Veloma Tamatave, Sawabona Durban!

Our hearts were full as we wrapped up a successful, albeit shortened field service, in Madagascar in June. It was time to exchange one flag for another as we sailed across the Indian Ocean  to Durban, South Africa for the Africa Mercy's annual period of maintenance, or as we affectionately term it on board, shipyard! But more on this is our next blog post.


In this post we say veloma (goodbye) to the wonderful nation of Madagascar. But really it was not goodbye but just a "see you later" as we rested in the knowledge that soon we would return to this land we had come to love.
(Photo: Unknown)

The gangway goes up!
(Photo credit above and below: Jen Peterschmidt)



The berth may look empty in this photo but now it is bustling again with patients, land rovers, containers and crew. Just how we like it!

The guys on the tug gave us a little assistance with out stubborn anchor which had been dutifully securing us in place against the big surges battering the ship for a large part of last field service.

Back at sea where the sunsets and sunrises are God's masterpiece!
(Photo:Unknown)

(Photo credit above and below: Jen Peterschmidt)

Sailing is a great time for fun!!! With nowhere much to be, at no particular time, the crew bond together is some great activities such as the Captain's Dinner and Mocktail party! After a seafood feast we gathered in the café for some sweet and zesty delights!

Captain Tim grabs a Dolphin Colada.
(Photo: Unknown)

Durban on the horizon!
(Photo: Unknown)

Durban Harbour is one of the biggest in the world so the pilot does not come by boat but by helicopter. It is pretty cool!
(Photo credit: Sue Clynes)

Continuing with the theme from my last post....Dormac Shipyard, our home for the next few months!
(Photo credit: Patricia Royston)

From the Madagascar flag to the South African flag.
(Photo: Unknown)

Arriving in shipyard also brought about some inevitable goodbyes that we had been dreading for months. There was no more time left and the day we left for Australia, less than 48 hours after the ship arrived in South Africa, we said goodbye to over a dozen close friends, including our best friends on board. It was so hard for us to be the first to leave and to not be able to be there when each of our friends left to honour them and their journey with Mercy Ships.


One of the hardest goodbye was to Captain Tim Tretheway, his wife Sharon and their son Nathaniel whose combined service with Mercy Ships totalled over 50 years!!! They left the day after us to applause, as they descended the gangway for the very last time, and several extended honks of the ship's horn. Above Tim hands over his Captain's epaulettes of eight stripes to our temporary Captain, Jurryan.
(Photo credit: David Forrest)

(Photo credit: Patricia Royston)

The Mercy Ships traditional farewell lining of the dock. One last salute for the Tretheway family!
(Photo credit: Andrea Diallo)

Our hardest goodbye to date, our ship family, the Szarek family. Jess with Charlotte Forrest and Deborah Szarek. Jess and I cried in the van taking us to the airport, all the way to immigration. It was a sombre ride to the airport as we quietly reflected on all those we had just said goodbye to and how life on board was going to be very different upon our return from Australia!

The Szarek's left a few weeks after we left for Oz. That last walk down the gangway is very, very tough and I cannot imagine doing it ourselves, one day. Just as the first walk up the gangway is filled with euphoria and emotion (I cried), so the last walk is also filled with emotion and the weight of a thousand memories.


We left shipyard just 48 hours after our arrival into Durban and what a tumultuous time it was from when we left the shores of Tamatave to the moment we stepped into the van to go to King Shaka International Airport. Things would never be quite the same again.
(Photo credit: Patricia Royston)

Where is Home?

Where is home? I have been asked this question so many times over the last five years. For me, home is where I have left a piece of my heart. Home is somewhere that generates feelings of wellbeing and familiarity. I guess that means I have lots of homes all over the world. My life is richer and more abundant because I have so many homes but my heart is in a million little pieces scattered all over the globe. I can travel to dozens of countries and can always be met with a friendly face and have somewhere to lay my head.

Home is the United States where we completed our Mercy Ships training in 2006 and visited again in 2009. It is where we have literally dozens of friends. Home is in the tiny village of Villa Ascension in the Dominican Republic. Home is on Bad Boy Lane in Sierra Leone and the white sands and azure waters of River No. 2 Beach. Home is fresh strawberries at Cote Jardin on the beach road in Togo and the funny little Chinese $ store. Home is in Guinea in the embrace of my beautiful friend Grace and lazy Saturday afternoons at the Riviera Hotel. Home is in the United Kingdom at the foot of Stonehenge just down the road from ship friends and just across from Wales where more mates live.

Home is the black volcanic backdrop and colourful gelato bars of the Canary Islands. Home is at the foot of the jungles at the Diosso Gorge in the Congo. Home is in the savannahs of South Africa and the Mugg and Bean at the V&A in Cape Town.  Home is the Dormac (Durban) and Astican (Las Palmas) shipyards. Home is airports. Lots. Of. Airports. Taking us to all our homes.

Home is in the cry of the lemur and chatting with Ivan at the Calypso in Madagascar. Home is a big white hospital ship with friends from 40 nations, where we live in a three room cabin.  Home is my Mum and Dad's house in Tasmania. Home is where our family lives as well as all our "stuff" and our car, our birth country, Australia.

 In June and July we spent some time in Australia, out longest home! Just a few random pics to celebrate our trip!

Our first stop was Launceston, Tasmania, where Andrew and I met and married and our parent's live.


We see all the photos on Facebook  but this time it was out turn to have a Mercy Ships reunion with our newlywed friends, Leah and Idrissa Koroma, who left the ship in December, 2014. It was fantastic to catch up with them and to spend some time filling them in on ship life.

The beautiful Cataract Gorge in the heart of Launceston City, where many peacocks strut and have become an iconic feature of the Gorge.

A panoramic view of the Gorge from the suspension bridge.

A quick trip down to Tasmania's historic capital city, Hobart, where Jodie was born! Historic and very cold!! You see, while the vast majority of the ship's crew were going back home to enjoy summer, we headed back to the coldest winter Australia has had for the past 60 years!! Not long after we left Australia, Hobart received a dumping of snow to sea level!


Unfortunately we missed most of the snow but Jess was pretty excited to find this little patch on the side of Mt. Wellington, which overlooks Hobart.

Another panoramic view. This time from the top of Mt. Wellington at sunset.

It was about 0 degrees Celsius on Mt. Wellington but the wind chill factor was several degrees below zero and positively took your breath away! Us trying to keep warm!!

Mt. Wellington from below.

Salamanca Market at the foot of Mt. Wellington, home of hippies, piping hot cinnamon donuts, great second hand books, fantastic fudge, cool doggy treats and amazing Tasmanian hand crafts.

The main reason for our road trip to Hobart was to catch up with this awesome woman!! My grandmother, 99 years ago and not looking a day over 80! So good to see her again!

This is an odd picture I hear you thinking! We ventured into the controversial MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). This is Jess and my Dad in a special room where you wore sound blocking headphones and lay back in a beach chair and appreciated the view outside. For some reason we found it extremely amusing, fuelled by the fact that we couldn't hear ourselves laughing!

Back to Launnie......we held an informal coffee and dessert evening for our regular, local financial supporters. We wanted to make it a little bit fun with a Madagascar theme. Even Melman and Gloria popped in for a visit!

Just a pic of the Tamar River in Launceston sporting some beautiful autumn colours.

"I've been around the world
A couple of times or maybe more
I've seen the sights, I've had delights
On every foreign shore
But when my mates all ask me
The place that I adore
I tell them right away

Give me a home among the gum trees
With lots of plum trees
A sheep or two, a k-kangaroo
A clothesline out the back
Verandah out the front
And an old rocking chair...."

......the lyrics to a famous Aussie song.

We thought it was high time we re-acquainted Jess with some Aussie wildlife so we took her, Leah and Idrissa (who was also meeting some of our native animals for the first time) to a local wildlife park. Ok, so Shetland ponies are not indigenous to Australia but it is a cute photo of Jess!

Photos of kangaroos and Tasmanian Devils for all our non-Aussie readers to enjoy! :)

The very cheek cockatoo who will talk back to you! "Hello cocky" being it's favourite catchcry!

Jess really enjoyed going out with my Dad on electric scooters!

We had the opportunity to speak at our home church in Launceston, Door of Hope Christian Church. Andrew spoke in the morning service and Jessica spoke at Undone, the youth service. She made quite an impact and made her mamma proud!!

Our next stop was the stunning Cradle Mountain where we stayed for a few nights. No snow in close sight but handfeeding the pademelons and walking the end of the Dove Lake Circuit at sunset made up for it!

All rugged up ready to do some bushwalking!

With Mum and Dad under the setting sun.

Jess and her friend Nikola enjoying a traditional Aussie meat pie! Can't do much better on a cold winter's day, unless you add an iced coffee on the side!

We caught up with many friends while we were back in Australia but one friend that I will always have time for is my dear friend of twenty five years, Ruth.

A few more flights saw us a bit further up the Aussie coastline in Brisbane, Queensland the birthplace of Jessica!. Above, Jess cuddles up with all the young nieces and nephews, including two she had never met before!

A fun family shot!


Whilst we had a great time in Australia we were keen to get back to another of our homes, the Africa Mercy. It is hard to describe the way we feel at home in so many places. As we cruised into the Port of Tamatave, Madagascar last Sunday and saw the familiar palm lined beach of the Indian Ocean, crew and day crew waving us in, I felt a strong sense of home once again. I found this quote below which I think sums it up pretty well!


Where is home for you?

Dear One

Mercy Ships patients are not the only ones who experience transformed lives. Crew members create treasured memories of heart-lifting and heart-breaking moments. Ward Nurse Heather Morehouse shares a special story:

 

“To The Terror Of A 5-Year-Old In Bed D9 … You Have Changed My Life"

 

When you first arrived on the ward, I saw your face … how your lip was pulled up and made your face look like you had a permanent scowl … how your left eye was missing, and your face was distorted … how you played, but were very aggressive, as if you’d spent your whole life fighting …

 

I found out that, when you were a week old, your mother left you at home with your older siblings so she could go to work to support you. When she came home, she found that you had been attacked by some animal! It left a hole in your face that got infected, probably with a flesh-destroying bacteria called noma. It ate away your nose and ruined your eye. A local doctor sewed your eye shut and advised your mom to pour hot water on your eye every day for the next five years. Your mom didn’t know what else to do.

 

You came to us needing a new nose … but you are leaving with a new heart.

 

After your first surgery, I was your nurse. I think you hated me or feared me so much that you hated me. You left fingernail marks in my arm as you screamed while I did your breathing treatments – you were so afraid that you didn’t realize the treatments were actually painless. I will never forget how strong you were as you fought. We had to restrain you while you screamed, “Marare, marare!” (“Pain, pain!”) over and over again throughout every treatment ... every four hours ... for countless shifts over five weeks.

 

I remember how your mom wept when Dr. Gary’s wife, Susan, looked into her eyes, saying, “You are a good mom ... you are brave.” Your mom looked as if she’d never heard those words in her entire life. She’d spent five years caring for you, keeping you home so both of you wouldn’t have to endure disgusted looks and comments. She wanted to protect you but had no support. Her eyes were so tired and defeated. She is the most patient, loving mother I have ever met.

 

I remember my somewhat futile attempts to make you smile. Your whole head was bandaged, and you could barely see out of your one good eye. I read to you, placing your hands on the pictures. You’d stare at the book, unimpressed, and pull your hands away. My heart hurt for you. I brought you crayons. You grabbed the box and dumped them all into your lap as if you were afraid that someone would steal them.

 

I was feeling defeated as the weeks were going by, and you were still as angry as ever. We nurses would pray over you frequently – for peace over your little mind … that you would come to trust us … that, through our love, the little girl inside would re-emerge.

 

Your mind was so tormented. You wouldn’t venture more than an arm’s length away from your mom. After treatments, you would throw yourself under your bed, sometimes for hours. You would swing your fist at me whenever I tried to say hello. You refused all medicine. You would spit it in my face, so I hid it in your food … which worked for about two days until you found out and refused to eat. For your first dressing change, the doctor ordered an oral sedative. We brainstormed about how on earth we were going to get you to take the medicine. I asked you what your favourite food was, but you wouldn’t say. I asked if you liked chocolate and you nodded. So I mixed the sedatives into Nutella and served it with a spoon and a smile. You took a small bite, and I rejoiced! But then you spat it out. You couldn’t be tricked. The only way was to give you an injection.

 

I prayed that the peace I saw while you slept would become the peace you’d have while you were awake … that whatever was tormenting you would be gone. But then you’d wake up and return to your angry self.

 

Then this week, something about you changed.

 

You still hate your treatments, and we don’t give you any medications by mouth because you refuse them, but you’re smiling now. A few days ago someone caught you singing, and another nurse taught you how to wink.

 

Today, more than five weeks from when you first walked through our door, I couldn’t keep the tears from my eyes as I watched you ride around the ward on your little scooter. As I felt you sneak up behind me, poke my side and then dart around the corner while you waited me for me to come chase you. As I winked at you in your bed, and you winked back. Today I saw your heart heal a little. A heart that has spent its whole life fighting and not allowing anyone in … because no one had ever wanted in.

 

I cried because you are healing. Because this journey has been so difficult, remembering frustration when you’d thrashed around as I held you, quietly saying, “It’s okay,” but you never heard me through your screams. Because, as often as I wanted to request to not be your nurse, I didn’t – because I knew the Lord would be faithful in healing your body and mind and that He had the power to return your joy.

 

You are becoming a little girl again. Ever so slowly you are letting us love you. The torment that you’ve endured for the past five years is lifting.

 

 

Mioty came to us needing a new nose. She is leaving with a new heart.

At first, Mioty rarely left her mother’s side.

… Affectionate tickles and giggles from nurse Heather Morehouse

Ward Nurse Heather Morehouse (USA) described Mioty’s mother as “the most patient, loving mother I have ever met.”

My heart has been broken for you. I often ask the Lord to break my heart for His people … and you are evidence that He has. I am honoured to bear the burden of this broken heart, because it is worth it to love you.

 

You, Dear One, are why I am here.

 

Story by Heather Morehouse, AFM Ward Nurse, https://heathermorehouse.wordpress.com

Edited by Eunice Hiew and Nancy Predaina

Photos by Katie Keegan, Catrice Wulf and Deb Louden