Mercy Watch

Hello! We're back!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 04:46:00 +0000

We haven't posted in several years and are now coming back to this blog to share our thoughts and experiences with those of you who choose to read this blog. We enjoyed our time and experiences with Mercy Ships from 2002 - 2011. What a privilege to serve God with Mercy Ships.

Currently, we are caregiving for Denise's dad, serving our church and our community here in the Washington DC area for God's glory. We, also, still share about what's going on with Mercy Ships by speaking when we can to various organizations and any opportunity given.

We were challenged by a class we are taking on sharing your faith through social media to start a blog. Since we already have a blog, we decided to continue sharing our experiences and faith stories as an online journal. We will keep our blog content from our time with Mercy Ships as we still refer back to it from time to time for encouragement. We will just start again now with sharing what is happening in our lives by serving God through caregiving, relationships, and serving Him in our community.

We hope to share prayer points, experiences and other content that will be encouraging to our faith and yours. Please join us in this journey of faith by commenting and sharing with us your stories, too!

We are looking forward to see what God is doing and how we can bring Him the glory!

God's abundant blessings,
Denise and Rob

R & R – Happy to be Back in Sierra Leone and…..some News…..

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Mercy Watch September 2011

R & R - Happy to be Back in Sierra Leone and some News .....

Hello Family and Friends,

As we ended our last Newsletter, we let you know we were going to take a vacation during June and July. We returned to Freetown, Sierra Leone on the 21st of July. We really enjoyed our time and are thankful for being able to reconnect with many of you. The picture above is of the Africa Mercy docked in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We took this picture from the ferry coming from the airport.

We thought when we began rescheduling our vacation time from the Christmas season to the summertime it was to allow more time for family and friends over the summer vacation period allowing for more opportunities for short breaks together. This change took us about two years to make with the Field Service schedule and our responsibilities. All along we felt this was a good change to make. We purchased our tickets several months ahead, after processing our vacation request with our respective departments.

As our vacation time grew near and all of the details began coming together we received a surprise from our oldest son. About two weeks out from our travel date, we received a phone call from him advising us that he was to be scheduled for back surgery soon after our planned arrival in the USA. We were surprised to receive this news and humbled when we realized God all along had directed our plans so we could be home when our son had surgery. We later became aware that he had been going through, physical therapy, core strengthening exercises, chiropractor appointments, pain therapy for about eighteen months. Even when we think we are doing all of the planning, if we are following God’s will for us He will direct our paths. Jason had back surgery and is now doing well. (The picture above was about 1 week after Jason's surgery - on July 4th)

Jeff has a job in St. Augustine driving the Old Town Trolly. The picture above is of Jeff driving, Kendall and Rob enjoying the tour!

Six weeks seems like a long time to vacation…but when you factor in travel time from Africa to the United States along with family and friends located hundreds of miles apart across several different states; it becomes a challenge to see everyone. We didn’t get to see all of you and yes, we spent the majority of our time in St. Augustine, Florida with our two sons and their families offering what little support we could during and after Jason’s surgery. We are blessed to have family and friends that desire to visit with us and spend time with us.

We also were able to take a short break in the Netherlands with our friends Jan and Elizabeth and their darling daughter, Bella. Rob went into work with Jan, who is a Captain of the inland waterways. Jan was working on a refueling ship and now he is at school in England taking courses to become a Chief Officer on unlimited ships, such as the Africa Mercy! The picture above is of Rob at the helm in Rotterdam harbor! And the picture below is of Jan, Elizabeth and Bella on the train to Amsterdam! We had a grand time and enjoyed the Netherlands very much! Such a beautiful country!

Since our return we’ve made Saturday our day to join together in one of the Mercy Ministry opportunities available. We are personally involved with the Fatima Children’s Home, Ladies Prison and Yams Farm Wharf. Denise coordinates the Mercy Ministries program, and has Team Leaders for each site. We enjoy going together on Saturday to these different sites as volunteers. We sing songs and tell a bible story and include a skit or activity to reinforce the story we’ve just shared. During a recent Saturday, we went to the Fatima Children’s home and shared the Creation story from Genesis. Afterwards we used Play-Dough to reinforce the story and the point that God gave us dominion over the earth and the ability to create. So we made all sorts of animals and some cookware out of the dough.

Yesterday, we traveled to Yam’s Farm Wharf, a fishing village about 40 minutes drive from the ship. This is a nice drive through the countryside after you leave the municipality of Freetown and all the traffic. The picture above is of the bridge out of Freetown. We have fun with the community, parents and children. We all join in and just have a great time singing in the church and then going out to the football field to play games, of Frisbee, soccer, catch with beach balls, jump rope and bean bag throwing. It is such a joy to spend time with the children and people from the village.

This is a picture of Rob playing a running game with the children of Yam's Farm Wharf. You can watch the video by going to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercywatch/6158154336/in/photostream

We have some exciting news to share with you… we believe that God has revealed our next season of service to us. After nine years with Mercy Ships, we will be going to Rockville, Maryland (near Washington DC, our nation’s capital) to help Denise’s Dad. Dad has asked us to come and stay with him, so we will be making that move at the end of November. We have always prayed that God would reveal our next season clearly to us, just as He did when He directed us to join Mercy Ships. We thank the Lord that these next steps are just as clear to us as they were in 2002!

What does this mean for you our prayer warriors and financial supporters? Loads of prayer as we make all the decisions during this transition! For financial support, Mercy Ships has just given us a new way to manage donations! Please follow this link to make tax-free donations to us.

http://mercyships-us.donorpages.com/crewmates/millerr/ We will continue to receive donations until December 2011. Please consider continuing to support Mercy Ships or a Mercy Ships crew member. You may contact us to recommend a crew member that needs support or to learn how to continue to give to Mercy Ships. We intend to continue to be active with Mercy Ships while in the DC area and help in any way we can.

We continue to enjoy our time here serving in Sierra Leone and look forward to what the Lord continues to do here! We would like to close our newsletter with a story about a young man who came to Mercy Ships for physical healing of his twisted legs. Fanie was always a joy to see and he returned home up country to his mountain village in August! The following story and pictures are provided by our marketing department.

Fanie Kamara

Fanie’s contagious smile mesmerizes those around him. At age twelve, his charisma captivates everyone he meets. He relies heavily on this powerful attribute to distract people from reacting to the extreme curvature in his deformed shins.

Fanie’s mother remembers her despair when her son was born. Everyone mocked her crippled baby, but she was determined to give this child – the youngest of her nine children – all her love. After suffering the loss of two children, she was determined that this baby deserved the best life she could provide.

By the time Fanie was twelve years old, he had rarely stood up. When he occasionally tried to take some steps, his bent legs stumbled hopelessly, leaving him clinging to his shepherd’s staff.

Teasing rained down on him, and he fervently wished he had a father to defend him. But he never knew his father, who died in the country’s civil war before his youngest child was born.

Despite these sad realities, Fanie had an amazing ability to turn difficulties into entertainment. He was popular at school because there was always laughter ringing in the air around him. He had earned the reputation of being the class comedian.

Life at home was very different. Although he sometimes played cards with his brother, he spent much time alone. His future in a farming town was questionable. “They have no work if not walking,” his elder brother, Lamin, succinctly explained.

However, his mother’s positive attitude kept hope alive for Fanie. “Jesus has helped me. For this reason I believe in God. People laughed at us, but Jesus has freed me, so I have a strong faith and love God. I believe God will heal Fanie,” she declared.

Then, suddenly Fanie’s life changed. Lamin heard that Mercy Ships was arriving. And when Fanie was accepted for surgery, his mother was not afraid. She recalls,” I was happy and praising God.”

From the first moment after his arrival on the hospital ship, Fanie was talking and cracking jokes with the Mercy Ships crew.

He was not afraid because he prayed every day.

Fanie underwent complex surgeries only a few days apart.

The surgeons broke and sculptured his shin bones to straighten them.

Then pins were inserted into his knees to keep his legs straight until he was fully grown.

When he awoke after surgery, his legs were covered in long heavy casts up to his thighs.

He responded in a way only Fanie could.

With his broad, radiant, smile he proceeded to play games, prompting giggles and laughs from the other patients.

After a month of wearing long casts, he was moved to the HOPE Center, where patients stay while completing their post-operative treatment.

Here, his favorite past-times were making houses out of Lego blocks and playing memory card games. He worked hard at the physiotherapy exercises, circling his foot to draw the alphabet in the air. After a month of wearing long casts, he was moved to the HOPE Center, where patients stay while completing their post-operative treatment. Now, he enjoyed the freedom of mobility by using crutches. He expressed his delight in his flamboyant African dancing during gospel singing in the garden.

Within a few more weeks, it was time for an x-ray analysis. Fanie’s right shin had changed from a deep curvature to a ruler-straight bone. The pinned-together bones in his left leg were healing well but still needed a cast to maintain the position.

On one of his weekly trips to physiotherapy, team members checked his foot’s ability to move.

Then flat disk weights were provided so Fanie could stand up straight on his right foot.

He was curious about the purposes of the exercises, and he was delighted when he discovered that Mercy Ships was preparing to make a raised sole on donated shoes so he would finally be able to walk.

His excited mother laughed joyfully and hugged the physiotherapy team.

“I have a deep feeling in my heart. I’m so happy. I look forward to going home to do some farming to pay for Fanie’s school fees,” she said with a smile.

Finally, after four months with Mercy Ships, Fanie stood on the dock amid a crowd of well-wishers who sent him off with waves and cheers for his bright new life.

He returned home to his charming, sleepy, mountain town. The thrill of anticipation to see Fanie’s new legs had rippled through the community. Upon arrival, the streets were filled with joyous laughter.

Fanie soon settled into a happy new life.

Lamin revealed, “He is very different now. Before, he was unhappy because his mother had to carry him everywhere, even to school. Now he is very active and walking. Fanie has a good future.”

And Fanie smiled and proudly announced, “I walk round the town every day to visit my friends. Now I can walk to school and finish my education to be a doctor.”

Story by Claire Ross
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell, Liz Cantu and Tom Bradley

Thank you for your continued prayers, letters, emails and support. We are humbled by your faithfulness. Thank you for being a part of the hope and healing here in Sierra Leone!

God's blessings,
Rob and Denise

You may share this newsletter by clicking one of these .................

This message was sent to mercywatch.robndee@blogger.com from:

Denise Miller | PO Box 2020 Africa Mercy | Lindale, TX 75771

Email Marketing by

Manage Your Subscription

View this message in the iContact Community: View message Comment on this message Receive as RSS

Share this message with others: del.icio.us Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon

Mosquito Nets

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:07:00 +0000

Malaria is something we don't often think about in the developed world, however, here in West Africa (we're in Sierra Leone this year) malaria is as frequent as a common cold. You don't ask someone feeling bad if they have a cold, you ask do they have malaria! I'm looking forward to giving mosquito nets to some of the partner organizations that we serve alongside! It's rainy season here and the need is great as the mosquitoes spread malaria to our day workers (local volunteers with Mercy Ships), their family members, and even to our crew.

One of our partners is Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's order) and they hold a medical clinic twice a week. Many children under 5 and their caregivers (usually their mother) are admitted to the mission for malaria. The sisters ensure the medicine is given properly and IVs are used, if necessary. Sister Josianne is a trained nurse and she holds the clinic. A local doctor comes to the mission once a week (more if needed) to check on the patients. They care mainly for malaria, TB and HIV patients. We visit the patients there on Wednesday mornings and sing, play games, do simple crafts and sit to talk with them.

Recently, an article was written about a donation from a church in England given to Mercy Ships for delivering mosquito nets to the people we serve here in Freetown, Sierra Leone:

In West Africa, over 3,000 children die of malaria every day; 1 out of every 5 childhood deaths is due to malaria.2 Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds in West Africa. 2 The disease can cause anemia and jaundice and, if not promptly treated, can cause coma, kidney failure, or death.

To make matters worse, the West African rainy season that begins in June will cause flooding that will aggravate the problem, since standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry the disease according to Robert Agyarko, UN Childrens Fund Specialist on Malaria for West Africa. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, it is estimated that between 60% and 70% of mosquitoes are malaria carriers.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that malaria can be controlled, and even prevented, using anti-malarial drugs, insect repellent, or mosquito nets in sleeping areas. UN Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, reports, Mosquito nets are still the most effective tool for preventing malaria in West Africa.

Mosquito nets are infused with Permethrin, a long-lasting insecticide that acts as a barrier to prevent mosquitoes from penetrating the nets. It drives away the mosquitoes and kills the ones that land. Unfortunately, only 40% of households in Sierra Leone have an insecticide-treated mosquito net (ITN). 2

Deck Hand Steve Sesay receives the shipment of mosquito nets onboard the Africa Mercy in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

St. Marys Church in Olveston, Bristol, United Kingdom, is taking a stand against this deadly killer. They have donated 5,000 to Mercy Ships for the distribution of mosquito nets at the HOPE Center in Freetown. This land-based facility houses patients who are awaiting surgery and those recovering from surgery onboard the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy.

Day-workers Patricia Kamara and Fatmata Parker install mosquito nets at the HOPE Center.

When the patients are discharged from the HOPE Center, they will each be given a mosquito net and told how to use it properly.

They will also receive additional information on how to prevent malaria. This promising strategy will make a difference in fighting this deadly disease.

1 WHO 2003 Africa Malaria Report

2 WHO 2010 Africa Malaria Report

Patients are enthusiastic about showing off the new mosquito nets at the HOPE Center.

Story by Elaine B. Winn

Edited by Nancy Predaina

Photos by Debra Bell

Christos anesti! Alithos anesti! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Happy Easter to all our Family and Friends!

We have had a wonderful Easter and Holy Week on the Africa Mercy. We’d love to share our Easter with you… Click here to see some pictures and videos----Easter 2011 on the Africa Mercy   if you click on “show info” you will see the descriptions as you look through these.

We have certainly hit the road running since our arrival here in Sierra Leone. We are sorry that we haven’t been in touch for a while. When we looked at the last update we realized it was just before our first screening. It was extremely difficult here on the ship after that day for a while. The screening went terribly wrong and we were only able to be at the stadium for a few hours. There was a huge crowd of people estimated between 10,000 and 15,000. About mid-morning after a few hours of screening, there was a huge push of people at the gate and the gate broke down, and one man died and several were injured.

This picture below was taken at the Hope Center of some of our patients before and after surgery. The Hope Center is a place just outside of the port gate where patients and their Caregivers can stay when they come from outside of Freetown before the surgery or afterwards if the patient needs physical therapy or wound care ongoing.

Our hearts were broken as we had to leave quickly from the stadium after trying to get the crowd under control without success. It was one of the hardest things to do….to leave without being able to help those that so needed our help.   We were asked not to communicate about it and then focused on how to hold another screening that wouldn’t put our potential patients or us in harm’s way.

Fortunately, we had several previous screenings up country so we had plenty of patients for a while.   Our communications team made the video below to help explain about the need in Sierra Leone. The pictures and video come from our 2nd general surgical screening on March 26th.

We had a successful second screening day on March 26th. Rob and several other guys went about 2 pm the day before to manage the line and see that those we couldn’t help would not be waiting in line for a long time. They had pictures of the types of conditions that we can help with. Rob and the guys stayed there at the site all night walking the line to ensure peace and give confidence to the people that they would be safe. The second screening went very well and we were able to schedule most of our surgeries. We may do another screening in August….we’ll have to see if its needed.

Our time here has been good, but we certainly keep busy. Denise is loving her new role as Mercy Ministries Coordinator. It keeps her busy six days a week visiting with the different partnering sites. We visit the prisons, an old peoples home, a home and school for handicapped children, the Blind school, the Missionaries of Charity, Don Bosco’s for the street boys and other sites.

The picture above is of one of the Mercy Ministries visit to the Hope Center during a singing time. We go there twice a week and have a great time with the patients. Denise was commenting the other evening at dinner that while visiting the Hope Center she was amazed at a young boy (in the picture below) who had cast on both of his legs due to club feet.   This didn't slow him down though, he was crawling all over the center. He'd managed to almost wear through at the knees where the cast had become soft from all of his crawling.

This little boy…I call the “hello” boy! He comes over to the ship to have his casts removed and put back on or physical therapy and my (office) is across the hall from the Physical Therapy and cast removal area – Ward E. We can always tell when he’s waiting in the passageway….as we can hear his little voice parroting “hello!”
In this picture below he is on the move at the Hope Center!

We are ever encouraged when we see the renewed hope and joy in the patients when they're awaiting their surgery and when they are recovering from the surgeries. The surgeons can repair their physical conditions, but only Jesus can repair their hearts. Many have been outcast and marginalized for so long from their families and communities it is very hard for them to feel accepted and included.

They soon learn they are valuable as a part of this community onboard by our acceptance of them and the love we share with them. As they heal from their physical conditions as wonderful as this is...many times the greatest healing is inward as their hearts are softened. God will take our hearts of stone and give us a new heart, a heart of flesh. One softened by His love. And as we've received His love and forgiveness likewise we can share this same love with others.

We are excited to share this news with you … We just got our tickets back to the United States for about six weeks during June and July and look forward to seeing many of you. We hope to be able to share with as many of you as possible.

We’d love to have an “open house” in different locations to be able to share and interact with small groups. If you are willing to host us for an “open house”, please let us know and we will put it on our schedule. Also, if you’d like to meet with us individually, please let us know and we will try to schedule that as well. We’d love to see as many of you as possible. Please contact us if you’d like to have us speak at your church or to a group and we’ll also get that on our schedule! We will be leasing a vehicle so this increases our ability to visit at many more places!

We plan to arrive on June 7th at Dulles and fly out of Dulles on July 15th. We have a tentative plan to be in the areas below during our time back in the US:

Delaware and DC area – June 7th through June 12th
Virginia – North Carolina – Georgia - June 13th through June 17th
Florida – June 18th – July 10th
Back up to DC area – July 11th – July 15th
Visiting our friends Jan and Elizabeth in the Netherlands – July16th and back to the ship on July 21st!

We’re not going to be able to make it to Tennessee and Texas on this trip. We are so sorry for that! We look forward to hearing from those of you in the areas we will be in and how we can meet up!!

Thank you for your continued prayers, letters, emails and support. We are humbled by your faithfulness. Thank you for being a part of the hope and healing here in Sierra Leone!

God's blessings,
Rob and Denise

Up date on Screening, yesterday...

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:58:00 +0000

So sad to think of the people we came to help that we weren't able to screen today! Please pray that God will make a way for them. Please pray today for our Leadership as they look for a way forward to see those we couldn't yesterday. We were able to do several hours of screening. We do have plenty of patients to begin the surgeries with, so it won't affect the surgery schedule as far as I know. We had a good debriefing meeting last night. Lots of questions...working on the answers. Seeking God to see His way! Our hearts are broken for the people of Sierra Leone. Thank you all for your prayers! Link to the article about the Screening Tragedy ---> Here.

View of the ship from outside the Port

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:57:00 +0000

.
Originally uploaded by keith.brinkman.

Our ship is surrounded by containers and just down the road from the Hope Center (where our Dental Clinic and Hospitality Center are). This is the view from outside the Port.

Please Pray for Screening Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:26:00 +0000

Screening Day - Togo 2010

We arrived in Sierra Leone a week ago, today! It's been an incredible week!! And tomorrow is our surgical screening at the Sierra Leone National Stadium! Tomorrow is the day that we will screen hundreds, perhaps thousands of potential patients. People that are usually hidden away or outcast from their communities. We will look in their eyes to see them as Jesus does. There are probably people there waiting already at the stadium as I write this... local people have told me this week that people have already come from the outside of Freetown in hopes that they will receive a surgery that will release them from their bondage! Please pray for us as we listen to the Holy Spirit intensely tomorrow, so that each person who comes will receive what God has them there for! It may be prayer, it may be a touch, it may be a hug, it may be someone who will listen, it may be a word spoken, it may be love shown. We don't know, but God does and we will be His hands and feet! Thank you so much!

Where are we?

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 10:02:00 +0000

Location 19 Feb
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

We are headed to Sierra Leone and currently we are in the Atlantic Ocean well off the coast of Angola! I'm thinking that we will soon be as far into the Ocean as this ship has ever sailed! We are having a wonderful smooth sail and most of the crew are really enjoying it! Last night they played sock golf and Friday night was Karaoke in the cafe! Thanks for all your prayers!

Water, Water, Everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:59:00 +0000

Hello Friends,

We are sailing on the Africa Mercy en route to Freetown, Sierra Leone. This simple statement seems totally lacking in describing what has transpired to arrive at this point. Since September of 2010 actually for a period of five months and ten days the Africa Mercy underwent a major renovation project in the Southern African Shipyard in Durban, South Africa. The picture below was taken by a plane as we were sailing out of Durban down the narrow channel in the port.

During this project the four original Frichs Auxiliary Generators were removed along with two of the original MAN B&W Alpha engines that had previously been converted to Harbor Generators and both of the Sabroe Air Conditioning plants used for cooling decks 2,5,6 and 7.

Out with the old and in with the new…four new MAN Diesel Generators, two new Carrier Air conditioning units and associated controls, new wiring in excess of 7 kilometers was installed.

This list is by no means complete but just gives you a general idea that a very complicated and difficult project phase has been completed successfully by God’s grace.

Denise’s thoughts: Just imagine how many cables are connected to your desktop computer….if you get a new one and disconnect all those cables and put in a new one and connect the new ones … usually Rob and I would both do this one on top of the desk and one of us below. Dropping down cables to connect and wiggling them to be sure we have the right one! So that in your mind. Think hundreds of cables snaked through the deck heads and walls from the bridge on Deck 7 to the control panel on Deck 2 and to the new Generators and A/C units on Deck 1! Back to the computer – one mismatched cable….it doesn’t work quite right! This doesn’t even try to explain all the piping work! We are so amazed that all the testing is completed successfully and we are on our way! This has been an incredible project! Thank you so much to the technical team and project team and contractors! And especially to God who gets all the Glory!

Here is a link to a video that we took on our last Sunday at the church we attended while in South Africa (Northside Church) ----> Monkeys

Back to Rob….

We had a short 24 hour stop in Cape Town to fuel up the ship, drop off contracted crew and give the crew a short time to explore and rest (?).

Here is a link to a video of some seals playing in the harbor as we approached Cape Town ----> Seals

For those of you interested…. a link to Photos from our 24 hours of Cape Town is here--> 24 hours)

Most of the crew went out exploring and we decided to go to Hout Bay, a fishing village on the other side of the Cape Peninsula. We took the Blue Line Hop on Hop off bus, so we also were able to see around the town and up the coast back to Cape Town.

Denise and I are excited as we draw nearer and nearer to Freetown, Sierra Leone where we will serve for the next ten months. Since our last field service in Togo we both have changed jobs. Denise in her new role as Mercy Ministries Coordinator will be coordinating teams of crew as we partner with local ministries to come alongside them and bless them by showing love and deeds that can be done on our crew’s off time. These partners could possibly include Prison Fellowship, Pastors, Homes for the Elderly, Children, Physically and Mentally Challenged, Schools, Hospitals, etc. Rob’s new role is supporting the team in the Stewards Department as the Stores Manager ordering and keeping track of our “Food” and other necessary items. We look forward to serving in these new ways!

The picture below is of the Africa Mercy as we leave Cape Town, next stop Freetown, Sierra Leone! It’s exciting to be on our way and in a little over a week … we should be there!!

We are excited to be reunited all together again as crew onboard as we sail to Freetown, Sierra Leone. During the season at Appelsbosch and in the shipyard God has brought our community even closer together.

As we’ve gone through challenges together, uncertainties as to schedules, learning new tasks, working outside of our normal area of responsibilities, we’ve become more humble, more adaptable and certainly we have learned to trust God even more and to rely on Him and not ourselves. God has blessed us abundantly as we serve Him! He is so faithful!

We thank you for standing with us during this season with your prayers, letters, emails and financial support; we are grateful and humbled by your faithfulness.

Our prayer for you is - May your life be as wonderful as it was in the mind of God the day He made you! We look forward to all God has planned for us in Sierra Leone!

God’s blessings,

Rob and Denise

currently sailing off the coast of Angola in the South Atlantic

Merry CHRISTmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:21:00 +0000

Merry Christmas!
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

We hope your Christmas is full of peace, joy and love! May God bless you abundantly as you celebrate His incarnate coming to earth in the form of a baby born in the town of David, Bethlehem!

New Logo on the Ship’s Funnel goes up!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:05:00 +0000

A larger version of the Mercy Ships logo is added to the funnel of the Africa Mercy - one of the many additional projects underway in the Durban shipyard in South Africa.

Looking good!

(Photo: Chuck Dodgen)

We thank God for you and all our blessings!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:45:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving to all our Friends and Family!

Where does the time go? It seems we just completed the October Newsletter and it is already near the end of November and so much to tell you! We pray this Newsletter finds you all in good health and good spirits! And looking forward to Thanksgiving and Advent!

We will have a Thanksgiving feast as the Stewards department is planning a lovely dinner for us all as we celebrate and International Thanksgiving! We wish all of you a wonderful day and however you celebrate it or when ever you celebrate giving thanks to the Lord....it blesses HIM!

One of the new Carrier Air Conditioning units

We give thanks that much progress has been made on the Africa Mercy as she has been in dry-dock near us in Durban. This is one of the new Carrier air conditioning units! These have been put on the ship and are in process of being installed. The ship has now moved out of dry dock and is in the water alongside the dock in the shipyard as work continues.

One of the Frichs generators coming out!

The two Harbour generators have been removed, the four Frichs auxiliary generators have been removed, and the two Sabroe air conditioning units have been removed along with all associated ancillary equipment. These generators are 30 years old and the new replacements will save fuel as well as being more reliable and provide a quieter environment for the hospital, allowing us to fully utilize all 6 operating rooms and all 4 wards. This is a picture of one of the generators coming out of the ship!

The four new MAN generators are now onboard and are in process of being connected onboard along with the two new Carrier air conditioning units.

One of the new MAN generators

The two access holes cut in the side of the ship have been welded back, the ship floated again and moved from dry-dock. There is much work to reconnect all the wiring and run the new wiring and install the control units in the engine room and on the bridge. There is also pipefitting work to do in the connection of the cooling and fueling systems for the generators and A/C units.

Much work is taking place all over the ship as different systems are upgraded and annual inspections are performed. The web address on the side of the ship has been repainted and is much larger. We can now easily find our cabin window as it is over the "g" on the starboard side.

This picture gives you an idea of the size of our ship! You don't often see the underside below the surface. We thank the various crew members and Mercy Ships for sharing their pictures of the ship as the work progresses. We are able to work at the ship for a day once a week and usually go there on Thursdays to do our work. It takes us an hour and a half each way riding on the shuttle bus to the ship and back. Rob is preparing the food storerooms for shelving to be installed and I am taking inventory of the staff development library.

Please continue to pray for the safety of the crew and shipyard workers as they labour to complete these many projects. You can read and see much more pictures about this on the Mercy Ships page, "Power the Vision".

We are thankful for a short break we were able to take over the weekend a few weeks back and went on a overnight trip with a few of our fellow crew members. It was an amazing time! The tour company picked us up from Appelsbosch and we began our three hour ride northeast up along the coast.

The Dumazulu Village

Our first stop was a recreated Zulu village where we observed and were guided through the many aspects of daily life in a traditional Zulu village. This was much like visiting an American Indian Reservation where the people dress and act as they would have during the 1800s or some other time period. Since we are actually living just outside a current day Zulu village, it is much different how they live now. They actually have a lot of the same issues as current day American Indians (such as drinking, etc.) living on reservations.

Rob, hand fighting spear and shield

We saw the makings of the two different types of spears they use along with the shields. We entered one of the huts and our guide explained the arrangement of the sleeping quarters, cooking area and various utensils found within the hut as well as the construction of the hut. We also observed the making of baskets and pots by the women of the village. It was interesting to learn about their dress and how it told of the marital status of the woman.

This was followed by observing some traditional dancing by the villagers.

The dancing was followed by a wonderful lunch freshly cooked just outside of the village. We've tried to explain in detail about all we learned at the village in the photo album or slideshow, "Dumazulu Village". If you watch the slideshow, be sure to turn on the details in the right hand corner to read the commentary.

After lunch we went over to the Hluhluwe (pronounced shoe -shoe -we) Game Reserve. We boarded our 4X4 open vehicle for a 3 hour Safari ride through the Reserve. We had a very knowledgeable guide who took his time to explain the wildlife to us.

Our guide explained things like why were the stripes of the zebra a different colour than the usual black and white? Why did they appear to be browner? It was because of the drought and lack of access to the normal vegetation that makes up their diet.

We were able to see, zebras, Cape buffalo, white rhinos, giraffes, elephants, wart hogs, impalas, and nyala (The Nyala is a Southern African antelope). We even had a stand off with a Cape buffalo with our 4X4...he wouldn't let us past. We waited there until another vehicle came the other way and were able to coax the buffalo off the road and up the hill. Amazing! I can't get the video to upload...so I'll keep trying and send out a link when it goes out there...

A giraffe came right down the road towards us and we saw many elephants and a giraffe that came face to face with a bull elephant and took off the other way! We watched as the giraffe let the elephants pass and then quickly made a run for it in the direction he wanted to go! It is truly amazing to see the animals in the natural habitat! God is amazing!

After riding and seeing all of these wonderful animals we headed to our lodging for the night at Hluhluwe game reserve where we were greeted by a very friendly meerkat. This meerkat was so funny! It acted like a cat and followed everyone to their room and even got into a couple of rooms. In one room was a family with 2 little girls and two beds. The meerkat got up on the bed and the girls were in the other bed. Well the meerkat wanted to get on the bed with the girls and kept trying to jump over and the mom blocked it, so they had to finally coax him carefully out the door! When it wanted to come into your room, it would scratch on the door! Here's a short video I took of the meerkat outside!

In the morning, we woke up early as the sun come up just after 5 am. I had to look outside to see if there were any animals around. Sure enough...two impalas across from our room and then I looked towards the trees and a couple of warthogs were about 100 feet from me. I didn't dare go out but wanted their picture.

So I cracked the door...thinking I could close it quick if they started to run towards me. Well... they finally (probably 5 minutes) ran off and then I looked around the corner of the building and 6 giraffes were there eating the tops of the trees! Here's a short video of the giraffe's having breakfast taken from the wall outside of our room! Giraffes

We are thankful that we are so privileged to serve with Mercy Ships. Rob is settling in more to his new role in the Stewards department and Denise is enjoying being back at her role in Staff Development. Each day we are thankful for the opportunity to serve with the talents God has given us. Our opportunities to serve the people here in South Africa are limited as we are not on a regular field service. We are busy planning for the Sierra Leone field service next year and doing those things that you just can't seem to do when field service is in full gear!

This is the first time we have had some official ministries going on while the ship is in shipyard! It is a blessing to serve the people here in South Africa! The Mental Health team just finished up teaching in several different locations around Kwa Zulu Natal to the church leaders. The Dental Team has had some exciting times serving here, including a day when sunny weather turned into some real hail! The Eye Team has also just finished up it’s service in several location of the Eastern Cape area.

We are thankful that we had an opportunity to serve the village just outside the gate of Appelsbosch. Rob and I were able to help with painting a parsonage for the Lutheran church in the village. It was an interesting time for all as we really didn’t have the proper equipment to paint the outside of this house! I used a machete as a scraper. The paint was peeling off the house, so I asked did we have any scrapers….and this young man from the local church handed me his machete! You can see some more pictures by going here…. Painting Check out the scary ladder! Oh my!

We’re sure you must have finished your coffee or tea by now and so we’ll continue in the next newsletter. We want you to know how thankful we are that you continue to support us here by your prayers, encouragement and financial support. Thank you so much! You are a part of what God is doing here in Africa! We couldn’t be here without you! We are blessed because of you and we pray that the blessings of God will pour out to you! May you be abundantly blessed as you thank God for all that He is doing through you!

God’s blessings,

Denise and Rob

Painting the parsonage for a new pastor in Appelsbosch

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Rob is looking on as Denise cleans the scraper (machete). One of the local guys let me borrow a scraper….little did I know it would be a machete! I should have known!

Denise is brushing off the dust after the sanding to prepare for the paint to come!

We really had a GREAT time preparing the parsonage for the new pastor to come. He is supposed to arrive in February, so this is an ongoing project. The Mercy Ship kids have begun to help weekly as a service project!

Leah was able to stand on the ledge of the window to paint the upper part of the window. We didn’t have the proper accessories for painting…such as a ladder!

Greetings from Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 19:12:00 +0000

MercyWatch

10 October 2010

Greetings from Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa!

The flags above were flying from the mast as we were coming into the port in Durban, South Africa. The yellow flag is to invite the customs officials to come onboard for inspection and clearance for the ship and crew. The other flag is the Republic of South Africa country flag! We always fly the flag of the nation we are entering into. Photo credit: Dag Tvedt

Arrival in Durban, South Africa!

On 01Sept2010, we arrived in the port of Durban, South Africa. The Harbor Pilot arrived by helicopter! This was the first time on the Africa Mercy that the pilot arrived from the sky instead of from a Pilot boat pulled alongside! The harbor in Durban does this all the time!

We had to have special drills to practice for a helicopter arrival and painted a big yellow dot on the aft of Deck 8 as the arrival zone! All of the deck had to be cleared of anything that might be blown away as the force of the wind from the helicopter blades was very strong!

The fire teams were on alert and ready in case of an accident and the crew was cleared from the aft of the ship just as a precaution. The arrival was very smooth and we had no problems.

You can watch a video (thank you, Pete for taking the video) of the delivery of the pilot by clicking here:

Pilot Arrival Video

(Any one on the Africa Mercy can not see this Video - please ask Denise or Pete Johnson to see the video).

Before we sailed into the harbor, the deck crew on the bow of the ship, stopped their work to pray for our safe arrival and for the country of South Africa that we were entering!

The crew stood alongside the railings as we sailed into the beautiful Durban harbor. We were all excited to be coming into South Africa and to see the sites of Durban from the ship as we sailed in!

If you look closely, you can see Rob standing along the rail on Deck 7. We had been watching the coastline along the horizon for several days as we sailed up the coast.

After 17 days of sailing from Togo, we were ready to be on land again! We did see many dolphins, whales and flying fish along the way! We had a wonderful sail and are now no longer slimy pollywogs, but trusty shellbacks!

27 hours later....... Appelsbosch!

As soon as we docked and were cleared by customs and immigration, we had literally piles of work to do! Our friend, Penny, came to welcome us to South Africa and see the ship sail in. She even helped with all the work of moving boxes and equipment from the offices and Academy (school onboard) to the mid-ships pre-staging area on Deck 5. The Academy had over 200 boxes alone! All of the offices and the Academy had to be relocated ashore while the ship is in shipyard and drydock. After dinner, we had a briefing from the Advance Team and the Project Director for the Generator Project.

The next morning, after breakfast, all the crew that was moving off-site, approximately 150 crew, brought their belongings up to the mid-ships area. When the trucks arrived about 9 am, we moved all the bags, boxes and various items down the gangway onto the trucks! Then lunch and at 1 pm onto the 2 buses and 10 Land Rovers for the 2 hour journey to our new temporary home (for 4 months), Appelsbosch!

Yes, that is our convoy of Mercy Ships Land Rovers and yes, in South Africa we drive on the left-hand side of the road! We had to navigate through the city of Durban...the 3rd largest city in South Africa! We must have been quite a site! We hardly had a chance to realize that we weren't sailing any longer and we were going to live on land! There was an excitement as we noticed familiar shops and sites (such as McDonald's) and also adjusted to driving at a faster pace then just 30 km. about the fastest that we drive in West Africa.

The ride to Appelsbosch was fun...plus we were all quite exhausted from moving all the bags, boxes and various items and knew that when we arrived...we needed to unload all of them into the gym! And then finally into our dorm rooms! So we were glad for the 2 hour ride and rest! We arrived at Appelsbosch about 3 pm and began unloading. We formed two lines of people from the trucks up the hill and stairs into the gym and passed the items through. One line was for lighter items and one line was for the heavier items. The unloading went quickly this way and became fun...the heavy line even passed a couple children up the line as they waited for items. The giggles of the children were an encouragement to us all!

The picture to the right is of the hill and stairs up to the gym building at the top! After we unloaded our stuff....and many jokes about why we had so much stuff, we had dinner about 6 pm!

Everyone was so happy to gather their bags to take to their cabins. Oh yeah...we decided to call our rooms, cabins...so we don't have to change one more thing when we move back on the ship in January!

The campus here is beautiful and the kids are loving having all the room to run, climb and play! The picture to the left is a view from the gym up to the Dining Hall and our dorm is just beyond there up the hill (the far building with 4 stories). The building on the right is C Building also a family dorm. Our cabin is on the second deck (second floor) of D Building.

Anyway...back to the story.... after taking our bags to the cabin, we all had a very good night's sleep as we were totally exhausted!

Where did Fall go.....It's Springtime in South Africa!

As most of our family and friends look forward to cooler weather and fall colors, we missed Fall this year and went straight into Spring! Winter here is just ending and the trees are blossoming and budding out! Pollen is on the rise and the beautiful flowers are coming out! This picture was taken by Denise as we came out of church a couple weekends ago.

We were thinking the other day that it seems like Easter should be coming! We won't be here for Easter, but how do you celebrate it going into Fall? Just a thought we had! Christmas won't be odd to us as in Florida we are used to warm weather for Christmas...even going to the beach. There is a lovely beach just north of Durban. Great waves all year round.

The Ship is in Dry Dock!

The Africa Mercy is in Dry Dock and please pray for the crew onboard and the Project Team. The shipyard workers are working 24/7 to get the work done. The generators are coming out now and the new ones will be going in soon!

There is so much to tell you about what has happened and our experiences here in South Africa so far. We'll save some of it for the next newsletter!

Thank you to all our family, friends and supporters for your faithful prayers, encouragement and financial support! We couldn't be here without you! May God bless you abundantly as you seek Him and may your life be everything that He has in His mind for you!

God's blessings,

Denise and Rob

For more pictures and information please visit our other sites on the internet:

www.mercywatch.net

http://mercywatch.blogspot.com

www.flickr.com/photos/mercywatch

Financial Support Page

It was sent from: Denise Miller, PO Box 2020 Africa Mercy, Lindale, TX 75771. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

Email Marketing by

Manage your subscription

View this message in the iContact Community: View message Comment on this message Receive as RSS

Share this message with others: del.icio.us Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon

Greetings from Rob and Denise as we sail to South Africa!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:36:00 +0000

Mercy Watch

16August2010

The crew of the Africa Mercy - 29July2010. After the fire drill, the communications department had planned for all the crew to have a group picture taken! This took a lot of planning as they needed to figure out how we could all be seen...the crew is about 400 people! So they decided to use the Land Rovers. So crew climbed up on the Land Rovers sat on the hoods and stood on the running boards. Rob and I stood in front of the Land Rovers. See if you can find us....hint: Denise has on Orange and Rob has on Green. We were told to where our branded shirts! It was great fun and only took about 15 minutes to get the picture!

— LATEST NEWS & EVENTS —

This has been a really busy month for us. We’ve had several adventures to tell you about. You might want to get a cup of coffee, tea or some other comfort drink to settle in. This may be a longer than usual Newsletter, so be forewarned.

A Trip to the Village of Gape Aloyi

During July, we had the pleasure to accompany Tim and Sharon Tretheway to the remote village of Gape-Aloyi, north and east of Lome, Togo - about a 2-3 hour drive from the ship.

Tim and Sharon became involved with this village through a friendship with the French Navy Attache in Lome, Togo. On this particular trip Tim and Sharon were taking donated medical supplies from the Africa Mercy to the village of Gape-Aloyi.

The story of a previous visit to the village can be read here. We were not along for the first trip. We were privileged to join on the second trip and drove a Land Rover full of medical supplies for the village.

The trip to the village took about three hours by vehicle from the ship. The first hour going along on the highway and paved roads. The second part of this trip began when we turned off of these developed roads onto the dirt roads through the bush for a couple more hours through the lush West African countryside. The washboard roads and assorted water filled portions of the road made the ride slow. We were in the last vehicle in the four vehicle convoy and occasionally took the opportunity to stop for pictures.

We were amazed by the size of some of the trees. These trees must have been there for centuries! In this picture you can see the size of the trees compared to the SUV going by it!

Upon arrival at the village of Gape Aloyi we were all greeted by the Chief with warm hand shakes and smiles. Getting directly down to business we were escorted to the community meeting place. Relationships are very important and time is given to introduce everyone for the guests to be properly welcomed by the Chief and other elders in the village. Many of the villagers only spoke and understood the local language, so translation was from English to French to the local language or the other way around depending on who was speaking!

The business at hand was to sign an agreement of understanding between the village, a building contractor and a French Foundation (represented by Tim's friend, Eric) for the building of a new school.

This process had been ongoing for two years with incremental steps along the way. With involvement and actions required from all parties. The village provided the land and the labor to clear the land for the new school site. Additionally the village had taken the step to hire a school teacher themselves to begin the process of teaching their children with the curriculum from the Togo school system. The school where the children currently attended school was nearby to where the new school would be built.

The first year there were eleven students eligible to take exams and eight passed the final exam. This second year there were again eleven students eligible to take exams and only four passed their exams the second year. This was an area of discussion and concern at the meeting.

The difficulty experienced is that the classes are taught in French which many of the villagers do not speak. Therefore, many of the parents can not help their children with their lessons. Secondly, there is the need for the children to work in the fields and continue many of the traditional responsibilities expected of them, other than doing school work.

The picture to the left is of one of the current school "rooms" and a student moving a desk that the French Navy had built for them previously. There was much talk about how having a new school building wasn’t going to make the students learn any better. The parents needed to make sure the children attended classes and studied hard. The village support of having a permanent school structure showed the commitment of the Chief and elders of the village for their children to be educated and equipped.

The Tretheway version of this trip can be read here. After the contract was signed and everyone had discussed their concerns, we walked through the village to the area where the school is now. The children of the village were very attentive as awards were given to the top 3 children academically in each class. They were awarded a book or coloring book, some paper and pencils or crayons. Eric and his wife had brought the awards and gave them to the students. They also commended the teachers for their faithfulness in teaching the students for the past school year.

As we watched the ceremony, the children watched us, too! I snapped this picture of a little boy looking at Capt. Tim very intensely and Eric keeping an eye on him!

There are over 200 children in the school and they were all dressed in their best clothes for the ceremony. After the ceremony, we played with the children. They loved interacting with us and we enjoyed playing with them, too! In the picture below, one of the little girls wanted to give me this plant and then all the others thought that was a great idea too! Please click here to see a video of Rob playing with the children.

After the award ceremony and a time to play with the children, we were treated to lunch with the Chief and the elders of the community. The Chief of the village has 4 wives and they fixed the meal of Fufu and Goat Soup. It was very good.

The brother of the Chief also brought from his distillery, some Sodabe. Sodabe (I'm not sure if this is spelled right, but pronounced soda - be) is a Palm wine. Rob tasted it and it smelled like gasoline. It is in the small blue glass in the picture. It is a clear liquid and quite a common type of liquor in West Africa. When we left the village, the brother of the Chief gave each of us a bottle of Sodabe. We all gave them to Eric as he was able to keep them and we couldn't bring them on the ship!

After a filling lunch, we drove the Land Rover over to the clinic to unload the supplies that we brought.

The men of the village unloaded all the medical supplies as the women celebrated and danced with joy! After unloading the supplies, we had a tour of the medical clinic. In the front of the building was a small waiting room and then another room was a ward with 6 beds for the patients. There was a room that was a pharmacy and a small office or lab room for the nurse.

There was one room of particular interest to us. The delivery room for the women to give birth in. The French Navy had just finished tiling the bare concrete and it was shiny and very clean!

In this picture, you can see the platform (table?) that the women give birth on.

We asked the nurse what would happen if the family could not afford the 1500 CFAs (about three US dollars) to come to the clinic to give birth. He said that he would still help her. He was most excited that we had brought a baby scale for the clinic!

We had to say "Goodbye" to our new friends and head back to the city of Lome and to the ship!

It was an incredible day and one that we will never forget!

A visit to

the Logos Hope

in Ghana

Our next adventure was the opportunity to travel to Tema, Ghana to visit the crew of the Logos Hope, with Operation Mobilization. This was a very interesting and fun time. It was an opportunity to view how God is using the Logos Hope and its crew to impact the people of Africa and so many other countries through their ministry. Our Senior Management Team was invited to visit and see their ship and how their ministry was run. We learned how our ships are very similar and our challenges are very similar even though our missions are very different and our styles of management are different.

They "bring Knowledge, Help and Hope" through their floating bookstore and their crew brings evangelism to the communities they visit. They are typically in a port for 2-3 weeks and have thousands of people come through their ship each day! The crew also goes out into the community and do projects once a week.

We traveled throught the city of Lome to the border of Ghana and then on to Tema.

This is normally a 3 hour trip, however, there was an accident that blocked the road soon after we got through the border and we had to take a detour through cactus and heavy traffic!

It took us about 5 hours to get to the Logos Hope and the last part in the darkness.

We had a lovely dinner with their management team when we got to the ship and then toured the ship. The next morning, Peter, our Chief Steward brought the devotion at their daily devotion meeting. Peter presented their Director with a print of the mural representing our ministry that hangs in our International Operations Center.

After the meeting, we continued our tour and learned much about how the crew lives on board. We learned that they have a 2 year program that most of the crew goes through and as they go through they rotate through the various departments. Their crew is much younger than ours, more college age to 30. Our crew is mainly mid twenties and over!

Interestingly, the laundry is done for all the crew, rather than each doing their own loads as we do. This causes it's own issues. We have a lost sock line...they have procedures on what to do if your clothes are missing!

The exchange of ideas between our two management teams was enlightening as we face many of the same challenges. It is encouraging to see God at work in both our ministries in many different and wonderful ways.

We particularly enjoyed browsing through the bookstore and purchasing many books at a great discount on a variety of subjects.

Denise had to make a couple extra trips to the book store, some for pleasure, and some for work. We were reminded of the many blessings we have as crew of the Africa Mercy and the length that our leaders have gone to provide us a comfortable, functional and safe environment in which to work and live.

Here are a few pictures of the record crowd of almost 8,000 people that visited the Logos Hope bookstore on the Saturday that we visited!

Thank You Event for our Day Volunteers from Togo

Recently, we had to say goodbye to the many Day Volunteers that we‘ve worked side by side with during the Togo 2010 Field Service. This is always bitter-sweet for us.

We praise God for the opportunities we as a crew have had to impact so many lives. We thank God personally for the new friendships we’ve forged with the people of Togo. Without the dedication of our Togolese Day Volunteers, we couldn't do all that God has in His mind for us to do. They translated for us to help us communicate with our patients, helped cook with us, helped clean with us, helped us learn French, and helped us in Deck and Engineering! We had over 200 Day Volunteers working alongside us in Togo! Thank you soooo much! Merci Beaucoup!

A visit from our friend, James, from Benin!

We were blessed greatly by our good friend James, who we met and served with in Cotonou, Benin last year. He blessed us by visiting twice from Cotonou…most recently on the last day that visitors could come Tuesday, August 8th. We are blessed to be his friend and wish him every success in his studies at the University. It was so good to see him again!

The Africa Mercy continues on a southeasterly course of 8 kts.

Distance traveled: 1145 nautical miles

Distance to go: 2259 nautical miles

The weather is nice at the moment, about 20 C.

The AFM is rolling slight to moderate.

Based on weather forecasts, Captain Tretheway expects rougher conditions in the next few days.

We are now sailing off the coast of Angola and bound for South Africa and whatever adventures await us there. Thank you for your continued prayers for our health and safety. They have been answered! Thank you for your continued support, through your prayers, your encouragment, emails, letters, and phone calls. News from home and your efforts to keep us up to date on events is most welcome and blesses us tremendously!

May your life be truly blessed as you seek to be a Follower of Jesus!

God's blessings,

Rob and Denise

It was sent from: Denise Miller, PO Box 2020 Africa Mercy, Lindale, TX 75771. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

Email Marketing by

The Crew of the M/V Africa Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:47:00 +0000

TGD0710_CREWPHOTO_TB01
Originally uploaded by MercyWatch.

The communications team had a plan and the transportation crew set the Land Rovers out in a line across the dock, so that our crew of about 400 could all be seen in the picture. After the fire drill, the emergency teams came to the dock to join all the crew who had mustered on the dock. All of the crew was not here as some were working in the wards with the patients or off the ship at the hospitality center or in various roles that needed to continue. Most of the crew gathered and in just about 15 minutes we had taken the picture!

Greetings From Togo! #2

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:23:00 +0000

MercyWatch
Greetings From Togo! #2
July 3, 2010

The Changes Should Settle Down Now
Thank you for your understanding and support as we've changed from our previous provider to iContact. The administrative process seems to be complete. So from here on out we should be able to concentrate on bringing you some news and stories about our adventures.

Remember God's Provisions and Faithfulness
Over the last several weeks I (Rob) have had occasion to remember God's faithfulness and provisions. I don't think I'd actually forgotten them...maybe just became a little used to them and started taking them a little for granted. So God has ever so gently reminded me in my prayer time and moments when I'm left with my own thoughts of Him. Do you ever find yourself at a crossroads or a point of decision? Sometimes these periods can be so daunting and I (Rob) must confess I'm the worrier.

It helps me to remember and reflect on the many times God has provided for us and answered prayer. The many times He has surprised us yet again with His attention to detail and how He knows our needs better than we know ourselves. It is in this season I've spent some time over the last several weeks. Remember your story of God's faithfulness and provision. Have you shared it lately? I hadn't...I had to dust it off and confess it was me who had withdrawn and stopped looking for the opportunities to share. We each have a story to tell, let's not keep it to ourselves.

My Lovely Wife, Shares Her Smiles and God's Grace
Have you ever gone to an office and really appreciated the way you were greeted? Maybe the appointment wasn't the most exciting, but the manner in which you were greeted made the visit more pleasant. This is what I see each time someone has an encounter with Denise. She is a very busy lady these days wearing the hat of the Staff Development Manager and the Human Resources Manager. She manages these two roles excellently and with a smile for everyone.

The other day we were reading our daily devotional together where we were reminded that God's grace is new each morning. We don't have to store it up, but pour it out into a hurting world. God will fill us up again each morning. I see evidence of this in Denise daily. Her spirit is full of grace and it shows.

The following story is provided by the Mercy Ships Communication Department. It is about a precious young boy, Abel. Our good friend, Elaine, was able to be a part of the team taking Abel back home, she told us it was an experience she will never forget!

Abel's Story

Abel had a normal childhood until a problem arose following an injection. His parents noticed he was having difficulty learning to crawl. His muscles had stopped growing, but his bones had not. As a result, his legs were not growing correctly because there was so little musculature to direct them. They began to bend backward at the knee, forcing his upper thighs out behind him. His parents took him to three different doctors, but none of them knew what to do for him.

Despite this condition, the resolute Abel learned to lean forward, correcting his balance enough to walk, climb and do just about anything any other active boy can do. He even became the goalkeeper on his football (soccer) team. The only thing he couldn’t do was ride a bicycle, since it requires sitting straight on the seat and pushing down on the pedals.

Abel’s physical deformity made him the target of ridicule from other children. But he remained optimistic thanks to his joyful spirit and his wonderfully supportive parents.

One day, there was an announcement on the radio that a Mercy Ship was coming to Togo, offering free surgeries. Abel’s hopeful father took his son to an orthopedic screening in Lomè.

A few days later, a wonderful surprise awaited Abel when he awoke after his first surgery onboard the Africa Mercy. His left leg was straight out in front of him, wrapped in a cast! As he admired his newly straightened leg, he asked his dad if his right leg would also be straight after the next surgery. His father assured him that it would. Abel jubilantly declared, “If the other leg is going to be like this one, I am going to give a big thanks to the Lord.” And a second surgery did straighten his right leg. He also had a third procedure – plastic surgery on his knees.

Through the round of surgeries and post-operative care, Abel’s sparkling personality and brilliant smile earned him many new friends among the crew and among the other children recovering at the Hospitality Center.

Even though Abel loves soccer, his long-term goal is not to become a famous soccer player. He is now determined to become a surgeon, like those on the Mercy Ship, “because of the things they have done for me,” he said.

Finally, after more than three months of surgery and recovery, it was time to return home to the village of Homa, deep in the bush. Abel and his father, accompanied by a Mercy Ships team, climbed into the Mercy Ships Land Rover to start the six-hour journey.

And it was quite a journey! The Land Rover struggled for more than two hours to traverse the muddy, deep-puddled pathway to Homa. In first gear, the intrepid vehicle clawed its way over mucky mounds and through watery ruts. Occasionally, passers-by paused to see if the car would win its battle with the road. A semi-truck stuck diagonally in the mud almost ended the trip. But the Rover squeezed by, narrowly missing the swamp on the right and the side mirrors of the truck on the left.

Perseverance was rewarded when they finally arrived at the village. As villagers recognized the Mercy Ships logo on the vehicle, they ran to spread the word. Soon the Land Rover was surrounded by curious villagers who wanted to see what the volunteer doctors had done for the boy with the backward legs.

The suspense ended abruptly when the star of the show, a very happy Abel, climbed out of the vehicle … with two straight legs! There were gasps of surprise, disbelieving stares, and cheers.
Abel, dressed in his cheerful blue and yellow outfit, was the center of attention. The other boys in the village stood quietly nearby. Could this be the same Abel that they had insulted, beaten up, and called names?

Abel kicked a small soccer ball with his wonderfully straightened legs, and not one of the boys moved. Abel, who had never retaliated during the mistreatment, smiled graciously at them. He was clearly the uncontested victor on every level.

A beautifully prepared meal was provided for the Mercy Ships crew at the home of the village pastor. It was enjoyed with great appreciation.

The Dalome family – all 20 or so members – squeezed together for a photo commemorating this fantastic and unforgettable moment. Abel’s grandfather joyfully pronounced, “Now, I know there is a God because I see Abel has straight legs.”

When it came time for the team to leave, the villagers vigorously shook the hands of each crew member and expressed their thanks, saying, “God bless Mercy Ships.”

Story by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell and Liz Cantu

Thank YOU!

We thank God for our blessings and for you! As we serve here in Togo, we thank God that your prayers and support sustain us. We are always aware that your prayers protect us, strengthen us, encourage us, guide us and are with us each and every day! Thank you so much!

May God bless you abundantly as you trust in Him as you live the life He has given you!

God's blessings,

Rob and Denise

M/V Africa Mercy

Mercy Ships

currently serving in Lomé, Togo

This message was sent from Rob and Denise Miller. It was sent from: Denise Miller, PO Box 2020 Africa Mercy, Lindale, TX 75771. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

Email Marketing by

Manage your subscription

View this message in the iContact Community: View message Comment on this message Receive as RSS

Share this message with others: del.icio.us Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon

Transformed Lives Video

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 12:29:00 +0000

This is just a glimpse into the lives that are transformed by our surgeons and crew onboard the Africa Mercy. Abel just went home to his village this past week and our friend, Elaine Winn, traveled back to the village with him. She is a writer onboard and a team from Communications went to the village to document Abel's homecoming. Elaine told us that it was just like a movie....the village was far in the bush up north in Togo and the entire village welcomed Abel home. They couldn't believe that his legs were now straight! We are so privileged to be here and be a part of these transformed lives! Your prayers, encouragement and support all play a part, too! Thank you for your part in transforming these lives, too!

Happy Father's Day!

Click here to watch the video!

Part 2 of the iTV Video News Clip on the Africa Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 22:29:00 +0000

In this episode you'll see a story about a MaxFax Patient and Surgeon, Tony Giles. Also covered are Engineering, the Academy onboard and the Cole family. Please pray for the Coles as they had to go back unexpectedly to England last month.

Watch the video - here

Greetings from Togo - May Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:58:00 +0000

Great Response and Changes for our Newsletters

Thank you so much for the great response that we received from our short note on Mother’s Day! It was the best response that we’ve ever received from our friends and family! What a great encouragement! We must apologize for the “Dear” not actually making it into the note – it was a button that we wanted to try and I forgot to enter it before sending the note out! Oops! I’m (Denise) so sorry!

We have decided to change providers to send our Newsletters. After almost 8 years of using inJesus and going through changes with them as they've grown, their newest change to netatlantic is just not working for us! So we went looking for providers and we believe that iContact is going to work for us! We were very impressed that they gave us a call the day after we began a 15 day trial and offered us a 20% discount for being missionaries with Mercy Ships! If you've received this newsletter in your email...then you know it's working! Thank you for confirming your subscription to Mercy Watch!

Thank YOU! and Photos from the USA

A slideshow photo recap of the time in the US is available for those who would like to see it - here.

Unfortunately, we didn’t take pictures every where we went so in putting this together we did miss some photos of those we visited and regret that we didn’t take pictures! We do love and miss you all!

As you can see from this picture, we experienced some SNOW in Texas as we spent time there with friends and family during February! This is Rob in front of John and Ruth's home in Van, Texas.

We are very thankful for the time we had to reconnect with family and friends. Each of you holds a special place in our life! As we traveled some seventy-five hundred miles from January through April we were very blessed to share time with you in your homes. You all made us feel very special and reminded us again just how blessed we are to have family and friends like you!

We also were able to spend some time in Sunny Florida with our family, friends and our home church! This picture is of Rob and our leased car (Thank you M.A.T.S) on the beach in St. Augustine about 6 blocks from our son, Jason's, home during the month of March!

As we settle back into community life onboard the memories we carry back with us are priceless. Thank each of you for your love and friendship! It is a humbling experience to realize how much we are loved by so many. Thank you for your many expressions of this love!

This picture is of our leased car in Virgina as we experienced spring in the Mid-Atlantic during the month of April!

Information on Togo

We are now here in Lomé, Togo! The ship has been here since mid-February and will stay until mid August. It has been a busy time and many opportunities to share God’s love and care with the people of Togo. Screening has been done a bit differently here in Togo and there is much need for the services Mercy Ships can offer.

Togo has about 6 million people and just over 1 million reside in Lome. The country is about 100 miles wide at the widest part and about 360 miles stretching north from the Gulf of Guinea. The countryside is two savannah plains separated by hills from the southwest to the northeast. The per capita income is about $900 (US) or about $80 a month. The official language is French, however, many local languages are spoken (Ewe, Mina, Kabye).

Mercy Ships was last here in 2003 and Togo was the first African Nation that welcomed Mercy Ships in 1990. We plan to do about 2,000 surgeries during our field service from February to August 2010. These surgeries include; Cataract, Cleft Lip and Palate, Orthopedic, Maxillofacial, Reconstructive, Fistula, Hernia and Goiter. In addition to the surgeries, Our surgeons and nurses are training surgeons and nurses from Togo and other African countries to use our procedures.

Screenings in Togo

During the Togo Field Service, Mercy Ships is testing a new format for screening patients. Several pre-screenings were conducted from February until April - in multiple locations rather than one mass screening. This allowed our teams to reach multiple areas of need while hopefully reducing the size of the crowd that normally appears during large screenings. Our hope was that prospective patients would have less time to wait to be examined while also reducing security concerns that come with large groups.

In this photo, these people were waiting ever so patientlly. About 1500 people came to the first day of screening.

According to Rachel Dix, the screening coordinator for the Africa Mercy , the new screening process should enable Mercy Ships to accommodate more people. "We only schedule [surgeries] for two-week blocks of time," explains Rachel. "This will allow some flexibility in our surgical schedule. So if we have a very large case that comes at the end of the year, we'll still be able to accommodate it."

General medical screenings were held every week for ten weeks. The screenings took place at predetermined locations in Lomé. In previous field services, screenings were held dockside, adjacent to the Africa Mercy .

In addition to the Lomé screenings, Dr. Tony and Ann Giles, agreed to travel up-country for one month to conduct mobile screenings. All potential surgical patients then can be transported to the Mercy Ships Hospitality Center in Lomé for further evaluation.

The crew and staff are excited and optimistic about the new screening procedure. The method may vary somewhat, but the result remains the same - hope and healing for the people of Togo.

Written By: Joy Clary
Edited by Nancy Predaina
(Denise made tense changes since it was written prior to these screenings being held - the screenings are completed now)

We’d like to share a story of one of the patients who had surgery 15 years ago on a Mercy Ship, the Anastasis and hosted a team from Mercy Ships in her village this year – this was written by Elaine Winn, a Mercy Ships writer.

A Visit with Edoh

A sweet, gentle young woman walked forward, holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Thirty joyful family members joined her in welcoming the visitors from the Mercy Ship. This was Edoh - a life restored by mercy.

Edoh is the youngest of six children. When she was about four years old, her eye became very red and began to swell. Her mother, Afua, desperately tried to find help, going from hospital to hospital in Togo and Ghana. But no one could help her little girl.

By the time Edoh was nine, a massive facial tumor had displaced her left eye, distorted her cheek and mouth, and left her teeth protruding at odd angles from the edges of the mass. She struggled to eat and breathe. The tumor was literally stealing the breath of life from her - she was slowly suffocating.

Then Afua heard about a hospital ship, a Mercy Ship, that had arrived in her country to offer free medical care. So, she took Edoh to the screening.

A huge crowd of six thousand crushed into the stadium in Togo, almost tearing off the gate. These desperate people were living lives of misery and rejection because of their abnormalities - viewed as a curse in their culture. Unable to work, or even live in society, they saw Mercy Ships as their only chance to have a normal life. They wanted a chance for a free surgery, the chance for a miracle.

But in the midst of all that suffering and desperate longing, mercy raised its head. A little girl's gasping struggle to breathe captured the attention of the crowd. Arms of compassion - some weak and some strong - lifted Edoh and passed her to the front of the long line.

Edoh remembers that moment - the moment that changed her life forever. She recalls, "I remember being lifted over the heads of the crowd and being passed along to the gate. A nurse saw me and said, 'This is the type of surgery we need to do.'"

And that day Edoh received an appointment card for surgery ... an appointment to receive life instead of death.

The doctors warned Afua that this was a difficult, risky case. But she wisely replied, "God gives children; God can take away. We will give it all to God and go ahead with the surgery."

And her faith was rewarded. Edoh returned home to a very surprised community. "It's a miracle!" they exclaimed. And they held a big party to celebrate.

A year later, Dr. Luer Koeper, a maxillofacial surgeon, who had helped to remove the tumor, took Edoh to Germany for a second surgery on her lip. Then in 2003, she had another surgery on her lower eyelid.

And now, 15 years after her first surgery, this "walking miracle" was welcoming Mercy Ships volunteers to her village.

Edoh happily described the transformation in her life. She recalled how she used to stay away from people. She couldn't go to school. She became very shy, hiding in her home. But now she can go everywhere - including school.

In fact, Edoh is a good student. After she completes her secondary education, she wants to become a nurse to help others - just like the dedicated Mercy Ships volunteers helped her.

The celebration arranged by the family continued at the "cascade," a beautiful waterfall that roars down the mountain behind Edoh's home. There, her brothers played their native drums, and everyone sang praises to God for His mercy toward Edoh.

A smiling Edoh added, " If it wasn't for the Mercy Ship, maybe I would be dead. Mercy Ships changed that. I used to look in the mirror and feel pity for myself. But now I think about what happened to me, and it's all about God. I put everything in God's hands."

Written by Elaine B. Winn
Edited by Nancy Predaina
Photos by Debra Bell

As we return to our roles onboard, there are many opportunities to excel. Several of the crew have been sick with various maladies which effects all of us spiritually and emotionally not to mention physically. We both have had a few days of adjusting and not feeling too well. Please pray for the continued health of our crew. Please continue to keep us up to date with events in your lives through your emails, phone calls, letters, and postings on FaceBook.

Please let us know what you'd like to see in these newsletters We try to find the right mix, so you are informed, yet at the same time feel a part of what is going on here. We would like to send a personal note to each of you. We use this vehicle of technology (email) for expediency, efficiency, and reliability. However we try very hard to ensure you don’t feel this is an impersonal tabloid. May we encourage you to take this opportunity to drop a note? Tell us what you like and what you don’t like. Tell us what you’d like to hear more about. Ask some questions that maybe we can answer for you and perhaps others have the same questions. We look forward to hearing from you…and for those of you who regularly reply…Thank You!! You encourage us greatly.

We’ve started a new website you might want to check out www.mercywatch.net. It is still a work in progress at this time. Our continued prayer for you is - May your life be as wonderful as it was in the mind of God the day He made you!

God’s Blessings,
Rob and Denise
currently in Lome, Togo Email us

1st in a series of 5 short news clips on the Africa Mercy

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:25:00 +0000

This is the first of five in a series of short news clips (about 5 minutes) describing what the Africa Mercy was doing on our mission in Benin last year. These clips come from iTV Tyne Tees in England near where the Africa Mercy was refit. We lived in this area for about 1.5 years (from Nov 2005 until May 2007) while the ship was in shipyard prior to being operational.

In this clip there is a short ship tour and some everyday life in Benin shots. Also, a shot of when the ship left Blyth and the townspeople there that welcomed us so much as we prepared the ship for service in Africa! Watch closely, you can see Denise in a blue shirt walking down the passageway while they are talking about the ship shop.

Watch the movie

Happy Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sun, 09 May 2010 20:51:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day! We have arrived in Togo on the 29th of April! We are settling in and are working on a newsletter. We wanted to send a short message to let you know that we arrived safely and found out when we got back that the injesus email system that we have always used to send messages has changed a lot! So we are in process of learning how to use it and will hopefully get out a newsletter in the next week! This is sort of a test message - in addition to letting you know where we are and that we are well.

Above is our son, Jason and his daughter, Kendall. Please let us know if you receive this email and if your name appears after the Dear above. This too is different and we just want to know if it works well or if we need to do this another way with possibly another provider. We've always been happy with injesus and have used this system since we first began writing newsletters back in 2002, so we wanted to try to use it first!

Above is our son, Jeff and his children; Ryan, Chloie and Averi. We enjoyed our time back in the US! We are really glad to be back in Africa!!! Thank you to all who have prayed for us, met with us, hosted us in your home and supported us in many many ways! We love you and miss you all! God is so faithful and He had our time back in the US planned and arranged. We felt as though we were in just the right place at just the right time in each and every place we traveled! May God bless you abundantly as you trust in Him!

God's blessings,

Denise and Rob

You are currently subscribed to mercywatch as: mercywatch.robndee@blogger.com
Add rdmiller@gowebway.com to your email address book to ensure delivery.
Forward to a Friend | Manage Subscription | Subscribe | Unsubscribe

Maternity Centre opens in Sierra Leone!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:12:00 +0000

The Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Centre (founded by Mercy Ships) in Sierra Leone is now the Aberdeen Women's Centre (managed by the Gloag Foundation)! The Maternity Clinic was recently opened and the First Lady of Sierra Leone attended the Grand Opening. The Centre now has a Fistula Clinic, the Maternity Clinic and a Children's Clinic to serve the women of Sierra Leone! To read more about it.....click here.

Happy Easter!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:14:00 +0000

Just a quick note to let you know where we are and wish you a Happy Easter! We'll be posting some pictures of our journey and relating some stories soon. We have had a wonderful time here in the US and are continuing to visit our family and friends in the Washington DC area. We are spending Easter with Denise's sister and her family in Delaware.

One quick story....we hope to see a friend that we haven't seen in years, David Burke! David was the youth leader at our church when our sons were in youth group at LakeShore UMC (Jacksonville, FL) in the 1980/90's. David is now serving as staff at my sister's church in Delaware!

May the power of the resurrection be real in your life as you celebrate the sacrifice Jesus, our Lord and Savior made for us! Our prayer for you this Easter is Ephesians 1:17-23.
God's blessings,
Denise and Rob

Connections - A Mercy Ship Update about the Togo Field Service

noreply@blogger.com (Rob and Denise Miller) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:39:00 +0000

We are in the United States (currently in St. Augustine, FL - visiting family). Our granddaughter, Kendall, turned 7 years old last Tuesday! We enjoyed celebrating her birthday with her. The following video is of the Africa Mercy's arrival in Togo! We will join the ship in Togo at the end of April. Included in this video is also some information about the UK Africa Ball hosted by Lord Ian McCall, a new Mercy Ships International Board Member from the DR Congo (we happened to be at the International Operations Center during this meeting) and a new song written for Mercy Ships introduced at the New Zealand benefit for Haitian Relief Variety Event.