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Celbrating
There are flags on the Anastasis to represent every country on board, so they all waved them proudly and danced and sang African songs to welcome the Africa Mercy Well... it's finally here... the Africa Mercy has arrived... after waiting and waiting and dates being pushed back and back further. But she has finally come and it was an amazing day of celebrating and fun! We had everyone out there with flags, and waiting on every corner of the Anastasis watching as the Africa Mercy slowly came through port and docked beside us! it was a really neat experience and I am so glad that I was able to experience that. It was like being a part of history watching it come in and people come down the gangway for the first time. I have walked around the ship and explored it a bit. It is HUGE and it is really nice inside... it really does look like a hospital ship! It is fairly empty as of yet, so it will be nice when everything gets moved over and set up.
The president of Liberia is coming on Monday to see the ships and to speak to us. So that is neat. I am hoping to see her before I leave since I leave Africa in One DAY !! Crazy. This time has gone so fast yet I feel
Beside each other
Here is the AFrica Mercy and the Anastasis side by side... as we will go through transition to commission the Africa Mercy to continue what the Anastasis has done! like I have been here forever, so I have really mixed feelings about leaving.
It has been such a good time and I thought I would use this last blog entry from AFrica to describe a typical day in Africa. This was my day on saterday... market day... and a very busy day. and when I thought about this day, I thought it was just SO different compared to any day that we are used to in North America... Canada for most of us!
Iwoke up and walked out to the end of the road where the port is where we wait to flag down a taxi that will take us to town. It is a fairly fixed price of 15 Liberian Dollars which is equivalent to 25 cents American. But that gives you a seat in a very beat up taxi with 4 in the back and 2 in the front seat with a driver! Very cozy! At the end of the road, each day is different. Some times we will wait for 2 minutes and some times we will wait for 15 minutes. But then as we were waiting a nice Lebanese man stops and says, " you
Captains
On the left is Captain Johann from the Anastasis (my captain) and captain Jurrian from the Africa Mercy as they meet on the dock. are from Mercy Ships. Bless you for what you do. I am going downtown so please come." So of course a free ride to town we cannot resist... so the 5 of us hop in his car. His name is Sam and he has lived in Liberia for 47 years and has a business here... he never left during the war so as we are driving he tells us stories of the war and where the gunmen were stationed to kill up in the buildings and we look at broken lightposts and bridges with gun shot holes in all of them. Now I would never accept a ride from a stranger normally... yes, mom and dad, you taught me well, but here... it's different. So we get into town, and saterday is a very busy market day. there is just a sea of people everywhere selling, buying, walking, getting their hair done... And we walk into a hair salon where we are instantly welcomed and offered seats. My friend Dorothy is getting her braids washed and I am getting my hair done as well... so we give some money to a guy who goes out and buys some products off
The dock
Here is a view of the dock where I walk down to get to the ship. You can see all the land rover's that we drive around Monrovia and the sheer size of these vessels. Truly magnificent!! the street and we begin.
And then the fun starts.... we sit in a very busy salon where girls are arguing who gets their hair done... there is african dance music on people dancing, fans blowing hard to try and keep us a bit cool in the heat. There are people visiting, and then there are people coming in and out of the shop selling thier things, everything from hair products to jewlery to plates to glasses, to q-tips --- EVERYTHING... so Walmart comes to YOU in the hair salon. I did have a few errands to run, but I did all my shopping from my seat. They came to me and I chose what I wanted and negotiated a price right there...
There was also a TV in the corner and the news was on... my first time seeing local liberian news since I haven't ever watched TV here... and what do we see, but a report onMercy Ships... there is the ships, docked beside each other... my friends seen in the background carrying boxes, a report from Don Stevens talking (he's the founder of Mercy Ships and he is here visiting). COOL!!! everyone knows now that the new
ship is here!
So not only that... but then another man walks into the salon. He starts praying and speaking loudly. "Amen, Praise Jesus... give Jesus a hand... etc etc" And proceeds to give us a small sermon on how we should accept Jesus into ourlives and how important a relationship with Jesus is... then offers to pray the sinners prayer... and whoever wanted to should follow him! Well, people were praying and then he took a small offereing!! wondering where that money is goin!! probably for his lunch! but hey,it was entertaining!
So I got Walmart and a church service in one sitting!
So then we begin our walk to the market, where we cannot walk for about 5 steps without people yelling at us to look at their product or just for attention! NEver felt so popular. I buy a small bag of water for 5 Liberian Dollars (well about a cent!) and come crackers for 40 Liberian Dollars (about 75 cents) from a lady trying desperately to sell her things but sitting in the shade to protect herself from the hot sun.
We make our way to the market and back with no other problems except the
roasting marshmallows
We made a fire on the CeCe beach from old moving palates and roasted marshmallows. it was so hot, but really cool! who'd a thought I would be doing that in Africa! hot sun and getting spoken to along the way. "Ah, Mercy Ships... hello!!! " And we say hello back, politely! A boy rides up to us along the way to ask us about the ship and when we do surgery, showing us a bad healed, contracted burn on the back of his calf... we say to come to the ship at the end of June and maybe he can see a doctor, as we have done the screening day.
We walk back through the other market downtown where we came from... Waterstreet Market, and as I walk through, even though there are dirty water puddles and garbage everywhere and not to pleasant smelling in certain areas... I realize that I will miss it... the sights, the people, way it is SO easy to buy everything so readily from people. And if there is something I needed, someone would go run and get that person who sells it!
We get to the end of the road where we have to cross to catch a taxi where there are 2 local policemen directing traffic. THey yell and wave, "hello, Mercy Ships" We wave and say hello... and shake their hands... they then
Kristin and I
Here is one of the birthday girls! Kristin! she and I are good friends and oddly enough she is the HR person that gave me all my information to come to Mercy ships so it's a really small knit community! ask, " you need taxi?" we say YES. So the police stops traffic so we can cross the street, and then begins to ask people as they are slowly driving by if they have room for us to get in... taxi and regular vehicles and then someone stops pulls over to the side and lets us in with them... We shake the policeman's hand and say thankyou as he tells them we are going to Freeport.
We get in.. and realize they are nice men.... just wanting to give us a ride... so we make it to Freeport safely and walk back to the ship!
This is a normal day for me now. I don't even blink twice when all these things happen and More sometimes... and it is hard to describe just how it all happens and how it looks and feels and sounds. But I will go home soon to a place where I must drive in my car, alone, to the church, to the Walmart, to the drugstore, then to the hair dressers, and then to get groceries... when ALL of that was done in a matter of hours just sitting in a hair salon! SO FUNNY!!!
Window
Here is a view out my translator Esther's window as Kate and I went to her house for lunch last week. Anways, then in the evening we went out to CeCe Beach for the last time for a friend's birthday... we ate, and watched the sunset, some people swam by the moonlight, and we made a campfire and roasted marshmallows.! never thought I would be doing that in Africa, but just one more thing to check off the list!!!
So all in all, it was an amazing time, and I am so grateful for the experience and that God kept me safe throughout this whole time. Things could have been worse and many things that I have done... could have gone wrong... you could look at every situation I have been in and said, that I shouldn't have done it, because it could have been much worse, but it wasn't... doesn't mean that we don't need to be careful here... cause we DO... but I just really feel God's hand of protection as we are so liked here as Mercy Ships people. Everyone knows us.
I hope you have been enjoying my blogs and my stories from Africa, and the ministry that Mercy Ships is able to do here in Africa. The transition will take another month then surgery will begin again at the end of June. They will stay here in Liberia Until November, then sail to Sierra Leone.
I leave Africa tomorrow with memories and friendships that will last a lifetime! Thank you for being a part of my life and my journey here.
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Linda Warren
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YOur Blog
Hi, I am a friend of your aunt Ruth's here in Woodstock, Ontario. I have been reading your blog for several weeks now and have enjoyed it very much. You and your co-workers are amazing! Keep up the good work! All the best with your future endeavours. Linda