MaritimeMercy.com

The documentary The Dawn of A New Day won best South African documentary at the Cape Winelands  Film Festival. The Dawn of a New Day deals with access to health care issues through the eyes of three West Africans in need of specialized surgery. Portraying the intersection of a surgeon’s life with the life of a 10 years-old boy growing up in rural West Africa, the documentary is a true story of hope and Healing on board the Africa Mercy .

Dr. Chris Ampadu’s question: Is Africa cursed? Got the attention of 350 participants at the Leadership Conference organized by Mercy Ships in Kara, Togo. This common misconception has dire consequences on the way Africans live their lives and is chief hindrance to the development of the continent. Kara is a city of one hundred thousand people located seven hours drive from the Capital city Lome, in the north of Togo. The first time the Mercy Ships Anastasis came to Africa, Carla and I helped to lead a team of 100 student and staff to Kara. We visited schools, villages and small churches sharing the love of God. It was a great and remarkable experience for our family. Mercy Ships’ Off Ship Project is partnering with Samaritan Strategy to conduct Pastors leadership conferences in Togo. The theme of the conference in Kara, March 5-7, was “Partnership in the Whole Person Development”. The Togolese government is encouraging communities around the nation to be initiators of their own dev

After a long flight from Texas, I arrived in Accra, Ghana last Sunday. The last time I was in Ghana was 2006 on the Anastasis. I stayed at Faithful and Mary Biney in Tema. The Biney’s were one of the first friends Carla and I made when we joined Mercy Ships in 1983. Monday morning I had meetings at the Regional Maritime University in Accra. It is nice to see Ghana experiencing a time of stability and progress, new buildings and roads coming up everywhere. Most West African crew of the Africa Mercy come to Ghana to received maritime training. Wednesday I flew to Lome, Togo. The Africa Mercy arrived in Togo for a five months field service in February. In June, she leaves to the Canary Islands for the annual dry-dock. Last night I went with the Jesus Film to the fishing village of Catanga. It is fascinating to see how people are drawn to what the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The children are the first to come and the last to leave. Today, Saturday, is a day off onboard