MEET THE REAL GEORGE WASHINGTON

Here it is Sunday night and I’ve been thinkin’ back over the last week. This has been a great week! It’s been a full week - - Robert’s first full week of herding cats (trying to find and manage his department) He’s been so funny telling me “You just don’t know what it’s like!!!!!!!” HELLLOOOOO!

I’m still having a great time with my team. When I got here in June we were 5 strong and now we are a department of 16. We are a very close-knit group who love getting together everyday for devotionals, prayer and a time to bless each other. They are creative and very talented. We are also very very diverse. Germans, Dutch, Americans, Swiss, Kenyan, Togolaneze and Ghanian - - we speak a multitude of languages, pray and bless each other in many languages. This past Friday we had a friend that spoke very little English leave us so we all took a scripture and gave it our best shot to read to her in her naïve tongue in Dutch. It was such a hoot. She really appreciated it.

We just had a ship-wide Olympics of sorts. There were about 12 teams of 6 people. I was on the Geezers team as you can tell by my outfit. We even had a flag. It was a crutch with a giant Depends undergarment flying proud. We got extra points for the flag and our song (something, something, something, hummm,) We had a balloon volleyball toss, shuffleboard with brooms, throw tennis balls into the pool and try to hit the swimmer, run around the cone till you puke and other games of great skill. I know we didn’t win so I won’t be too awfully surprised at tonight’s barbeque/award ceremony. But we did have the best costumes and song.

Yesterday 3 ladies and I went to the Liberian’s Refugee Camp about 2 ½ hours west of here. My department raised money by selling homemade cinnamon rolls and purchased fabric, scissors and sewing notions. We also found a treadle sewing machine in the hold of the ship we pulled out, cleaned up and got running. We took all these things to one of our former patients. It was Chris Slay. Some of you would remember her story. She is the young woman running from the rebels in Liberia, saw her parents murdered, kept running, went into labor, a friend delivered the baby but yanked on the babies head to hard and fast and broke the babies neck. All this trauma caused delivery complications which she came to the ship to have repaired. She needs to learn a skill to help support her very large family of uncles, aunties, nieces and nephews. Her and her family was very pleased with the gifts yesterday. We made about 40 new friends and I made a new best friend in a little boy of 7 who’s name is George Washington - - he wants me to be his new momma. We had a great time until our car broke down on the way. Sitting in the middle of the street hours from the ship just 4 women isn’t the most comfortable place to be. We had plenty of helpers who wanted to push our car but then again they all wanted paid and we just didn’t have enough money to go around. Then all the way home the car was running in the red zone (temperature) so we filled it up with water but it kept running hot. We decided the best thing to do was run the heater in the car to pull the heat from the engine - - can you imagine Africa, in the heat with EXTRA heat on in the car??? We would run the car about 15 minutes and then stop her for 15 minutes to cool her off - - over and over. Our 5 hour trip took 8 hours and we got so close to home (20 km) and the car just died and filled with smoke. We were able to get a team to come out and tow us home. You can always count on an adventure here even over the siimpliest tasks.

And to top off the week we were also interviewed for the Midland Daily News. Which I think may have already been published this weekend but they didn’t know exactly when. But if you missed the article I’m including the pictures of Robert and myself and me and my team they were given.

Have a really great week. Blessings to everyone. Write when you get a moment, we do so enjoy hearing from you.

Robert & Susan Blanchard
West Africa – Ghana
M/V Anastasis – Mercy Ships

SUFFERING FOR THE LORD

What fool said serving God has to be hard and miserable? We are so grateful that on occasion (albeit not often enough) we get to take a rest bit from the responsibilities and duties we have on the ship. Robert & I (and 13 of our other friends) hired a mini bus and drove 6 hours west to Cape Coast. We stayed in an absolutely gorgeous resort. Ate in an open-air restaurant right on the ocean, slept, ate, slept, ate, slept (you get the pattern). In fact, this was the first time we have done this in about 6 months and unfortunately it was for only 2 days. When our time was done we realized we really needed about a week to recover but this will do for now.
There was a 9-hole golf course that 4 of our friends frequented frequently. I dare say they have never had such odd hazards as these on such a small course. First the goats (which had been grazing on the tennis courts), then the horses, next came the 3 little pigs and finally the biggest, baddest hazard – the croc You would have thunk that the croc would have been the baddest hazard, however, it was actually one of the horses that took a chunk out of Glen’s chest. Ouch! But being the missionary trooper that he is, he struggled back to his feet and played another 9 holes. Glen’s my hero!

We also had an opportunity to go to the local rain forest, walk straight up a hill about a mile (did I say opportunity?- - I mean torture) to transverse a canopy walk 100 feet off the ground in the tree tops on a rope bridge. It was beautiful if you dared to look down. Then of course there was Robert! Getting behind me and stomping around making the stupid thing sway and bounce. NOT FUNNY! Once it was over I was so glad I did it but there were times I seriously had to question my sanity for attempting this. I have to say the funniest part of that trip was the guide that came back for me because I had decided I couldn’t continue to climb that dumb mountain anymore and told Robert to go on without me. He was so sweet, telling me I was so close, not to give up, holding my hand, pulling when necessary. So kind, so thoughtful - - until he said “this is why I don’t get fat”! But the stranger thing is that he really meant that as a compliment.

We had the awesome privilege of going to Elimena Castle where they imprisoned the slaves before sending them on the slave ships around the world. It was a very sobering and somber tour. To see the cramped, dark, damp, non-ventilated places they would pack 150 people at a time into and stand there in the dark imagining the horrors they faced was almost surreal. African and non-African alike standing side by side looking at the neck chains and shackles used to control the prisoners brought tears to all. The Africans knew their ancestor’s part in the capturing and trading of tribal enemies to the whites and the whites knew their ancestor’s part in the animal-like treatment they inflicted. No one left untouched. The statement made by the tour guide that struck and stuck with me was as we were standing in the “church” there inside the castle. He said “It was obvious that God only lived within these four walls (church) because once the men left this place they proceeded to the female prisons to abuse the women”. It was a hard statement to hear but one that was even harder to process through.

DOES THIS SHIP MAKE ME LOOK FAT?

This has been a tough week – full of emotion, joy and sadness. It started off with our ship being hit again. I was off the ship having attending a 50th birthday party for our friend Glen Borgert. When we returned and stepped up to the reception desk to return the car keys one of the Officers kept telling me “everything will be alright, the phones are down and it wasn’t too bad” - - WHAT WASN’T SO BAD? Come to find out the cargo ship directly berthed in front of us was being towed out of its berth and was released from the tug too soon. The current started moving her towards us. The Captain dropped anchor but not in time to prevent a collision. Thank God no one was injured and the damage was concentrated to an area about 3 feet across and dented her inward about 3-4 inches. HERE IS A PICTURE OF OUR CAPTAIN (right) and Eric (left) trying to ascertain the level of damage in the middle of the night. Robert titled it DOES THIS SHIP MAKE ME LOOK FAT? I guess Robert’s had a lot of practice with that question. It loosened about 9 rivets and separated some of the metal but that can all be repaired. I never knew before living in a port how common this type of thing is. We’ve been living on board for 2 years and this is our 3rd “bump”. It’s like we are a floating rouge ship magnet.

Then on Thursday one of our loved crew members had a heart attack just as she settled in on the Promenade Deck to do her personal devotions. We praise God that there was another crew member there to respond quickly and was able to get the emergency response team alerted. We knew something dreadful was happening because there are no overhead pages allowed before 8:30am and it was only 7:15 am and lots of pages where requesting medical teams. The great thing is that instantly it sends 300 people to prayer. Three hundred praying people made a tremendous impact in this case. CPR was administered for over 15 minutes and she had to be shocked 5 times before reviving her. We were given updates throughout the day. What I found very miraculous was those who visited her by the end of the day said she was sitting up talking. And true to her character she only wanted to go back to work and didn’t know what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately, she does have to return home for now - - she is currently at an American hospital in Paris. Please pray for her total and complete healing and that if it is God’s will for her to return to us that she will get to do so quickly.

I looked out from the aft deck a few days ago and there she was--,docked across the docks behind us - - the USS Elrod out of Norfolk VA http://www.elrod.navy.mil/index.htm. I got goosebumps seeing an American Navy Ship. I screamed and yelled like they could hear me. One of our officers went over and got all 300 of us an invitation to visit her. We shuttled Land Rovers back and forth for 2 days. We extended the invitation the other way as well and had many come over and even some went out one of the construction teams we send out in the day. About 8 of them came to one of our services Thursday night and one (the one that led my tour) his name is Luke gave his heart to Jesus that night. He later told me their whole ship was a buzz with questions about why would anyone live the life we do and pay to do it... But it has started a great conversation for the Christians on their ship to be challenged to answer. I took over Mercy Ship brochures for them to see who we are and they are fascinated. I treated the group that came over to some cinnamon rolls (homemade by my department of course) and they asked if I could come to their ship. IT WAS VERY TEMPTING. But you know me. I could barely stop crying as I hugged everyone of them around the neck and told them God Bless you. I got a lot of God Bless you Mam's. I cried going on their ship, I cried because I had to leave and today when they pulled out I was the only one by the rail waving like a fool – AND CRYING. They blew their horn for me on the way out! It was so good to see them but it also gave me a real sense of homesickness…..so what do you do when you are trying to get over homesickness? You go out to Pantang Psychiatric hospital the next day and forget all about it -- FOR NOW!

Missing each and every one – please write when you get the time.

PRAYER POINTS
· Complete and total recovery and healing for our crewmate and a swift return to the ship
· Bunkering fuel (ship pulling along side) to become available to us as it is much less expensive than delivered to the dock fuel
· Continued unity and excellence in the Crew Services Department
· Preparations for the arrival of the Africa Mercy

AFRICAN WEDDING

Another son of the Mercy Ship family was married this weekend. Joseph “Kingsley” Eshun took as his bride his beloved Emelia. Kingsley has worked in the Engineering Department both on the Anastasis and on the Africa Mercy for 4 years as a plumber. Approximately 30 of his shipmates made an 11 hour round trip from Tema to Takaradi Ghana in one day to witness this blessed event.

None of the Westerners knew what to expect as this was our first African wedding. What we learned was the wedding ceremonies are much like the culture of Ghana. There is no rush. No rush to be on time, no rush to just “get through the ceremony”, no rush to get through the pictures nor the reception. There was time to wait for guests and family to show up an hour and half late, there was time to enjoy the shear celebration of the joy of this couple, there was time to make strangers feel welcome and part of the family, there was time for anyone to sing songs of encouragement and love to the couple. There was even time for everyone to dance around the church, offering the couple money and handshakes. There was time given to about 10 attending pastors to bestow blessings on Kingsleys’ and Emelia’s lives individually and as a newly joined couple.

At the reception I had the distinct picture of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. As the bride and groom came back down the center aisle into the church that was now transformed into a banquet hall I sensed victory, perhaps it was the long wait and separation this couple had endured to finally be together. The bride and groom were seated first at a head table and attended to by their best man and bridesmaid. Next were announced their distinquished and honored guests and they were seated at the head table. Then the rest of the guests were served with refreshments as is the custom of our Ghanian brothers to be very hospitable and serving. To show the level of hospitality and the commitment to excellence of these two families they provided every Mercy Shipper a hot meal to take on the long bus trip home.

Several things struck me as being similar to weddings I have attended such as the bride and groom and wedding party looking very sharp, the decorations, approximately 400 guests, pastor, music, having a reception.

What struck me as beautifully different and why I love Africa so much is the level of expressed joy and excitement over this occasion. That not 1, not 2 but 10 pastors wanted to participate in the ceremony. That EVERYONE in the church danced, sang and laughed together as a family and community welcoming a newly formed family in their midst. But above all this there was one almost missed aspect that the Lord kept my attention on the whole time. While the focus of the day was on the Bride and Groom, my attention was drawn to the Best Man and Bridesmaid. I kept asking the Lord why that was. I was mesmerized by the selflessness of these two people who focused solely on the Bride and Groom. Their attention was never diverted from their task of taking care of every need of the couple. They prepared the couple, they continued to preen them in every way to keep them presentable and unencumbered as possible. They carried items for them, selected their drinks, laid napkins in their laps and even wiped the sweat from their faces and necks. A true picture of servanthood. The Lord showed me that Kingsley and Emelia have been working in these positions for years and now it was their day to be promoted to the Bride and Groom for their faithful service. Kingsley has served on the ship in a non-assuming role with joy, faithfulness and a quite humbleness and Emelia’s heart has been to work with great love in an orphanage near their home - - neither of them for the praise to be theirs but to bring glory to God their Father just as on this day their attendants were all about putting Kingsley and Emelia in the spotlight at their best. I learned a lot about being a humble servant this day - - not the lesson I thought I would learn going to a wedding. “My strength is made perfect in weakness. When I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Today I felt a great pride as if I were watching my own son getting married then I realized that service through Mercy Ships for our Father had made us family