NECK DEEP IN POO

Ahoy Maties! From the bow of the Anastasis ported in Tema Ghana. Phew - - is it hot!

Literally this week Robert was up to his neck in poo - - sewage system went out and now Robert is the welding/plumbing/machinist Manager until Marcel returns end of November. What does manager mean? Means you get to work till midnight in POO and then come home smelling like Poo! Oh, that's not what you thought manager meant? Me either! If it is I'm giving back my manager title right now...I guess the worse thing it would mean to me is that I'd have to do an emergency toilet cleaning job. Our plumbers and welders do an awesome and most often thankless job aboard the ship. Probably because no one wants to get close enough to one of them to thank them :) (Sorry Robert)

There was another serious medical emergency on board this week - - this time it was of our patients who came for surgery. My friend Patti Cook said it so well in her newsletter that I'm plagerizing her story for your benefit. I am so grateful that we live on a medical ship when the chips are down everyone pulls together instantly and the prayers start within SECONDS of the beginning of a situation.

Over these last months we have seen many medical procedures performed as
well as several medical miracles. One such miracle took place just last week. A
woman named Eunice had a huge goiter that needed to be removed because it was beginning to wrap itself around vital nerves and blood vessels in her neck. It
was a very complicated surgery that lasted for hours. Kevin was on the transport
team and he helped to carry her into the OR in the morning and out around dinner
time. A few hours later, he was summoned back to the Ward to once again move her into surgery for emergency repair of a major blood vessel that had ruptured. He said it was very scary...there was blood everywhere & a multitude of doctors
& nurses applying life support measures as he & our friend Glen
struggled to carry her back into the OR. A call went out throughout the ship for
A+ blood. We are what is called a "living blood bank". We do not have the
facilities to store blood so many of the crew, us included, register to give
blood when ever it is needed. People with A+ blood came running from all over
the ship. Kevin was one of them as he is A+. Fortunately, over 2 dozen people
were on board at the time and responded. They ended up taking 13 units and using 11 on Eunice. They say she lost her blood volume nearly 2 times.

As the doctors and nurses worked on her other crew members began to pray. Some gathered in groups and some even called home to their families and friends to lift Eunice up in prayer. Finally around 2:30am, Kevin was called back to the OR to move her to the intensive care unit. Today, she is doing well and hopefully will go home next week. Without the surgery, she was doomed to die a slow and painful death. Without the blood offered up by the crew she would have hemoraged to death. And God in His mercy answered our prayers for a miracle and she is now a living testimony to His power and mercy as well as His love expressed through the care and sacrifice of the Anastasis crew. She is but one of hundreds that walk off this ship praising Him for what He has done in their lives.

By Patti Cook

PRAYER POINTS

• Delivery of Africa Mercy from the shipyard in England
• Crew perserverence through the last delay
• Wisdom for all leaders and Board of Directors for direction of Ministry
• Robert and I to be able to correctly speak into the lives of other crew members through speech and action
• Our youngest son Brandon just moved to Dallas Texas and needs a good paying job with benefits

Thank you for your prayers, friendship and support. We love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Robert & Susan Blanchard