October 8, 2006
Dear family and friends,
Wow! Today marks the second week of my life in Africa aboard the M/V Anastasis, and I’m still not sure I can quite believe I am here! The past two weeks have been exhilarating, exciting, and overwhelming. I have experienced so much. I don’t know if words can capture the many things I have experienced. Read below, though, and I’ll give it my best effort!
I have uploaded many photos onto my online photo journal at
http://tidybowl.multiply.com. I have discovered that it is very difficult to get a good photograph here. I believe that it is due to the angle of the sun’s rays and our position near the equator – daytime photos are nearly always overexposed. Please also remember that there are many situations into which it would be inappropriate for me to bring my camera. Also, let me remind you that I have a (much neglected!) online journal at
http://tidybowl.blogspot.com.
Watch your step!Virtually every doorway aboard the Anastasis includes a raised step. Some of the doors have a step only an inch or two high, while others have steps as high as a foot and a half or more. This is to protect against floods and other such dangers of living on a ship. However, when I am walking around the ship, I can never drag my feet or become too relaxed!
CedisRight now, the Anastasis is in Ghana, at the Port of Tema, Berth 11. The Ghanaian currency is the Cedi. The exchange rate is approximately 10,000 cedis for every $1.10 US.
My CabinI live on deck B. I have three roommates, so there’s always something exciting happening. I would estimate that our cabin is about 12’x12’, plus a small hallway and a small bathroom. There are two bunk beds, of which I sleep on a top bunk. The shower in our cabin is broken, and from what I can gather, it has been broken for at least eight years. We walk down the hall to a public shower, which is fine with me – someone else cleans the public showers! Living with three other girls is always an adventure. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it, but I wouldn’t change it a bit.
My Classroom and the “Blue Room”My Classroom is small but sufficient, and is located just off of the main room of the Anastasis Academy, the “Blue Room”. I’m not sure how it got this name, as the walls are not blue, but it does have blue carpeting and blue chairs. I teach English to two classes: the 7-8 grade class has 4 students, and the 9-11 grade class has 5 students. I will also soon be teaching art to the 5-6 grades, reading with a 3rd grader, and possibly tutoring a 4th grader in science. I work with a fantastic group of teachers from around the world. My principal is from the UK, and there are other teachers from the US, the UK, the Faroe Islands/Denmark, South Africa, and Canada. They are all a fantastic group, and wonderfully supportive as I transition into living and teaching on the Anastasis.
The View from the DeckThis is, perhaps, the one thing I love most about living on this boat. From the deck, we can watch the tugboats as they guide other ships out of the bay, or the cranes as they load other ships with goods. Often I enjoy just watching the water. There is almost always a breeze, because we live so close to the sea, and it feels delightful to just watch the ripples in the water as my hair is tousled by God’s breath.
Crash, Bang, BoomLast Monday evening, I stood on the Prom deck and watched as the Anastasis was hit by another boat that was attempting to leave the port. Thankfully, the damage was minimal and no one was hurt. However, this was probably one of the most exciting things to happen onboard the Anastasis in several years!
Pray for RuthOne of my fellow crew members, a kind middle-aged woman named Ruth, was walking along one of the decks on Thursday morning when she collapsed. Observers noticed that she had no heartbeat, and the emergency response team was called. Ruth had to be shocked with a defibrillator five times before her heart started again. For nearly 15 minutes, she had no heartbeat. On the ship, we gathered in constant prayer that day as we moved about our routine. Miraculously, Ruth awoke that evening with no signs of brain damage or organ damage. She was transferred to a hospital in Accra, and soon afterwards to a hospital in Paris via air ambulance. God has worked great miracles here, but we would all be appreciative if you would say a prayer for Ruth’s continued healing, as she is not out of the woods yet.
The U.S.S. ElrodAlso on Thursday, I was given the opportunity to tour a United States Navy Frigate, the USS Elrod, temporarily stationed here at the Port of Tema. The sailors on this ship were excited to learn about the work Mercy Ships is doing in Africa, and gave tours to a number of groups from the Anastasis. The Elrod was not a particularly impressive ship, but it is always pleasant to be greeted receptively. This ship was commissioned in the 1970s to fight the Cold War, and is small, with outdated technology. However, as the engineers from the Anastasis joked, their technology is still newer than ours! (The Anastasis was built in 1953 and is one of the oldest ships still in use today. It will soon be replaced by the Africa Mercy.)
Prayer Points:• Pray for the Africa Mercy. She is in a port in Newcastle (England), where she is being refitted and updated. In Africa, we are eagerly awaiting her arrival, but a number of problems have arisen that have prevented her from joining us. Pray that she will soon be able to sail to Africa, where she will replace the aging Anastasis and where she will continue the mission of mercy begun in 1978.
• Pray for the Ghanians. I have seen so much need here in Ghana, yet Ghana has one of the best economies and one of the best governments in all of Africa. That means that in most other nations, the situation is worse. I can’t even comprehend that.
• Pray for me, as I adjust to life onboard a ship, living with three roommates, and teaching English to a small group of junior high and high school students!
