Surgery & Recovery
After four months
of near constant pain, I underwent back surgery here in England for my
sciatica. I was grateful for the immediate relief and insurance that
allowed me to bypass the NHS for treatment. As I mentioned in my email
updates about this, I felt well-cared for during my brief overnight stay
in the hospital. Operating room (theatre) staff knew of Mercy Ships
because one of our volunteers works at the same hospital. My nurse in
the recovery room had heard me speak at a medical reception 18 months
ago in a nearby city. Mom and Dad came to look after me and had more
than enough time to do some sightseeing in England and Ireland. Thank
you for your prayers!
Where is Newcastle???
Following the
recent London bombings, some
people wondered where I was in
relation to London. The Africa Mercy is docked in a suburb of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
Newcastle is a city in the northeast of England. It takes approximately
4 hours on a direct train to London. In about an hour in the car I can
reach the Scottish border, with Edinburgh a bit farther away.
Trip to Texas - Equipment
I have spent the
past 4 weeks here in Garden Valley, TX (about 90 minutes east of Dallas)
working at our headquarters. I was asked to work with the procurement
team to provide some direction for the process of gathering equipment
for the Africa Mercy. I also spent a portion of my time responding to
questions from American Schools & Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) regarding a
grant application submitted last summer. We should hear the final
outcome in September.
This past
Saturday, Becky (on the forklift) & I spent six hours sorting supplies
in the warehouse to identify items that can be directed to the Africa
Mercy. It was exciting to reduce the number of items on the needs list.
Becky’s worked on the Anastasis, Caribbean Mercy, and has had her
fingerprints all over the Africa Mercy hospital design from the early
days. I appreciate her feedback on issues that arise
Please
pray for:
Favor from ASHA to
purchase anesthesia supplies & monitoring equipment for the Africa
Mercy.
Favor with companies
who offered opportunities to participate in outfitting the Africa Mercy
hospital.
We must be getting close!
About six weeks
ago I selected my cabin on the Africa Mercy, so it’s beginning to feel
like we’re really going to sail next year. As you see from the elevation
attached, the Africa Mercy is a boxy boat! All the single cabins are
toward the aft part of the ship, so it could make for a bumpy ride. At
least it’s mid-ship vertically. I’ll share the ‘wet unit,’ i.e.
bathroom, with one other person. The cabin’s small and packed with
furniture. To get an idea of scale, the distance between the hash marks
on the left is about 700mm/28”.
The work on the
ship is progressing at a faster pace. I’m looking forward to seeing the
difference when I return to Newcastle.
Would you join
me in giving thanks that:
Workers in the shipyard
have shown a greater dedication to the work on the Africa Mercy.
The CT Scanner is on its
way to England and other x-ray equipment should follow soon.
Bulkheads are going up
on Deck 3. At last the hospital is taking shape!
Africa Mercy Crew
One benefit of
coming to Texas is that I was able to meet people who will join the
Africa Mercy as soon as we can accommodate additional crew. Two members
of the procurement team will work in HealthCare Services. Karen Osborne
(seated, left end of middle row) will be my personal assistant and
Debbie Moore (seated in middle of photo) will work as crew clinic nurse.
This has been a taste of good time and work relationships in the future.
I can hardly wait for them to join the team on the Africa Mercy.
Please pray for
People to replace Karen
& Debbie on the Procurement team in Texas. Update November 2005,
Karen and her husband Mike are going to Sierra Leone just after
Thanksgiving to work with the fistula center until they can join the
Africa Mercy in March.
Long-term staff for
HealthCare Services. Though many have expressed interest, I don't yet
have a formal application for a crew physician. Update November
2005, we are likely to have this position filled by the end of the
month.
Please pray for a
well-qualified Program Officer for the Africa Mercy.
Please pray for:
The Anastasis is in a
shipyard phase in South Africa. This is always a high risk time, with
potential for injury and fires. Please pray for safety and efficiency.
Financial support for the
Africa Mercy’s inaugural field service to Ghana via the project
proposals.
Dates to
Remember
August 15: Home to NH for
vacation
August 20: New England
Camp Cherith’s 60th Anniversary celebration in Maine.
Contact Info
If you’d like to
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send me an email with your current address. Sometimes I email more
frequent updates. If you ARE receiving this via email and your address
changes or you’d rather not receive it, please let me know that as well!
Thank you!
Jean
