is a course created by the World Health Organization (WHO). At the request of the Benin government, we are facilitating two training course of IMCI. The first was earlier this month in Abomey – my friend Brittney came to facilitate and Debra and I joined her for the last couple days. Here in the photo, the participants are applying what they are learning.