Pirates attack tanker off Benin

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..

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 !?!

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

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..

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.