m/v Anastasis International Thanksgiving Celebration 26 November
“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Ps. 136:1
Program
1. Opening Procession by African Female Crew.
2. Opening Hymn – We Gather Together
3. Opening Address – Judith Straub
4. Hymn – For the Beauty of the Earth
5. Scripture Reading – Psalm 146
6. Special Thanksgiving Song from Academy Children
7. Prayers of Thanksgiving: Productivity, Protection, Provision
8. Scripture Reading – Luke 17:11-19
9. Hymn – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
10. Scripture Reading – I Thessalonians 1:1-10
11. Hymn – Praise To the Lord, The Almighty
12. Message
13. Closing Hymn – To God Be The Glory
14. Benediction/Closing Prayer
Friends at the Birthday
There were about 20 of us sharing and celebrating Yvonne’s birthday – to my right is Clementine from Togo/Ghana and Mathilda
from South Africa.
Yvonne’s Birthday Party
My friend Yvonne who I served with on the Caribbean Mercy is also here on the Anastasis and we went out on Wednesday night to celebrate her birthday. We were at a Chinese restaurant and when it came time for fruit/ice cream, the staff came in singing in English and also a verse in Chinese. It was a special night for her and we got to share it together.
Eye Patient #1000
Dr. Neil Murray is performing eye surgery on this patient – Adulai Shitu – he was our 1,000 patient for our time here in Ghana.
I was able to watch Dr. Neil do surgery on a woman named Mercy and she is 100 years old. He explained the procedure to me as I was viewing in the additional microscope. She was blinded by shingles in one eye and cataract in the other and so she was provided with sight once again with the cataract being removed.
m/v Anastasis Crew Bank
Yes some people really get excited when they go to the ship’s crew bank – which is open on Monday mornings and Thursday evenings before our Community Meeting. Here is Ghana they use ‘cedis’ and it takes 9,160 of them to equal US $1 – so this is country where you can be a millionaire – only takes US $109.17 to obtain ONE MILLION CEDIS. The excited man is Dr. Keith who serves as our dentist.
Wofa’s Family Visit
Wofa is the house dad and administrator at the Save Them Young orphanage where I have been going since June. Currently the home is one of our regular mercy ministry projects. Last night, the Kronester family and myself hosted Wofa, his wife Alice and their three children on board. We had tacos in our Pacific Dining Room.
HIV/AIDS Teaching
Our HIV/AIDS program uses a three-phase approach which will be implemented in Tema and Ashaiman.
• Phase I – Sensitize/De-stigmatize – five, one-day sensitizing workshops (one per month) for faith community using the ‘Starting Over’ movie and training tool by Gospel Communications International as the basis for planned discussions.
• Phase II – Strategize – five, two-day capacity building workshops (one per month) for church volunteers to learn care and support program planning and design.
• Phase III – Empower – five, two-day training workshops (one per month) that will provide training in each city in the following areas: one palliative care work shop, one foster care of OVC workshop, one prevention and peer counseling workshop. Training tools are also provided such as prevention movies, peer counseling interactive CD’s and a comprehensive life skills prevention curriculum.
I have gone out with the team as we continue to work with the local church and this important issue.
Mohammed looking at the camera
Little Mohammed was brought to the Save Them Young Orphanage about 7 months ago. His father was not able to take care of him alone. He has polio. Save Them Young Orphanage is one of our mercy ministry sites and one that I have been involved with since June, my first month in Ghana. We took him today to pick up some braces that will help him to learn to walk. He couldn’t resist looking up at the camera!!
Tuinier’s baby Isabella Oct 06
My friend Elizabeth from the Dominican Republic and her daughter Isabella, husband Jan is not in the picture, probably because he took the picture. She had major complications at birth, though she is doing much better. They will be rejoining the crew of the Africa Mercy in January and soon we will see them here in West Africa.
Opportunities Binder
In Programs here on the m/v Anastasis, we have many different things going on. With permission from the council on board, I created an Opportunities Binder that is located near to the gangway. Inside there are many sign up sheets on what the crew can be involved with – from visits to orphanages, hospice, psychiatric hospital to helping on Saturday at the construction site. I am hosting groups on Wednesday to take them to 4-5 of the off-ship ministry sites – so for those on the ship, they can see for themselves what is happening in the various locations. There are other opportunities to sign up to share your testimony with the patients and to adopt-a-patient who will be in our wards.