MaritimeMercy.com

This past week my cell phone provider reminded me of Earth Day by encouraging me to “Think Green. Be Green.” In honor of Earth day, they had paper-saving recommendation and tips for recycling my old cell phone in their newsletter.  The Earth Day movement began when air pollution was commonly accepted as smell of prosperity and massive aggression to the environment was justified by the prospect of progress. Quality of air, pure water, clean energy and recycling awareness are rooted in the Earth Day concerns. Despite of different view of the Earth Day, concern for the earth is in the center of it. Biblical concern for the earth begins in the first verse of the first book of the Bible: “In the beginning God created heaven and earth”. Because this body called earth was formless and shapeless God had to shape it given form and content in order to create an environment suitable to human life. The Biblical environmental view is centered in the creation of man in God’s image and likene...

You may remember a Just for Man TV advertising. A bearded guy approach some ladies who turns their back when they see his grey beard and the two commentators says: “Rejected.” Then the same guy uses the Just for Man product and is accepted by the ladies. The creators of this advertising touch the very human need of acceptance. No one likes to be rejected, we desire and strive to be accepted. However, life is full of rejection moments. The Kingdom of God has a no-rejection policy, acceptance is guaranteed. Jesus says that “whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). Acceptance is not based on what one does, nor something one ware, or even a magic gel. We are accepted based on Christ’s righteousness. Like the father of the prodigal son, God has his arms stretched out to receive us when we come to Jesus. Actually, it is God who drives people to his way. In the same text of John 6, Jesus says: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sends me draws them.” The Prophet Is...

If you take the viewpoint that illness affect a person physically, spiritually, socially, and mentally, that life goes beyond the physical helm, and any treatment should approached the whole person. You should have been at the Programs reporting time last Friday on the Africa Mercy. The Hospital Chaplaincy team follows patients during each phase of their experience as they are treated. By caring to patients emotional needs they make many of them feel worth for the first time. Ivonne Riddick, member of the Hospital Chaplaincy, commented that the Mercy Ships Hospital Chaplaincy deal with the whole men, physically, spiritually, socially, intellectually and relational needs.

This week seven crew members from the Deck Department attended a 40 hrs. Efficient Deck Hand class on board the Africa Mercy. The course was administered by Captain David Hines from the UK. The Efficient Deck Hand course is a theoretical and practical course that provides shipboard understanding, knowledge and skills. This class offers hands-on training on common knots, splices, slinging of stage of busun’s chair, care, and use and storage of ropes and wires. Participants also learn shipboard organization, parts of the vessel, deck equipment and anchorage and mooring arrangement.

Each day about 200 day-workers labor alongside the Africa Mercy crew as translators, drivers, patient care takes, working in the galley, engine room, deck, housekeeping and other department. They vital to the purpose of the ship and provide need support to the hospital operation. Some arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon, and others work in three ships in the hospital. Today was day-workers appreciation day. They participated in a taste barbeque with the crew and a beautiful program in the dock.

The Prophet Isaiah lived in the 8th-century BC in the Kingdom of Judah, prophesied during the reign of four kings, Uzziah, Jothan, Ahaz, and Ezekiah. He is the writer of the book Isaiah which central theme is salvation. This is what he says about Jesus:   Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely he took up our pain/and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

In order to increase knowledge and skill of crew and staff it is essential to create a culture of learning. Most of us know what is the knowledge and skill needed to do a specific job and how to get them. What is missing is a desire to pay the price to attain it, both from the part of the organization and the person needing the training or education. The price here is not necessary, just finances, it is the willingness from the part of the organization to include training in its overall plan, and from the employee (in our case volunteer) to reprioritize their time and energy for learning. A culture of learning is the consequence of leadership, management and employees working together to provide and attain the necessary knowledge and skills that move the organization forward. Where a culture of learning is lacking training and education is always on the way of production, but in a culture of learning knowledge is shared to everyone according their functions. Today we began the Ef...