Ben on the Africa Mercy

God bless..

2011-06-24T23:41:00.001+02:00

The best thing about living on the Africa Mercy is the opportunity to meet omse of the most inspiring, humbling and generally awesome peopleI have ever had the chance to meet!

The downside that come with that is while people arrive, others have to leave.
This last week some of my closest friends have left the ship. People that I look up to, people that I have shared the most vulnerable of my life with, the high and the lows. People that I respect as professionals followers of Christ and friends.

The other realization that comes with this is that as they leave.. it means soon I am leaving and I don't quite know how to deal with that.

I don not do these things well, but thanks you for being you, and for letting me be a small part of that, you know who you are. God bless.

Ben

For God so loved the world..

2011-05-10T00:14:00.000+02:00

I often ponder how much of my true feelings I share on this blog, how much I want to be putting out for all to read. Tonight I am taking a risk, I hope you understand my thought and my heart.

This week I received an email from my Dad that a close family friend and sister in Christ, Ineke, had passed away. I was shell shocked, Ineke had been battling cancer for many years, but her death hurt. It drove home the feeling of separation from those I love. Ineke was an amazing person.
Later that evening while I was sitting with friends someone asked me what was wrong, I with shared them that Ineke had lost her battle with cancer.

But that.. that is a lie.

Ineke did not lose any battle and cancer did beat her.

Christ won.

Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour won.

As much as we hurt I know without a doubt in my mind that there is rejoicing, celebrating in the heavenly realms as God gathers one of his daughters to spend eternity with Him.
Ineke, I miss you. You truly are an inspiration and example to me.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God bless,
Ben

I need Africa more than Africa needs me.

2011-05-06T23:34:00.001+02:00

I need Africa more than Africa needs me.. A sentence that has come back to haunt me recently.

The slogan comes form a group called the MochaClub, they are making the statement that although circumstance are dire in a lot of nations on this continent, their seem to be an ingrained happiness in the people (I blogged on this a long time ago) and I was introduced to the slogan when I read it on a T-shirt of a friend who returned to the ship this year (good old repeat offenders).

Ever since reading it it has stayed stuck in the back on my mind. Standing on the aft (back) of deck 8 (our top and outside deck) it struck me the other day how true a statement it was.
As I watched the sun set into the ocean, watched the smoke hang over the fishermans village, watch the busyness of Freetown carry on into the night; those words rang true.
I love this place, I love west-Africa. Yes it frustrates me to see some of the organizational lackings and it will literally bring me to tears to see the pain and poverty in this country. As I have lived in west Africa for the last 2 years it has become part of my existence, my life, my faith, it has snuck its way into me. It has slowly become home, it feels safe, it feels familiar; lets be honest it is almost an addiction..

My time with Mercy Ships is slowly drawing to an end, in less than 2 months I will board a plane to Europe with no immediate plans to return. As excited I am about the future, as excited I am to marry Hannah and start our life together, it will hurt to leave. It will hurt more than I care to admit to myself.

It is true that their is still help needed here, I am unimaginably thankful to God that the work continues and others step in as some step out.
But in my heart of heart, that little voice keeps telling me what I know to be true.

I need Africa, more than Africa needs me.

God bless,
Ben

To find out more about the MochaClub see: https://www.themochaclub.org/i-need-africa

50 Years Forward

2011-04-28T01:05:00.000+02:00

Celebration!

Today is Sierra Leone's 50th anniversary of Independence, this since it had been a British colony from 1808 until 1961.

Celebrations in town are said to have gone on all day. Around the national stadium here in Freetown is where the celebrations centered. A good friend (an English photographer that has just moved off ship to work with another NGO) is living in that area for a while just now and spent the day photographing the non stop party :) including the President meeting and greeting, who of course came out for the celebrations.

This is a nation that came through the pain of emperial rule and following independence was plunged into the horrors of a 10 year civil war.

Happy Birthday Sierra Leone, may the next 50 years bring peace and prosperity; God bless

Ben

Waddle away.

2011-04-19T21:25:00.000+02:00

Short blogpost (seems to be the trend these days)

I just want to mention to the world that my nephew is awesome! Simeon (my older, wiser yet less handsome brother) sent me some video last week after Ians 1st birthday.

One of my favourite ones is him absolutely wiping out when catching the leg of the high chair, and I mean absolutely WIPING OUT! He has learned to waddle recently, I call it a waddle cause I am not sure (as a physical education professional) that it is actually walking :p Yes, he moves by stepping one foot after another, but it looks so funny that it is definently a waddle!

It is when I see little videos like that that I really miss home, miss my siblings, nephew, parents, fiancee. Makes me not wonder why I am here, I know why I am here and I know why thats important, but it just makes me long to have everybody around me. Someday that will happen. Until then..

God bless,

Ben

A year ago today..

2011-04-19T01:20:00.000+02:00

So one year ago I was packing up to go to Kenya, for the ICEC teaching conference..
If you're struggling to remember when that was: Remember when I shaved my head... yeah that was to raise money so the Academy staff could go.
It was an amazing trip for enjoyment reasons as much as professional.

It is amazing to think how much happens in a year.
Togo-Kenya-Togo-USA-Togo-South Africa-Netherlands-South Africa-Sierra Leone.. unbelievable.

I have been blessed to see some amazing places in the last year, interact with some amazing people, experience incredible highs and be carried through some lows.

one year from now.. God knows.. really, only God knows..

God bless,
Ben

Screening through it all.

2011-04-12T01:01:00.002+02:00

This is the blog post that has taken me a month to summon up the courage to write..

At the start of each outreach we use what we do a mass screening to locate as many patients as possible that we can help. The people are then given appointments for surgeries or for a followup appointment to have another assessment of their condition. There are a lot of people that we sadly cannot help, due to our limited possibilities on board and how advanced their condition.

Before we arrive the wheels are already put in motion; radio commercials go out and posters are spread to tell people over all the country where and when we will be screening.

At the beginning of May we did our screening at the national stadium. Through a series of events this day turned from what should have been a day of celebration to nothing more than a disaster.
I myself was first involved in an outreach with the kids then transferred to security outside the main gate. There were too many people and not enough organisation.. there was chaos and it ended in the tragedy of 1 man losing his life and more being injured. I do not car or wish to revisit the details of the day.

It shook me, more than I even thought it had. It hurt me, it knocked my beliefs about people and about God. I left wondering why I was here, why we were here and in all this where God was.

I still don't have all the answers, but God and me are working through our part of this.

There is a happier story to tell.

About 2 weeks ago now we tried again, at a new location, to do a mass screening.

I was part of a 9 man team that went out the day before to run security through the night and ensure that the organisation that was missing at the previous screening was thoroughly set up before the crowds arrived.

When we arrived at 15.00 the day before the screening there were already people waiting around the government compound that we were going to use. This is more than 17 hours before we were going to start the screening.

As the night progressed the line grew longer and longer. Our team made sure to speak to every person who joined the back of the line. Firstly to check that they have a problem we could possibly help, secondly to assure them that all would be fine in the morning, to ensure people that we cared.

The day itself ran better than I could have expected. Sam and myself ran the main gate, letting people through that had come through the pre-screening (an initial medical examination to see if we can actually help them) and were actually going to be assessed for surgery.

A lot of people were turned away, but a lot of people came through the gate, and a lot of them will end up having surgery on board.

I don't know how to describe how 'real' life suddenly felt when you were surrounded by people that were either having there life changed or were moving on and back to every day life.

But I know that every person who was even considering coming that day left with our prayers. And sometimes that is all I have to offer..

As I read this blog post through after writing all I can think is how insufficient it is to describe the intense feelings and thoughts that this took and takes me through, but I had to try.

God bless,

Ben

Photos taken from the second screening (thanks to Tom Bradley)

Prayer request

2011-03-09T21:43:00.000+01:00

I have no way to describe my feelings at this time; I have no words to describe what happened on Monday and I have no will to describe where I was in the whole thing.

All I can ask for at this time is your prayers. I dont even know specifically what I would like you to pray for, but pray..

Ben

News

2011-03-09T21:38:00.000+01:00

I am sorry that this is the only way I have to communicate this news but at the moment I have no other words.

Ben

Mercy Ships press release, 7th March:

Mercy Ships is deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred today during medical screening at the Freetown National Stadium when a crowd stormed the gate resulting in several injuries and one life lost.

Mercy Ships personnel working at the site attended the injured and accompanied them to local hospitals.

"Our hearts and prayers are with the individuals and families of those affected by today's events. The occurrence of this incident in the course of activities intended to restore lives is tragic. We move forward with tremendous sadness, but great determination, to assist as many people as possible in the next ten months," stated Mercy Ships Founder, Don Stephens.

Mercy Ships exists to serve the forgotten poor and has served Sierra Leone five times over the past two decades, also helping establish two land-based health care facilities. For the next ten months, Mercy Ships will be providing surgeries for qualified patients while working alongside the Sierra Leonean Government to support its five-year healthcare plan and strengthen the functions of the national health system.

http://www.mercyships.org/blog/entry/screening-day-update

Now tell me there's not a God..

2011-03-02T22:19:00.001+01:00

Sailing has the general disadvantage of not being able to leave the ship (technically you could but.. yeah you get the point) but at the same time has some moments that you almost never get a chance to experience while on the solid stuff.

My favourite evening activity during a sail is endlessly and without purpose wandering the outer decks at night.
I love the sight of the ocean in all directions. I love the absolute lack of normal day to day noise. I love that nobody else is around. But most of all... I love the sky!

Im not sure this needs much explaining but at sea there are not a lot of streetlight, not very many office blocks and no cars.. all this makes for complete darkness, well complete darkness aside form the amazing view of a million stars in the sky and the Milky Way spread across the heavens.

The other day I was lucky enough to be out on a clear night without a moon.
Absolutely beautiful!
After your eyes get used to the darkness there are stars literally everywhere.
Now I dont just mean the stars that you see on a 'normal evening', but literally everywhere, every single inch of the night sky is in someway covered by a dot, a speck of light that represents another solar system.
All of these specks are others suns, each sun with the possibility of endless planets.

Well the other night I was taken by the question: How... how can this be chance?
Who can look at that and not acknowledge God.
How can something this big be the pure work of randomness, no design, no planning, no beauty.

Dont get me wrong, I love science, I believe there are many answers to be found in science (yes even in our Christian existence), but lets not forget: it is His science.

Next clear night stop and look up, take it all in for a few minutes... now tell me there's not a God.

Have to admit.. not my picture.. I dont have good enough camera of photography skills for this :)

What to do when sailing #1

2011-02-28T23:49:00.000+01:00

Sailing, 16 days at sea.. and to be honest not an awful lot to do.. (well thats not actually true, there is a lot of work to do..) (there is always a lot of work to do..) (and I have really been doing a lot of work!)
But besides the above mentioned work (I really do work!) there is not a lot to do after hours (after I have finished doing work) (or in between leaving and going back to work).

But as I was going to say.. you have to be fairly creative to entertain yourself.
A long standing tradition therefore is to hold a poker tournament (dont worry, its not for real money) in honour of the country that we are leaving.
So this sail was the South Africa Tournament.

Now what I so far have failed to mention, even avoided mentioning.. we always add a theme to the tournaments, and everybody dresses up, and everybody takes it very seriously. I feel the pictures will explain this better than I ever could.. the theme was 'Wild West'.

Oh and a small side note: I WON!!!! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE REIGNING AFRICA MERCY POKER CHAMPION (haha I'm still pretty stoked)

So in conclusion:
If you're ever on a long sail; and you're strapped for ideas to entertain yourself (after work)..

#1. Hold a themed poker tournament.

A special thanks to Lorah Ray for the photos,

the Peets for the hat

and my face for putting up with the horrible moustache.

You've never heard of me!?

2011-02-28T15:14:00.000+01:00

So do you know the joke: "Oh, you've nerver heard of me!? We'll I'm huge in (name obscure place)."

Well... that has actually happened to me! I made it to the Tyler Morning Telegraph. For those you have no idea where Tyler is, Tyler (Google map link) is a small town in east Texas USA, not far from our IOC (International Operations Centre).

Below you'll see the link and the actually cutting as sent to me.
Tyler Morning Telegraph

ps What we think has happened is that the paper reused the picture from a story in October about the teacher on the Africa Mercy, I just happen to be the stock photo. :)

(And yes, the scanned picture is distorted, I havent had a major accident)
(And no, we're not actually in that much danger, these are all procedures, just in case)

Spur of the moment.

2011-02-20T13:32:00.002+01:00

So I am sitting in midships (the central public area of the ship, it's like our communal living room) we're on day 6 of the sail now. I just turned to look outside and the ocean is this magnificent deep blue colour and runs as far as the eye can see.

Makes you feel very small to see nothing but water and sky in every single direction..

(apologies for the quality of the photos, they were snapped with the built in webcam on my macbook)

ps. Just saw my first flying fish of this sail.

Home sweet ship..

2011-02-19T14:22:00.000+01:00

We are back onboard! We have traded the wide green expanses of Appelsbosch, KwaZulu Natal for the even wider expanses of the Atlantic ocean (currently just off the coast of Angola).

Walking back up the gangway was like stepping through your front door after a prolonged period on the road. I like my home, my ship, the people I share it with and the madness that runs along with that :)

Home sweet ship..

Find your blessings..

2011-02-12T11:47:00.000+01:00

Sometimes Gods blessings come in disguise, other times they are as apparent as the day.
This winter they were more clear to me than ever before.

As the school stopped for the holidays towards the end of December I was lucky enough to be able to fly back to the Netherlands for the holidays. Now although I am originally from Scotland my immediate family are all living in the Netherlands.
The time at home was exactly the pick me up I needed after being away for over a year.

Where to start?!?
   My parents are wonderful. They have supported me in prayer, advice, encouragement and financially from long before I went into the mission field. I have a stable constant in them, a fall back that will always be there.

   My sister, a shining example of how God works in 'real life'. A believer and do'er. A disciple and discipler. I lover her dearly and thank God every day that I am reminded of the gift she is to me.

   My brother (the younger but taller), gone from a boy to a man, loved by so many at work and with friends. A budding start in the making, I pray God leads him to a place he can witness to others. Watch out world!

   My brother & sister-in-law, an example of how to live for God, not just with God. My brother has stuck with me through many times and trials and my sister-in-law could not be a better match for him or the family. Always there, always waiting yet always loving.

   My nephew, the new light in my life. A new star on he horizon, sun in the sky. I love the little man more than I ever thought I would. Children show me more more of the face of God than anything else. God bless my little man.

   My fiancee, loving, caring, blessing and patient. Someone than understand me and can live with that, oves me and let me love her. And is willing to stand before our God almighty and in His sight be one with me. I got lucky with this one :)

   The Scots International Church Rotterdam, my spiritual home, not because of the building but because of the people. From my friends and peers who are an intergal part of my life, to the mothers who mother us all. Thank you all for the constant report. It is through that prayer and love than I serve God. With you not just because of you.

   My friends, the get-togethers and lunches. The drinks, coffee and late nights. I would not miss a single one. You sustain me through life and live it with me. Thank you for just being you and not changing. I pray you all find the true happiness.

This is far from an exhaustive list, its not all my blessings for they would literally be to many to count.
God is good and will show Himself in the faces of all who are willing to reflect that (and even some that don't realize it yet). Thank you for being faithful.

Find your blessings, they really are all around you...

(A little game of guess who.. make sure to claim your own photo with a comment :) )

What we do.

2010-10-27T11:46:00.003+02:00

This post was prompted by a discussion in my grade 9-10 Bible class this morning.
We were looking through different Vision and Mission statement to see what they mean, and why they exist.

I want to share our Academy's Vision statement with you. This is the reason we do what we do and ultimately the reason I am serving with Mercy Ships; to see this in practice:

Mercy Ships Academy Vision Statement

Mercy Ships Academy brings glory to God by fully equipping each student with the foundation of knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill God's purposes in their lives. We will do this by partnering with parents in developing Christian character in their children through teaching values based on a biblical worldview within the structure of a quality academic education; meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of each student.

SOUTH Africa..

2010-10-26T19:14:00.000+02:00

South Africa… SOUTH Africa…
Now correct me if I'm wrong (doesn't happen often of course) but isn't the south meant to be warmer.. don't the birds fly SOUTH for the winter?

Can someone then explain to me how I managed to escape the rains of Scotland, the cold of The Netherlands to Africa and it is colder and wetter here than any place I can remember :P

OK I may be being a little dramatic, but the weather has been a real surprise since the non stop sunshine and heat of West Africa.West Africa has 4 seasons: 2 wet seasons (1 long, 1 short) and 2 dry seasons in between. But even on the most miserable rainy days it is still 25C and 95% humidity.

Since being in Appelsbosch (even over the last week) we have had: torrential rain, fine horizontal rain, mist, heat, sunshine, thunder and lightening, gall force winds, stifling warm air, seriously cold temperatures… you name it we've had it (except snow, no snow yet).

Its funny how Africa is always talked about as 'a place' yet even in something as simple as the weather is so incredibly diverse, and this my friends.. is just one of so many differences.

I hope everybody is warm and dry wherever they are! :)
God bless,
Ben

Support

2010-10-26T19:01:00.003+02:00

Everybody volunteering for Mercy Ships is exactly that, a volunteer. We pay monthly 'crewfees' to cover our cost of living onboard and are responsible for our own flightcosts as well as medical insurance.

For all these costs I am completely reliant on donations. This mean than periodically I need to solicit for donation to make it financially possible for me to continue on the Africa Mercy. This also usually involves a lot of 'pride' issues for me but I'm working on it.

If you would be interested in supporting please do so by following the instructions below.

For North American-donors: Click here to support me

Supporters from the Netherlands can donate by making a bank transfer to:

Mercy Ships Holland, giro 1990184, Rotterdam

With the comment: Ben Calvert #2684

British based supporters: Click here to support me

Then while making your donation choose the option 'To support a crewmember' and fill in 'Ben Calvert'.

I apologize if this sounds cheap or tacky but I honestly thank you for any support, be it financially or through prayer or comments on the blog.

God Bless,

Ben

PS feel free to email me with any question, my address is on the sidebar >>

Pray for Benin

2010-10-24T18:56:00.001+02:00

Last year we were docked in Cotonou, Benin for 10 months. To think this was less than a year ago.. Benin truly holds a special place in my heart, please pray for the people there.

Source: BBC News - Click here for original

24 October 2010 Last updated at 11:55 GMT

Benin: UN to send thousands of tents amid major floods

Two-thirds of the country is under water

The UN refugee agency is to start an emergency airlift of tents to the West African nation of Benin this week, amid the worst flooding there in decades.

Some 3,000 tents will be flown in from Denmark to provide shelter for some of the estimated 680,000 people affected.

Two-thirds of Benin has suffered from months of heavy rain, and about 800 cases of cholera have been reported.

It is the worst flooding to hit the country - one of the poorest in the world - since 1963.

Areas previously thought not to be vulnerable to flooding have been devastated and villages wiped out.

"There are huge areas that are covered in water so people are living on the tops of their houses, because people try to stay near their homes," Helen Kawkins of the Care aid agency told the BBC.

The flooding has sparked major health concerns, with drinking and bathing water contaminated by human waste which has overflowed from latrines.

The number of cases of cholera are rising daily, with more than 50 reported in the largest city, Cotonou, alone, Care says. Dozens of people have died as a result of the flooding in the past few weeks, officials say.

People who have lost their homes have sought shelter in medical facilities, putting pressure on the country's health system.

The UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) says an appeal for funds and aid is being planned.

The rain is continuing to deluge Benin and forecasters say there is no sign yet of it abating.

The great outdoors!

2010-10-23T18:32:00.002+02:00

Happy post!
Haha the week has come to an end. Saturday has been filled with.. absolutely nothing.

It is amazing what a little bit of breathing space will do!
Another thing that I feel might have put me back in this more agreeable mood is that last night we had our 'Academy campout'. This involved pitching out (newly purchased) Academy tents on the football field at the bottom of campus and camping out for a night with any parents and matching students that wanted to be involved.
I was shocked earlier this week when I discovered that a lot of the younger kids hadn't really camped before! Ive been doing this since I could be carried into a tent!
Suddenly it dawned on me that growing up on a medical ship in Africa isn't a normal upbringing. They gain a lot of things but also miss some thing we would label 'normal'. What a privilege it was to be able to introduce these kids to something new. Getting dirty and smokey roasting marshmallow by the campfire, then squeezing into a tent with your siblings and a parent.

To be honest I enjoyed it just as much myself, there is nothing like sleeping badly on the ground to replenish your energy levels. Really, it was good!

Slight rambling but Ill chalk that up to lack of sleep, hope you are all well and enjoying these simple pleasures of life. Hey, who needs an eloquent writing style anyways.

God bless,
Ben

ps I'll add some pictures of the evening when I have them.

Everything I am..

2010-10-21T22:46:00.002+02:00

As I type this I'm tired and not feeling overly motivated.
This week has been hard, oh so hard, and not in the usual 'meant to grumble about work' way.

But during worship this evening, I sang, I begged, I promised these words to my God:

"Break my heart for what breaks yours,
Everything I am for Your kingdoms cause
As I go from earth to Eternity."

Hosanna - Hillsongs

Everything I am for Your kingdoms cause.

I am serving with Mercy Ships because God called me to be here, He lead me and I followed. Even when I'm tired and running on empty, let, especially then, everything I am be for His Kingdoms cause.

Thanks for letting me share, God bless,

Ben

What a week!

2010-10-16T10:35:00.002+02:00

Crazy week with crazy happenings! I'll start last weekend and work forward..

All starting last Sunday, we went out to church, which in any normal situation is just down the road, but because of our location it involved an hour and fifteen minute trek in our (rugged and manly) Land Rovers.
*sidenote: so I walked passed the Land Rover parking are the other day and it did seem kind of surreal that these beaten up 4x4 true off road, well used Land River Defenders were my usual vehicle.. strange what becomes normal when you live in Africa working with Mercy Ships.

We ended up visiting Grace Family Church in Umhschlanga (I'm sure that not how you spell it..). Really nice church, friendly, great worship, good preaching but HUGE!!! OK maybe I'm a small town boy at heart but over 1000people in a church seems wild!

Then Sunday evening came, playing a friendly game of volleyball in the gym... and yes.. I managed to dislocate my shoulder. Don't let this shock you, it is the 3rd time already. So after putting that back where it goes, strapping up the shoulder and finding our 'not working' pharmacist for some pain relief that was the weekend over...
Its crazy what becomes normal when you live in Africa working for Mercy Ships.

Monday started with me in a sling.. but still teaching PE 1 handed, unique challenge but kind of fun..
That went OK until Wednesday when I was struck down again!!
It seems that when a 'bug' gets around here it just tears through the general Africa Mercy population. So come Wednesday I was leaving my IT class mid lesson to relieve my lunch into the gutter outside. This sparked 36 hours of not keeping food down, then just not eating, and staying in my room.
Its crazy what becomes normal when you live in Africa working for Mercy Ships.

SO now its the weekend again.. the campus is quiet, Ive eaten 2 meals on the trot and am eagerly looking forward to what the coming week will offer. One thing I can guarantee, it won't be boring!

Its crazy what becomes normal when you live in Africa working for Mercy Ships.

I'm famous!

2010-10-06T17:10:00.000+02:00

Thats 3 days in a row!!
This is a fairly easy post as Im not actually writing it myself, I seem to have hot the big time! Below is an interview that was done by our International Operations Centre in Texas. It is amazing how cheesy your own words sound when you read them over.

Blessings,
Ben

World Teacher’s Day 2010: P.E. Teacher Educates Youth on the High Seas
Posted: 04 Oct 2010 06:53 AM PDT
Teachers have one of the most critical and challenging jobs in the world – educating young minds and laying the groundwork for children to become adults. Most teachers choose that line of work because they want to give children the knowledge and skills needed to live happily and productively in our world. It is a huge undertaking as teachers often find themselves working at local schools with minimal resources and maximum classroom capacity.

In a spin on a traditional teaching job, Ben Calvert decided to take his teaching career to the high seas. He currently volunteers as a Physical Education teacher in Africa on the world’s largest non-governmental hospital ship, the Africa Mercy.

Calvert is the son of missionaries and has a heart for missions. After graduating with a degree in education, he completed a one-year internship, teaching gymnastics to students at the Sports Academy of The Hague University in The Netherlands.

At that point, Calvert was ready to make a change in his life. He was considering doing development work locally, but he came across an advertisement for a Specialist PE teacher with Mercy Ships on their ship, the Africa Mercy. This floating hospital is staffed by a 400-person volunteer crew and provides free health care to the forgotten poor of West Africa. Some volunteers have their families onboard, and approximately 55 children attend the accredited Academy onboard the ship. Calvert says stumbling upon the advertisement for the PE position “was too much of a coincidence to ignore,” so he decided to revise his plans. “It was easy for me to make the decision because I wasn't leaving a long-term teaching contract behind,” he added.

He was, however, leaving a comfortable life behind. Working on a hospital ship in Western Africa was a drastic change, but Calvert was excited about the opportunity. “I knew I would feel a real connection with the kids onboard since I am a missionary’s kid myself – not to the extremes that these kids are, but it did allow me to have some insight into their distinctive world.”

Calvert saw the job with Mercy Ships as a very unique opportunity to combine teaching and missionary work. Teachers typically do not get a chance to contribute directly to missions, but the Mercy Ships Academy allowed Calvert to play his part in supporting mission work. “I didn’t work directly for the locals in the host nation,” he says, “but I allowed the parents of my students to honor their decision to be volunteers on the ship without worrying about their children’s education.” For Calvert, the bottom line was honoring the decision and faithfulness of the parents.

One of Calvert’s most memorable moments came one day during the 2009 Field Service in Benin. It was the beginning of the high school PE class. That morning Africa Mercy Captain Tim Tretheway posted a notice in the reception area saying that there was an infant in ICU on the hospital ward who was in a life-threatening situation. As the class began, Calvert noticed an overwhelming silence from the typically rowdy teenagers. One girl broke the silence by asking if they could pray for the desperately ill infant.

“I was astounded,” Calvert said. “This was my first time to teach at a Christian school, and for the kids to start with this request humbled me to no end.”

That day confirmed Calvert’s decision to become a teacher on a hospital ship with Mercy Ships. It made him fully realize that the kids, just as much as the parents and the teachers, are an integrated part of the wider community – and the mission – that is the Africa Mercy. As the class came together in prayer to lift up the people they serve, it was a powerful moment in Calvert’s eyes.

Of course, there are notable differences in his teaching environment. Calvert identifies the biggest difference between teaching on the Africa Mercy and teaching in The Netherlands as the unique advantages of being in a small Christian School environment. He has the opportunity to know each of his students personally and to form a relationship with them as people, not just as students. The class is able to share their personal beliefs, and Calvert has the opportunity to help the students grow in their relationship with Christ. That is a luxury not allowed in public schools in other settings. The freedom to incorporate faith into education allows his students to grow in their beliefs, while strengthening Calvert’s faith at the same time.

He is also teaching in a truly international school. With volunteers on the ship representing 35 countries, his students come from a diverse background. English is the official language on the ship, but it is a second language for many of the students. He enjoys experiencing a fusion of different cultures in one classroom.
Calvert’s teaching job at a Christian Academy onboard a floating hospital is an extremely unique position. He feels blessed and thankful that he has been given this outstanding opportunity. He is one of thousands of teachers across the world who should be honored today on World Teacher’s Day. Each teacher is working diligently to shape the minds of the world’s youth. Calvert’s experience demonstrates that not all teaching environments are the same, and it takes all kinds of teachers to educate the leaders of tomorrow.

Written by Clair Bufe, photos by John Roland

Straight off the bat

2010-10-05T16:03:00.000+02:00

No introduction, just going straight off the bat on this one :) :

So this last Sunday, as most years, the 3rd of October came round. And as most years this signalled the celebration of the day of my birth, shall be henceforth referred to as 'my birthday'.

It is my second birthday on the Missions field. My second birthday in Africa, and my second birthday with Mercy Ships.

For some reason it felt like a time to reflect. Reflect on where life has taken me so far, and where it is taking me next. But maybe it goes further that that, it is reflecting on where God has taken me so far, and where He is taking me next. Life doesn't just happen, God doesn't just happen, God is and leads.

I had expected to be working in a school in the Netherlands at this point, instead I find myself teaching in a school on a medical missions ship in West-Africa (ok, currently not on the ship but you get the idea) being supported by donations from friends, family and church... This whole experience has been such a turn around for me, perspective-wise. I still worry, worry if people back home will forget me, worry where home is, worry that the next donations won't be enough, worry that I don't know how to transition out of this environment. But at the same time I am learning to trust.

Not too long ago I read 'Ruthless Trust' by Brendan Manning. He makes a good point saying that Christianity isn't about faith. Faith is easy! It's about trust. Trust is difficult.

I am not there yet, I try to trust God but spend so much time worrying and/or trying to solve things myself. But God started me down this path and I fully intend to walk it until its completion.

Birthdays... each year a new insight, call it older and wiser (and slightly more senile..).

God bless,

Ben

PS Thanks everyone near and far that made my Birthday such a special day!

Where in the world am I now..

2010-10-04T23:09:00.000+02:00

Ok.. so we've had the personal update, now time for the professional update.

If anything this last while has taught me that life in on the Missions field is never what you expect it to be, there are no 'normal days'.

First things first in August we finished out Outreach in Togo. If it seems we were only there for a short while.. that's because it was shorter. The ship normally spends 10months of the year in a host nation, sadly we were only able to spend 6 months in Togo as we had to have major maintenance done on the ship.. Which smoothly brings me to where I am now.

As I type this I am sitting in Appelsbosch, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. No longer located on the ship but an hour inland from Durban. The ship itself is currently in dry dock, sitting on piles of bricks 6 feet off the floor. The main reason for the work is to replace our 'Harbor Generators'. These are the main generators that supply our power. The downside is that because they are older and not designed for the Hospital, they generate not just electricity but and awful lot of noise and vibrations.. the wards onboard are location just above them, making it very uncomfortable there and almost impossible to use some of the operating theatres.. This means we spend a lot of time using our quieter, smaller frigs (I think that's how I spell it) generators. These were originally designed to only be used at see, and we run them 24/7 months on end, see the problem.

Our engineers have literally been miracle workers but at last we are replacing the generators with modern, more efficient, more reliable ones. This does involve cutting a hole in the ship to get the old out and new in, hence the prolonged time in dock.

It is always a strange mix of feelings, being away from home but not actually in our allotted field, but we're all seeing this as essential maintenance hat will allow the Africa Mercy to keep serving for years to come.

And that Ladies and Gentlemen is how the Academy, the family's, the long term crew, and myself found ourself in rural South Africa.

Pictures from the shipyard:

Entering drydock

Real inner city.. leave your ship unattended and it ends up on blocks..

Now usually a hole in a ship isn't a good thing.. it is when a noisy generator is leaving!

Introduction to Appelsbosch following soon..

Back, with news!

2010-09-26T21:46:00.006+02:00

So as regularly happens I seem to be starting this blog post with apologies. In the mad life of a missionary my blog (and newsletters) seem to slip between he cracks. I am honestly sorry about his and will continue to try to better my ways.

Tomorrow I will catch you up with how things 'in the field' are but tonight I start with a belated personal update.

I AM ENGAGED! This summer I managed to spend 5 weeks with the love of my life, Hannah, who I met last year on the ship when she was a nurse on the wards.

We dated for 4 months in Benin and then when she returned home to California in January I moved with the ship to Togo. Our relationship has been growing ever since and when I at last got to see her this summer.. I proposed..

By the way.. absolute respect to everyone who has ever proposed and a warning to those who still will someday. That is the most scary thing I have ever done! Your life hangs in the ultimate balance as the pause between question and answers seems to take a multitude of hours to pass!!!!

Lucky I can say that form down on one knee the answer was YES! and our plan is to marry next summer in California. Hannah has been a true blessing in my life and I overflow with thanks to God for leading us together and to this point. It is a true miracle to me that we ever managed to meet from 2 continents, let alone keep the relationship growing when 12.436 km apart (according to the World Distance Calculator the distance between Lome and San Francisco, Ah the wonders of the internet..).

So it just falls to me to end this post with a photo of my beautiful wife to be and myself just before I left her in California (taken by her good friend and great photographer Juanita Cannan)

Just another kid on a football field..

2010-06-16T01:29:00.004+02:00

Ok so this one could be either a follow-up or add-on to the previous post.

The only difference being it wasn't 'Just another man in the market' but 'just another kid on the football field.'

To give you another insight into my free time activities while on board the Africa Mercy; on Mondays and Wednesday (providing their in nothing else important happening) a whole lot of us go out and play football (ok soccer for the Americans) at a local field. Sometimes we just play against each other, sometimes against local teams. This last Wednesday, my last football before the summer, the format was slightly different though.

As it had been raining all day, and I mean all day (it is not called the rainy season for nothing), an awful lot of people copped out of football and it ended up just being myself, Elliot (Canadian buddy) and about 9 girls (sorry to generalise ladies). Just as we arrived at the field it stopped raining, we set up small goals with discarded concrete blocks and with a lot of laughter and joking started a small game.

Count.. 1..2..3..4..5..6...7...8..9..10.. and kids arrive.

Really, anywhere we arrive in Togo (especially with any sports stuff) and within 10 seconds local kids will turn up. Sometimes viewing you cautiously from a distance, sometimes standing in the absolute dead centre of the field.

This time we had a special visitors. Bounding across the filed, no hesitation what so ever was Ibrahim. This little man was a patient of us this year all you can see of it is a patch of scar tissue beside the corner of his mouth, his mouth opens but not all the way.

Usually we would keep playing, the kids watching and screaming from the sidelines. But today, smaller teams, smaller goal, less intense; we pulled the kids into the game splitting them into our teams. And we played, laughed, screamed, passed the ball to kids not knowing if they were on our team or the other side.

Honestly the most fun I have had at football in a long time.

One of the most beautiful points of the so called beautiful game coming when Ibrahim, challenging strongly for a ball, fell backwards into a puddle. He stood up, looked around and like any 7 year old starting bawling his eyes out. Standing there on his own, crying, screaming, shorts and back of shirt absolutely soaked. And again it dawned on me, Ibrahim was a normal boy, nothing out of the ordinary any more, not teased or shunned, but an absolutely normal kid. How great to be a part of that. (read the post below for the wider explanation of the train of thought.)

To end the story on a positive, I jogged over, squeezed out his shirt and shorts, brushed of the dirt and counted: 1..2..3..4..5..6...7...8..9..10.. off he goes, the ball being the only thing on his mind again, he sprinted of without a care in the world. How I love kids ;)

Just another man in the market

2010-06-10T20:18:00.002+02:00

Sometimes something hit you, something that really makes you stop and think. It stops being a coincidence and starts becoming a life lesson.

Last week I spent my Saturday walking round the market with some friends. This has become one of my favourite pastimes for the weekend. Not only because the way the market is set up, winding through a couple neighbourhoods of streets, but also because I get a chance to see Africa in motion. The 'Mercy Box' can quite quickly becomes that.. a box..

But back to my story..
As we were walking along a man stepped up to us asking: 'Mercy Ship? You are Mercy Ship?'
Firstly being far too small, not made of metal and no where near buoyant enough we were perosnally quite obviously not a mercy ship, but I let the grammatical hiccup slide. Secondly everybody knows we're in town, so anybody trying to sell something or wanting something will use the generic 'Mercy Ship' call signal to get our attention.
But when we stopped and said hello to this guy it turned out to be something a bit more special. He had been one of our patients. In Benin he had had a large goiter removed (huge neck tumor for us laymen). He asked us how we were, how the ship was doing and we responded and asked how he was and what he was doing in Togo. A 2 minute conversation, a handshake (including the snapping of fingers) and he was on his way again.

And as he walked away my eyes were drawn to the insignificant yet still cleary visible scar on his neck, the reminder of where his tumor previously was.

He walked away into the busyness of the market.. nobody took a second look at him.. nobody stopped and stared.. nobody pointed or avoided him..
He was incognito, regular, mundane..

Funny coming from a society where being noticed is such a big deal, yet the biggest gift we could, and did, give this man was the gift of being able to go around unseen.

I gave me a full appreciation again that we don't just fix people, we give them the opportunity to live normal lives. You want 2 hands of the Gospel? Words & works? I would be hard pushed to give you a better example of our calling and our mission.

God bless.

Trans Togo Trek

2010-06-01T20:26:00.004+02:00

56 km, 12.5 hours, 3 countries, 2 sore feet and maybe the most physically challenging thing I have ever done :)

So 2 weeks ago Haley (Grade 4/5 teacher) asked if I'd be interested in 'walking across Togo'. Touch the Ghanian border, walk across Togo, touch the Benin border..

Sounded insane, so without a second thought I signed up. And to be very honest the idea is brilliant, how many time do you get the chance to walk across a country. The fact that 1 group from the ship had already tried, and failed, should have been an indicator that it was not going to be easy. But hey.. its just small Togo right?

On the fateful morning 7 walkers and 1 (very important) support driver left the ship at 4.45 on their way to the Ghanian border. Its about 10km form the border to the port, so 3 of the 7 had decided just to walk that part and the other 4 (idiots) decided to carry on.

So it was Haley, Estelle(kindergarten teacher), Kelly (dietician) and myself. Oh and not to forget Murray (head receptionist) driving ahead and stopping with water and snacks along the way.

I feel I can safely say although I knew in my head it would be difficult, it was more so than expected! Estelle stopped just before halfway but the other 3 of us in the group carried on.

I would be quite honest in saying at one point we renamed it the Trans Togo Trudge.. as for an hour just past the 3/4 mark we were just putting 1 foot in front of the other. The distance just seemed to constantly be growing!!!

But through the blisters, pain, heat and exhaustion....

WE MADE IT. WE WALKED ACROSS A SMALL AFRICAN NATION IN 1 DAY!!!!!! All praise to Haley and Kelly for slugging it through with me and Murray an Estelle in the car for making it humanly possible to carry on for that long.

So the lesson we can learn from this:

Next time a Grade 4/5 teacher asked you to do something.. Say no ;)

Walking walking walking

At the marathon mark

Are we there yet..

So I thought Id make use of my shirt collection and start in the Ghanian shirt at their border, swap in the Togo shirt for the middle section, and finish in my Benin shirt as we hit their side, arent I just brilliant!

Done :)

Mr. Teacher

2010-05-30T14:40:00.004+02:00

'Good morning Mr. Teacher.'

'hey PE master!'

'Hi Teacherman'

All fairly common things for me to hear from our dayvolunteers or African crew while walking on the dock or around the ship in the morning.
Usually I would really annoy me when people live for their jobs. When there work becomes their identity. But these are all examples of genuine greetings. Suddenly it goes from being an annoying title to being a call of respect. I really don’t mind being identified as ‘teacher’ and do you know why..: Because I love teaching.
Ive suddenly remembered that these last weeks.

It has been so extremely busy, soooo busy.. actually teaching has become a sidenote, paperwork, document, meetings and seminars have become the priority.
Then the other week after being out on the dock with the High School’ers and it dawned on me like the sun rising over the African savanne (isn’t that poetic); I love teaching. From my first teaching placement when a 8 year old came bounding up to me so enthused about the lesson the week before she had gone home to practice and now (O so proudly) wanted to show me her trick. From that to days when everything you have planned for a lesson run as well as solar powered car in Glasgow, and at your wits end you have no idea what to do!
Through all those moments I know that I love what I do, I stand assured with it as my calling and commit myself to influencing every single student I come into contact with (and hopefully for the best).

All I have to offer..

2010-05-03T01:34:00.003+02:00

Please pray..

Pray for a baby who has beaten us in the race to be with the Lord.

Nurses heartbroken after all there finest efforts couldn't hold back the tide.

A family hurting after a part of the puzzle was harshly removed.

And a tomorrow that will always come, no matter what yesterday just left.

Let us not forget, nor brush aside but remember the miracle that was, ask God for strength and keep giving our all in His name.

Its not much but sometimes it's all I have to offer, you're all in my prayers.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

And don't I forget it..

2010-04-26T01:55:00.005+02:00

So now when I turn the tap water comes out.. that wasnt happening the other morning

And now when I switch a light it comes on.. that wasnt happening the other morning

When I turn the airconditioning regulator cold air comes out.. that wasnt happening the other morning

I expected dinner at 5, it was there at 5.. that wasnt happening the other morning

Safe to say the other morning I wasnt on the ship and now I am. Its at times like this I really appreciate the huge creature comforts we have onboard. I spent an overnight in Palome this weekend, a town about 3 hours up country, out in Africa!!

Yes, surprisingly it is Africa you step into when you walk down that gangway and out of those gates.

Funny, I see scores of patients coming onto the dock each day, I watch them wait and come and go and yet it is so easy to forget where we are. So easy to get caught up in the jobs that need done and spend the rest of the time just 'hanging out', and forget what is out there and how lucky I am!

Take a globe, spin it to the southern hemisphere and pull a line down from London, see that sliver of land? Yes, the one just beside Ghana. No thats Ivory Coast; we're on the other side.

That is Togo. Thats where I am. As much as I sometimes forget and kick myself for it, I am in Togo.

Serving, living, fighting, hurting, laughing, in Togo.
And I better never forget it.

Apologies, travels and premature balding..

2010-04-23T17:34:00.006+02:00

I have failed... failed... failed..

My New Years resolution coming into 2010 was to update my blog regularly and now I have let 3 weeks go by without a word.. my sincerest apologies..
And how much has gone on is those 3 weeks.

The main thing for me has been the opportunity we, the Academy staff, had to join the Missionary Teacher in Africa ACSI teaching conference in Kenya. The Rift Valley Academy, the oldest missions school in Africa, hosted this 4 day meeting of teacher from all over the continent.

This gave us the amazing opportunity to interact/network/get feedback from school in somewhat the same situation.
Wes Stafford, the president of Compassion International spoke to the conference at one of the meetings.. WAUW!! What an amazing and inspiring man of God. He brought tears to many an eye and made me prouder than I have been in quite a while to be a missionary teacher.

There was 1 big downside to going to the conference though..

I AM BALD..

To raise the necessary funds to go to the conference we held an auction on the ship. Many an item and service was auctioned off. Everybody had a lot of fun and it was so amazing to see people giving selfishly to help our cause. $100 for Amy's brownies still jumps out as the most amazing (high quality brownies..). We raised over $4000 dollars that evening, all from African missionaries... also known as friends.

I got to play auctioneer for the evening until I was hijacked at the end and our Principal sacrificed me for the cause.. Tommy Farrel (only other male staff member and Brit) stepped up and was enjoying selling me and my services of.

Clean a cabin,
dance around,
shave the beard,
shave the legs..

then the call went up: shave the head.. and there was silence.

All the above including a bald head and the asking price was $700.. suddenly a light bulb lit up above someones head.. if everybody is willing to bid against each other, what if we work together? In 2 second flat the money was raised: SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!

Then Tommy, looking sincerely into the crowd, dropped the bombshell: 'Ill do the same thing; legs, head, beard.. but we want to see 4 figures.. You could have heard a pin drop.. Screwing Ben over was fun but Tommy had taken it to another level... Once.. Twice.. SOLD!!!!

For ONE THOUSAND AND FIFTY dollars Tommy and myself are bald, leg hair free and clean shaven. But we got to go to the conference!

Last week the time came to pay our debt and I think the pictures speak for themselves.
All I can say, with a tear in my eye, is thank you Tommy for selflessly deciding to go through this with me!!

The winning consortium.. The process.. and the result..

Little changes

2010-03-28T23:17:00.003+02:00

Welcome to the new look Blog, this is a work in progress that was started by the new logo in January and I who knows when ill be done with changing it :)

Oh, I've also sorted out the problem with comments so that they are open to anybody, you don't need a 'Google account' any more.

All have a great Palm Sunday!!

PS I really need to thank everybody who took the time to visit the Grade 3 blog. They really loved seeing all the hits on the blog and were amazed by the variety of countries that looked in. Thanks!

2010-03-25T15:04:00.003+01:00

This is a quick advertising blog :)
Alongside Physical Education I also teach Elementry IT

Since the start of the year my Grade 3 IT class have been designing and upkeeping there own blog. Recently we added a Analytic tool to see how many people visit our site.
We (they mostly) have been extremely excited to see where we have (our few) visitors from.
They are doing a great job; making me proud!

Please have a look, leave a comment if you like, the kids will love it!

www.msagrade3.blogspot.com

Excuse me, I'm busy being an idiot..

2010-03-20T20:17:00.016+01:00

I will dance
I will sing
To be mad for my King

'Cause nothing Lord is hindering this passion in my soul
and I'll become even more undignified than this,
and I'll become even more undignified than this.
from: Undignified, Stephen Hurd

I may be well known for sometimes acting like an idiot and sometimes being loud and obnoxious (everyone try ‘The really nasty Horse Racing game’!!) but I’m deciding more and more that we shouldn’t spend more time being ‘sensible’ but spend more time being undignified, in the best possible way.

Every now and again do something completely out of the ordinary.
Every now and again give away all you have.
Every now and again go forward after a service to pray.
Every now and again be a complete and utter fool.
Every now and again physically drop to your knees.
Every now and that crack a joke.
Every now again dance.
Every now and again suddenly pray out loud.
Every now and again beg to God.
Every now and again trust that He will provide.

But always and in everything praise with all you have got.

"I tell you," he replied,"if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
(Luke 19:40)

Trust me.. I'll become even more undignified than this..

and the prisoners shall be set free..

2010-03-11T20:08:00.004+01:00

This is the second part in my reflection on the outreach part of the Gateway.

Besides the orphanage the other main part of our time was spent as part of a prison ministry in Abomey.

After a lot of back and forth, when it looked like we wouldn't be granted permission on time to go into the prison, but it worked out better than we could imagine.

In the end we were granted permission to meet with the under-age prisoners in a enclosed area of the prison. 22 young men and 2 young women between 12-20. It turned out that that enclosed space and knowing that the under-age inmates lived in a closed off area was the biggest blessing you could imagine.

To explain: the Abomey prison was built in colonial times with a maximum capacity of 400 prisoners at any given time. Anno 2010 the prison houses over 1000 inmates..

To get to the walled off juvinel area we had to walk through the main prison.. wauw.. I can hardly describe it in words. SO many people, living in such small and basic conditions. The place was.. I dont know...

Working with inmates was not something I would have ever voluntarily chosen if I'm completely honest (and I usually am). But from the first words of welcome from one of the young guys something snapped. The young guys in here were nothing different to the orphans at the home. Yes they were taller, stronger and had a past I didn't even want to hear about, but all the wanted was to have people care.

Saying that the first conversation weren't much more than: 'what can you give us?' Can't fault a man from trying..

Each morning, 6 days, we went in there, each morning we did a skit (they really enjoyed the humour), each morning we shared testimonies and stories, each morning we took time to just be with them. And by the time the last days came around I walked into that prison to visit friends. I wasn't scared, I no longer saw a mass group but individual faces and personalities.

In our absence now, 3 locals pastors and our driver that week will be carrying on the visits and we have already heard encouraging stories.

And what do I do? I pray.. I beg.. I try in my arrogance to intercede with the Most Holy for these young men and woman. That God may be there, and they may know my Jesus.

Please pray with me.

You know you're dating a mercy shipper when..

2010-03-07T11:55:00.003+01:00

This goes out to a very special person; to all who have gone before and all who are still to try.

You know you're dating a Mercy shipper when:

- the last question before going on a romantic walk is: 'Honey, do you have a nalgene?'

- you have the choice of 3 restaurants to go to dinner

- romantic evening strolls (after 10.30) are always within a radius of 40 feet

- after your first date you already know you are taking her home

- you remember her phone number cause its only 4 digits

- you meet her collegues before her family

- you know you'll get along with her friends.. because they're your friends too

- all dates last a maximum of 4 hours

- you have to add a ' ratio' to how long you've been dating

- you can have breakfast, lunch, dinner together yet aren't living with each other

- romantic dinners together are: breakfast, lunch and dinner

- sharing a bottle of wine at dinner isn't an option.. you're the only ships driver.

- you start your relationship with a talk with the chaplains

- romantic cruises are not an option as holiday destinations

- going out to a movie involves using a laptop

Benin again - short but sweet

2010-02-28T12:25:00.007+01:00

Last week we returned from our Field Service in Northern Benin, Field Service is the practical application part of the Gateway training program.

So how do you start blogging about 2 and a half weeks of some of the most impacting work possible..

Do I start at the orphanage with 53 children just wanting to be loved on, where you were each day using both you relational and physical skills to try and make as much of a difference as you can in the short time available?

Do I talk about Mamma Arlette who is responsible for raising these kids? A true woman of God who is dancing one moment and correcting the next.

Do I talk about the prison outreach, about the main badly overcrowded area we walked through or about the 24 teenagers whos future hangs in the balance? Who ask for things but they just want you to be there. Do I talk about spiritual warfare, the grip that voodoo has on that place and the destruction it leads to?

Or do I tell you about friendships with team and locals. About irritations and arguments, laughter and tears. Where do I start..

Im doing this per person per story. May take a while but thats the only I can do it justice.

Meet some of the orphans at the Maision d'Espoire in Abomey. A private orphanage for children who have lost both parents for what ever reason. The kids range in age from 2 to 15. We did projects there building them cabinets and towards the end a swing set from local materials. Most days contained a period of songs and a skit with the kids. These guys know how to worship!! With everything they have!! The orphanage has a staff of 7, this include maintanace, cooks and mamma and pappa. The kids all are going to school and being raised as a HUGE family. I couldn't imagine a better place for these kids to be. They are lovingly cared for.

It is far from a holding pen for kids through there childhood but a household where they can thrive.

Please pray for protection and provision for the kids. That God will continue to bless them and the staff and reward them for the amazing way they are rasing these kids.

Painting my wagon..

2010-02-03T06:21:00.004+01:00

What makes you a cowboy? An age old philosophical question.

As I am in Texas just now (1 more week) that question has taken more and more significance. And who am I to deny the true western spirit!

Step 1: Get a horse

....working on it..

Step 2: Greet people with: 'howdy!'

CHECK

Step 3: Wear a cowboy hat.

would love to but they are sooooo expensive!!

Step 4: Fire guns.

Maybe the most ulikely one for me to have fulfilled but... :) CHECK!

This past Sunday a few of us from Gateway were invited over to a friends house to try out a couple of his guns. Me, being the European, had never fired one of these... Im still against general gun ownership but have to admit that it was a fun experience.. (cant hit a moving target to save my life by the way)

So I may not be a cowboy yet, but trust me y'all.. Im fixin' to be one soon partner!

Hosanna in the highest

2010-01-26T05:06:00.002+01:00

I seem to have gone from almost NEVER updating my blog to maybe overdoing it a bit. If you start to get sick of the ramblings of a simple teacher just let me know.. I just seem to have a lot on my heart recently.

One of my fellow Gateway participants just played this song and it has been a favourite for a while, I'll explain after you've had a chance to read the lyrics :)

Hosanna - Hillsong United

I see the king of glory

Coming on the clouds with fire

The whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy

Washing over all our sin

The people sing

Hosanna

Hosanna in the highest

I see a generation

Rising up to take their place

With selfless faith

I see a near revival

Stirring as we pray and seek

We're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdoms cause

As I go from nothing to Eternity

Hosanna in the highest

The 2 points in this song that will either send chills down my spine or tears to my eyes are:

I see a generation

Rising up to take their place

With selfless faith

I teach.. big surprise eh! But not just as a profession but as a calling, and every time I see a child of mine pray, worship or just talk about their personal relationship with our Saviour it all makes sense. All the long hours, paperwork and times of just pulling lumps of hair out my head, they're just all worth while.. that is the generation I see rising to take our place, and that my friends is the reason I teach.

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

I live and work in Africa (well technically float in African waters) and the longer I am there the easier it is to start to close my eyes to the hurt in west Africa.. I honestly pray that my eyes or always opened to the things that God see's. That I weep His tears and hurt His hurt. I don't ever want to reach the point where the poverty or need doesn't affect me anymore.. but secretly I am always afraid that it might, 'God give me grace'.

Ben

Benin outreach 2009 - in pictures!

2010-01-24T02:29:00.005+01:00

Here is my homage to the 2009 Benin outreach.

This is no where near the quality or variety of the sleek presentations that our PR and Communications teams put together. But all the photos reflect my outreach and are true personal memories from my life over the last 6 months.

(all photos appear in no particular order..) (or structure..)

Enjoy the journey:

Hide and go Seek

2010-01-20T05:54:00.007+01:00

This blog is dedicated to Lost.. Yes, the TV show.

To fill some of our evenings here after Gateway classes we have started to run through series 1. Never having watched this I have to admit that I quite like it..

In this case it is not so much the content of the show that inspired me (even though their is enough there to write a full socio-analysis on), but just the title: LOST.

What does it mean to be lost? And then when is it that you are found?

Personally I have found myself lost for so many reasons. I currently feel lost being away from loved ones, missing them makes me feel unsure where I am. When I'm so busy that I can't find a second to spare, feel like I can't collect my thoughts, I feel lost. When again I screw up and remove myself from the presence of my Saviour, I am lost.

And thats just me. There are of course a millions reasons why someone or anyone will feel lost.

So often we are on our own desert island. Our plane has crashed by our own hand or by circumstances around us and we are just looking for survival.

But with LOST comes FOUND.

When I pray, I'm found.

When I hold a loved one in my arms, I'm found.

When I stand in worship, I'm found.

When I sit at peace and want for no one or nothing..

found..

But as easily as we get lost; as easily as I can get lost, being lost presents the opportunity of being found. And just like 'hide and seek' as a kid. When you've hidden so well that you think you will never be found, time passes and you just want the game to be over but don't want to give up.. being found is the most content feeling that exists.

I wish you all to be found, every day of your life. And don't forget to remind those around you that you haven't lost them out of sight either.

Ben

The story of the innocent bystander..

2010-01-17T05:53:00.003+01:00

Hi all,

my new years resolution of blogging is holding up well, maybe I should add that to my prayer requests.. :)

Quite a few people have been asking me the same question the last week or so and I've decided to do the dangerous thing (you know me, I'm all about risk taking) and answer the question full on:

The tale starts on a cold, windy night in East Texas. A gail is blowing outside and there are just 2 people about..

Innocent bystander to Ben: 'So Benjamin, what do you think of the US?'

Ben slowly turns and looks the innocent bystander in the eyes and motions to 2 nearby chairs, 'You get the coffees, grab a seat and I'll explain all', he says.

The innocent bystander runs off and grabs 2 cups of coffee, Ben's is strong, large and black (not really important to the story but just so you all know how I take it..), then quickly joins our hero of the moment and sits down listening in awe. (hihi a little bit of poetic license there).

Ben leans back and takes a sip of his coffee, sets it aside and leans forward to answer the innocent bystander's question:

The US is what I expected and yet nothing like what I thought :)

Yes everything is HUGE!! The vehicles are enormous beasts and it is honestly impossible to walk anywhere here cause everything is so spread out!! And Wal-Mart could cover a blog post on its own!! Food and drink come in HUGE portions and to put it subtly some of the people aren't quite petite either :P

But to be frank it is not as bad as I expected it to be.. America is often portrayed as ignorant, arrogant and small minded.. I have found non if these to be true.

The people here have been nothing but welcoming, friendly and genuinely interested in me and Mercy Ships, I am thoroughly enjoying learning about the diversity of this big country and the necessary teasing that I can bring into that.

America is as interesting as I always thought it would be and I would be lying if I thought it was heaven on earth (everybody knows that is Scotland!) but I will help stand up for it when the American bashing is coming from anybody but me!

Haha slightly odd post, but do y'all expect anything else from me..

God bless,

Ben

PS re-reading this it is even more strange than I originally thought.. but its too late in the day to go changing it and I'm definently posting after all that typing!! Goodnight!

Howdy Cowboy

2010-01-13T04:29:00.004+01:00

My new years resolution was (and is of course still) to post more frequently on this blog, so here's to a good start!

At the moment I am residing in Garden Valley, Texas. The Mercy Ships International Operations Centre is based here. I am here to complete the Gateway training program, a mandatory 4 week course with a 2 week field service in Benin.

The course consists of a Basic Safety Training (maritime safety stuff, but lets me be a fireman for a day :D ), some cross cultural training (including working with the poor) and a part faith foundations (to aid us in our personal walk with the Lord).

Its a good way to get everybody on the same page before serving.

We have today just completed the First Aid and CPR part so now onto fire fighting!!!

It was great to be home for New Year! Scots International Church thank you for your everlasting support and love! It honestly brought a tear to my eye seeing you all looking back atme when I was relaying my news. It truly felt like a son returning to a family! Thank you!

Time for bed on this side of the Atlantic! God bless!

Ben

PS Keep reminding me if I forget to post! And expect a newsletter in the next couple days, if you would like to be added to the mailing list let me know.

Prayer request

My new blog thing is on the sidebar: a prayer list. Each time I update my blog I will update my prayer list too. These are things that I would truly appreciate y'all (as they say in Texas) to remember in prayer. Ill try to explain at the bottom of each post what its all about so you dont have to guess.

One of my worries over this last week has been finances, it is still disconcerting not to have a paycheck coming in and as Mercy Ships means selffunding (even this training course and flights) it gets me nervy when I start to look forward. Yet how can I doubt Christ! God has provided amazingly so far, please keep me in prayer that I trust in Him instead of looking for my own solutions.

Prayer for the new year

2010-01-05T03:38:00.003+01:00

A year has past, it has been a year full of excitement and travel, happiness and sadness, changes and settling in. I want to start the year being thankful for some things that have been a large part of my life in 2009 and praying for up and coming things in 2010.

There are too many things on my heart to name here and even then I am sure most would be of no general interest.

These are but a selection, please dont take insult if I have forgotten you, I am constantly praying for so many of you it would be nigh impossible to cover it all.

Thank you so much for the comments and uplifting words I have received over the last 6 months and please keep them coming.

God bless, Ben

My prayers for 2010.

I AM THANKFUL FOR..
I am thankful for all the financial and spiritual support I have received over this last 6 months.

I am thankful for the friends and family that have surrounded me close or from a distance and the wonderful relationship I have been blessed with.

I am thankful for the opportunities, inspiration and solutions God has provided in my work in the Academy this year.

I am thankful for amazing colleagues and administrators.

I am thankful for the kids, their simple faith and inspiring relationships with Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for the Benin outreach and the opportunities we were given to serve their doing His work.

I PRAY FOR..

I pray for the up and coming outreach in Togo, that we will have a smooth transition and be able to touch as many minds, hearts and bodies as possible.

I pray for Benin, that the work that was started there may carry on and blossom.

I pray for loved ones distanced from me.

I pray for the leaders of Mercy Ships that they may keep leading this organisation with sureness of mind and prayerful consideration.

I pray for my brother and sister in law ad their first (soon to be) born.

I pray for the Scots International Church, its ministry and support.

I pray that this may be a year of spiritual growth for us all, that you will be blessed and your life filled with peace and happiness.

All this in our Saviours name. Amen

Pirates attack tanker off Benin

2009-11-24T17:07:00.003+01:00

Please don't worry but this is the breaking news from the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2 /hi/africa/8376715.stm

Pirates attack tanker off Benin

Pirates have attacked an oil tanker off the coast of west Africa, killing a Ukrainian seaman, the commander of Benin's naval forces says.

Cdr Fernand Maxime Ahoyo says the Cancale Star's chief engineer was killed and

one other crewman wounded.

The pirates attacked the vessel some 18 nautical miles (33km) off the coast of Benin, in what correspondents say is the country's first such attack.

One pirate was overpowered by the crew, but the others managed to escape.

Benin-based journalist Esther Tola told the BBC that the pirates were thought to be from Nigeria.

The commander said naval forces had rescued the crew from the tanker and brought them into port.

There were 24 seamen of different nationalities on board the Monrovia-flagged vessel, including Filipinos, Lithuanians and Ukranians, Cdr Ahoyo told AFP news agency.

Western front

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says piracy in the waters of west Africa is on the rise, with 100 such incidents recorded last year.

The IMB has previously warned of heightened piracy risks along shipping routes in Nigeria and Ghana, to the east and west of Benin.

It said attacks usually took place while ships were at anchor or close to coastal areas, unlike in eastern Africa, where Somali pirates strike ships hundreds of miles out to sea.

More than 10 ships and 200 hostages are currently being held by pirates operating in waters off Somalia.

An international force of about 40 warships has been stationed around the Gulf of Aden, in an effort to clamp down on piracy in some the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Me again..

2009-11-18T20:13:00.003+01:00

Ben's blog posts are like buses, you wait ages for one then 3 come along at the same time.

As we work towards te end of our outreach here in Benin I want to share a few stories written by our communications department on patients that have been helped aboard here. Hopefully this will give you an insight into things we, too easily, start to view as normal onboard. It is even good for us to remember that each patient, each story in a miracle.. (more stories to follow)

Veronique’s Sadness Is Gone

Twenty years ago, Veronique went into labor with her first child. Her labor lasted for five days. Finally, she was taken to a doctor who performed a cesarean section. By this time the baby had died, and Veronique had sustained a childbirth injury called vesico-vaginal fistula, in which the trauma of childbirth leaves the woman incontinent.

Like many woman suffering from obstetric fistula, Veronique was abandoned by her husband. She went back to live with her family and has never remarried or had children. She farms to support herself, growing maize and cassava and bringing it to the market to sell. For twenty years, she carried the burden of losing her child and husband and the shame of constantly leaking urine.

Veronique says that people in her village were not cruel to her, and her family allowed her to remain with them. But the problem was still heavy and made her sorrowful.

“My clothes would be wet, and I was cold,” Veronique says. “And though people gave me small things to help me, I could not afford to go to the hospital for a surgery. If I asked others, they would say, ‘No, it is too much.’”

Veronique traveled over ten hours from her village in Togo to the Mercy Ship in Cotonou. She received a free surgery onboard the Africa Mercy and stayed in the hospital with many other women in the same condition. All on their way to hope and healing, the women were a community – supporting each other, laughing and talking together, and knowing they weren’t alone.

“I thank everyone, I thank all the nurses and doctors and everyone on the Mercy Ship,” Veronique says. “I carry this sadness no longer.”

Veronica at dancing at her Dress Ceremony

Written by Carmen Radley

What on earth happened to Bens face !?!

2009-11-08T12:48:00.006+01:00

What on earth happened to Ben's face!?!

Here is your chance to win the fantastic prize of knowing you are smarter than everybody else.

Look at the picture below and decide what happened and then leave your answer on comments.

Normal rules and regulations apply, if you have been informed already by BS Calvert on the nature of the accident you are excluded from participation.

A. While teaching Grade 3 one of the boys threw a temper tantrum (and he's one of the small guys in the class.) While holding onto him to calm him down he accidently managed to konk me with the back of his hand right on the bridge of the nose.. Resulting in the above..

B. Working and living on a ship will always be dangerous.. While teaching on deck 8 (top deck) Our engineering department were working on the canopy that covers a large section on the deck. One of the, thankfully, rope ties snapped and the knot at the bottom smacked me on the eyebrow of my right eye.. Resulting in the above..

C. While joining in with the Benin Olympics I decided o back-flip of a pallet. While taking off the palet tipped changing my angle of take off resulting in me getting round but smashing my nose of my knee while,landing. Lavishing the floor aroun in a spray of blood. Resulting in the above..

D. While walking in town the other weekend I say a young lady being mugged by 10 large guys. Without a thought to my own safety I rushed in and grabbed hold of her. As the men surrounded us I said in a calm and collected voice: 'you may take me down, but you're coming down with me. In a flurry of punches, kicks, scratches, karate chops and Judo rolls I managed to help the girl and myself escape, leaving 8 guys unconcious on the ground and 2 others running in fear of their lives.. I did get hit a few times.. Resulting in the above..

(May not seem probably but was the most fun to type)

E. Water and ships who thought they wouldnt mix.. I slipped on a wet patch on a set of stairs on the outside deck where I teach and hit my nose on the banister while scrambiling for control again.. Resulting in the above..

Whichever one you choose to believe know that I'm fine and look normal again (or as normal as I ever have..)

The big news round-up

2009-11-08T12:26:00.007+01:00

I have to start by apoligizing for my lack of Blog entries and email responses. Everybody who knows me will testify to my complete lack of organization. Dont worry though, I will get back to you!

To start with a roundup of the news from the ship. Last weekend was a long weekend so went away for 2 nights with 12 good friends. It was an amazing chance to relax! Even though we all came back more tired than we left the batteries still feel recharged. Benin is a beautiful country by the way. Although we were only 2 hours down the coast the sceneray seemed that of a tropical paradise but returning to Cotonou set our feet all firmly back in the reality of the challenges this country faces.

Being able to spend some time with a good group of friends made me realise how many AMAZING people I am honoured to meet here. People with amazing faith and grace, but with humor, stupidness and fun aswell. As great as that is the thought that out of the 12 on the trip 10 will have left by the end of the year was scary. It is a sad reality of our community here that the majority of the people serve for up to 1 outreach (outreach being the time we are in 1 country). Although this does give you the oppertunity to meet so many amazing people it also means that the turnover is high. As a long term'er I will see a lot of people come and go, as frightening as this is I know that I am making friends for life here, and literally from every continent. This Christianity stuff has really started to spread ;)

Funny note: we had/have (depends when I get round to posting this) the Beninois Navy in the harbour this week. This meant: 2 very rusty definently on the small side Navy vessels with cannons in the front. And 1 small motorboat with 2 oversized engines on the back and 1 oversized submachine gun mounted on the front. Knowing there wasn't any problems (with us at least) or any danger what so ever, it is still slightly unnerving and very sureal to be teaching a lesson and look across and see a motorboat scanning its submachine gun in your general direction. Cool eh!

Last interesting bit of international sportsnews is my brief return from retirement to play in the Africa Mercy Crew vs Africa Mercy Day Volunteer football match. Day volunteers are local people who help us during our stay here and are payed a compensation for their work. GO CREW!

We (the crew) managed to win on penalties after a 0-0 draw. To be honest it was really nice to be back on a pitch (without my knees hurting)... watch this space.. ;)

Hopefully on Monday we will be having dinner at the presidential palace as he has invited the whole crew to thank us for our work here. This could be a major chance for us to minister to the senior officials of the country so please pray for the meeting. this is the 3rd time the dinner has been rescheduled but it is not every day you meet a president so it will be worth the wait.

Newsletter on its way this week!

Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers,

Ben

There's a storm a brewing..

2009-11-08T12:23:00.001+01:00

This has been posted on many a Mercy Ships blog before and even made it into my newsletter but wanted to share it one last time..

The following poem was written by Prince Eddie Daniels from Ghana, a patient aboard having skin grafts on his hands. I is a descriptive of how he see’s Mercy Ship’s work here.

Angels Amongst the Sons of Men

The day the Big White Whale landed on the black shores of Africa was a blessed day to the Sons of Men.
It came with Angels to walk amongst the Sons of Men.
Why do I call them Angels? Let me tell you of my time with them.

I came on board the White Whale with rooms filled with
the lame
the maimed
the formed
the deformed
the wrong
and the rough.
And deep into the darkest part of the night, I saw men and brethren,
maidens and ladies, though flesh as us, yet with hearts as Angels.

Sleeplessly and tirelessly they toiled through the night,
through the pains and aches of men;
they with hands to heal and mend,
bringing from above the Father's love to the Sons of Men.

Some they cut. Some they tie.
Some they seal, and yet others
they fix with tools untold.

Like messengers of the Most High they came.
Not thinking of their own, they risked their lives
and sailed the seas to lands beyond the endless world,
to shores of Men afflicted and in pain.
Their hearts and lives they came to share,
as Angels walking amongst the Sons of Men.
Some in this life are born to pass,
and some are born in life to live,
yet these Angels are born to preserve humanity.

Though some may see lives as waste,
yet with speed they move to save.
With words of love and touch of peace,
they endlessly toil to make right the wrong.

You were born as Men to your lands,
and yet as Angels you served the earth.
Gold is digged from earth beneath.
Treasures are hunted on high seas.
But love so pure and true
can only in hearts like yours be found.
Your labor in the Lord shall not be in vain.
For every life you touch and every soul you save,
For every bone you mend and every face you straight,
The Lord of Life and Light will light your path and guide your life.

For you are truly Angels amongst the Sons of Men.

The power of a smile.

2009-10-25T14:07:00.004+01:00

(The thoughts of a simple PE teacher..)

This week has been a long and strenuous week. Many a night was spent sitting behind a desk as grades had to be prepared, rapport written, conferences held with parents and meetings participated in. By the time Friday came around I had little more to give.

Saturday being a day off and I walked out to have lunch with a friend. And the end of the dock was a military guard with a Kalashnikov, not a strange occurrence at all and nothing to cause worry. But the fact that he was holding a submachine gun is always a little shock to a simple European.

Later that evening I was down on the ward wearing stupid oversized glasses made from cardboard (why is a story in its own right). A mother called me over to see her baby girl. She had just had surgery on a hydro seal. This is a collection of fluids on the brain that caused a growth on her cranium. The pressure of the build up of fluid had left her with brain damage. She rolled his eyes and stared vacantly up at her mother.

These 3 things bring me to my question: where do we see ‘power’?
Tiredness weighs us down, it pushes us to physical and emotional limits, constricts us in our actions and edges our responses.
Firearms have a too apart a power, too often have these inventions been a tool of suffering and pain.
And what of physical ailments? An innocent girl with an affliction from birth that will burden her through life, leaving her scarred physically and mentally.These are the things that are powerful. These are the things that attack us on every facet of our being. If you were keeping score it truely is fairly simple: we lose.

Then she smiled..

A baby of not 6 months old, coming out of major surgery and still with great struggle ahead; she smiled and shook her head at this stupid man wearing (badly made) oversized cardboard glasses.

I was pondering the question: where do we see ‘power’? There . That is where you see true power; power in hope. Every burden, every pain, every struggle I had felt or had seen in the week before was lifted, cancelled out and put to shame by the smile of a baby and the eternal hope it symbolized.

Do you want to know who God is? God is good .

We all live in a yellow submarine..

2009-10-08T01:10:00.000+02:00

(Actually typed this last week but forgot to post.. oops :), read all the 'today''s as 'then''s )

No slow start this time, I'm straight in there: everybody in the Netherlands: I've been praying for you all! (or all y'all depending on your region of heritage).

Its starting to dawn on me (if it hadn't already) that this is not just a ship of people working in Africa but, as we always call it, ' a community' in the most real sense of the word. Life here is intense, everything is as it would be in the real world except from the fact that it happens in a box 200 x 50 x 50 m. Think of sharing your garage with 10 people and that would probably translate scale wise (any mathematicians feel free to correct me).

You spend a lot of time with everybody and it is never quiet. This may sound negative but that is not the intent at all! Communityliving is as amazing as it is exhausting!! I love the way friendships are made and built quickly and with commitment. A little r&r would be nice sometimes though :P

I managed to get away with some friends this weekend and spent the night at a resort just up the coast. The batteries have not felt this recharged in a while. It was just what the doctor/nurse/pharmacist ordered, feeling relaxed!

As a side note, the realisation I had today is that I miss my motorbike :P

I borrowed the Vespa of a friend on the ship for the day and it was wonderful!

The main transportation vehicle in West Africa is the Zemi Jaine (which means: 'get me there fast'), these are small motorbikes that also function as taxi's. Everything and anyone (or amount of people) can be transported on a Zemi jaine.

I decided after riding today I need to start saving to buy one. It will make not only a good hobby in the upkeep and driving but give me cheap transport (not that the land rovers are too expensive to use) and, as I'm sure my Mother is worrying enough about me, another thing to add to her list ;)

Bit of a strange blog now I read it, seems almost 'dear Diary'-ish, even a bit rant'n'rave-ish, but it is what it is and that it shall be.

God bless!

Ben

Few example's from the 'Zemi Jaine hall of fame':

Will you come and follow me..

2009-09-29T16:40:00.004+02:00

I have this songtext hanging beside my bed, torn from an order of service from the Scot International Church Rotterdam. It is a great reminder for me why on earth I am half way across (or down) the world.

Ben

Will you come and follow me John Bell

Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?
Will you let My love be shown, will you let My name be known?
Will you let My life be grown in you and you in Me?

Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare, should your life attract or scare?
Will you let Me answer prayer in you and you in Me?

Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean, and do such as this unseen?
And admit to what I mean in you and you in Me?

Will you love the 'you' you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you found to reshape the world around?
Through My sight and touch and sound in you and you in Me?

Lord, Your summons echoes true when You but call my name.
Let me turn and follow You and never be the same.
In your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in You and You in me.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling down the river..

2009-09-14T22:25:00.006+02:00

Just a little comical interlude.. I do love it here but the contrast is always fun :)

You know your living on the Africa Mercy when:

- Your messages get blue tacked to your door
- Your house moves a couple hundred meters and back again in a weekend
- When you have the same curfew time you had in high school
- You wake up thinking your alarms going off, only to discover it was 3 cabins down.
- You talk about ‘amounts of cabins down’
- You have to choose between: breakfast and lunch or sleep in at weekends
- 2 minutes is considered a normal shower time
- You finish the teaching day with: “see you at dinner”
- You share your living room with 400 people- You are privileged because you are a driver.

- Flashing your knees is exciting
- You don’t answer to Mum or Dad but to the captain and the security officer...
- Your commute lasts less than 30 seconds
- The toilet flushing is a luxury
- The comment ‘hit the deck’ can actually be taken literally...
- You discover The English language is not universal as you thought
- Your phone number consists out of 4 digits
- You meet someone for the first time and start with asking: “how long have you commited for?”
- You live with a chaplain

- Your don’t have a kitchen but a galley
- You can hold a full school assembly in a single classroom

- milk is spelt with a CH

Wonderfully unique..

Patient Story

2009-09-08T12:47:00.002+02:00

This is a patient story that was publshed by our communications office. Hopefully gives an idea of the work that is happing here.

Ben

Maomai Dangbenon: Salvation Has Come

Maomai Dangbenon: Salvation Has Come

It was the middle of the night, and Perlagie couldn’t sleep. The image of Maomai, her three-month-old baby girl, flashed through her mind every time she closed her eyes. A huge tumor the size of the baby’s head was jutting out of Maomai’s neck. Perlagie looked over at her daughter, peacefully sleeping in her hospital bed, and began to cry.

For over a week, Perlagie had stayed in the hospital, waiting and praying for a doctor to help Maomai – but no one came. In the morning, they were being sent home. Perlagie didn’t know what to do.

When Perlagie finally fell asleep she had a dream.

“In that dream, I saw a person, who told me I should be quiet and pray – that salvation shall come.”

The next morning, Perlagie felt confident and peaceful. She didn’t know where help would come from, but she knew God was going to take care of her baby.

***

Maomai was born with a teratoma, which means monstrous tumor. It started out as a small, golf-ball sized lump on her neck, but within three months, the tumor had grown to the size of her head.

Everyone in Perlagie’s village was afraid of Maomai. The grotesque tumor was difficult to look at, and the villagers thought they could be contaminated by it. No one would touch or play with the small baby.

“One time I was in the bathroom, and the baby was crying. People were around the baby, but they would not touch her because of the tumor. They left her crying, alone. Even the members of my family,” said Perlagie.

Perlagie was alone. Maomai was a precious, beautiful baby girl, and she could see that, but others simply couldn’t see past the monstrous tumor. In a country where perceived physical differences mark people as outcasts, Maomai was treated like a monster instead of a baby girl.

“I was very, very, sad. I was not able to sleep,” said Perlagie. “Every day, I was crying. Also, I was not eating. I had no appetite because of the condition of my baby.”

Perlagie and her husband wanted to get Maomia help. They took her to a local hospital, but there was no surgeon to perform her surgery. Perlagie didn’t become anxious or fearful. She confidently left the hospital, trusting God to bring healing and deliverance from the tumor.

When Perlagie returned to her village, her sister-in-law told her about the Africa Mercy, a hospital ship filled with doctors and nurses, which had come to Cotonou. She had just returned from the ship after being treated for an eye problem and thought they could help Maomai.

Perlagie brought her daughter to the Africa Mercy and was screened by the medical team. It was obvious that she needed immediate surgery. But the tumor had made it difficult for her to feed, and Maomai was very underweight – too underweight for surgery. The Mercy Ships medical team placed her on a feeding program and scheduled her for surgery in one month. Mercy was on its way. The salvation Perlagie had dreamed of was becoming a reality.

A month passed, and it was time for Maomai’s surgery. The morning of surgery, Peralgie worried it would not be successful.

“I started crying. Some nurses and translators told me the operation was possible with God. The doctor will be successful with surgery, the tumor will be removed, and the baby will be healed. They gave me that hope,” said Perlagie.

After six hours of surgery, Maomai’s tumor was removed. It weighed 375 grams, 15% of her body weight. The monstrous tumor was gone, and the beautiful baby girl remained.

Maomai spent over a month recovering in the hospital. Still struggling to maintain her weight, she had to be fed through a surgically placed feeding tube.

The nursing staff encouraged Perlagie to use the feeding tube. At first, she was hesitant. Perlagie distanced herself from Maomai. But as she grew more comfortable in the hospital, things changed. The nursing staff taught Perlagie how to use the feeding tube. As she took ownership of Maomai’s care, their relationship thrived.

“Initially, we were worried about her,” said pediatric nurse Ali Chandra. “But now she’s been here for over a month, and she’s blossomed. Perlagie has completely bonded with Maomai in the time they’ve been here. And it happened as we started teaching her [to use the feeding tube]. She’s doing really well,” says Chandra.

Maomai has continued to grow stronger since her surgery. Not only has she gained weight, she’s gained vibrancy.

“Maomai used to be this kind of listless baby, and now she’s bright. She’s doing more age-appropriate things than before,” says Chandra.

Psalm 13:5 says, “I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation” (NKJV).

Perlagie knows this to be true. She trusted God to take care of her baby, and He brought her salvation. Perlagie is rejoicing in His mercy.

“I thank God, and I thank each of you, for all you have done for me. God is healing and still working. I have seen my salvation in this child,” she concluded.

Written by Megan Petock
Edited by IOC Editing Team
Photography by Debra Bell and Megan Petock

Row, row, row your boat..

2009-09-03T15:55:00.003+02:00

It’s been a little bit of a quiet period since my last post. On Sunday I visited Ganvie, a ‘stilt village’ built on the large lake in Benin. Really cool place by the way! The local town had grown into the lake and a whole community lives on the water! No footpaths, just boats. Suddenly living at a marina isnt so posh :P

To get there we had to take a small boat about 45min up the river. This is the first time it truly hit me the conditions that some people live in here, but also a realization I had never had before; I’ll explain. The riverbanks in Cotonou are where all the rubbish, waste etc collects; also it is where the poorest of the city live.. Passing in the boat the poverty hit my like a heavyweight champs right hook. Literally there are people living in lean too shanties on top of rubbish tips adjacent to the river, that by the way is also the largest open sewer you can imagine. Seeing this I realize why we are here, if in some small w

ay we can contribute to the bettering of the quality of life of these people then every minute spent here will have been worthwhile.

Watching the people as we passed I also came to a realization that was maybe personally more shocking to me: the quality of living is far less than we are used to, but the quality of life is not! The people LIVE LIFE here. There is no complaining about the squalor, there is no down heartedness about the lack of facilities. Seeing the people going round their daily life with the energy they do put me to shame. Too often do I catch myself judging the people’s lives here by the place they live, how they live and what facilities they have at their disposal when they have a appreciation of life that is rarely seen. Yet I find myself complaining when the airco stops for 5min on the ship or when there is only decaf coffee left in the morning in the dining hall.. suddenly sounds so trivial.
Sorry if this sounds confusing but it is a hard feeling to describe.

On Sunday we had an international praise evening with different nations showing how they praise the Lord. ‘Joyful singers’ you have set me in good stead! The best quote of the evening was from a Liberian lady who started their section with the statement: ‘’Stand up! Praise the Lord! Shake your body to the glory of the Lord!’’, never was there a truer statement. I love the energy and the totalness of the way the (west) Africans praise. And why just use our voices when we have our whole bodies at our disposal (even when we lack rhythm)!!

God bless,
Ben

Don't rock the boat..

2009-08-28T01:38:00.003+02:00

After a month of bad jokes and puns; I have decided to share some proverbs and sayings about ships and some just quite funny phrases to slip into conversation when one is living on a ship.

Good lines to work into conversation

'Don't rock the boat now!'
'Well there is no need to go overboard'
'Seems all shipshape from here'
'Well you're pushing the boat out!'
'Loose lips sink ships'

Funny quotes

'A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could only have one book, what would it be? I always say 'How to Build a Boat'
'Noah was a brave man to sail in a wooden boat with two termites.'
'Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat.'
'We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.'
'The one thing I remember about Christmas was that my father used to take me out in a boat about ten miles offshore on Christmas Day, and I used to have to swim back. Extraordinary. It was a ritual. Mind you, that wasn't the hard part. The difficult bit was getting out of the sack.'

Deep and meaningful

‘Such is the human race, often it seems a pity that Noah... didn't miss the boat.
'The water is the same on both sides of the boat'
'You can't row a boat in two directions at the same time'

There's a hole in the boat!

2009-08-27T16:27:00.004+02:00

Hi all!

Been a little while since my last blog and it’s been nonstop since.
Last week was a tough week when the baby passed away in ICU. It’s one of those things that hits the whole community here on the ship and especially the nurses must have been hurting. Sadly it is an inevitable part of our work here and we can only trust it features in His plan.

The school year is in full flow now and when I’m not spending my time teaching I’m busy doing ‘Reflective Unit Plans’ or ‘Subject Philosophies’.. There is a reason I wasn’t made for a desk job..

I’ve got everything sorted for the up and coming basketball court but still need the netting to be hung. The joys of working in an industrial area means that I need an ‘Elevated work permit’ and someone who is ‘safety harness trained’ to complete the work (ie read: stand on a chair and zip tie the net to the frame..) but I understand that safety is important.

Some of us managed to get away to a local hotel last weekend to enjoy their pool. And for the first time since the shoulder problems I nailed couple back flips! Water seems safe enough a landing.. Peer pressure got the better of me ;)

Sadly there were problems with the donation cards so everybody donating should have received an email, if you haven’t, let me know. The first newsletter will be out in the run of the week.

I ALMOST FORGOT THE BIG NEWS! We officially heard yesterday that next year after Togo we will be in South Africa for 6-7 months while there is major upkeep work (something about generators being replaced after a big hole is cut in the ship, never seems a good idea to cut holes in floating things really but I’m not an engineer so what do I know..) done on the ship. This will most likely mean the academy will have to relocate for a time and in accreditation year that will be interesting.

Keep the news coming on how all y’all are doin’!
God bless!

Ben

Just as a little extra; here's a photo of my 'gymhall'.. Also known as the starboard (look at me being al maritime) side of deck 7.

Sad news

2009-08-24T20:24:00.002+02:00

I'm sorry to inform you all that the baby in ICU passed away this morning, thank you all for your prayers. Please keep remembering the nurses and his family as this is a rough time for them especially.

God bless,

Ben

Prayer request..

2009-08-23T12:10:00.010+02:00

Just a quick message, not a 'normal blog' but a prayer request.

There is a very very sick baby down on the ICU ward right now who is not responding to treatment. I was playing with his sister after work up on deck just this last week and what a joy she is. This is as much a spiritual battle as medical.. If you are willing and able please uphold him and his family in your prayers.. Thank you.

James 5:13-16
The Prayer of Faith
¹³Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

It's just another one of those glory days..

2009-08-12T20:44:00.005+02:00

School's started!

There is nothing like being asked: 'so how was school today?' and then discovering its not your mother asking and you're not 8 years old.. :)

But i've got my 'classroom' up and running, interesting experience when you have to watch out cause their treating your gymhall for rust :P but the kids are just gems!!

Following on from small mercies last time: my showers been fixed! No more lukewarm morning showers but piping hot relaxing ones!! It's the little things that keep you going..

Funny story: I've got a shiplicense!! This basicly means that I can use the Land Rovers available!! Ive been told its not necesseraly a normal thing to have (especially as I dont have a family) so what a luxury!! This is what the new wheels look like:

I had a drive out on Tuesday trying to pick up supplies and its just madness!! Traffic rules arent so much laws here as general advice. Green means 'GO', red means 'stop if you want but dont worry if you dont want to..'

'No right turns' means: 'take right turns but at own risk..'

And the big rule of the road is: 'size wins..'

Car beats Zimi jon, Land Rover beats Car, Truck beats Land Rover, Tank beats Truck (not found anything that beats Tank yet..'

Life will never be the same again.. (in a good way)

(Poll: do I use .. too much at the end of sentences? Let me know..)

Rejoice in small victories !!

2009-08-04T22:21:00.004+02:00

Teaching on a ship.. never had a Physical Education program before.. Sound like a problem?

But within the space of 24 hours I have a basketball court (ok half a court) and a trampoline + mats!!

After finding the top of a small round trampoline in the storeroom I discovered there were no legs... But ships = engineers and this afternoon an amazing Dutchman (what are the chances) welded 6 legs under it for me.. not only that, in the back of a storage cupboard someone found some gymnastics mats: I HAVE A TRAMPOLINE + MATS !!

next..

After pitching for a play area on the top deck (only place with height) today I was approved to set up a basketball/volleyball/playarea, AND NOT ONLY THAT.. I was told we already had free standing basketball board on board in storage !! I HAVE A BASKETBALL COURT (safety netting pending).

It started as a tip from someone onboard to keep sain in a cramped envirement but now it takes on a new meaning: REJOICE IN SMALL VICTORIES !!

Truly unique!

2009-07-31T16:35:00.003+02:00

I always knew living and teaching on a ship would bring its own unique points, but just as things are starting to feel pretty normal today I was woken up again to life while floating :)

When getting things organised in a 'normal' school usually its the janitor and school maintanance to keep on your side, suddenly ive had to start talks with: the Chief Officer and the Captain about space, for non-teachers: these are not normal terms to be heard around a school :D

Then stranger still we got the teachers handbook today:

section 3.something, protocol for seasickness (interestingly its illegal to throw up over the railing..)

section 3.something else, protocol for appointments; medical/hair (and these are the same categorie how?)

Then always important in schools, the emergency drills, but I dont remember previous schools making the difference between:

In-Port Emergency drill

At Sea Emergency drill..

In all unique, challenging, differnt, quirky, fun, you name - ive thought it!

Blog you all soon! God bless

Ben

ps oh yeah, all this and the classrooms sway.. ;)

Ben in Benin

2009-07-28T14:48:00.003+02:00

I'm here i'm here i'm here!!

It was a long journey (5000km) but last night I arrived on the ship.

I met up with 2 of the other new teachers whille getting of the plane, so we are enjoying getting settled together.

After having the tour of the ship this morning i'm still managing to get horribly lost :P

This is my desk/office/workstation in the Academy, photos of my cabin will follow when ive got myself set:

the other photo is of the 'big room' in the Academy with my workstation just on the photo back/right.

Each tuesday morning there is a devotion meeting for the whole crew, this morning it was about miracles, and what a miracle this ship and its work is!! And what a miracle God has brought me here! Its stil hard to comprehend that I am in Benin and this is my home for the next 2 years.

Tomorrow we start the teachers meetings preparing for the new term with 10days to go till classes start.

Ill keep you all posted!

God bless,

Ben

Tomorrow;s the big day..

2009-07-26T14:34:00.002+02:00

Tomorrow the adventure begins, early in the morning my flight goes from Amsterdam, via Paris (croissants in the morning!!) to Cotonou, the capital of Benin.

For those I havent spoken to thanks so much for all your support, it realy gives me a sense of peace to know everyones behind me!

Next message will be from the Africa Mercy itself!! Blog you all soon!

Ben

Cotonou airport and the dock is to the east.

Google earth

My first blog..

2009-07-20T11:51:00.000+02:00

Just a week to go before I leave for Benin to join the Africa Mecy.

Exciting times so it was about time I got a blog setup to keep everbody up to date.

Keep checking the site and Ill keep posting ;)

Greetings,

Ben

Ben on the Africa Mercy

God bless..

For God so loved the world..

I need Africa more than Africa needs me.

50 Years Forward

Waddle away.

A year ago today..

Screening through it all.

Prayer request

News

Now tell me there's not a God..

What to do when sailing #1

You've never heard of me!?

Spur of the moment.

Home sweet ship..

Find your blessings..

What we do.

SOUTH Africa..

Support

Pray for Benin

Share this page

Benin: UN to send thousands of tents amid major floods

The great outdoors!

Everything I am..

What a week!

I'm famous!

Straight off the bat

Where in the world am I now..

Back, with news!

Just another kid on a football field..

Just another man in the market

Trans Togo Trek

Mr. Teacher

All I have to offer..

And don't I forget it..

Apologies, travels and premature balding..

Little changes

Excuse me, I'm busy being an idiot..

and the prisoners shall be set free..

You know you're dating a mercy shipper when..

Benin again - short but sweet

Painting my wagon..

Hosanna in the highest

Benin outreach 2009 - in pictures!

Hide and go Seek

The story of the innocent bystander..

Howdy Cowboy

Prayer for the new year

Pirates attack tanker off Benin

Me again..

What on earth happened to Bens face !?!

The big news round-up

There's a storm a brewing..

The power of a smile.

We all live in a yellow submarine..

Will you come and follow me..

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling down the river..

Patient Story

Maomai Dangbenon: Salvation Has Come

Row, row, row your boat..

Don't rock the boat..

There's a hole in the boat!

Sad news

Prayer request..

It's just another one of those glory days..

Rejoice in small victories !!

Truly unique!

Ben in Benin

Tomorrow;s the big day..

My first blog..