MaritimeMercy.com

  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 procedu...

It is a beautiful East Texas Sunday. A perfect day to celebrate Father’s Day. No matter if he is your biological father, an adopted father, a stepfather, or just someone who has the role of a father figure in your life. Today we celebrate fathers. I can’t resist reflecting on my father, Mr. Manoel Barbosa Dos Santos, a hardworking man who was always there present in my life. He brought me to my first day of school, took me to my first soccer game at Maracanã stadium, was with me when I joined Merchant Marine Academy, and helped me to fix my first house. It is hard to remember an important event in my life when he was not present. He was always there. And he did it without saying anything. He was from an era when it was unnecessary to say to those you love; I love you. I know of his love for me not because he said it but because he demonstrated it. I remember one time when I was playing soccer at the local fire station’s futsal court when I glimpsed my father with a grin on his fa...

 I was 15 years old at the time of the buzz about Pelé’s 1000th goal. The countdown began on the 910th. Local, national, and international media followed his team, Santos FC, everywhere. The conversation at the offices, factories, bars, street corners, and the no-grass soccer fields was about when, where, and how the historical feat would happen. At the time, the closer goal scorer was four hundred goals behind. We wanted to know who would go into history by association just for being under the crossbar at the wrong time for them but at the right time for the rest of the world. Our imagination wondered what kind of special magic Pelé would use to score a goal that would be in our memories forever. Would he score with his head after rising a foot above his marker? Or would he score after controlling a crossed ball with his chest, looping it over a defender before kicking it to the back of the net? Would the goal happen after a spectacular run from the mid-field leaving behind co...

 Squirrels are funny little creatures. They climb a tree, bounce from branch to branch, and jump from the furthest branch to the next tree with impressive accuracy. I saw a squirrel walking on a telephone wire toward the roof of a house. He probably got on the wire from the nearby pecan tree. As he walked on the wire, he would stop, turn side way, and balance his body using his long tail as leverage. He walked another few steps and did the same ritual again and again. I kept watching to see how he would manage to jump from the telephone wire to the rooftop about a foot away. He moved forward slowly but methodically, repeating his liturgy every step. However, when he was closer to the roof than where he started his journey, he suddenly turned back and ran through the wire back to the tree where he came from as if he was running on level ground. Go figure! I could not resist and gave a name to the adorable entertainer little creature, the Acrobat. But, as I think of Acrobat squirre...

Christmas lights are everywhere in East Texas. The yards of the houses on my street are decorated with nativity sets, stars, shepherds, sheep, and the wise men. I cannot forget about old Santa, Rudolf, and rain deer. Across the street, lights in the shape of letters spell for all those driving at night to see: “Happy Birthday Jesus!”   The pandemic brought a sense of humanity finitude that creates a longing for the eternal. Longing for normalcy different from what we had before. Longing for a sense of peace and security that transcends our material understanding. And longing for any kind of stability. Nevertheless, uncertainty seems to be the new normal. But, the writings of the prophet Isaiah about the Messiah remind us that:           “Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7) The rule and reign of Christ bring peace and joy that never ends. Before going to the Father, Jesus Christ made an affirmation to us, hi...

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving. Families and friends gather around tables across this nation to celebrate God’s goodness. This year, Thanksgiving looks a little different for most of us. We have confronted an invisible enemy unlike any we have ever seen. We have been encouraged to gather in small numbers, wear face masks, not to visit grandma and grandpa, and to keep social distance, which is quite difficult for those in the South. If the French greet each other with two kisses on the cheek, Texans like to greet with a big bear hug. Nevertheless, in light of the Apostle Paul’s encouragement that, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:11). I decided to list five things I am thankful for amid a pandemic. Here it goes: Despite many people losing their jobs, I can do my work from home. Despite the impossibility of being with my coworkers in the office or...

Every day the Africa Mercy crew and patients consume 60 metric tons (15,850 gal) of water. This is the equivalent to 60,000 bottles of water, one liter each. That’s a lot of water. The water-men test, treat, filter and test the water again until it is safe for drinking. Last week five deck crew and two Deck Officers attended the Basic Water Safety course. The twelve hours course was delivered by Shirley Quinn, the water engineer responsible for the water and sewage plant at the Mercy Ships International Support Center in Texas. Ibrahim Bangura, one of the course participants said, “The course expanded my knowledge and brought me to a higher level of understanding about how to treat water and make it safe to drink”. The crew who takes care of the water are called water-man, but after I saw all the tests and treatment they do to make the ships water read for consumption I’m calling them ‘Water Doctors’.

This is my second week on-board the Africa Mercy in Cameroon, Africa. To be in Africa is something special because Africa is fascinating, but one need to have the right lens to see the Africa God prepared as a gift to the world. A great Brazilian composer said that “life is not only what you see. It is a bit more”. When looked beyond the unsurmountable needs there are beautiful people, mountains, hills and rivers, deserts, savannas and forests, animals and birds in Africa. Last night someone told me that he saw in a supermarket here in Douala the biggest shrimp he has ever seem. Interesting enough when the Portuguese sailors come to this part of Africa they were so impressed with the quantity and size of the shrimp that they called the land Camarão, the Portuguese word for shrimp, and 500 years later the country is still called Cameroon, Camarão. It is raining season, so it rain every day. Yesterday I woke up at six in the morning it was raining and it rained until 11. The rai...

It is exiting to be back on the Africa Mercy in West Africa. Benin is a beautiful country with beautiful people. The medical team is helping lots of people through the surgeries on-board, dental treatment and the Hope Center. I’m on-board teaching Crowd Management classes, having meetings, planning and enjoying fellowship with so many co-workers from the ship. In one of the classes I taught, only three students out of eleven had English as their first language. This makes the teaching quite interesting because some of the students on top of new English words, have to learn also maritime terms.

The passage to a new year is an opportunity to start a new. To turn to a new page or chapter in the journey of life; or a chance for a clean slate in some circumstances. The turn to a new year also brings to light new resolutions and the possibility of the realization of old desires and wants. The Prophet Isaiah says: “Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past. See, I’m doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV  The good news is that God wants and encourages us to start a new. The prophet Jeremiah points out that God’s mercy is new every morning. Which means that today’s mercy is not the same as the mercy experienced yesterday. So, it is a good practice to make resolutions not only for a new year, but also for a new day, for a new week, month, or phase of your life. Throughout Scriptures there is a strong emphasis in remembrance and reflection, both to remember what led to success, or to destruction and to reflect on it. How...

The last couple of days have been difficult for the residents of our small city of Van here in Texas. Many of our friends, co-workers and neighbors were greatly affected by the tornado that destroyed houses and took two lives. Carla, Cassia and I are grateful for God’s protection over our lives and home. Seven houses from us on my street looks like a war zone.  I’m learning that these types of situations impact us all in different ways. When I look at a house that last week was there and today is gone, I think that could be my house. When I pick a picture on my lawn that was blown by the fierce wind, I think that could be my memory that went away. So I’m grateful that not even a shingle was taken from my house.  We want to thank all of you for reaching out to us by phone calls, emails and face book messages. Please continue to pray for those affected by the storms.

Last Sunday night around 9:30 a tornado touched down in our little town of Van, Texas. The power went off and I hear the emergency siren, Carla, Cassia and I took shelter in our bathroom. We could hear the strength of the wind that lasted few minutes. A second storm went by, but not as strong as the first one. Early in the morning, still without power, when I saw the debris in front of our yard I realized that things up the street were not good. There was no damage to our house, but few houses from us some of our neigh bors were hit badly. We thanked God for protecting us from such destructive force. The F3 tornado run a 10 miles path and was 700 yards wide destroying or damaging 120 houses.