Forty Years With Mercy Ships
Today marks a milestone in my career. Forty years ago, on July 2, 1983, I joined the Organization #MercyShips. Back then, the dream to bring hope and healing to the forgotten poor was mainly work, a lot of hard work. But as my parents used to tell me, work doesn’t kill anyone; I’m here to say that they were right.
In those forty years, I sailed the Pacific and
Atlantic Oceans. Visited three continents and ministered in 42 countries.
Countless volunteers from around the world worked without ceasing on the first
Mercy Ships, the Anastasis, and the other ships that followed her, the Good
Samaritan, the Pacific Ruby, the Caribbean Mercy, the #AfricaMercy, and now our
newest ship, the #GlobalMercy.
#Mercy Ships has delivered services to
more than 2.86 million beneficiaries during this time. Provided services and
materials in developing countries valued at over $1.77 billion, including the
following:
- Performed more than 108,000 life-changing or
life-saving surgical procedures such as cleft-lip lip and palate repair,
cataract removal, orthopedic, facial reconstruction, burn contracture
release, pediatric, general, and obstetric fistula repair
- Performed over 521,000 dental procedures for over
197,000 dental patients.
- Trained more than 6,680 local professionals
(including surgeons), who have, in turn, trained many others
- Trained over 50,300 local professionals in their
area of expertise (anesthesiology, surgery, nursing, biomedical,
sterilization, trauma, leadership)
- Taught over 268,000 local people in basic
healthcare
- Completed over 1,115 infrastructure development
projects
I feel privileged to be part of Mercy
Ships.
Let me with seven things from these forty years I’m grateful for:
- I’m grateful for my family, who
followed me everywhere this organization took me.
- I’m grateful for all the friends
I made along the way.
- I’m grateful to friends, family,
and churches who made this mission possible financially.
- I’m grateful for a vision bigger
than myself.
- I’m grateful for the opportunity
to use my merchant marine, education, and theological skills to help those
in need.
- I’m grateful for intercessors who
pray for me, my family, and the ministry.
- I’m grateful for colleagues and
coworkers that battled beside me as we went through thick and thin.
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